Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Happy 10th Birthday Parker
There were a few other boats in the bay when we came screaming in. One in particular was a new Ocean Cat called Harmony. A stretched out tricked out cat from the early designers of our Manta cat. It had 4’ bridge clearance and sailed at 2/3 wind speed! Out of the 10 boats in the harbor, 6 were kid boats! On the Cruzheimbers net, Angie announced our location and Parker's birthday. The next boat checking in said, we are also in Thompson's bay with an 8 year old on board. Angie calls them up and adds another kid to the birthday party list.
Lisa showed us a hike through the coconut grove to the ocean beach. The beach was spectacular. The kids remained on the bay beach to build another fort and be pirates for any unsuspecting boaters landing their dinghy on the shore. Argh! We loaded up on coconuts that were piled up waiting to be disposed of by burning them!
Eric, Sue, Peta, and Elzabeth, an English family on board Tabitha, were fast friends for the few days we were together. Eric showed me how to husk coconuts with a machete. I can now ad that to my hunter-gatherer resume of family provider skills. The girls were delightful children and great pirates with their British accents.
We celebrated Parkers special day with a boat load of kids in the afternoon. Kids bought home made cards, books, and small games. Parker had a real birthday party with few purchased gifts. no organized fun. Just kids on the beach playing. The $7/gallon ice cream and cake were a real treat in the middle of nowhere. That evening we had movie night on board as we had sundowners in the cockpit. Parker had a great day!
The next day, we need to provisioning as there were no stores in the Jumentos. The mailboat comes in and it’s a good day because we can get eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, and a few other “fresh” items that are not spoiled, rotten, or smashed. Expiration dates mean nothing here or anywhere in the Bahamas, you must rely on your sense of sight, smell, and taste. The fuel in Long Island was unbelievably cheap and of good quality thanks to ESSO international upgrading the facility. We are ready for the out islands.
Lisa showed us a hike through the coconut grove to the ocean beach. The beach was spectacular. The kids remained on the bay beach to build another fort and be pirates for any unsuspecting boaters landing their dinghy on the shore. Argh! We loaded up on coconuts that were piled up waiting to be disposed of by burning them!
Eric, Sue, Peta, and Elzabeth, an English family on board Tabitha, were fast friends for the few days we were together. Eric showed me how to husk coconuts with a machete. I can now ad that to my hunter-gatherer resume of family provider skills. The girls were delightful children and great pirates with their British accents.
We celebrated Parkers special day with a boat load of kids in the afternoon. Kids bought home made cards, books, and small games. Parker had a real birthday party with few purchased gifts. no organized fun. Just kids on the beach playing. The $7/gallon ice cream and cake were a real treat in the middle of nowhere. That evening we had movie night on board as we had sundowners in the cockpit. Parker had a great day!
The next day, we need to provisioning as there were no stores in the Jumentos. The mailboat comes in and it’s a good day because we can get eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, and a few other “fresh” items that are not spoiled, rotten, or smashed. Expiration dates mean nothing here or anywhere in the Bahamas, you must rely on your sense of sight, smell, and taste. The fuel in Long Island was unbelievably cheap and of good quality thanks to ESSO international upgrading the facility. We are ready for the out islands.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Lessons Learned from Louie the Lobster
It’s February 2007 and Parker’s Birthday is coming up in a week. His request is to celebrate with Nicole and DJ on Dream Catcher who is planning a trip over this way from G-town. Their SSB transmission is faint, but they tell us they are heading to Thompson’s Bay Long Island in a few days and not Conception Island because of the cold front.
Conception Island is a land park with no structures or inhabitants. It also had no other boats anchored and we had the place to ourselves for a couple of days of fun in the sun. There were beaches, cays, reefs and mangroves. We motored and rowed into the mangroves to see the sea turtles cruising in the shallows on the western shore. To get there we had to round a rocky cliff point with an eagles nest over 1’high x 6’ in diameter The master of the sky screeched and soared high overhead searching for the perfect meal.
