S/V 'Faith'

[Frank]

Congrats on your passage.How was the trip down? Judy and I are hoping to do the same from little harbour.

[s/v Faith]

Frank,

  Yes, I would recommend little Harbor.  We skipped it, and Pete's Pub in favor of sailing across with better weather.  I will have to get back there, please take some good pictures for me.   ;D

  The trip across from the Abaco's was not bad, we had a bumpy ride but I was glad we crossed when we did as the cold front that was to have stalled north of the Abacos had apparently come south.  This was taken on the way up from Royal Harbour to Spanish Wells;



Here is the update from the last couple days.

_______________________________________________________________

Ahoy from Spanish Wells, St. George's Island          3 December, 07

  The Spanish wells Yacht haven is definitely a SailFar friendly marina.  The folks here took good care of us, and it was a good place to spend our 'once and a while' night in a marina.  They actually charged us the rate that was published in the explorer chart guide.  Each of the marinas in the Abacos and many in the US would advertise affordable rates in the various cruising guides, but somehow when we showed up, the actual rates would be higher.  Even our supposed 2008 guide would say that a marina would charge one rate and you would pay another.  For our $26 here we got a berth for the night, showers, unlimited water for a washdown and to top off the tanks, and a half a dozen books from the exchange and they let me get on their computer to make the last post and upload all those pictures.   Here is a picture of our friend Leroy and the SailFar sticker that now graces their office;



We took advantage of their golf cart to tour the island.  It was fun, although it I had to keep reminding myself to 'stay left'.



We saw the park at the West end of the island it was beautiful;



Here is one from the hill that overlooks the entrance to the channel;



We also met Tom and Jean off the Trawler 'Amadon Light' who have a home in Spanish Wells (right across the street from the moorings).  I teased Tom by asking for his autograph as they are mentioned in the Explorer Chart book as 'former cruisers' who run a book exchange.  They were as generous with their time as with their books and we greatly enjoyed passing the evenings with them on their porch and we even had a pizza bake when their friend Connie from a couple of houses down brought over pizza dough and we all brought ingredients.  Rose and I learned a lot from them as they shared their years of cruising 'local knowledge' of the area.  I also was able to find the impeller for the dingy motor, so now we have a spare. 

It was strange to see the town decorated for Christmas, when it is 82f out this looks a little out of place;



  We left the mooring after 2 days there, and sailed south west into a 25k breeze to the aptly named 'Current Cut'  If you look at a chart, you will see why this narrow passage experiences currents that are said to run as high as 9 knots.  We passed through it at low tide and anchored off of Current Island to give Peter a break and rest from the long morning beating into square waves.  After a break ashore we had a run up to Hatchet Bay.  We had wanted to visit the 'Glass Window' but the wind made it a lee shore with questionable holding so we passed on.  It is a place where there is a small bridge over a break in the island and from the top of the bridge you can look out over the waters to both sides.  We will have to save it for next time. 

Our destination was Hatchet Bay just to the west of Alice Town.  This is one of those really unique places where a bay is hidden behind the cliffs with only one very narrow entrance.  We arrived a mile off shore right as the sun was slipping into the sea behind us.  The entrance is a break in the shear cliff, less then 50' wide.  It was invisible until we were right on it, and the waves were breaking all around us as we sailed in.  I already had too much sail up to get in before dark, and the wind funneled through the opening and as we got closer it was hard to keep Faith in line with the narrow opening.  It was hairy and I was greatly relieved to get in safely.  It was a bit inconvenient to break out the camera in the midst of all that, so here are a couple of pictures of it we took going back out;



It looks even more narrow in person;



Once inside, the wind and waves were a memory, the protection here is excellent and I am sure it would have 500 boats in it if not for being so remote.  As it is there are 2 trawlers, and 4 other sailboats.  The government has placed mooring balls in the harbor, to encourage cruisers to visit after the marina was destroyed by a hurricane, the signs of which are still quite visible in the neighboring town of 'Alice Town'. 




Two of the other people, Gus on 'From Sloop to Nuts' and a man on a trawler are both living aboard and building houses on the island.  They both said the draw was the isolation and the natural beauty.  The island is 115 miles long, and has a population of less then 4000 people I can understand it. 
 
  We had Gus over for dinner the second night and Rose made a great spaghetti dinner.  He told us stories from his 20+ years of cruising in which he and his wife raised a family at sea.  He told us his boats get smaller and smaller as he figures out what he really needs (he now lives on the 30' hunter in the picture. 



