Happenings in the Far Bahamas

A week ago or so I wrote that we were heading to the Jumentos which is a group of islands south of the Exumas.  There is but one town in the Jumentos and so not much is available but surprise!  I have internet connection!

                                           

Let me go back to where we left you which was on Long Island.  We had dinner at the Island Breeze with Lynn and Peter which is where I had internet last. 

A magnificent double rainbow.

The next morning we planned to head out for further south but not before we had a rain shower and then a magnificent double rainbow. 

We motored at first but then we were able to have a great sail to Flamingo Cay.  It was a fairly long day so we just had dinner and chilled.  Unfortunately it wasn’t fresh fish which we were hoping.  Al caught two, a yellow tailed snapper which he thought was too small and an unidentified fish.  Since we could not find it in the books, we threw it back.  

A yellow tailed snapper

Mystery fish?

Even though there wasn’t much wind there was a bit of a surge which made the night a bit roly-poly.  We decided to hike over to the other side of the island after doing some shelling on the cove beach.  

A small aircraft that crashed in the water years ago.

 We saw the outline of a downed small aircraft right off shore as well as the nose section on the beach where a friendly lizard posed for his picture.

Lizard lounging on the nose of the plane.

 Once back on our dinghies we decided to look for a cave we had read about in the cruising guide not far from where we were anchored.  Lynn and Peter went first and we followed. 

Should we enter or not?

Brave Lynn and Peter.

 It was neat once inside because there were several holes that sunlight streamed in, especially the one directly overhead which made for a spiritual experience!

Sunlight streaming through the hole at the top of the cave.

Two other spots which light the cave.

Butterflies enjoying the flowering plant.

It was still early so we decided to sail to Jamaica Cay which was only about 10 miles away.  We anchored with very little wind which made it a great time to be there.  There was great shelling and found quite a bit of sea glass because not many people visit here. There were also some plants that the butterflies seemed to enjoy.  It was odd to see the colorful butterflies because they are not often seen here as well as flowering plants due to the arid conditions. 

Shells and glass from Jamaica Cay

You can see some of the great shells and glass we found. 

We had a very peaceful night listening to the waves crash on the atoll but with no surge so no rocking!

All gotten in one hours time!

Al and I decided after breakfast to take a quick trip out to the small beach on the atoll.  In about an hour you can see the great finds we had. 

A fossilized leaf or not, is the question!

  The tulip shell was found by Al and I found what I think looks like a fossil of a leaf, but the men think it is just the hinge of a shell.  I don’t care, I think it is neat and hope to make it into a necklace, fossil or not!

I also had to add a picture for all our Chesapeake Bay friends.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could see our rudder like this in the bay?  This is how clear the water is in the Jumentos!

Not Chesapeake water for SURE!

We left to go to Buena Vista Cay where Al threw in his fishing line again but this time he caught a barracuda. Of course all we wanted to do was get it off the hook and back in the water.

One feisty barracuda.

Our friends on Sea Biscuit were anchored and waiting for First Edition and Blue Heaven to come.  This cay boasts the longest beach on these islands but no shells, no sea glass, just sand and sea weed!  Can you imagine?  What kind of beach is that!

First basket of the winter/

I cut more palm to make another basket.  I did finish my first small basket with some shells, so you can see the finished product.

At happy hour on First Edition the men planned to go lobster hunting the next morning.  We took two dinghies for the six of us.  The women manned the dinghies while the men were in the water.  We are lookouts for sharks and tired divers.  

Lynn on watch for our diving men.

Unfortunately, the local fishermen were here the day before so the men did not even see a lobster.  Needless to say, we had turkey marsala for dinner and not lobster tails.  

We did have a great sail to Hog Cay with 12 knot winds on our beam.  There are about 10 boats here which was a bit

different than the other three cays where we were the only boats there.  This is where most people hang out in the Jumentos.  It is 3-4 miles to Duncantown the only town in these islands.  You can tell that some people just come and stay the entire winter.  The cruisers have built a “yacht club” complete with sun shade tarps, tables, fire pit, grilling station and seating.  It is quite charming and makes me feel I am on Gilligan’s Island!                                 

The Hog Cay Yacht Club

Low tide gives for interesting shot.

There are several trails made by the cruisers on the island to hike.  Lynn, Peter, Michael, Al and I took one of the trails across to the other side of the island to a beach. 

On the hike a passion flower was found.

A little color among all the gray rock.

 It was great for finding sea beans, both heart and hamburger beans but not much else.  









