Georgetown

Greetings from Georgetown, Exumas,  Bahamas! We've been here for 9 days, and because we're waiting on a part to be shipped on island time...we may be here several more days. This is a destination for hundreds of cruisers...especially this time of year because the annual regatta starts on Friday, Feb. 21st.  We were told by cruisers in the islands north of here that we absolutely had to be here for the Valentine's Day dance..and we made it! We're probably lucky we didn't make headlines in the States--we were all dancing like crazy, packed in like sardines on a rather rickety deck. We all survived--and had a great time!

I am going to try to upload some pictures to tell the story of our time here. First, here is our internet cafe:

I am not kidding. For $5 a day, I can use a decent connection, with special permission to upload pictures. I've also used wifi at a restaurant overlooking the water....for $2 I can use a slower connection for 85 minutes. Wifi and cell phone coverage/costs are big issues for us spoiled and impatient Americans!

But, the Bahamas are not about technology--they are about natural beauty, adventure, and relaxation:

Sunset over Elizabeth Harbor, Georgetown

Yoga on the beach M-F

Happy hour on Sand Dollar Beach-about 100 boaters dinghied over. We are all desperate for social interaction--especially when anchored in a harbor. 

The local beach bar and grill in Elizabeth Harbor--very Bahamian! Open air, no shoes required, local beer only, and terrific bbq!

Beach on the ocean side--unpopulated and gorgeous! The water has been too rough for us to swim here--but it's a lovely walk! Speaking of rough water--the few times we've dinghied over to town, we had to return to the sailboat through waves that reminded us of a 6-Flags water flume ride on steroids. One time, Barry couldn't see because of the salt water in his eyes--so he took off his glasses and put on his snorkeling mask with prescription lenses. I wish I could have taken a picture--but I was soaked to the skin and holding on for dear life!

Barry is feeding conch scraps to the sting ray! They swim right over your hand and suck the meat out of your fingers! Several beggars came to a discarded pile of conch shells to get a free lunch. 

The first couple of days that we were in Georgetown, strangers waved and smiled at me and called me Carmen. By the way people reacted to me, I figured that Carmen must be a FUN person to hang out with. I finally met her at Volleyball Beach. Do you see a resemblance?

This is Barry trying to order a part to replace one that failed on our NEW refrigeration unit. (This is the first year that I've had a freezer, albeit small, and a refrigerator instead of an ice box.) He not only experienced extremely poor customer service from Engel Refrigeration, he had a frustrating time getting the part shipped from Nassau to Georgetown. Phones not answered; incorrect emails; fax machines that don't work at the delivery company--you get the idea. But HAPPY DAY--he just walked in with the part--which means we will leave Georgetown and start the slow journey back north. We're ready for quiet anchorages and more snorkeling. 

Heading South Through the Exumas

Flo's Conch Bar, The Berry Islands, Feb. 3
There are certain landmarks in the Bahamas--one of which is Flo's Conch Bar. Tucked into the southern end of the Berry Islands, this ramshackle cafe offers conch burgers and rum punch for boaters passing through. Call several hours ahead on the VHF to order your food and you'll be treated to dinner with a view of a protected cove. If you're lucky, you can have a friendly chat with Chester--Flo's son and the owner of this establishment.

We were the only customers on this Monday night--but they had a full house to watch the Super Bowl the night before!! If we had only known....we could have spent yesterday traveling the 20 miles to get here in time to watch the game. Oh, well...

A Picture of Pure Happiness
Barry, seated at the helm, autopilot on, iPad with Garmin Bluecharts and Active Captain, AIS activated, hand-held GPS ready, two sailboats behind us to watch and a bowl of leftover linguine with red clam sauce to eat. He's in heaven and I know it!