  We have not been here long, but the difference between Eleuthera and the Abaco's is somewhat striking.  There are good people in both places, and the land and sea are beautiful but often when you find a town in the Abacos you get a feeling that much of what you see is there for your benefit.  Tourism seems like a major part of the economy there, and more of an afterthought here.  It is a bit more difficult to get around here.  I think Monty and Sarah Lewis put it well in the intro to the Explorer Chart book for the 'Far Bahamas'

The Islands of the Far Bahamas present more of a challenge requiring a high level of navigation and seamanship skills as well as preparation.....  It is not an area to follow someone or to count on picking up the radio and calling out for advice or help.  Dirty Harry once said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

  I mentioned at I would keep track of expenses and share them.  Rose and I went through all the receipts and here is what we have spent so far (18 October to 7 December).  Our biggest expenses have been 'Misc' at $1,022.95.  This includes Peter's vet visit & meds charts I had not brought for the outer islands, internet access, and Batelco phone SIM chip and card.  Next was groceries at $502.72, then Maintenance at $351, We spent $237.50 at restaurants, and $166 on mooring / dockage and only $114 on fuel and water (gas has been about $5 a gallon).  So in a little less then 2 months in the Bahamas we have spent a total of $2,394.17 which given the circumstances was not too bad even if a little more then we expected. 

8 December

  The harbor at Hatchet bay was quite protected, but we had enough wind this morning to sail off the mooring and all the way to Governors harbor without touching the motor.  We saw these Sunfish out sailing near Alabaster bay on the way down.  We learned after we arrived that they were from Governors harbor, and that the local sailing club The Governors Harbor Sailing Club had been for an outing.  In speaking with a local teacher afterwards I learned this club is a sort of outreach to local children that has been doing a lot of good here. Please take a look at club their website.



  We look forward to exploring the town tomorrow.  I will take pictures and hope to post them soon. 

[Frank]

Great update and pics Craig.I'm curious about the actual passage down.How far from the exit near Little Harbour? How many hours did it take?How was it coming in once you arrived?

[s/v Faith]

Great update and pics Craig.I'm curious about the actual passage down.How far from the exit near Little Harbour? How many hours did it take?How was it coming in once you arrived?

Frank, I will get Rose's log and check the details. 

  We left Lynyard Cay at ~1600 1 Dec where we were anchored at 26 21' 22" N 76 59' 05"W  We had traveled 1165.89 nm to date and when we arrived at Royal Island it was a little before 0800  2 Dec, and we had traveled 1227.18 So we traveled 61.21nm, in just under 16 hours there was a little bit of set to the north but the main reasons for our slow progress were that we towed the dingy and that we had a quartering sea that made the very broad reach we were on a less then efficient point of sail.

  The Explorer Chart book for the 'Far Bahamas' (I have the 3rd edition) shows all that you need, after you leave Little Harbour.  The 'Wreck' you will see indicated on the chart just south of Little Egg Island is quite visible, so don't sweat it like we did (I passed within a couple hundred feet of it with no problems). 

  If I had not sailed all night I would not recommend the anchorage at Royal Island as the developers have all the dry ground placed 'off limits' and I would just sail on to Spanish Wells or maybe stop near 'Meeks Patch / Comfort Cay. We also saw what looked like a nice anchorage with a little bit of beach just south of Royal Island on Egg Island but it appeared to be between the two. 

  Are you heading down soon?

[Frank]

Thanks.Its that 'where to go when coming in' info thats most needed after a passage. I guess you 3 don't need to respond to the 'winter plans' thread. ;)

[CapnK]

Interesting info, and a good post Craig and Rose - Thanks!

About the budget: It really shows that cruising in a small boat makes it possible for someone to "Do The Dream" on far, far less than in the manner that the glossy sailing rags promote.

I've had occasion to work on 2 Island Packet 38's recently:

Rerigging one, just the cost of the standing rigging would allow y'all to cruise for 4+ months. Add in the labor, and you guys would be out over half of an entire year.

A quick repair of some storm damage on the other - replacing lines, basically, but large ones that large boats need - would keep y'all cruising for over a week.

----------

Good to see you are continuing your 'sailFar sticker missionary work'. :D We have a new member who found us after seeing one of the ones you "placed" in Baltimore...  :D 8)

[C. Worthy Shipp]

Craig called a few minutes ago (1600 PST) from Eleuthra to let me know they were making the passage to Little San Salvador tomorrow. Since he can't get on the net he asked me to let all of you know that he, Rose and Peter are well, and will post to SailFar as soon as they get access to the net again.
Happy Holidays to all.
C. Worthy Shipp (the "C" stands for "Craig's Dad")

[AdriftAtSea]

Thanks for the update... tell Craig & company fair winds and following seas if you speak to him for me. :)

[s/v Faith]

Ahoy from Rock Sound, Eleuthera                        12 December, 2007

We left Governors Harbour after staying a day longer then we might have planned. That has kind of become our way (as anyone who has read this long has already gathered).




