It seems like we have been in George Town FOR EVER, two weeks as of today.  I don’t believe that I have ever been anchored for two weeks in one place.

From the perspective of folks that spend the season here,  two weeks is about how much time it takes to get an anchor well set.   But, that’s from folks that anchor here for the entire winter.  Yikes!  It’s a nice place but we are about ready for a change of scenery.  Perhaps that’s because I am still coming from the New York perspective, home of the world famous “New York Minute” and two weeks is a lot of those.

Speaking of New York, a neighbor sent me this photo of our home in CT following the blizzard.   Perhaps this is old news to you northerners…I guess I prefer this view taken on the same day.    Yes, there’s a bit of white in this photo too, but a different sort of white.  Me, I prefer a warm white.So, when will we leave and head elsewhere?  Soon, I hope, as the blue horizon beckons.

It’s Monday afternoon and Brenda and I enjoyed a quiet day aboard Pandora.   Now that the boys have been gone for a few days, it seems that things are getting back into a pleasant rhythm.   We do miss them terribly but it’s nice to be rested again.
It’s been very windy so we have basically been boat bound for the last two days.  Happily, the heavy winds held off until after we delivered the boys ashore but it’s been screaming pretty good since then.   As you can imagine, sleeping hasn’t been that easy as we have been constantly listening to the wind in the rigging as she sails back and forth on her anchor.  Because of the twin head stays and mast set fairly far forward, Pandora isn’t docile at anchor and tends to be more restless as the wind picks up.
Happily, the sandy bottom and shallow depth makes it easier as there is only about a foot under her keel at low tide and that means that even if she moves around a bit, it’s not much given the very short scope on the anchor chain.  After years of dealing with double digit tides in Maine the 2-3′ tides here are a treat.  Also, we are getting pretty good at reading the water depth based on the color of the water.
Today, February 18th, marks the one month anniversary of our arrival in the Bahamas and I am happy to report that we are getting used to the warm weather.  (Yes, I know that you have been concerned that we’d never adjust to warm in February)  I can’t say that we are crazy about the often very strong winds but on balance, it’s a very pleasant place to spend time.   The good news is that after some three days of strong winds we will be treated to a good stretch, perhaps five or more days, of reasonable winds.   I guess that it’s better than snow and ice.   Let me think about that for a momentů  Yes, better.
It is our hope that we will be able to make a run out to Long Island or Conception, a 25-30 mile day sail, later in the week and have our fingers crossed that the weather and winds will cooperate.  Chris Parker suggested this morning that we might get a good sailing wind by the weekend.    I am hopeful that we will catch a mahi-mahi as they are great eating and common on the ocean passages.
This afternoon I was suffering from a bit of cabin fever (it doesn’t take long for me to develop an acute case, actually) so I took the dink out and went to the beach for a walk.  After a morning spent changing the oil on the main engine transmission and the oil in the generator, I needed a break.  I also have spent hours trying to hunt down a persistent fresh water leak on the pressure water system.  I can’t find it but know that there is a leak as the pump runs periodically, even if we aren’t using water.  It’s making me crazy that I can’t find it and frankly, I have exhausted about every option in trying to find the source.    I have torn up much of the floor, aft cabin and under the cockpit to no avail.
Oh well, I’ll just make more.  Did I say that I LOVED our water maker?   Yes, indeed.
When  I visited the beach today,  I brought the dink ashore in a nice little mangrove stand.

Perhaps I’ll close with a nice scene that greeted me as I walked across to the beach.

Yes, I like this “new normal” of winter in the Bahamas.  Pretty niceů

It’s hard to believe that the boys have come and gone.   After so many months of anticipation of Rob and Chris visiting with Kandice, the week is over and they have flown home.

This morning the alarm went off at 05:15 so that they could catch the cab to the airport at 06:00 and head to Nassau and their connecting flight to the states.  They planned to spend an extra day in Nassau and used some of their travel points to get a suite at the local Hilton.  I’ll bet that they will enjoy taking long showers.  It’s been a month since I have had the luxury of unending hot water for showering.  How nice that would be.