Off a remote unnamed cay to the east Angie and I went hunting. I was rewarded with spearing a huge spotted grouper for our dinner. Another day on the north shore after beaching and snorkeling for a day I opted to have a quick snorkel off some rocks. No sooner had I gotten in that I saw the antennas of a lobster sticking out of a ledge below me. I dove down with my spear stretched back to see how big our dinner would be for the night. Peering under the rock I was amazed to see a lobster bigger than I had ever caught or even seen pictures of. He was dinner for 2 nights and a lunch too, perfect for Valentines Day
The lesson Louie taught us is how fragile an inflatable dinghy is with a spiny lobster thrashing around. He put two holes in our dinghy just wrestling him in! I hate patching a dinghy because despite whatever I use and directions I follow the patches always peal at the edges later. By the end of the day we had a limp dinghy (hate that!) and I set about fixing it.
The final day we traveled further west along the north shore to one of the most idyllic beaches I have ever seen. A 3 mile crescent shaped piece of paradise flanked by limestone cliffs and Bahama blue bay protected by a fabulous reef. We had fun in the sun picking up buckets of sea beans and prized hamburger beans. They really look like quarter sized hamburgers! To find one in the Bahamas is remarkable, to find this many was amazing. Snorkeling we saw grouper so big we didn’t have the heart to shoot them. They measured well over 3’ and 30 pounds. If I were to wound it and lose it I would have felt awful even though you never see a dead fish that washes up on the shore. All wounded fish become another fish’s dinner and never go to waste.
“Plastics son, plastics.” Sadly this remote beach is a catch basin for ocean trash floating about, most of which comes from the USA. Not to exaggerate but you could fill more than a 100 dumpsters from this 3 mile stretch of paradise!! Parker was particularly disgusted by the trash littered about on this “land park” of all places. With the approaching northerly, we motor sailed to Cape Santa Maria, Long Island for the night before heading down to meet up with Dream Catcher for the big birthday.
Schedules and Stress
Angie had us move out of this anchorage for a mild NE last week even though there is protection up to N. Long Island has no options to anchor in a west wind, except Thompson's Bay which we could not make by dark. The west side of the island is on the "banks" and is very shallow so night travel is risky. Of course, the front came through early and strong W/NW blew straight into the anchorage, bucking the boat with 6 foot waves. She stayed up most of the night making sure we did not end up on the shore. It was the most “unsettled” night and at day break we headed out through the cut. Of course our Bulwagga anchor was so buried we again bent the bow roller trying to get it up. Getting out of the cut and breaking waves is always exciting. Don’t put the house on the rocks, don’t put the house on the rocks! Two reefs and we were 8-9 knots down the shallow coast bound for Thompson’s Bay again. Trust the chart and the fact we had sailed here before I told myself as the crystal clear water looked shallow enough to wade in. The schedule of Parker's birthday had us make bad choices resulting in a rough night. Hindsight is 20/20.
Conception Island is a land park with no structures or inhabitants. It also had no other boats anchored and we had the place to ourselves for a couple of days of fun in the sun. There were beaches, cays, reefs and mangroves. We motored and rowed into the mangroves to see the sea turtles cruising in the shallows on the western shore. To get there we had to round a rocky cliff point with an eagles nest over 1’high x 6’ in diameter The master of the sky screeched and soared high overhead searching for the perfect meal.
Off a remote unnamed cay to the east Angie and I went hunting. I was rewarded with spearing a huge spotted grouper for our dinner. Another day on the north shore after beaching and snorkeling for a day I opted to have a quick snorkel off some rocks. No sooner had I gotten in that I saw the antennas of a lobster sticking out of a ledge below me. I dove down with my spear stretched back to see how big our dinner would be for the night. Peering under the rock I was amazed to see a lobster bigger than I had ever caught or even seen pictures of. He was dinner for 2 nights and a lunch too, perfect for Valentines Day
The lesson Louie taught us is how fragile an inflatable dinghy is with a spiny lobster thrashing around. He put two holes in our dinghy just wrestling him in! I hate patching a dinghy because despite whatever I use and directions I follow the patches always peal at the edges later. By the end of the day we had a limp dinghy (hate that!) and I set about fixing it.