The weather has not been ideal, but I can not say that has much to do with our schedule.  We might have made an error and pressed on farther if it were not for gusty wind on the bow, and the threat of a tropical storm named 'Olga'.  I was glad to get through to my dad who was able to search the Internet and let us know we were not in her path (Thanks Dad!).

 We sailed off of the anchor in the protection of Governors Harbour, and were quickly beating into 20 knot winds, that would only gust higher over the course of the day.  We tacked a couple of times, grateful for the dodger (windshield) that kept the worst of the spray off of us.  After a couple of hours of that, we adjusted our goal from the ~25 nm around Tarpon point to Rock Sound and decided to tuck in as close as we could get to the shore and shoot for 'Ten Bay Beach' a few miles south.  

 The next hour was a fun sail as we threaded our way between large rocks and the shore.  We came upon another set of the free government moorings we had first come across at Hatchet bay.   Out came the kite,



which did not fly well once it hit the water.....




 These moorings were placed by the government to encourage cruising boats to stop in an effort to support some of the smaller towns that have struggled so hard to recover from the many hurricanes that have hit in recent years.  These were off of a small town known as South Palmetto Point.  There was a small library, and a grocery store with tow rows of shelves.  We met a couple who owned a home near the beach, Sal and Trisha warned us that there was a tropical storm south of us, and that we might not want to travel far.  Sal offered to let me get the weather on his computer, if he get his internet service restored.  I was able to reach my Dad on the Batelco cell phone and he went online to find that the 25k winds we were feeling were probably the worst of the storm we would see.  That call was worth the money spent on the phone.

 We got underway from the mooring the next morning after taking Peter ashore.  The winds were no better, so we decided to stop at our original 'plan b' and dropped the hook of of 'Ten Bay Beach'.  This place has been beautiful, and I am thankful that we did not pass it up.  

December 13, 2007

Stayed at Ten Bay Beach due to heavy winds and dark clouds with rain.  It rained on and off most of the day.  We had a "lazy" day, reading, watching movies and listening to the radio.

December 14, 2007

Moved on today, went as far as Rock Sound Settlement in Rock Sound Harbour.  It is a pretty little town with very friendly people.  It was chilly and cloudy out, but still pretty. On the 15th we went ashore and looked at a blue hole, this is an ocean hole in the middle of land.  It was soooooo cool.  



We fed lots of fish that swim in from the ocean.






We walked around more and met some more really nice people, one of the guys played his guitar for us.  On the 16th we did end up moving to a different part of the harbor due to a wind shift, it was gusty out and very cold.  We ended up moving back over to our original anchorage, except out further.  The wind changed direction again in the middle of the night so we decided to move a mile or so north to get more protection.  Rose was very nervous about moving at night.  The 17th was another lazy day due to bad weather, heavy winds and rain.  On the 18th of December we woke up to a beautiful, sunshine and mild breeze.  

 Today was a good last day at Rock Sound Harbour.  We were when we bought 15 gallons of RO water and could only fit 13 gallons in our tanks.  That meant that 13 gallons, plus the 6 gallon Jerry jug we bought at Hatchet Bay had lasted the three of us for 21 days... less then a gallon a day.  Good thing too, the water has gotten more pricey as we have headed south.  There was a spigot near the dingy dock, but the 'city water' had a strong salty taste so we paid a dollar a gallon for bottled R/O water from a place called "Dingle Motors", a service station that provides services to passing boats.  We took a last stroll through the town, bought a loaf of fresh bread and headed back.  After we returned to the boat I replaced the impeller on the small Johnson outboard and stowed the little Yamaha we had gotten from 'Chicago Mike' back in Hopetown.

December 19, 2007

We left Rock Sound Harbour today and had a wonderful sail mostly reaching and running before 10-15 knot winds out of the NE.  It was what Rose calls "A Happy Sail Day", and I would have to agree. We rounded Powells Point' which had originally been our destination but it was early so we kept on and wound up at Wemyss Bight, about 10 miles from our departure point for Little San Salvador.  There is a nice beach here, and Peter celebrated with several runs up and down it's length.  He really acts like a pup when we find a good beach which makes it all the more fun.  There is a small cemetery near the beach with a road that leads to the few houses that make up the settlement at Wemyss Bight.  Peter and I walked up the road to take a look but found the entry to the town guarded by half a dozen dogs.  The main dog you see in the Bahamas is the 'potcake' named for the leftovers they usually have for diner.  They are generally small and brown and while they have a reputation as good pets they are often not too social to visiting dogs.  Peter normally has the upper hand with a weight advantage and better health then the locals but a pack could be bad news so we turned around and headed back to the beach.  The sun was just below the horizon when we got back, and the sight of our little ship riding the gentle swells was beautiful... all the more so for knowing Rose was there cleaning up after the days sail.  We had seen a tower a few miles north of here so I tried the cell phone and was able to talk to both my mom and my dad for a few minutes.  