I have to say that having the “kids” with us for the last week was perhaps the best visit we have ever had with them.  Everyone got along well and I even kept myself out of trouble, mostly.   We were on the move constantly so I find myself a bit winded today but missing the constant activity as well.  While it’s nice to have things aboard Pandora back in order from the chaos of five adults sharing such a small space, I had to choke back my emotion this morning as I hugged each of them goodbye.  Funny, but the cab driver must have sensed my emotion as she said “don’t worry Dad, I’ll take good care of them” prior to motoring off into the dark.
Happily, the weather cooperated fully over the last week with moderate winds most of the time.  We had worried about strong winds getting in the way of fun but that didn’t happen.  Actually, while it was dead calm last night, today a cold front is coming through so by Sunday morning we will have winds perhaps in excess of 30kts.  That’s a lot of wind and I shudder at the thought of what it would have been like if we had to get them to shore in those conditions at o-dark-thirty this morning.

While we anchored near town last night we came back to the secluded anchorage a few miles from town where we had spent some time with the kids again today.  With the several days of strong winds forecasted, we wanted to be sure that we are protected from all directions.  If we are going to be boat-bound for several days, I want to be sure that we aren’t bouncing all around from wind and seas.  However, it seems that we are not the only ones to have thought of this idea as there has been a steady stream of boats coming into the harbor since yesterday afternoon. When we first arrived earlier in the week, we were nearly alone and now there must be two dozen boats here.  Happily, there is a large sandbar nearby cutting through the middle of the harbor, so the boats are quite spread out.   We’ll see if we anchored too close to the bar when the wind shifts direction as it clocks around in the next two days.    If so, we’ll find ourselves on the sand at low tide for a bit.  Fingers crossed.   The spot that I really wanted is now occupied by another boat took it the moment we pulled anchor yesterday.   Happily, there was another spot nearby, sort of, where we are anchored now.

As I mentioned in my last post, I used my Hawaiian Sling, a sort of spear, to catch my first fish the other day.  Rob and I went out and were able to spear two lion fish.  This species isn’t native to the western hemisphere as they are from  South-East Asia but are prized as a fish for home aquariums.  It seems that a shipment of these fish were released into the wild off of Florida, by mistake or on purpose, some years ago and have taken over much of the Bahamas and Caribbean.  This is very unfortunate as they are voracious eaters and are making a mess of the native reef fish population.  The good news is that they are very easy to spear and while their spines are venomous they are very good eating.  The two that Rob and I caught were a bit less than a foot long.

They look quite dramatic, that’s for sure.   Good thing that they are such good eating as that should make some progress in keeping the population in check.  With all those big fins, they don’t swim very fast, unlike most of the fish on the reefs.   Being very careful not to be stung by the fins while cleaning them,  I gutted them and prepared them for cooking.  Then I pan-fried up the filets with breadcrumbs and herbs.  They were terrific.  Brenda hasn’t quite come around to eating something that looks quite that aggressive as of yet.  However, I expect that she will end coming around if I am able to make a tempting enough dish.  Wish me luck.
Does this look like something you’d like to eat?  Looks can be deceiving though.   Trust me on that.

We were all fascinated by the conch salads and remaining shells.   Blowing the conch shells at sunset is very popular here and everyone went home with a shell to show off once they learn how to blow one.  You cut off the smallest whorl at the top of the shell and blow into it like a trumpet.  It makes a very satisfying low tone.   That’s of course, if you know how to do it.  Me, I am still learning but am determined to master it, or at least get as proficient as a little middle aged guy from New England can be.  Here’s Rob giving it a try.

The wind is picking up according to Chris Parker’s forecast so I expect that it’s going to be a wild night.  Glad that we are in a secure harbor.

So, now Brenda and I will have to readjust to being alone and continue on our journey.  Perhaps I’ll have a rum punch tonight.   It will remind me of this great moment as we headed off to a beach cocktail party a few days ago, punch in hand.

Yeah, that’s the ticket.

It’s Friday and we are back anchored near town in George Town.   Rob and Kandice are shopping while Brenda and Chris are aboard Pandora cleaning some shells that the kids plan on taking home with them.   The last week has been a blur of fun and I have to say that keeping up with this group of 20 somethings has been a lot of fun but a bit much even for someone with high energy like Moi.  After a lifetime of decaf coffee, I have had to resort to a bit of high test to even come close to keeping up.

