Exumas 2/27/22

The unsung hero of our trip is our 8ft Hyfield dinghy with a 2.5 horsepower engine. This little boat lives on our deck rolled up and wrapped in canvas until we need it. Then we carry it to the foredeck, and pump it up with a foot pump and heave it over the side. We bring it to the stern where we lower the engine and attach it. Nico and I have this operation down to a science and can pretty much be ready to go in about 20 minutes after popping in a seat and attaching oars. We throw in a waterproof emergency bag, snorkel gear, fishing rod (when we aren't in the Exumas Land and Sea Park) and the cutest three pound Bruce anchor and off we go! The dinghy takes us places we can't go with our 5 ft draft and allows us to fish, land on beaches and in towns and snorkel. A favorite activity is to poke into mangrove streams and see turtles, sharks and fish in the shallows. If we shut off the engine and drift we can hear birds and then find them with binoculars. We can also go out to coral heads, anchor and swim around. 

Yesterday we took the dinghy to a spot by Bell Island (owned by the Aga Kahn) and Little Hall's Pond Cay (owned by Johnny Depp). We tied it to a mooring there and dove on the wreck of an airplane. There was strong current so it was nice to be able to hang on to the boat. I especially like having it near when I spy barracuda or sharks lurking around!

The wreck was creepy so the little dinghy gave me comfort.

I like to pretend I'm a marine biologist when at the helm. I'm old enough to remember all the Jacques Cousteau documentaries - " Zodiac - our favorite mode of transportation"

We can creep up streams and then paddle when it gets too shallow for the engine.

We can see turtles underneath us as we go along. They glide so beautifully. These are mostly young green turtles hanging out in the rich, protective environment of the mangroves.

We can get into some VERY shallow areas!

It's great for fishing - for small fish.

Stroud Cay - where the mangrove stream meets Exuma Sound.

A faithful companion. We double tie it at night!

February 19, 2022,

New Providence Island

     Nico and I spent the last 48 hours crossing two completely opposite bodies of water. We left Gun Key, about 12 miles south of Bimini, on Friday morning and crossed the Great Bahama Bank towards New Providence Island. It was a 60-mile trip and the entire time we were in eight to twelve feet of water! We were glad it was high tide when we crossed several shoals. And yet, small Bahamian freighters make the crossing regularly. The bottom was mostly a thin layer of sand covering hard limestone. There were occasional sponges, sea fans, and grass. I saw one tiny fish swimming alongside the boat in the clear, clear water and later two dolphins swam under my feet as I stood on the bowsprit. But that was it for wildlife. We towed a lure the entire time and didn't catch a thing. The water was a brilliant turquoise. Near sunset, we needed to anchor so we hunted for a sandy spot near a shoal and anchored in the middle of nowhere. You could not see land and yet we were in nine feet of water. We weren't the only boats to do so in that area since it was several hours to the nearest islands and it is a busy route. The weather was calm (we knew we wouldn't be doing this crossing unless it was) and we spent a peaceful night.

The next day we started before dawn and went through the Northwest Channel between the shoals of Andros and those of the Berry Islands. Within a quarter of a mile, the depth dropped to 500 feet and within a mile, it was 2,000 feet! This is the northern part of the Tongue of the Ocean which gets to over 10,000 feet deep surrounded by all these shallows. The Bahamas look incredible from space because of this. The water changed to the same azure blue as the Gulf Stream. The Tongue of the Ocean was caused by erosion during a time of lower sea level. I tried to understand the scientific explanation but I can't quite figure it out.

The Tongue of the Ocean is nearly "landlocked" by these shallows, yet it is so deep, and it is around 90 by 20 miles. The U.S. Navy has long used it for submarine exercises, I assume because the Tongue can be made secure from Russian submarines that would love to observe those exercises.

As we approached New Providence Island, where Nassau is, the color changed abruptly from deep blue to green-blue to bright turquoise. We anchored in Clifton Harbor off Lyford Cay where we are now enjoying a rum drink and watching the sunset. But no fish.

A cold front is supposed to pass through tonight, bringing fresh northeast breezes for our passage to the northern Exumas tomorrow. The frontal passage is forecast to be benign, but we took special care anchoring all the same. On the south shore of this bay, we can see a sailboat similar to ours, cast up on the hard coral rocks. Just last week this yacht dragged anchor and wrecked in a frontal passage.

                                                      The color of the water off of Gun Key

                                                  Sunrise on the shoal, miles from anywhere

                                The chart plotter shows where we spent the night. We had to backtrack a bit because                                    we couldn't find good holding where we planned on anchoring initially.

                                                            Look at the change in depths!

                                          The blue of the deep water (5,000 ft) in the Tongue of the Ocean 

                                                                  The color at 40 feet

                                              Entering Clifton Bay where it is just sand at 20 feet

The color of the water at anchor in 9 feet

You can see the grass under the boat. I snorkeled around an saw some tiny conch and a large hermit crab in a conch shell.