December 20

 We sailed down to the East end of Eleuthera, and headed up on the course for Little San Salvador.  The winds were 15-20, ESE which put then right on the nose (again).  The rain clouds on our path and the made it easier to turn back for one of the beaches we had passed.  The little cove right at the point had protection from the worst of the wind, but the swells made it a rough anchorage..... so we headed back up the coast a couple of miles and anchored off of a small beach we had seen.  I took Peter ashore, and we settled in for the night.  The swells were initially not as bad there but they picked up until the boat was pitching so hard that the bow was taking the tops off of the waves.  I sat up on deck while Rose tried to sleep below.  At 0100, the swells were worsening but the wind was dyeing down.  We decided that we would rather be off shore so we pulled up the hook and headed to Little San Salvador.  

 It was a long night, the winds had died somewhat but not shifted enough.  It was a lumpy ride but we pulled into the West end harbor, now renamed 'Half Moon Cay' by Holland America Cruise lines which has purchased the island.  We anchored in the south west corner, just north of the cabanas where we were able to got a little protection from the swells.  We set the anchor and crashed, tired from a long night.  When we awoke at around 1100, there was a cruise ship anchored west of us, and the beach was alive with people.  They rode horses, took to the water in paddleboats, sunfish, and snorkeling gear.  

 Peter enjoyed going ashore to his adoring fans.  Most every dog person had to pet him, and talk about their dogs they missed that were back at home.  At 1500 the ship blew it's whistle and the beach was once again empty.  The wind had built all day and the swells made our ride less and less comfortable.  The cold front was upon us and the wind was now more from the southwest.  



 Our friend Dennis had talked me out of using the hard plastic dingy before we left.  That night when I took Peter ashore he saved me a great deal of misery, and may have even saved our boat.  The swells were following the wind as it shifted west.  The breakers on the beach did not look all that bad form the boat as Peter and I motored ashore.  Just as I realized that saw they were breaking well of off the beach I was hit from behind and we covered the last 25 yards or so to the beach in an instant.  Before I could drag the dingy out of the surf, it had nearly filled with water.  While Peter went ashore I removed the gear and started to bail till I could get it light enough to tip up to pour the rest of the water out.  Getting back out to the boat was going to be tricky.  I called Peter, and pushed the boat out into the surf.  My plan was to stand in the surf and guide the boat and then quickly start the motor, climb in and get out in between swells.  It did not quite work out that way.  I had just started to push the boat out when the first wave crashed over us.  Peter was completely drenched, and the boat was about 1/3 full of water.  I shoved it out some more and jumped in hoping to get ahead of the next one.  Just as I started the motor the next one hit us.  I watched in horror as it broke right over Peters head, I am still not sure how he managed to stay in the dingy.  The motor stalled and a couple of quick pulls did not sound encouraging.  We were in the midst of the breakers and drifting back to the shore.  I grabbed the oars and pulled hard to get the bow back into the waves.  It came about and the bow lifted slightly just as the next one crashed into us.  I pulled as hard as I could which was all the worse as the dingy was now about half full of water.  

 It seemed like an eternity before breakers were once again swells.  As I rowed on I could see that it was not going to be easy to get back aboard Faith.  Rose was in the cockpit waiting for us, and I could see her vanish as the boat pitched wildly.  I had to get the dingy along side without getting trapped under the stern, and Peter would have to jump at just the right moment to make it.  I did not have time to wonder if he would understand the timing of it, I got close and watched.  I saw Peter was watching and when I yelled for him to jump he was already in motion.  As soon as he was safely on deck I bailed out the dingy and followed.

The wind was now fully out of the West and while the ride was rough the anchor was holding.  We sat in the cockpit and prayed for the wind to shift to the north west that would once again have some protection.  It might have worked out if the tide had not been going out.  We had anchored in 7' of water with 50' of chain off the bow roller the day before.  We were maybe 300' from the shore then, but now we had swung and were closer and the depth sounder would bounce between 3.5' and 10'.  The sound of the breakers from the beach grew louder as I checked the shore and the GPS for any signs we were dragging anchor.  We held steady but the crash of the breakers grew louder.  About the time I figured out what was happening a huge pounding sound came from the bow and water crashed into the dodger.  Rose screamed as the water sprayed the cabin below.  Faith has not got a spray hood, and the breaker had forced water under the front of the hatch with such force it was like a fire hose had been lit off in the cabin.  I knew we had to get farther out and fast.  I told Rose to come on deck and started the motor.  