Shroud Cay, Exumas Land and Sea Park, Feb. 7
The Land and Sea Park is a protected section of the Bahamas that is pristine and exquisitely beautiful. We anchored off of Shroud Cay--a new place for us, that held the promise of several creeks to explore. In the morning, we took the dinghy into the northern creek that bisects the island, flowing from the Bahama Banks to the ocean. Bordered by mangroves, this wide creek meanders a mile or so to the ocean, pulled by tides and pushed by the wind. White sand covers the bottom and in shallow areas sea grasses wave back and forth. The water is a transparent wash of turquoise.

We slowly travel the creek, and when we make the final bend we are greeted by ocean waves crashing over pedestals of coral. In the more remote reaches of the Bahama Islands, I sometimes feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience. The scenery is so beautiful it's hard to process!

At this juncture, the creek forms a natural swimming hole--deep and inviting. I fall in and let the tide pull me back down the creek.
A recipe for a perfect morning--float in a crystal clear, cool creek while looking up at clouds on a sky the color of a robin's egg. Then snorkel along the mangroves, becoming part of the invisible world beneath the surface. Ahhhh...

Warderick Wells, Exumas Land and Sea Park Headquarters, Feb. 8
This is our 3rd visit to this gem of a place.

We were given a mooring ball in the lagoon--which is a semi-circular harbor adjacent to the office and the dinghy docks. I was in the mood to snorkel, but the waves on the outside were a bit rough--so I decided to try the calm waters right off of our boat and the docks.  Amazing! I saw at least 20 different species of tropical fish--all just a swim away.

In a Flash....
  you can kill an inverter.                                     R.I.P.

All I wanted to do was turn on the generator, so I could use my hairdryer prior in preparation for the happy hour on the beach at Warderick Wells. Since I'm not an electrician, I don't understand all of the wiring and power issues on our boat. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!) So in my haste to be self-sufficient--while Barry was in the shower I switched on the generator, powered up the outlets--and sent a fatal surge through the inverter. In my defense, we were using the inverter in a new way to power up our new, but faulty refrigeration system. But....I had been warned and instructed to UNPLUG the inverter prior to using the generator and I completely forgot. This is an expensive ($200+) mistake and a major problem because of the refrigerated food. Barry is NOT happy. Watch Linda sit glumly on the deck. Way to kill a good snorkeling buzz.

In a Flash.....
   you can witness something you thought was just a myth! While watching the sunset in Black Point Settlement--our next anchorage as we move further south-- I saw THE GREEN FLASH! I've heard of this phenomenon for years, but I've never known anyone to see it. As we watched the sun sink into the ocean, a sudden burst of lime green flashed on the surface. It lasted 1-2 seconds--so I didn't get a picture to provide evidence--but other boaters nearby clapped and cheered and blew their conch horns, so I have witnesses!

Black Point Settlement, Exumas Feb. 9th
Not only did I see the GREEN FLASH here, I also got to do 3 gigantic loads of laundry at the most popular (and one of the only) laundromats in the Exumas. Since there were 50+ boats in the harbor of this small town, I was not surprised to find more boaters than available machines. My teacher voice started up in my head: "We all need to play fair and share." Of course, everyone did!
Ida, the owner, is the friendly face of the Bahamas. Not only does she have a clean, efficient laundry facility--she has a small convenience store; she cuts hair; she sells conch fritters for lunch; and she has a decent internet connection for FREE. So, Barry got a much needed haircut,

we bought a sought after ice cube tray (sometimes, it's the little things)and quarts of oil for our leaky engine, while doing laundry and chatting with other boaters. We also visited the local grocery store, and bought some romaine lettuce, some anemic tomatoes (who cares?), some celery, and some eggs. What a salad we had for dinner! This is a treat in the Bahamas--where produce must be shipped in from the mainland.

We're headed to Georgetown next--a 40 mile run (which will take about 8 hours). This is a mecca for boaters in the southern reaches of the Exumas. We weren't sure we wanted to go, because we've heard it referred to as 'older adult day camp', but we've been assured that we'll have fun at the Valentine's Day dance. So off we go on another adventure! I'll update again as soon as we have wifi!