 After lunch I went into “ the club” to do basket weaving with some of the ladies and one gent.  I showed them the one new stitch I learned in Georgetown.  Some of these ladies liked working in much finer cuts which gives for a much daintier look to the basket.  I thought I might give it a try.

We turned on the TV and we could not believe it but it worked for a few stations.  It was Sunday so we watched the Ravens beat the Patriots.  Go Ravens, go!  I guess even in this remote part of the world if there is a town and a cell tower you can get connected!

What a view!

Once again it was time to hike another trail to a beach where Lynn said we would find sea glass.  And we did!  Lynn found the largest piece of royal blue I have ever seen.  We also got a beautiful view from a high bluff.  

After lunch we decided to snorkel.  We went to a small reef not very far away.  Al suggested I go first.  We wanted a watch because cruisers told us after 3pm sharks are more prevalent and it was getting close to that time.  I went in the water and took one look around the reef and told Al there was a lobster sitting in a hole.  I had suggested before we left that he put his spear in the boat so we switched positions and he went in the water.  It was the first time either of us even saw a lobster on a reef.  Unfortunately he missed! 

Happy hour at the yacht club

Look at those lobsters!

But luckily, a local fisherman, named “Monkey Man,” came in at the beach later in the day with a boat load of lobsters.  We got two nice size lobsters for $10!  Al says why tire yourself out hunting???  There were drinks and “a burn” on the beach at 4pm.  (A “burn” is a fire in order to burn paper trash.)  It was a good time to meet some more cruisers and share information while watching another wonderful sunset!

Heading to NewTerritory

This is a short blog because not many days have past but we are headed to the Jumentos where we have no idea if we will be able to connect to the internet or not.  Since the last blog, Al found a small leak in the dinghy and while he fixed it on the deck we were stuck on the boat for a day.  So I cleaned, worked on my rug and basket. 

We also had Donna and Walter from Windspell for dinner.  It was a great dinner, pork tenderloin, fresh broccoli, potatoes, spinach salad and fresh pineapple and raisin spice squares for dessert.  As Donna said,” It is great not to have one fried thing in the dinner!”  We don’t think the Bahamians know how to cook anything unless it is fried! 

Isn't it beautiful!

One of the sand bars off of Sand Dollar Beach

The next day we went over to Kidd Cove near town to get water, some food and church for me.  Afterwards we anchored in Sand Dollar beach where we spent most of our time two years ago when we were in Georgetown.  Very few boats there compared to two years ago. 

The water was caught just before covering the live sand dollar.

 I went searching for sand dollars at low tide.  I found only three white sand dollars which are the dead ones, but at one small beach I counted twenty brown ones which are alive.  I guess I should check back later in the season to see if more have died.

Live conch.

I also found a couple of live conch and enjoyed taking pictures of them.

The next day we decided we were heading to Long Island which was the furthest south we went on the last trip.  It was a bit roly-poly at first but then it settled down.  When we arrived, First Edition was the only boat in the anchorage.  So we enjoyed catching up on what we each did in the past week.

Island Breeze

We headed into Island Breeze (a small resort) to do laundry, get some groceries, and to get ready for heading to the Jumentos tomorrow.  We have no idea if we can get internet where we are headed because it is much more primitive down there.  We plan to stay a week or two at the most.  So if you don’t hear from us for a while, don’t worry.  We will get connected eventually when we get back to Long Island or Georgetown.

Here is some summer for you folks dealing with winter!

A Week in Georgetown

After saying good bye to First Edition and Sea Biscuit we were on the Georgetown Net and heard that Walter and Donna on Windspell who were in our marina came in yesterday.  They have a section on the net for those boats who want to announce their arrival or departure may do so.  It is great because since there are three major beaches that you can anchor it might take awhile to know that someone is around.  We had happy hour on their boat and got caught up on their trip down and shared our trip with them.  Happy hour actually lasted three hours instead of one!  They said it was good to see some familiar faces since their last trip was twenty-eight years ago so they don't know many cruisers.

Al hiking the cliffs.

Al and I decided to dinghy down to Sand Dollar Beach to see who was there and to go hiking.  Just as we got down there the clouds rolled in and it looked like rain.  Luckily we knew one boat, Runaway with Marty and Matt, who we wanted to talk to, because we kept missing each other at various anchorages.  We went aboard just in time before the squall hit.  We got caught up with one another’s lives and then went ashore to hike the trails at that end of the island.  My treasure on this hike was a small piece of lavender sea glass.  Lavender is quite rare to find.