 My plan was to motor out as far as the anchor rode would allow and to drop our stern anchor.  The primary anchor was too close to shore, and the foredeck was too dangerous to allow anyone to go up to raise it anyway.  Just as we started to motor out another wave crashed over the bow.  I was looking foreword and saw the solid wall of water cover the cabin top as the breaker came down on us.  I am still not sure how the dodger took the pounding.  The bow had veered off to the south now, and I reved up the motor to try to get her back into the wind.  I was not fast enough, and another breaker caught us just forward of the beam.  The sound of that much water pounding directly into the side of a nearly 44 year old boat is sickening.  I prayed as I brought the tiller over hard and as she rounded up on the anchor the stern anchor was tossed over and we quickly fell back.  I tried to calculate the scope as I gently tugged on the rode until I felt the anchor grab the bottom.  

 The GPS said we were 70' out from our original waypoint, and I waited and listened as the waves broke just aft of us.  The little FX-7 lunch hook was holding, but the rode was running to the wench on the starboard side, not the bow.  I had to haul in and release the tension on it as we rode the waves to keep her pointed up.  Someone had to go forward to run the rode through the bow chock.  I told Rose what I was doing, and crawled along the deck, cutting my side on the cotter pin for the aft shroud.   The tide chart showed the low was just before midnight, but the nearly full moon had the tides running more then usual.  The rest of the night was spent on deck, watching the shore and GPS, and listening to the breakers.  At the lowest tide they were close enough behind the boat that the dingy was getting caught in the surf until I brought the painter in close.  A few hours later the tide rose and the breakers moved back closer to shore.   By daybreak the wind had shifted NW, and Rose and I slept exhausted on our soaking wet bedding.

 Thankfully, nights like these are often followed by days like what came next.  We watched the beach fill up as two huge cruise ships off loaded passengers.  I am sure we were quite a sight with our bedding and mattresses hung and strung about all over.  Careful inspection showed no damage to the hull, other then some deep scrapes in the new topside paint from the dingy motor bracket.  We did loose the aluminum sunfish spar that we kept on deck as a pushpole.

 We spent one more night in the bay, and were rewarded with a beautiful day.  







We all went ashore and walked on the beach after the cruise ship passengers departed.  It was very nice.






 23 December

 Ahoy from Bennets Harbour, Cat Island!

As tough as the night before last was, today was just the opposite.  We woke up late, had a leisurely stroll along the beach so Peter could greet his fans, and then got underway just after 1100 for the ~ 20 mile trip to Cat Island.  The wind was NNE, as we headed E and just strong enough to move us along at a pace to arrive before 1600.  Or, it would have been if not interrupted by Rose catching a Skipjack.  


We had the big pole out, and were glad we did.  I hove too while Rose brought the fish in.  We got out the book to identify it and make sure it was legal and I got us back underway as Rose cleaned it.  We made it to Bennits Harbour just as the sun was setting and had a nice fish dinner.  


24 December, 2007

 Ahoy from Smith's Harbour Cat Island

We saw another sail on the horizon as we sailed around Alligator Point.  We realized we had not seen another cruising boat in the 3 weeks since leaving Spanish Wells!  (not counting the two live aboards in Hatchet Bay building houses).  We hailed them on the radio and learned 'Wind2Go' was bound for Little San Salvadore where we had just come from.  We talked on the radio for a while and were very glad to get an updated forecast that said no cold fronts were expected for 3 days.


 Rose caught another fish, a barracuda this time (it is not recommended to eat tropical barracuda).  It was a fun fish to fight, it took her a while to get it to the boat.  Unfortunately the lure got caught in the dingy painter.



 We spent the night at 'Smith's Harbour' which was barely big enough for us to anchor in with the small freight ship that was tied at the dock.  The No-See-Em's were biting hard and we both tossed and turned all night.  

25 December, 2007

Merry Christmas from New Bight, Cat Island.  We sailed out of Smith's Harbour, and after only a couple of miles we decided to stop and take a nap.  It was a good call, and the rest of the days sail south was much better for it.  We had our Christmas diner of caned chunk tuna, instant potatoes, instant gravy and canned peas just a few minutes ago.  It tasted much better then it sounds. : )

 One of the reasons we had wanted to continue today to get here was that there is a Batelco tower here and we were looking forward to calling home.  We got a signal but after a brief call to my son, I learned that all $50 of the airtime had been used up on the phone.  Hopefully I can get another card tomorrow.