9 Lives

(Note: Since we have no wifi, I cannot upload new pictures at this time. Hopefully, when we arrive in Georgetown, we can snag some wifi that is faster than the old dial up and upload a few pictures.)

Happy Birthday
If Barry had 9 lives, he might choose to live them all here in the Berry Islands. Instead--he got to celebrate the 65th year of his one life here. And what a celebration! We rented a jeep and started the day eating a traditional Bahamian breakfast of fish stew at a 1-table cafe in town. There was even a Happy Birthday banner over the door--as if they were waiting for Barry's arrival!

The stew consisted of a large chunk of white fish sitting in a rich, spicy  broth.

From there, we drove to see the Sugar Caves on the north end of the island. Along the way, we passed numerous vacation homes brightly painted yellow, pink, or turquoise. These caves are cut-out coral that is extremely sharp--so we climbed up them like old people (Barry was feeling old on his 65th--it only lasted one day). The caves are a type of geological structure we have seen all over the Bahamas--it looks like a giant scoop of sugar has been removed from the coral.

Then we headed south to Shell Beach at low tide--hunting for sand dollars which were surprisingly absent. No matter--this is  one of the most breath-taking beaches we've ever seen. White sand stretches for miles, with turquoise and sapphire water crashing upon it.

We ended the day with a spaghetti dinner at our marina. I made two pots of spaghetti for our 10+ guests--boaters on our dock and Meko--the dockhand who surprised us by decorating the tables with palm fronds and flowers! With tiki torches blazing, we all enjoyed spaghetti, a fresh green salad from Christelle (this is a precious commodity in the islands) and a chocolate/amaretto cake baked by Beverly. A happy day!

Meko

Pearl
Pearl, our live-aboard cat, used up one of her nine lives on Saturday night. She's not talking, but here's my guess--one of the local feral cats came to visit. At bedtime, I heard him scamper across the deck, so I got up to make sure all the hatches were secure so no stowaways could come aboard. Pearl was present and accounted for at that time--but she was certainly aware of the visitor. I woke up several times during the night and didn't find her in her usual place next to me--but she has other hiding places on the boat so at first I wasn't worried. Finally, at 5 a.m., I heard some mewing outside of the boat. I opened the hatch to gain access to the cockpit and there sat Pearl. Soaking wet with sticky salt water, her fur spiked out in all directions, she was not happy. We guess that at some point in the night, either out of fear or curiosity, she jumped or fell out of the small ventilation hatch over Barry's pillow. Since this is located at the stern of the boat, just picture Wile E. Coyote. I had read that cats can swim, but I bet she didn't enjoy it! We have no idea how she got back into the boat--but I'm elated that she is back. Another life gone...

Super Bowl Sunday
Lovely start to the day...a double rainbow over the creeks we were exploring in the dinghy. Good luck sign? No...
Even though we are not big football fans (sorry Dan), we like to watch the game and especially the commercials. We have no access to TV in this marina-so when word spread that an enterprising local resident had purchased and shipped a big screen TV and installed it in a shuttered restaurant nearby--we were excited! For $20 each, we could have appetizers and enjoy a cash bar while watching the game. Cool. Several of us met there at 5:45--the place was festooned with balloons and linens covered the tables that surrounded the main event--the big screen TV. Terrific! But we quickly realized that there was no pregame show on that screen...only a warning that the satellite signal was LOST. A couple of guys were hurriedly trying to plug in a new cable-nope, that didn't fix it. Now it's about 6:15--kick-off (somewhere). Barry and a friend tried to help align the satellite--no signal. So, we all decided this IS the Bahamas. Let's eat and have a drink and forget the game. So....
who won? what was the funniest commercial?






  

The Crossing--January 27th 2014

Quick note....we obviously made it--since you didn't hear from the authorities. Below, you will find some random thoughts that crossed Linda's mind during the sleep deprived early morning hours of the crossing.
FYI-- We are in the Berry Islands, specifically Great Harbor Cay. This is a return visit--and it does feel like going home.