The final day we traveled further west along the north shore to one of the most idyllic beaches I have ever seen. A 3 mile crescent shaped piece of paradise flanked by limestone cliffs and Bahama blue bay protected by a fabulous reef. We had fun in the sun picking up buckets of sea beans and prized hamburger beans. They really look like quarter sized hamburgers! To find one in the Bahamas is remarkable, to find this many was amazing. Snorkeling we saw grouper so big we didn’t have the heart to shoot them. They measured well over 3’ and 30 pounds. If I were to wound it and lose it I would have felt awful even though you never see a dead fish that washes up on the shore. All wounded fish become another fish’s dinner and never go to waste.
“Plastics son, plastics.” Sadly this remote beach is a catch basin for ocean trash floating about, most of which comes from the USA. Not to exaggerate but you could fill more than a 100 dumpsters from this 3 mile stretch of paradise!! Parker was particularly disgusted by the trash littered about on this “land park” of all places. With the approaching northerly, we motor sailed to Cape Santa Maria, Long Island for the night before heading down to meet up with Dream Catcher for the big birthday.
Schedules and Stress
Angie had us move out of this anchorage for a mild NE last week even though there is protection up to N. Long Island has no options to anchor in a west wind, except Thompson's Bay which we could not make by dark. The west side of the island is on the "banks" and is very shallow so night travel is risky. Of course, the front came through early and strong W/NW blew straight into the anchorage, bucking the boat with 6 foot waves. She stayed up most of the night making sure we did not end up on the shore. It was the most “unsettled” night and at day break we headed out through the cut. Of course our Bulwagga anchor was so buried we again bent the bow roller trying to get it up. Getting out of the cut and breaking waves is always exciting. Don’t put the house on the rocks, don’t put the house on the rocks! Two reefs and we were 8-9 knots down the shallow coast bound for Thompson’s Bay again. Trust the chart and the fact we had sailed here before I told myself as the crystal clear water looked shallow enough to wade in. The schedule of Parker's birthday had us make bad choices resulting in a rough night. Hindsight is 20/20.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Rum Cay and SCUBA 101
Rum Cay is an island of less than 100 residents and for several years has been constructing a marina that is to be the biggest in the Bahamas. The seas became glassy smooth for several days allowing us to view the crystal clear reefs 50’ down. After a home schooling SCUBA course off the transom, we set out to the reef. With our 4 person hookah dive system and 75’ each of hose, we went diving. The lack of tank, straps, and BC is really liberating with the hookah system. Parker and Sabrina dove like they had been doing it all their lives. Parker then saw a large barracuda and “flipped out”, heading back to the dingy. He had been reading the “dangerous animals” book from the library, which included parrot and blue fish in the list. Again 80% of the canyon style reef system was dead.
That evening we went ashore and were greeted by swarms of blood seeking ‘squeeters. To get ashore, we had to do gymnast moves up the fish gut covered rag tag steps to the pier. That evening, we dined with fellow boaters at Kay’s bar and restaurant. From the rubble street you walk in on a sandy path and continue walking on a sand floor into the bar! We are welcomed and graciously served as the kids are playing pool.
The following day we dove again hoping Parker would regain his confidence. All of Rum Cays’ reefs lacked edible fish and lobsters. Rum Cay WiFi was the best wifi we have seen in the Bahamas outside of Starbucks. We could Skype from our boat and spent several hours taking care of business and reaching out to family and friends. Never would I have thought there would be high speed internet access in a place like this. Angie was in internet heaven.
That evening we went ashore and were greeted by swarms of blood seeking ‘squeeters. To get ashore, we had to do gymnast moves up the fish gut covered rag tag steps to the pier. That evening, we dined with fellow boaters at Kay’s bar and restaurant. From the rubble street you walk in on a sandy path and continue walking on a sand floor into the bar! We are welcomed and graciously served as the kids are playing pool.
The following day we dove again hoping Parker would regain his confidence. All of Rum Cays’ reefs lacked edible fish and lobsters. Rum Cay WiFi was the best wifi we have seen in the Bahamas outside of Starbucks. We could Skype from our boat and spent several hours taking care of business and reaching out to family and friends. Never would I have thought there would be high speed internet access in a place like this. Angie was in internet heaven.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Fish On! Fish On! Fish On! Fish On!
The wind was right so we took flight bound northeast to Rum Cay. Rounding Cape Santa Maria with lures in the water I was optimistic seeing all the squally weather about. Most sailors stay in harbor during inclement weather saving perfect sunny days to make passages. We find the fishing is best on “crappy” days and who wants to be wasting the day away inside and anchored?