26 December

We walked up Como Hill today, the highest point in the Bahamas



and home to 'The Hermitage' built by  Father Jerome as a retirement home and chapel for people seeking solitude. (Catholic Priest, former Anglican Priest, architect, wagon driver, monk, and horse breeder).



It was beautiful, and the view was great



From there we walked down to the small service station where we found phone cards and bought some bread.  As we walked down the beach to were the dingy was beached we noticed that one of the small 'take away' restaurants was open.  We bought Bahamian roast turkey from 'Seafood Cravers' run by a guy named Frankie.  We spent most of the evening there takling to the locals and learned Frankie was having trouble with his boat motor.  He asked us if we would take him out to sea in our boat so he could get some fish.  We agreed to meet him at 6:30 the next morning.  He and a friend 'Miles' came Faith and we went about 7 miles off shore.  




Rose tended the boat while Frankie and Miles freedove in 25-35' of water with only a mask and fins and speared a cooler full of fish.  They also found some 'crayfish' which were pretty big.

[Frank]

Craig / Rose  Best of the season to you's.May your adventures continue in 08 with fairwinds,sunshine and new friendships. Now it IS official !! You are not true cruisers until you have at least one really good 'couldn't sleep all night at anchor' story. I love reading your reports...more pics please.Take care and keep havin fun. oh ya..pete..wuff wf wfff wuff ;D

[s/v Faith]

Thanks Frank,

  As I was editing the post and adding the pictures I exceeded the 2000 word limit so here is the rest of the post;

We went back to the restaurant and had a great dinner!  We hung out there most of the evening, at one point we were sitting at a table with 3 other couples.  They had each flown in on their own planes, and were staying in at the Hawks's nest resort.  Funny thing is they all said they wished they could see this area from a small boat.



We got up the next  (this) morning at sailed to Hawk's nest creek, where we are now anchored  and hope to get ashore to do some laundry and hopefully find an internet connection at the marina (which charges $2.50 a foot, plus power not the $1.25 the book said).


___________________________________________________

Here at Hawk's nest,  Can not get the marinas iternet to work, so sitting here at the resort bar getting the eye from the bartender as my coke was gone a long time ago and I am still typing......

  Pray all is well with everyone.  If the wx holds we should be at Conception Island tomorrow (or so).   ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

Frank-

FYI... turn the flash off when taking landscapes at night... :)

[s/v Faith]

Ahoy (again) from Hawk's nest Creek..... 31 December 2007

  Our attempts over the last 3 days to cross to Conception Island have not been sucessful so we are (once again) here at Hawk's nest.

  In talking to one of the guys who live here the passage is known to be a tough one.  Actually in talking about where I am from he compared the passage to going to the Farilon Islands off of San Francisco...   :-X The chart pack does not give a sugested route line for where we are going.  It only says 'strong current flows NW' Our course is (of course) directly into the current and the wind has been within a few degrees of our direct route.

  Today we were able to get witn 60 degrees of the course line, but then we were taking lots of water over the bow and only making 2.5k good... a long day with a 30 mile massage.

  We will give it a shot tomorrow, I wish I could get some wx info, the shotwave broadcasts are not working out too well for us and 'ZNS, the Voice of the Bahamas' seems to give the current wx only with no forecast (it is out of Freeport or Nassau and does not come in too clearly anyway...)

  Blessings to all in the New Year, and thanks for the many notes of encouragement and all the help from the many friends who helped us get this far.

Blessings, and Fair Winds.  ;D

[CapnK]

Craig - Missed this post while I was at my mom's, I think.

We had our Christmas diner of caned chunk tuna, instant potatoes, instant gravy and canned peas just a few minutes ago.  It tasted much better then it sounds. : )

LOL, I understand exactly! There's a saying which applies here, something like "Adventure is the best spice.". :)

As usual, glad to hear from y'all, and the stories and thoughts of y'all out there brought a smile to my face. A belated Mele kalikimaka, and Happy New Years to Faith and Crew!

Personal message for Peter, from the CrewDogs: "Woof. Arf arf, woof, grr. Zzzzz. Ball."

;D

[C. Worthy Shipp]

Craig just called from George Town on Great Exuma to let me know all is well. He asked me to post same message to all of you. He says they are going to work their way back to Nassau/Bimini and thence home....leaving George Town Sunday. Today they've now been cruising for 5 months.
Best to all,
C. Worthy Shipp

[Zen]

time flies when your having fun!!  ;D

[s/v Faith]

Ahoy all,

  I apologize for the long delay in posting, we had a brief connection a few days ago, but once Rose finished typing up the following post the connection was no more. : (

Here is her post, with comments and pictures.