Snorkeling, beach combing and evenings of rum and wine have left me feeling a bit worn but just so happy to have been able to spend time with them.   The views of the ocean are just spectacular.  Lots of limestone outcroppings to explore.Pandora looks like she belongs in this lovely blue water?  Hard to believe that it’s really this blue. The colors in every direction are just amazing. For the last few days we anchored in a lovely secluded harbor nearby but a bit off the beaten path, Red Shank.   After several days immersed in the hubbub of Hamburger Beach and Volley Ball beaches, we decided that we needed a break from all the boats, there are something like 250+ in the harbor.  Yes, the harbor is big but that’s still a lot of boats no matter how y0u count em.   Some drop the hook and stay put for the entire winter.   There is a very involved social scene there complete with morning announcements on the radio that sometimes take nearly an hour to go through.

Red Shank was such fun that we decided to say there for a few days.  Nearby there was some great snorkeling complete with lots of fish, sea turtles and even a few rays.

Brenda and I have really enjoyed being here with the kids and are certainly a bit sad now that they are heading out and we plan to veg out for a few days while we recover for a few days to recover from trying to keep up with this herd that have kept us on our feet since their arrival on Saturday.

Red Shank is one of the nicest that Brenda and I have been in so far and yet it is only a short distance off of the beaten path.  In spite of this it still feels like it’s somewhat remote compared with the more popular local anchorages.

Yesterday, when a small pod of dolphins arrived to check us out, Christopher dove in to swim with them.   While they didn’t pay much attention to him, he was able to get quite close and one swam right under him.  How exciting it was.

The other evening we were invited over to a large trawler powerboat that was from Louisiana by a very nice guy who was traveling with his two young children, a boy and girl seven and nine.   We really enjoyed being shown his boat including the engine room, which had more space than the entire living space aboard Pandora.  I wish that I had brought my camera along so you could see how nice the engine room was.

Having the kids aboard has been so much fun and one thing that has made the visit even more enjoyable is my watermaker.  I installed the unit last winter and boy and I glad that I did.  Having five aboard and in and out of the water all day long combined with elaborate meals each night with tons of cleanup has dramatically increased our water consumption.   While I am not sure what our consumption has been, it’s probably about three to four times as high as normal.  While Brenda and I are not that stingy with our water use, we still don’t use much more than 10-15 gallons on a  “good” day with moderate use.  However, with the gang here, I expect that our consumption is more like 40-50.  That’s hard to imagine and wipes through most of our water in three days or so.

So, how much do I like the watermaker?  About 40 gallons per day of like.  While I ran the unit off of the generator for a few hours in the morning today, I continued to run it off of solar for several hours too.  Happily, we have been able to keep things all topped up each day and ready for massive showering.   I am so happy not to be the resident “water Nazi” aboard Pandora.  It surely makes for more comfort and less concern about use makes for a happier life for all concerned.

With bandwidth so limited on our Batelco data plan, about 1/3 of what we really need to keep up with e-mail and blog posts, I will have to keep my photos to a minimum.

As soon as Christopher is back in the US, I’ll be able to resume sending posts to him via Sailmail and will be able to stretch my data allotment.

It’s hard to believe that our visit with the kids, if 26 and 28 are kids,  is about over.  It’s been just so much fun.

We didn’t have any luck catching lobster but did have some success spearing a few lion fish and cooked them up for dinner last night.  More on that with some pix soon.

Oh, BTW, the 15hp engine is just so great.

This photo of Rob and Kandice say it all.  What fun we have had!!!

Too much of a hurry to be sure that this is edited, even a little bit.  Forgive the sloppiness.  Got to try to keep up with the 20 something set.   Whew!!!

First of all, I have been remiss in doing a post since the gang arrived on Saturday as we have been so busy running around, cooking, lugging fresh water for showers and trying to keep some semblance of order on a boat with five aboard.  It’s funny, but you can actually spend time in a space that’s about the size of a large bathroom with five people and somehow adjust to the limited space.  Having said that,  when everyone is jumping into the water, coming back aboard all salty only to jump in again it does seem like keeping the boat somewhat salt free is a loosing battle.   And, there is plenty of rubble everywhere out in the cockpit and on deck.  I am happy to say that in spite of my anal need for cleanliness, I haven’t been too much of a jerk at all about all of this.  Brenda, I believe, would corroborate this as well.

