Sailing aboard s/v "Emerald Tide"

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

My friend,

  Do not hate...  Get underway!  There is plenty of room for you down here!
[/quote]

I don't hate you, just a little envious after dealing with the New England winter.

Maybe someday I'll be able to get down that way. Until then the boat show in Boston this weekend will have to do :)

[Frank]

Just back in wifi land. Had the pleasure of meeting Craig and his dad earlier in the week. Very nice laid back morning in Emerald Tide's cockpit. He and his dad welcomed Sadie (our golden retiever)  aboard as well. She was in her glory getting a LOT of attention. We are all "dog people" !! It was truly a pleasure seeing Craig again and meeting his dad. Great humour!!
We headed off to clean up and paint the cottage. Work finally done...the holiday now starts! Craig...keep in touch. Lots of rain coming up....meet up in Marsh? Treasure? Hope Town? let me know

[s/v Faith]

I finally have some (little bit) bad weather to report on....

....  Have felt very very guilty posting all this sun and wonderful weather all winter while everyone has been suffering under the series of polar vortices......    ;)

Laying on a mooring here in Black Sound, Green Turtle Cay.



 Been an absolutely wonderful week!  Left Marsh Harbour, and anchored off of Fowl Cay.

Fowl Cay is part of the Bahamas National Trust and is a very pretty unspoiled Cay with great reefs to snorkle on the ocean side and a very cool little beach to snorkel to on the Sea of Abaco side.  Swam ashore and watched an amazing sunset from the beach.

[s/v Faith]

From Fowl Cay we sailed over to Sand Bank, near Treasure Cay.  Treasure Cay is one of the developments in the Abacos I had avoided.  I learned early on that many places "billed" as resorts were not particularly attractive as destinations to me.  Often the canned Jimmy Buffet "cheese burger in paradise" motif carries a premium price for a less then premium experience.

I did not go into the harbor, it seems very cool to me that there is an anchorage near the marina basin though.  Frank can certainly comment on the anchorage, as I believe he was anchored there when I arrived.  I choose to anchor off of the beach, and explore the point in the dingy. 

The beach is nice, but segregated by the various retaining walls running into the water and separating the individual properties from one another.   I wanted to go over to the north side of the peninsula, but the whale passage separated it from where I was anchored.

[s/v Faith]

The next day was the sail around the Whale Cay.  There is an inside passage known as the "Don't Rock" passage.  This passage has trapped more then a few Abacos Cruisers, it seems like a good idea.... Once you are on the banks, you can pretty much go anywhere you want in the Abacos... Except for the "Whale".  Often times the "Whale is running" or there is a "rage" in the whale passage.  The north winds can cause a breaking condition across the reef that can make a very powerful confused sea that can be difficult to impossible to run.

I might try "don't rock" aboard Faith, but certainly not aboard Emerald Tide.  Her nearly 6' draft, and 22,000+ pound displacement would make the shallow pass a very bad idea.

The Whale Cy passage is known as the Whale for the spouts of water that shoot up as they crash on the reef.. From a distance it looks like an enormous Whale is spouting off and sending a gusher high in the air.

When the conditions are fair, it is no being deal.. But when it gets rough, it can be impassable.

Day before last, when I went across it , it was calm.  Dad and I had sailed through it a couple of times, and it was nearly flat calm.  I transited it last fall and it was running..l but not too bad.

My plan was to sail through the Whale and head over to No Name Cay or anchor behind the Whale Cay at the beach.  The wind was still out of the South, but had enough West to make either a lee shore.

I ended up on the North side of Treasure Cay, which turned out to be a great decision!  Wow, what an amazing beach!

From there it was over to Black Sound for the forecast "blow".  The wind was not bad (so far) for $10 a day with an exta buck for Internet from Donnie's boat rental Black Sound is not such a terrible place to be.

Sunset from Green Turtle Club, bluff house marina, Sea of Abaco side

[Frank]

Yep, Faith could do "don't rock" at mid tide....but you'd likely be aground even at high tide with 6ft!  We have been across it 3 times this year but only draw 2ft 11in with "board up"

Treasure Cay's anchorage has great holding and is well protected. They charge $10/night but you get use of facilities (showers) and wifi. You are so right....the beach is beautiful!!

Glad you're having fun!!




PS: we left TC, went to MH, now in HopeTown but heading to Lil Harbor tomorrow. Keep in touch  ;D

[s/v Faith]

Sitting here in Black Sound, I have been trying for an hour to upload pictures....   :-\

 Only one is displaying in the thread.  I have tried both the gallery (where I have exceeded my capacity) and photobucket which is not cooperating either...l

 I will try to update the pictures, I have a bunch of really great shots to share.

Anyone have any good suggestions I can try?  I have been doing this for a  long time, but am having a tough time with it today!

Lets try;

Georgetown, Lake Victoria

[s/v Faith]

http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p23/SailingFaith/?action=view&current=59980d4f1efe0f250cf42f731cbc0916_zpsdf442cc8.jpg

[s/v Faith]

Lets try this one;

My painting of the Hermitage at Cat Island

[s/v Faith]

One of the fastest passages I have made aboard Emerald Tide  In almost 10,000 miles of sailing.

Dad and I left from Eleuthera shortly after sunrise, we made the ~10 miles to Egg Island, then the ~50 miles to North Channel Bar in the Abacos... And still sailed the ~20 miles up the Abaco banks to Hopetown to safely make the mooring before the sun set!

We passed a bigger, more modern boat that ought to have flat smoked us on the passage!

[s/v Faith]

One of the most amazing experiences I have had....

  Georgetown, watching the sun rise.  Anchored off of Kidd Cove, the coffee was hot and it was a still and beautiful morning.  The silence was broken by the sound of dolphins surfacing.  A small make, and a couple were swimming together... It was incredible. 

  I swam with them for an hour, they played and included me in their circle.  A painting (unfinished) of the couple, with Emeradl Tide's keel in the background....

[s/v Faith]

Underway on a beautiful day in the Bahamas

[s/v Faith]

Fwiw,

  There is a great new restaurant / bar at the Marsh Harbour airport.  It is called "skyways" and is right across the road from the old terminal.  The "new" terminal has been completed for almost 8 years, but the bEurocrats can not seem to get it opened...  I think they should have turned it over to "Angela" and the folks at "Skyline". :)

  They have good food, reasonable prices, and the owner runs a pot cake (Bahamian mutt) rescue out of her house.  Here is my dad with a friend he met there.

[s/v Faith]

Hopelessly out of sequence here...  ;D

 Lake Victoria in Georgetown is a really cool place to provision... You enter under a bridge and come into a calm body of water with a great courtesy dock provided by Exuma Market..  They have free water for filling your Jerry jugs  and great shopping!

[Tim]

Great to hear and see, thanks for sharing. :)

[Jim_ME]

Wonderful photos, and paintings. Thank you, Craig!

Great to see a photo of your Dad, and you two sharing such great experiences.

Am anticipating more tales from the islands and cays.  :)

[s/v Faith]

Friends I met at Big Majors Cay;

One cool dude;



Another friendly local...

[s/v Faith]

Hanging out at Wardrick Wells;

[Capt. Tony]

Great thread, as usual, Craig.  I have to say, it would have been difficult to recognize you!

[s/v Faith]

Painting with my dad at Georgetown, volleyball beach