Here is an update to get us caught up.

31 December 2007

We are still at Hawks Nest River at Cat Island, the winds are not cooperating for our trip out of here.  It is a pretty creek that has a lot of current but good protection, expensive marina (which we are not using), and a pretty area. 

  Hawks nest was really pricey, but the creek was a good place to wait for the weather window (that never came).  While there I did some more experimenting with the short-wave receiver and figured out that I could use the dodger frame as an antenna and get much better reception. 

1 - 5 January 2008

Happy New Years, still from the same place.  We are staying put because a cold front is supposed to hit either tomorrow or the next day.  It is a pretty day.  Another boat came in, but it did not stay long, it did not like the marina prices and they could not get the anchor to hold well in the creek.  The chart says it has 'poor holding' but we have  not had any problems in the few days we have left here and come back.  They moved on to another part of Cat Island.  Another boat came into the marina and stayed through the cold front.  It became real windy and a little chilly (for here), as the cold front came through. 

6 -13 January 2008

We moved on today, it was a long sail from Cat Island to Georgetown  Exumas, but worth it.

We left Hawk's nest with great hopes.  The front has passed and we were expecting to ride the last of the NE winds down to Conception.  We left with little wind, but it quickly built out of the SE to around 20k.  Once we were clear the south end of Cat Island the seas were a bit higher then the forecast 10-12' with the wind shift driving them together we saw unpredictable 12-14' waves that would strike from unexpected angles.  The boat was being tossed around a bit, but with the wind once again on the nose we were not going to get to Conception island before dark, and we needed light to clear the reef so we decided to save Conception Island for the next trip.  I was a little down about this but Rose really cheered me up by saying it would make it all the sweeter next time.  : )

We went into Georgetown.  It is not like we expected.  It was about 40 nm, but a much easier sail with the wind we had.
We are actually anchored off of 'Sand Dollar' beach on Stocking Island while the town is across the waterway on Great Exuma Island.



We sailed to town two times during our stay.  We moved down to Monument Beach which was a little less crowded, it has beautiful beaches, a lot of nice people. 


We could not believe how many boats were there.  There are two small restaurants here, Chat and Chill is on Volleyball beach, it is nice, and the prices are pretty good.  The other is Peace and Plenty, the people running it were nice and it is on a very pretty beach. 

  .... Peter did not think so.  They had a pair of the meanest cats, Peter swears they were like ninja cats or something. We were walking around the area of the beach where the restaurant is and Peter walked by one of the tables and these two cats jumped down at him.  He denies running from them but says he felt it was best to leave the area as fast as he could.

We moved to Monument beach 'aka Hamburger beach' and climbed up to the top for a great view.  It was a warm day and Peter found some shade at the top.



The view was beautiful;





We were anchored next to a sailboat that had a dog named Matt.  He became a daily playmate for Peter, they had fun running and playing on the beach.  We were there for a couple of days before we found out there is a play time set for dogs in the morning after the Cruisers Net.  Peter met a lot of new friends also.  On Saturday we went to the beach for music, food and a fire.  A lot of songs were sung, tales told and jokes made.  It was fun and we met even more nice people.  Church the next day on Volleyball Beach was a blessing, we missed the fellowship and enjoyed the sermon. 

14 January 2008

We moved on to Norman's Pond Cay, there is a pretty beach for Peter to run on, and we could anchor pretty close into shore.  Craig caught a large barracuda



and a little while later half of one.  No, you heard me right, he caught a small one but something bit half of it off.  We only got part of a head and very little body.  At the beach Craig saw a huge stingray swimming by the dingy.  He tried to scare it my way so I could see it, but it turned before it got by the sailboat.  There are three other sailboats anchored here, it is still funny to see so many boats after seeing so few at the other islands.   

15 January 2008

Ahoy from Farmers Cay Cut, Exumas


  It was a rougher sail here today, headed up the Exumas with the wind out of the NE but this is a nice anchorage where we can wait and figure out what we are going to do next with the cold front passing through.

  We are glad to have internet even if the signal is very weak.[/quote]

The signal was gone when we went to connect to post this so we sailed on.....

16 January Just south of Black Sound Point.  we left Farmers Cay and sailed up to a beach just south of Black Sound Settlement on Guana Cay.  This is not the same Guana Cay we visited earlier, many of the cays share names throughout the Bahamas.  Guana Cay in the Exumas is the longest of the Exumas Cays, at just over 12 miles long.  Black sound settlement is it's largest settlement where we had been told we could get free water.  We did not get any there as we were still nearly full from Georgetown.  I walked across the hill to Black Sound Settlement and bought a loaf of bread.  I met one of the property owners along the beach we were anchored off.  Frank O'brian gave me lots of good info on protected anchorage's in the area, which was good as we had heard a strong front is supposed to pass over the weekend.  I am still not used to seeing other cruising boats, there were about 12 in the anchorage with us.



