The Bahamas, leaving Georgetown and beyond

Time to leave Georgetown as I mentioned in our last blog.

March 11th Sunday

Time to go, its going to very different now, we did have fun in Georgetown.

Off to Lee Stocking Island, a smashing journey, just 29 nm, lovely calm waters just a few boats here.

March 12th Monday A short trip just under 3 hours and we were in one of our favourite places Rudder Cay. Shame we could only stay one night as we heard that the weather was misbehaving again and we needed to take some shelter from the West winds.

March 13th Tuesday.

Blackpoint again, great place we took a quick dinghy trip ashore for a walk and lunch, we do like this place. This will be one of our most memorable stops for a long time, lets just say probably the worst rolling, bouncing and awful times until now. Pearl bucked like some wild bronco, our table and TV fell over and now way could I attempt to make a hot drink never mind cook anything. Having said that we had a much better ride than some of the boats around us, there were sailing boats that were almost submarines buying their bows at times. So here we were stuck along with 30 + boats in this place for 3 days.

March 17th Friday.

It was a cold start, both of us with fleece jumpers on, the winds were still at 20 knots so we didn’t go too far, just 20 miles to Compass Cay.

March 18th Saturday.

Off to another favourite place Warderek Wells, we anchored outside as all the mooring balls were full. Saturday night is a “get together” for cruisers who meet up for drinks and nibbles exchanging stories and lots of laughs. We met some nice folk that gave us some useful info on how to do some of the passages we would like to do. I have way too many photos of this place to post, shame, maybe one day I will.

We exchanged information, food and a few drinks

Sometimes it goes on quite late

On Sunday we did manage to go inside the lagoon and pick up a mooring, lets just say with the bow being so high and the ball pennants being very short it was not an easy task. Very little room to manoeuvre Pearl with strong winds too. We did go ashore and take a walk over the island and up to Boo Boo Hill. This place is so pretty!

View from Boo Boo Hill 

There we are second on the right

Ours is in there somewhere from the last time we came 

Sign to the Beach

Local resident

Thats something we don't do very often, pick up a mooring ball, way too close to other boats

21st March Tuesday.

Just a 3 hour trip today to Skipjack Point, its cool and a little rolly again but it did calm down at night.

22nd March Wednesday.

Well this is somewhere we haven’t been to before over to Andros Island to cut down time spent in the Northwest passage which can get rough. A 55nm trip 7 hours and it was pretty calm for a change.  

March 23rd

Fresh Creek, the trip into “town” it has a ferry dock, small petrol station which looks in a very sorry state, it has a tiny store with a few groceries.

Its in a sorry state

The marina or I should say whats left of it after a hurricane is in a pretty bad way, closed and I doubt it will ever reopen.

We walked quite a way, saw hardly any road traffic, the children must have just left school. I chatted with 2 little girls, one of which who was obviously prompted by her mother that she made straw baskets, looking for a sale maybe.

Even the metal bridge is in need of some TLC

All washed up in the entrance to the bay

The anchorage in Fresh Creek is pretty small, just us for the whole time, we could see the sea raging just beyond the reef and when the wind changed direction yet again we rocked and rolled. Its the first time we had to put out a stern anchor to keep us in the correct orientation to stop us from getting any worse. Don very cleverly managed to do this without lowering the dinghy and taking the anchor away.

Then this came

We ended up staying for 4 nights, the weather grabbed us in its grip again, we weren't going anywhere. The wind and sea doing its best to shake us about. Don mentioned he was here before in his navy days and that there are nasty flies that sting. They are called "doctor flies" it seemed like every time Don went outside they tried to make a meal of him, he ended up with some pretty painful bites with big hard lumps. Will these fronts with northerly winds ever stop? The sea state is way to rough and in these shallow waters are very dangerous

Monday March 27th

Our plan was to traverse the inside reef, our hearts in our mouth until we reached a small anchorage just before Morgans bluff, we had a still night but we knew the anchor hadn’t really set and we did drag, its always difficult when its shallow sand over hard coral. That was at Mastic Bay, strange name for a place where the anchor dragged.

Tuesday 28th March The following morning on we went in the inside reef up to a cut out into the ocean to cross again. 

A fantastic crossing, can’t believe its so flat, it was pretty deep and we can see huge starfish on the bottom, at least 15 - 20 feet deep.

So wish it was like this every time

Great conditions for a change

 57nm heading for Great Harbour in the Berry Isles. We dropped the anchor in Little Slaughter. The only signs of life were small boats which carried the staff for the island made for the cruise ship passengers which was not far away.

We left at 06:40, I wondered if we woke anyone up on the cruise ship

Wednesday March 29th
So off we go again to Abacos. Moores Island, the first “true” Bahamian island, we were the only tourists. The town dock had 2 large fishing boats one of which looks like its not moved in years. There are a few smaller docks where the small fishing boats come in with their catch, mostly conch, snapper and lobster. Of course we had to lighten their lobster catch and at 9 $ a pound ( just tails ) we were delighted with our find.

We took lunch at the only place to eat and yet again a real bargain at 22 $ for both of us including a drink, pork chops with veg, and lamb chops with veg. Theres just one grocery store and we did buy a loaf of bread, 2 tomatoes, a small lettuce and a can of orange juice, cost 18.20 $ ouch!.

Thursday March 30th

Another 06:50 start for a 64 nm trip to Crab Cay an nice roomy anchorage
our first stop in the Abaco, a very well protected place but theres nothing there just 15 other boats.