Fish On! Not another Barracuda I hope. He dives deep so we don’t know what we have. Bringing it closer to the boat we are surprised to see a fabulous Black Fin Tuna! 25 pounds of fun! I set out to bleed him out and filet him when I hear Sabrina scream, “Fish on!” again. And so it went for the entire passage, I remained on the transom bringing aboard and filleting 5 huge tuna. I did not have a chance to look up from my fish station until we were paralleling the beach of the Rum Cay anchorage with a freezer full of food from the sea. Angie has the best marinade for tuna and we ate a belly full before turning in for the night!
Fish On! Not another Barracuda I hope. He dives deep so we don’t know what we have. Bringing it closer to the boat we are surprised to see a fabulous Black Fin Tuna! 25 pounds of fun! I set out to bleed him out and filet him when I hear Sabrina scream, “Fish on!” again. And so it went for the entire passage, I remained on the transom bringing aboard and filleting 5 huge tuna. I did not have a chance to look up from my fish station until we were paralleling the beach of the Rum Cay anchorage with a freezer full of food from the sea. Angie has the best marinade for tuna and we ate a belly full before turning in for the night!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Hitchhikers Guide to Long Island
Walking along the desolate business district of Long Island we passed the usual island businesses of shop repair, building supplies, road house bar and Cosmetic Dentist! What’s that all about, I wondered? Well the good doctor was not in so I could not garner any information on the effectiveness of his location and marketing success for such specialized services.
A tattered dive flag at the top of a driveway was a clue to the cave we were searching for. We found Chris,the dive shop owner in his garage. Looking into the garage was like looking into a state of the art American tool and machine shop. Laser welders, lathes, saws, Craftsman tools, etc were organized beautifully with various projects in the works. I surmised that Chris’s diving business justified all theses supplies as “reasonable and necessary” duty free container shipments from the states. As for the diving business, he said he had four people arriving in about 3 weeks during the busy winter season.
He directed us to the trail head from the fire pit in front of the house to get to the cave. No lighting system, no handrails, no guides, no problem, we brought a flashlight and bread crumbs. The bat guano based floors made for easy walking. The cave extended back in multiple directions totaling several miles. There were stalagmites and stalactites, cavernous rooms and 5 of the 6 species of bats in the Bahamas. We were all brave and walked and photographed the thousands of bats bunched up just above our heads in the extension that lead to the back of their home. Dozens of little bats went whizzing by us as we walked under the clusters of chirping creatures. I was certain one of us was going to freak out and scream but the kids thought they were “so cute”.
That night we ate at the Thompson Bay Inn. I’ll cook for you. Be here at 6:00PM, she said. The Bahamian feast consisted of heaps of conch fritters, chicken wings, cole slaw, potato salad, French fries, and plantains. Angie got a huge hug and a bless you of appreciation for the business.
The next day, in search of an adventure we dinghied some 5 miles south to see the “not to be missed” Turtle Bay. The adventure became more of an ordeal as the walk was longer than we anticipated. Out of character for us, we gave up and made tracks back to the dinghy. Just as we were approaching the boat launch, Angie put the adventure back into the ordeal.
A local in a flat faced 80’s van stopped and wanted to give us a lift. Where were all the cars for the last hour before as we walked along the “highway”?
“I know where you want to go. Get in, get in. I’ll show you,” he slurred through his picket fence of remaining teeth.
Parker and Sabrina sat on the mismatched bald spare tires lying in the back. “Safety first kids, just like in the Michelin commercial with the babies in the tires. Just nestle into those tires and hang on.”
Angie and I squeezed into the front seat with the huge bug splattered windshield to protect us from whatever is coming the other way.
Angie sensed an issue when the drink he was holding did not smell like coke. “I've just had a little bit to drink, no problem. I’m all right. I’ll be very careful, no problem.” Drinking and drinking is the standard we are finding in the out islands. Oh God I thought, he’s drunk. Well we only have to go about 3 miles on a dirt road over to the ocean side.
Well away we go …in the wrong direction! Angie with her map in one hand and his drink in the other is trying to politely suggest that we need to turn around. Our driver kept rambling along with his stories about his accomplishments and his local knowledge.