17 January

  We woke up this morning to a building swell in the anchorage so we decided to move on.  We sailed up past Black Point settlement and saw that there were over 20 boats anchored there.  It seems strange they would all anchor there as it does not offer any protection from the SW to NW, so we kept going.  We saw a small cove on the chart at the North end of Guana Cay.  We decided to try to sail in and see if we could find some shelter.  We got through the narrow entrance, and there was not much water there but the biggest area was taken by an old wooden Haitian sail boat that was sunk there.  I wish I had gotten a picture, but just as we got close we touched the bottom.  Thankfully we were able to get the bow around and back the jib to come right back out the way we came.

  We sailed on past Staniel Cay, and were headed for Cambridge Cay when Rose tried to call Connie on Pixie dust as she has been doing a couple of times a day since we left Georgetown, but this time she got an answer!  We anchored here and she came over in her dingy and sat in the cockpit with us.  It was really nice to finally meet her, after a few near misses over the last year or so.  I have to tell you, Sailfar 'ChatTuseday' is great, but I think I enjoy the Bahamas version better.  ; )   We are meeting her for breakfast tomorrow, and hope to get this posted soon.

Thanks Connie!

  We just ate breakfast with her, and this is being typed on her computer.

SailFar!

[s/v Faith]

Here is an arial view of the Hermitage that Connie has on her computer;



[

[s/v Faith]

Ahoy from Nassau!                           25 January, 2008

  We are anchored in the Harbor just off of the Nassau Yacht Club.  We sailed up from Hawksbill Cay in light winds and The explorer guide describes this anchorage as crowded with poor holding.... we have found it to be a nice place to stop and wait for a cold front to pass. 

    It was very tough to leave the Exumas.  They were beautiful, and Rose and I agreed we could could stay here for a long time if our son's wedding was not looming.

  Our visit with Connie and her friends was WONDERFUl, we greatly enjoyed the area and snorkeling and exploring was great there.  As with the rest of the Bahamas the best part was the friends we met!  Connie invited us to a great BBQ with her friends and we felt welcomed and accepted by everyone right away.  I am glad she has found such great friends, and that she shared them with us.  Thanks Connie!

  We had a tough time leaving but we sailed up to Hawksbill Cay in the Park.  We walked at sunset on a deserted beach so beautiful it would bring a tear to your eye.  Taking Peter ashore for the last time before turning in I dropped my glasses in about 12' of water.  I jumped in with my dive light and had them back in a couple of minutes. (Thank God).

  We decided to head to Nassau from there, rather then work our way farther north as there was supposed to be a cold front coming.  The ~ 45nm trip was easy, but we had to motor sail most of it as the wind was less then 10k.

  We had heard many things about Nassau, and the crime and blight of the capital and largest city in the Bahamas.  Thankfully, they were exaggerated, at least to us.

  The folks at the Nassau Yacht club extended club privileges to us, and we have met many new friends here already. They are racing the Bahamiam boats tomorrow so we plan to go down to the point to watch them.  There are a couple of days of wind from the NE forecast, so we are delaying our departure for the Berrys.  The passage will be ~ 35nm, then we have a ~70nm leg to Biminni and the crossing back to the US from there (between 45nm and 75nm depending on where we cross to). 

  We plan to cross the Okeechobee waterway from there.  Reports have the levels pretty low but wee hope that a 'SailFar' boat will be able to avoid the problems the larger boats have had.

  I will try to update again before we leave, and add some pictures later.  I hope all are doing well and that your cruising plans are coming together.  We are doing great, and already planning the next trip.

Fair Winds to all.

 

[Frank]

WOW...quite the cruise so far !! Glad ya's met up with connie...must have been fun.If you are thinking the St Lucie canal to Okeechobee....the St Lucie lock no longer opens on demand.To save water, they now only do 2 lifts per day..one at 10am and another at 2pm.The lake is very low with 3-4ft reported in ereas.I came in the canal last week and the water is noticeably lower than I've seen it before.If you come in from the atlantic at St Lucie (Stuart)..be careful.It was dredged last year but is still tricky once inside with many silted ereas.Not too bad with good daylight.I'll be haeding out the canal next wed or thursday....when are you's coming in? Take care and keep havin fun!! What's the next cruise plan???? ;D