Even though it was blowing 18 knots, we took the dinghy across to town because we got a call that the air card was in for the computer.  After several hours the local tech guy got it working and so now we have internet on the boat wherever there is a cell tower.  It is rather slow but better than nothing.  Everything is SLOW in the Bahamas!  The one thing that we were surprised to find out, is that with digital televisions you can get the major stations of ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox on the TV from Florida.  Wow, now that is a change since the last trip.

Yoga on Volleyball Beach

A cruiser started yoga on the beach in the morning twice a week, so I decided to give it a try.  I am enjoying it and just love looking up when I am laying down and seeing the trees swaying in the breeze with the beautiful blue sky behind them.  Four men were there  but cannot persuade Al to give it a try.  

The view while on the ground doing yoga.  It is wonderful watching the branches sway in the wind.

Donna & Walter from Windspell

Just a kayak, but often a nude beach.

We went hiking with Walter and Donna at the Hamburger Beach end of the island and came across this wonderful beach.  We are told that often people come here for nude sun bathing.  Needless to say we did NOT give it a try!

It is basket making time.

All ages and shapes play volleyball.

In the afternoon we went to Volleyball Beach where they actually play volleyball and mingled with the cruisers.

 I worked on my basket along with others at the table.  There was also a group of about 25 people who were gathered to hear a cruiser explain traveling further south and what to expect.  Also, there was someone using one of the picnic tables for sail repair.  So you can see, many activities go on at Volleyball Beach.

Working on a small oval basket.

The next day when I pulled out my store bought bread, I could see that it was totally moldy, so I had to throw it out.  So, I made bread and pizza for lunch.  (I haven’t made bread since the last trip!)  In the afternoon I worked on my basket while Al diagnosed a problem with the generator and found it was low in oil.  

We are certainly enjoying the shorts and sandals!

We had a super large anchorage Happy Hour at Queen's dock starting at 4pm.  As soon as the sun went down the mosquitoes came out and we were out of there by 5:30pm.  They were vicious!

We are hoping the 18-25 knot east winds die down next week so we can move on to Long Island.  

Frustrations, Fire and Farewells

Robin and Marilyn reacting to the game.

New Year’s Day we had a lazy morning and then went for a long walk on the beach with First Edition and Sea Biscuit.  On the way back from our walk we decided to have lunch at a local resort called St. Francis.  Later that night we played Catch Phrase, which is a combination of hot potato and password with an electronic device, on First Edition with four couples.  It does get wild at times with women against the men. The women won although the men sent up a protest flag which is still flying!

We took Blue Heaven over to Kidd Cove near Georgetown so we could get water and try to see if we could use our Verizon Hot Spot with a Bahamian sim card to get internet on the boat.  The phone company said it would work and after paying for everything and installing it and loading the data plan, it did not.  A phone call to Verizon and another trip back to the phone company were to no avail.  How frustrating!!!  We are now waiting for a “stick” which we will put the sim card in and plug it into the computer for internet that we will get from cell towers to come in at the local computer guru’s shop.  This better work!

I got a response for my request on the VHF radio for use of a sewing machine to zigzag around the edge of my rug backing so I could start the finishing process.  A nice couple on a catamaran called Sea Spirit let me come to their boat to use the machine.  So I am on my way to do the edging!  The end is in sight!

Al with his ukelele.  He looks good at least!

First Edition and Sea Biscuit decided to move down to Monument Beach since stronger winds were forecasted.  We wanted to go into Volleyball Beach in the afternoon because a fellow cruiser told Al he could give him some help with his ukulele. 
 I went in to enjoy the beach and then got a refresher on how to do a basket.  I have continued to work on my basket but Al hasn’t pulled out his ukulele since then!

Afterward, we too moved to Monument Beach for which I was glad, because it was definitely smoother at the anchorage. 

Hiking to the ocean side.

The next day the trio of boats met on the beach early to walk across to the sound side for beach combing at low tide.  We found some treasures but not a lot. 

What a view!

Al, Peter and Michael enjoying some man talk!

 During lunch on the boat, a dolphin came close to the boat.  A guy from a nearby anchored boat jumped in the water with his snorkel and mask to swim nearby.  The dolphin stayed around playing and when the guy would dive down so would the dolphin.  It was so much fun watching them.  

Our neighborhood friend.

That night after happy hour on First Edition, we went into the beach for a bonfire and sing along.

Al and I hiked to the Monument the following day looking for the palm fronds needed for making baskets.  We found some and we also found some great views of the harbor from the top of the island. 

The view of our anchorage from the monument.

Al enjoying the view.

We had a rather lazy day but a wild game of Mexican Train onboard Blue Heaven that night with First Edition and Sea Biscuit.  Lynn won three out of the five games so she was the Mexican Train Queen!