So, on Saturday evening, as the snow was falling in the US, our boys Rob and Chris along with Rob’s girlfriend Kandice arrived for a week aboard.  Believe it or not, they actually arrived an hour early.  How great is that?

It is so great to have them here to enjoy our time in George Town, we can hardly stand it.   It’s Tuesday evening and I thought that I would finish up on my post prior to heading to dreamland.  Today was a fun if long day with a trip ashore for lunch and  a bit of provisioning.  I also purchased a new outboard motor for the dink.  “A new outboard you say?  Do tell as I thought that you already had one Bob.”  Well, yes, (sheepish admission) I do have an 8hp, one that came with Pandora.  However… well… it can hardly get up on a with two of us aboard and with the boys… well, that just won’t do.   As my dad has always said, “you can prove nearly any decision is a good one if you work at it hard enough”.  Yes, yes, that works for me so this is indeed a GOOD DECISION.  Besides, I have wanted one for, as my youngest once said ” I have wanted this for my WHOLE life”.  Indeed.   I should also mention that in spite of everything being so expensive here, outboards are exempt from duty so they are actually very reasonable.  Actually, you can’t even purchase a two stroke outboard in the US any more due to environmental regulations so everyone I know that wants a new one has to come here to make the purchase.  So, they sell plenty of them here and the 15hp Yamaha is the model of choice. 

So now I will have a 15hp brand spanking new Yamaha outboard, the gold standard here in George Town.  If you don’t have one, well, you just…don’t have one.  Now, I have to find a way to get rid of the old 8hp one.  There is a morning radio net here where you can offer items you no longer need for “sale” so it will be interesting to see what happens when I mention that it’s available.  While 8hp wasn’t enough power for me, there are plenty of folks that have that size or one that has even less power.   I expect that I will get a taker pretty quickly having already gotten one offer from someone at the town dock prior to my even getting back to the boat with new engine and cast off 8hp.    Happily, with the 15hp, there is plenty of power to zip around and hold my head high.  Ok, ok, enough of the self congratulations about this stupid outboard, how has it been going since the kids arrived?

It’s been great.  We have done walks on the beach, hand fed some giant, 4′ stingrays, snorkeled on some reefs and have been having the best time together.   Meals have been terrific as Rob and Kandice brought two coolers of frozen food from home.  Good meat is tough to get in the islands and it’s very expensive to boot.   We have have been pigging out on the great steaks that they brought with them.  How about shrimp and NY strip steaks?  Hmm…    Oh yeah, the local rum punch is terrific too.  Along with pineapple juice you mix in a bit of orange juice and a splash of grenadine plus a good amount of dark rum and coconut rum.  You have to try coconut rum.  It’s really good stuff.   And, rum is another thing that’s pretty cheap here, much less than in the states.

They arrived via the harbor water taxi on Saturday evening just at sunset.   Brenda was so excited that I thought she was going to jump overboard as the taxi pulled up along side.We went for a hike up to the top of monument hill yesterday. Always one to stage a photo shoot, the three of them mugged off for the camera.

But, that wasn’t enough of a show.  How about this for a shot.   Happily, no bruises.When Rob and Chris were little guys, I used to pull them behind the dink.  How about a redo now that they are all grown up.  They will always be the “boys” to us.  Some things never change.   So, what’s that thing poking up on Rob’s back you ask?   It’s a video camera on a rig that he put together to get unusual shots.   I expect that some of the videos will end up on YouTube.  Stay tuned for that as lots of time has gone into shooting video. We had a few great hikes to the beach too.  The color of the ocean was spectacular.

It is just so great having them here.
Into every life a little rain must fall but in the Bahamas the emphasis is on the “little” as there is way more sun than rain.  However, yesterday was a bit out of the ordinary with a waterspout followed by a number of impressive squalls and plenty of heavy if very brief rain.   This impressive scene was gone as quickly as it began. Tomorrow we will be moving a few miles to be closer to some great snorkeling spots.  Happily, the weather is going to be very calm so the heavy winds we have had will be in remission for a few days.  I can’t believe how fast the week is going.     Brenda in particular, is going to be in heavy duty withdrawal when the kids leave.    Me too.