Did I mention the water is 80 degrees?

 February 13, 2022 - Bimini

Nico and I crossed over the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas two days ago. The Gulf Stream, although only 35 miles wide at Miami, has lots of current (as much as four knots) and is a real navigational challenge -crossing holds up many boats in Florida. We picked a day that had light winds (8-12 knots) even though the wind was NE but mostly east. The stronger the wind, the bigger the waves in the Stream. It is especially bad if the wind is blowing against the current. Just recently a boat full of migrants capsized in rough weather. We left Key Biscayne at daybreak for the 50-mile passage. 14 miles out we reached the stream and the color of the water changed abruptly to a deep blue. The water depth also dropped to over 2,000 feet! There was little traffic and we motor-sailed along. We trolled a line but didn't catch anything until we approached Bimini - it was a monster barracuda! We did not keep it because you can get ciguatera, a nerve disease, from eating them.

Partway across we decided to clear customs at Cat Cay, 12 miles south of Bimini, because it looked like it had a good anchorage. As we approached Nico called them on the radio and they said it was a private club and it would cost us $500 to tie up and clear customs! So, we turned around and headed north to Bimini and tied up at the Big Game Club at the end of the day. We were flying our yellow quarantine flag and Nico immediately headed off to do customs, immigration, and our health passports. Over an hour and a half later he came back. The country has a new electronic system and it was a nightmare. The official had to repeatedly call his boss even though by then it was after hours on a Saturday night. Despite frustrations, the officials were friendly and helpful.

We spent the next day and night tied up to the Big Game Club which was a haunt of Ernest Hemingway. We learned that Dr. Martin  Luther King visited! Rather than hosting those who go after big trophy fish, it is now a thriving dive center. The only problem was that they clean the diver's fish at the dock and huge bull sharks and barracuda come around! We walked the island and had a Bahamian beer at a conch shack by the water.

                                                               The Big Game Club

                                          The view of the harbor entrance from Far and Away

                             The Bahamian courtesy flag and the Cruising Club of America Flag

                                  These fish were probably 1,000 pounds when caught years ago

                                                      There are many wrecks in these waters

                                                     These fish they go after these days

                                         I loved the name, Honey Buns, for this little restaurant

                                                                   So many conch shells

                        The Bahamian beer, named after the sound the cowbells make in Junkanoo 

I did NOT go swimming

                                                      Rays, snuffling about for bits of conch

 Bahamas Bound 2/9/22

We are back on the boat and bound for the Bahamas once again. As I write this we are bobbing at anchor off Key Biscane as a rainy cold front passes over. The forecast does not look promising for a passage across the Gulf Stream within the next few days so I have time to catch up while Nico tackles the alternator. Thank goodness for phones and hot spots.

 We flew down to Jacksonville on January 28, rented a car, and set up up camp in a hotel in St. Mary's, Georgia for a couple of nights as we painted the bottom, purchased a few provisions, and got her ready to be launched. There was a cold snap and temperatures got down to 26 degrees but nothing froze. 

High and dry in St. Mary's

We headed off, out the inlet past Cumberland Island and down the coast for a two-night trip to Ft. Pierce, FL. We lucked out and saw a Space-X launch from Canaveral. Although 60 miles away we could see the huge flame at lift-off and then the rocket separating. The booster fell away and headed back to the launch site where there was another burst of flame as it landed. A real sight! It was a very lumpy trip and seasickness was my companion. We got into Ft. Pierce at 6:00 AM when it was still dark, navigating through the inlet at slack water. It is hard to enter at night because of all the flashing lights on the shore! It's hard to tell what is a buoy or a communications tower from at sea. 

                                                                          Getting warmer

The next segment of our trip was a delightful visit with Willie and Melanie in Vero Beach. We finished our provisioning and got to spend time with them and glimpse their busy lives, wrangling the hot Florida real estate market.

                                                        Our Vero Beach canine friends

The weather has been hard to call. We left Vero thinking we would have good winds to head south to Miami but we spent two long days motoring with a day layover in Lake Worth to see our good buddy from college, Leo Bartolucci.

I love this color!

The condos along the beach are mind-boggling!

                                                                             Miami Beach

Now we wait for just the right day to head over to the Bahamas because the Gulf Stream can get quite rough, especially if the wind is blowing against the current. So, we want a calm day with a nice light breeze from the South or West. This time there is the added challenge of COVID testing. We have to time a test no later than 72 hours before we land but we can't count on the weather for an exact departure date. If need be we can show that we didn't land anywhere after taking the test.

So, here is a little introduction to life on board as we wait.

We do a lot of reading...here is what I just read. I loved it.

Food and coffee are important. The best part of the day is listening to music (we carry CD's), having a rum drink, and reading a book while dinner is cooking.

Nico spends a lot of time working on the boat.

                                           We grind our beans and use an ancient camp percolator.

                                                       Food crammed everywhere for the trip

                                                              And we have a comfy bed.