Since they were calling for 20 knot winds, we planned to attend Beach Church which is a non-denominational church done by volunteer cruisers with choir and all on Volleyball Beach, rather than go across the harbor by dinghy to church.  I made some cherry/ cranberry scones for the social hour afterwards which turned out to be delicious, if I do say so myself.  At church we saw Pat and Tom on Suncat, friends we met two years ago in Georgetown.  

Big D;s

They were going in for a late lunch with some other cruisers at “Big D’s” on Hamburger Beach and invited us, and so we joined them. 

Here is how it started.

After an hour or two of rest we went back in for the dance and bonfire there.  Unfortunately, their generator wire caught fire so the bonfire was the main entertainment. 


 Do you think the Bahamians thought about the wind and where the sparks were going to fly?  Not until after they lit the fire.  

Then the wind started blowing.

 Then they thought they better throw water on the palm roof of the pavilion!  Eventually a cruiser then brought over a small portable generator, so the music started and so did the dancing.  By then unfortunately, “our generators” were running low after a few dances, so we went back to the boat to chill.

Now they think about dumping water on the roof!

The next day we said our farewells to First Edition and Sea Biscuit because they wanted to take this one day weather window to go to Long Island.  We could not blame them because it might be two weeks until the next one is available.  We are waiting for the internet stick from the local shop owner and so could not leave.   We hope to meet up with them in Long Island or the Jumenttos if the weather co-operates.  We certainly hope so.  Looks like we will be doing the Georgetown scene for a while. 

What a beauty!

I had to share Lynn's amaryllis on First Edition.  It has at least four more blooms to go!

New Years Bahamian Style

Leaving Twin Beaches we motored through another smooth cut and out into the sound to sail for a while heading for Georgetown on Great Exuma island.  The closer we got, the more the wind was on our nose, so we ended up motoring into Elizabeth Harbor where Georgetown is located.  It was great to be back in the area we spent so much time the last trip.  We were almost two weeks earlier than last trip and it did not seem like many boats were here.  We don’t know if it was because we were earlier or as mentioned before, if there just are not as many cruisers this year.  

Monument Beach

We went past Hamburger Beach, Monument Beach, Volleyball Beach and over to Kidd Cove so we were close to town.  Carl and Marilyn from Discovery greeted us on our way in and made us feel welcomed. We went in for groceries and got a few (because the store was pretty bare, the boat had come in, but had not been unloaded yet) and internet.

Carl and Marilyn, our greeters!

The next day we went into town to make a few necessary phone calls, to get more groceries now that the store was better stocked, internet and to do laundry, the necessary things in life!  We also got to watch the Bahamians sailing their class C boats practicing for the race on New Year’s day.  You can see how they sit way out on the boards to counter balance the sail.

Bahamian Class C boats

I would not do that!

That night we had another beautiful sunset which set the mood for the local Bahamians Junkanoo celebration.   

Georgetown at sunset.

In Nassau they do this New Year’s Eve from 2-6AM, but thankfully in Georgetown they start at 9:30PM. 

The float that started the parade.

 The streets filled with locals and cruisers waiting for the colorful costumed bands to strut down the street. They had one float which was a doctor and a nurse promoting the new hospital they are building here.  

Children in costumes.

Even the children get involved. It is similar to a small version of the Mummer’s Parade in Philadelphia but with a totally different kind of beat. 

Can you imagine walking in this!

The colorful Junkanoo parader.

  We enjoyed the festivities and were back on the boat by 11:00PM.  That is pretty good considering cruiser’s midnight is 9PM.

The next day a front was supposed to move in, and it did while I was at church.  Luckily it came with no rain, but the wind and the waves picked up dramatically.  After a wet ride back to Blue Heaven we weighed anchor and headed across to the lee shore off Volleyball Beach.  We were one of about 4 boats still in Kidd Cove.  All the rest had already moved.  It was still a very rocky, “rolly,” uncomfortable night.

Peter, Lynn, Marilyn and Carl enjoying New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve day we got ashore for a walk on the beach although the winds were blowing 18-25 knots.  Then we readied for our celebration on Discovery.  Four boats, First Edition, Sea Biscuit with Michael and Robin, Blue Heaven and of course Discovery came together to bring in the New Year although 5-6 hours earlier than most.  (We missed our friends on Synergy who unfortunately had the flu.) 

Us and Robin and Michael on Sea Biscuit

What a New Years spread.  We eat very well!

We had a wonderful array of hors d’oeuvres and German chocolate cake for dessert.  It was a feast as usual.  We were back on our boat by cruiser’s midnight after enjoying a great evening. (Isn’t it tough getting older?)