So I'm ending this blog here for now and hope I can update again soon with the remainder of the trip back to the US.

BFN

Glenys and Don 

M/Y Pearl

Exumas - prolonged stay but great fun

Saturday 21st January 

On our way to Great Exuma, Georgetown as there was predicted strong windy weather coming from the West.  There are not many places in the Exumas that can offer any good protection from Westerlies so, George Town it had to be. 

To do this we had to go “outside” and into the Exuma Sound side of the island chain and into deeper water.  Even we, with our shallow draft, can’t get through some of the shallow routes on the bank. We had heard so many people on the radio saying they were catching mahi mahi (fish), Don tried but to no avail (this time), hmm.

It seems like the weather is doing its best to shake us about, we had chosen Goat Cay North anchorage which protects from the South, West and partially the North winds which were heading our way. It was fine until the winds changed again in the night to the North East and we were almost thrown out of bed, its the first time I have had to hold on in bed!

Very busy here but its a huge anchorage, a good place to provision and in March its the Cruisers annual 37th regatta soon with everyone in good spirits looking forward to the activities.

This is the way into town

Theres a great radio net here and a great community with all sorts going on. Folks meet up for sundowners on various beaches, music in some places, volleyball and even ukulele practice, of course I have been, its a great way to meet people.

One afternoon we took boxes of our sailing “leftovers” to a ‘treasures of the bilge’ sale and did pretty well, at least we emptied another big box.

Well the weather is yet another topic of conversation, its our choice to come so early to the Bahamas now, the weather pattern is typical for this time of the year so no worries. We just have to find the right place for protection, sometimes its not so good but hey, we are still here and loving this life, having said that I think my body clock has deserted me, mostly very early starts to the day and asleep by 8 or 9 at night (that’s cruisers midnight).

The next plan is to go south again and the places we want to go need pretty calm weather so we are velcroed here for now, not complaining its great and its about time we chilled out.

As I write this its February 10th.

Still waiting for the weather break, we need at least 8 - 10 days to go where we want to but in the meantime we are having fun. 

We have made new friends here, I practice my ukulele, we all get together for music in the local places to eat and have a few drinks together. The beach on the  oceanside is stunning, Don plans to go with Gerry and/or Scott now to try and catch some lobster or whatever they can find.

Just met up with Scott, Paula and Jack the dog who is the security guard. We first met them in Grenada over two years ago and have crossed paths a few times since then. We heard them on the radio this morning so I called them up, so they came to see us and Pearl. 

Every few days we move Pearl to either one side of the islands or the other, all depends on mainly the winds, or our desire for internet and grocery shopping. 

Tropic of Cancer Beach (aka Pelican Beach) its a mashing beach on the ocean side with lovely soft sand, you can see its pretty busy lol 

Nancys dog, she loves the beach

Pretty sunset, one of the dozens taken here

Jane and David on So Far So Good, we met the a few times since meeting in the ICW
Doug and his wife in the dinghy

We met up with friends we met along the ICW Jane and David on So Far So Good, Andrew and Sarah we met in Deltaville, Scott and Paula and Jack the security dog from Maine, we met them years ago in Grenada, then again in the Bahamas. We made lots of new friends, too many to mention really, Gary and Ingrid from Canada, Gary helped me with my ukulele playing, Ingrid is learning to play too.

St Francis, where I went for ukulele practice and met Garry and Ingrid

We had some amazing sunsets and sunrises

Sometimes it was so calm

Little beach at St Francis, there is a restaurant, we ate there a few times

Andrew and Don

We met up again a few times with Andrew and Sara, the young honeymooners we met up in Deltaville. Their boat is now renamed “honeymooners”.

We all went for lunch then took them to the best beach on the ocean side, a lovely walk with stunning views. 

We took Andrew and Sarah to Tropic of Cancer Beach (aka Pelican Beach) beach

We had great fun with Andrew and Sarah

Regatta time

While we were in Georgetown it was the cruisers regatta, the 37th year. Lovely atmosphere, and the weather was kind to them. 

Music, games, tug of war, egg and spoon, beach golf, poker runs,  food, drink, all kinds of yacht racing, sand castle competition, volleyball, costume party, and so much other stuff. It was manic at times, the dinghy dock was packed and climbing over dinghies was the only option, great fun.

Gary playing at the regatta 

Ladies tug of war 

The boys turn

We had some excitement yesterday, and the day before, when a small sea plane landed pretty close by.  It then motored between the anchored boats to park itself at the local beach bar. It looked pretty scary as he reversed itself onto the beach in between dinghies and people sunning themselves. When he departed it was the same deal, no warning on the VHF which was silly. He did a low fly by when he had taken off, isn’t it just typical that the camera battery runs out at the most inconvenient times. Usually, when people go to the local beach bars, they normally turn up on rubber dinghies wearing shorts and flip-flops so, it was a bit different to see people dropping in on a sea plane for a burger and a beer !

Well this is one way to arrive

Yes that is a plane weaving its way through the boats on his way to the beach bar

This guy land his plane and parks it on the beach, goes to the bar and flies out again, we saw it do this a couple of times

March - Well it went by, we are stuck, not able to go south snd these fronts coming through are not nice at all. Such a pity we never got to go to the Ragged Islands but why risk anything so we said goodby to our friends and without a doubt we will meet up again somewhere.

There was Pearl looking pretty sat waiting for our return

Time to leave! 

Yes I know its been such a long time since the last blog, the internet has been somewhat " iffy "

So the next one is on its way soon with the trip back towards the US.

BFN

Glenys and Don on Pearl