A Word Problem For You
A 39' sailboat leaves West Palm Beach, FL at 1pm Monday,with an average speed of 5.3 knots with a cat aboard and a destination 134 miles across the Atlantic. She has to cross the Gulf Stream  which is flowing  north at 4 knots. At what time will sundowners be served?
Answer--At sundown, of course!! 26 hours later

Have you seen the movie All is Lost--starring a very handsome, 76 year old Robert Redford sailing alone (why??) in a small sailboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean? Let's just say anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. You know--like a huge box off of a cargo ship smashing his hull; like losing ALL of his electronics due to water cascading into the boat; like losing his mast in a fierce storm; you get the picture. Because of this movie, we made sure to have a ditch bag ready to throw into the dinghy in case of an emergency at sea. (This is in addition to the inflatable life raft that is always on the stern--for those worriers out there. I know who you are:)  We threw in flares, lighters, water, a bullhorn, clean underwear, the coffee maker, the cat, etc. all because I had visions of Robert Redford dancing in  my head--wait!! That's not so bad!

Have you ever tried to pill a cat? We have--unsuccessfully (meaning that the cat leaves scars and spits out the pill at the same time, all while making direct eye contact with you.) Now, we try to outsmart the cat by crushing the pill and putting it into yummy canned cat food. This is how Pearl gets her kitty tranquilizer so that she can float through the crossings. Unfortunately, when it wore off at midnight, she packed her kitty bag and was preparing to jump ship. Being a cat, her finicky gene had kicked in and she had decided she did NOT like tuna flavored cat food--especially with a crushed up pill, on a lurching sailboat, in the Atlantic. After a couple of hours of complaining, she got hungry enough to eat some chicken flavored food with her nighty-nite medicine hidden within. Sleep tight!

Tiny, Beautiful Things ( borrowed from the title of Cheryl Strayed's latest book)
An overnight crossing on the Atlantic holds many wonders. The twinkling, pale green phosphorescent creatures that dance in our wake; the planet Jupiter rising at twilight; the cruise ships that look like jeweled 3-tiered cakes on the horizon; our wonder about what might be swimming below us in the 2500 feet of water; and the stars--clustered layers of brilliance!

Bahamas or Bust!

After 3 1/2 weeks dockside, we left our marina in Stuart FL yesterday morning (Jan. 26). It was with mixed feelings that we left--as I mentioned in the previous posting, this marina was like a close-knit neighborhood in which we made many new friends who offered everything from a garage in which to store our car (thanks Rene!) to help pushing off the dock to hugs and farewells!

Corey--future dive instructor in the Bahamas!

Our Dual Defenders--Darryll the Monkey and our grandson's guy from Despicable Me (who is that guy??)

Darryl was given to us by the guy who sold us our (stolen) dinghy. He has taken care of us so far...we figured a little extra help doesn't hurt!

Bill and Pam O'Bryan

We met Bill and Pam at the Tuesday nite potluck and really hit it off! They're staying for a month in Stuart on their 44' Searay--gorgeous boat. (I wondered if they would take a stowaway) Even though we only knew each other for 4 days, we all felt like we had known each other forever. We definitely hope to see them again!

We headed south to Palm Beach--an easy ride on the intercoastal waterway

How the other 1% live

 taking about 5 hours. Then we were poised to make the jump to the Bahamas--the seas are calm and the winds are not northerly--FINALLY!
 We enjoyed one evening in Palm Beach and have decided to do a 24hr run to Bullock Harbor, in the Barry Islands in the Bahamas. Hope to arrive sometime Tuesday afternoon. White sandy beaches, conch sandwiches, and clear blue water here we come!

Setting Sail?