“No! No! I know! I know where you want to go. You’ll see! It’s not far,” he said as we swerved down the Long Island Expressway (LIE). Fortunately we only had to avoid 2 cars, a dog, and a semi coming the other way.
Well, some 8 miles in the wrong direction and a truck backing out onto the road was enough to slow us down and me to open the door and say this is good here thanks! The sun is setting and there is no way we can walk back to the dinghy now.
“Thumb out quick guys!” I instructed as part of the life skills lesson of the day.
Another islander, actually Hispanic, stopped by with a brand new pickup truck. He was sober and delighted to take us the other way. No longer an allowed way to travel in the states, we all got to pile in to the open air bed and watch the scenery fly by. The kids loved it!
A tattered dive flag at the top of a driveway was a clue to the cave we were searching for. We found Chris,the dive shop owner in his garage. Looking into the garage was like looking into a state of the art American tool and machine shop. Laser welders, lathes, saws, Craftsman tools, etc were organized beautifully with various projects in the works. I surmised that Chris’s diving business justified all theses supplies as “reasonable and necessary” duty free container shipments from the states. As for the diving business, he said he had four people arriving in about 3 weeks during the busy winter season.
He directed us to the trail head from the fire pit in front of the house to get to the cave. No lighting system, no handrails, no guides, no problem, we brought a flashlight and bread crumbs. The bat guano based floors made for easy walking. The cave extended back in multiple directions totaling several miles. There were stalagmites and stalactites, cavernous rooms and 5 of the 6 species of bats in the Bahamas. We were all brave and walked and photographed the thousands of bats bunched up just above our heads in the extension that lead to the back of their home. Dozens of little bats went whizzing by us as we walked under the clusters of chirping creatures. I was certain one of us was going to freak out and scream but the kids thought they were “so cute”.
That night we ate at the Thompson Bay Inn. I’ll cook for you. Be here at 6:00PM, she said. The Bahamian feast consisted of heaps of conch fritters, chicken wings, cole slaw, potato salad, French fries, and plantains. Angie got a huge hug and a bless you of appreciation for the business.
The next day, in search of an adventure we dinghied some 5 miles south to see the “not to be missed” Turtle Bay. The adventure became more of an ordeal as the walk was longer than we anticipated. Out of character for us, we gave up and made tracks back to the dinghy. Just as we were approaching the boat launch, Angie put the adventure back into the ordeal.
A local in a flat faced 80’s van stopped and wanted to give us a lift. Where were all the cars for the last hour before as we walked along the “highway”?
“I know where you want to go. Get in, get in. I’ll show you,” he slurred through his picket fence of remaining teeth.
Parker and Sabrina sat on the mismatched bald spare tires lying in the back. “Safety first kids, just like in the Michelin commercial with the babies in the tires. Just nestle into those tires and hang on.”
Angie and I squeezed into the front seat with the huge bug splattered windshield to protect us from whatever is coming the other way.
Angie sensed an issue when the drink he was holding did not smell like coke. “I've just had a little bit to drink, no problem. I’m all right. I’ll be very careful, no problem.” Drinking and drinking is the standard we are finding in the out islands. Oh God I thought, he’s drunk. Well we only have to go about 3 miles on a dirt road over to the ocean side.
Well away we go …in the wrong direction! Angie with her map in one hand and his drink in the other is trying to politely suggest that we need to turn around. Our driver kept rambling along with his stories about his accomplishments and his local knowledge.
“No! No! I know! I know where you want to go. You’ll see! It’s not far,” he said as we swerved down the Long Island Expressway (LIE). Fortunately we only had to avoid 2 cars, a dog, and a semi coming the other way.
Well, some 8 miles in the wrong direction and a truck backing out onto the road was enough to slow us down and me to open the door and say this is good here thanks! The sun is setting and there is no way we can walk back to the dinghy now.
“Thumb out quick guys!” I instructed as part of the life skills lesson of the day.
Another islander, actually Hispanic, stopped by with a brand new pickup truck. He was sober and delighted to take us the other way. No longer an allowed way to travel in the states, we all got to pile in to the open air bed and watch the scenery fly by. The kids loved it!
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