We were hoping to set sail for the Bahamas this coming Tuesday (Jan.22)....but the weather in the Atlantic is going to take a major turn for the worse on Wed so we've decided to stay in our safe, snug marina for another week or so. That's ok, because Barry still has a few jobs to complete--including checking the rigging and installing our VHF in the cockpit.
But, here's a list of the jobs that Barry has completed during the last 3 1/2 weeks in preparation for our trip:

• Installed an AIS (Automatic Identification System). Very useful when doing nighttime crossings on the ocean--lets the cruise and cargo ships see us and lets us see them! Also allows for easy communication.
• Installed hardwood floors throughout the boat--very difficult project leading to lots of cursing:)
• Installed new heavy-duty davits on the stern of the boat--to haul the dinghy
  
• Serviced the engine and the generator--always a guarantee to find more issues than planned for
• Removed dead jellyfish from the strainer for the AC--yes, dead jellyfish
• Installed a new water pump on the main engine
• Installed springs under our bunk cushion that help make the bed a bit more comfy (although by March I will be dreaming of my queen size bed waiting for me at home)
• Installed new refrigeration/freezer so we DON'T NEED ICE!!
• Helped our friend Norm with his engine 

I'm exhausted just reading that list....aren't you?

Polishing the stainless

He also agreed, rather reluctantly, to reorganize and weed through his tools. This sounds simple...but it is NOT. Believe me on this one. The sailboat is our home, our transportation, and Barry's workshop--all rolled into one small space. Organization makes the boat feel bigger. Keeping it organized is the challenge!

All work and no play...Well, fun is never very far away when you reside in a marina. Every Tuesday there is a potluck dinner, every Friday there is a happy hour on the dock

and there is a water aerobics class three times a week. We can walk to the nearby downtown area and eat at any number of cafes--one of which would give some competition to restaurants on The Hill in St. Louis.

There are nature trails to walk, beaches to visit,

and birds to watch. It's been unseasonably chilly down here for the last week, so not much swimming for me--but I always remember the temperatures here are much better than at home! The lows have been in the upper 30s to low 40s this week....with highs in the low 70s.

A marina can resemble the neighborhoods from our childhoods--people stop to chat or simply call hello as they head back to their boat. Friendships are made over conversations about water pumps and teak oil--and one of those friends celebrated his 85th birthday yesterday. We joined him on his beautiful boat for dinner, lively conversation, and birthday cake. He has a commanding view of the river and the town across the way--we watched a schooner sail against the reflected colors of the sunset. Happy birthday, Benny!

A New Year, A New Adventure

January 13th, 2014.
 Sitting poolside, partly cloudy skies, 80 degrees. Not bad!

We've been here a couple of weeks...working on the boat, having fun, and preparing for our departure to the Bahamas. We hope to leave this weekend--if the winds are with us (and if Barry finishes his projects). He installed hardwood floors--very difficult because of the slope of the floor, but it looks gorgeous! Now he is working on servicing the engine and generator; fixing leaks;

8-10" of rain last Thursday helped us find the leaks in the boat

 installing new davits to hold the dinghy; and moving the VHF to the cockpit. My jobs include  running to Home Depot, cleaning up the mess, painting the ceiling,

polishing the stainless, and/or staying out of the way.

Our marina is in Stuart, FL--on the Atlantic Coast about 90 miles north of Miami. I can walk over a drawbridge to the downtown area--where there are nice little shops and cafes. On the weekend, there is a market at which you can buy produce, honey, crafts, jewelry, hand-crafted hammocks, etc.

We have a guest on this journey--our cat Pearl. She didn't come along willingly--she earned this journey by attacking a bat that wandered into our house--leading to health concerns for Pearl. We had to watch her for 45 days--which are now almost expired. She is healthy--but she doesn't have her kitty cat sea legs yet.

While in Florida, we always try to visit with our great friends George and Sue Stock. We used to be backyard neighbors--but now they live in the Tampa area. So we split the difference and met in the middle of Florida at an amazing botanical garden called Bok Tower. 

Long entry....now that I've taken the plunge, I'll try to blog  more frequently with shorter entries. Thanks for reading this! We miss all of our family and friends back home. (Don't miss the cold, though:)