Big ocean....small world

The date was March 13, 2016, and the place is Georgetown, Exumas, a grand Bahamian harbour many sailors call home for the winter. 
At last, the four-day-long 20+ kt winds subsided and the next morning witnessed the departure of many boats that had patiently waited for this perfect weather window. Anchors were hauled up, followed by the large mainsail, as 7-8 boats fell in line, departing the south end of the wide Elizabeth Harbour.  Many will return next year, while others will sail to new and different shores, a bittersweet departure, as we're all ready to continue our journey, but sad to say goodbye to friends of good times.  With Fiesta provisioned full of water, diesel, food and beverage, we too pulled out into the farewell line of sailboats. Though unrehearsed, the flotilla appeared to be a synchronized chorus line.

Calabash Bay, Long Island

Fiesta was heading for 25 nautical miles towards the top end of Long Island, a beautiful full sail day into Calabash Bay for the night.  It felt good to be "on the road" again after a full month in the same harbour.
Calabash paid off with a peaceful night's sleep and inspiring sunrise.  This early morning was another departing chorus line of about five other boats (all independent of each other) and though we all took a north bearing up and around the top of Cape Santa Maria, we watched with Fiesta as the other sailboats peeled off east and south into the big Atlantic Ocean. This was the turning point---north for returning US-bound vessels or south for far Caribbean destinations unknown.  

Conception Island turquoise

We were alone floating northeast, under the azure sky, watching friends with white triangular sails disappear over the horizon, like a white flag of surrender, looking for the next peaceful scene.  This day we were blessed again with perfect winds in full sails for 19nm to our next island destination in paradise called Conception Island.  A small uninhabited island (not even a single ugly iguana anywhere) belonging to the Bahamian National Trust parks.  We began to think we would be the only ones on this deserted island for the next couple of nights, which was fun and a bit eerie sometimes, but as we drew closer, we could see a spread of ten masts and hulls anchored against a brilliant white beach in the tropical sunshine.   But wait a minute, why are all the boats painted turquoise blue?  Is it a sailing club?  A gay militia fleet escaping the US political persecution?  While most boat hulls are stark white, my binoculars were freaking me out with this new-blue coordinated color of boats.  Though it seemed like a hallucination of the mind in the haze of salt air and too much sun, it was simply a blonde moment (I do confess to those every now and then).  It was the reflection of unbelievable intensity from the TURQUOISE waters surrounding the bay. This was by far the most extreme turquoise we had encountered in all the Bahamas.  There is a rare and costly turquoise gemstone from  Arizona called Sleeping Beauty. Its blue is indescribable, as were these waters.  Our close friend Kit Lynch, a vibrant Taos artist full of color, would consider this pure heaven.  It was beyond magnificent.  Did I tell you how clear the water was?  At midnight under a full moon, you could read a book 20 feet down; I exaggerate not.  We have met sailors who have sailed around the world and exclaim that no other place in the world can compare to these waters. Period. Ok, have I blissed you out yet?  Another highlight in this harbour: we reunited with some good friends who had left George Town a week before us, Rex and Amy on Xtasea, so much fun.  

Typical breakfast--one dish meal

New Mexicans doin' a Bahama 'ting

In this bay of blue was another big ocean, small world experience.  Anchored next to us was a green-hulled Tartan 33 called Emerald City. Lee and Shelby Leonard, with grandson Eric, were from Dixon, New Mexico. Yep, we had friends in common.

We stayed here two nights, but could have been a week.  We knew the isolation was going to be one of our last for a while.  

The next day, en route to Cat Island, it was a sea of glass as we glided gracefully along- beautiful, but it meant the iron genny cranking us onward. 

Hermitage

One of our unexpected treasures on Cat Island was a small historic Hermitage atop the highest point on the island above the sleepy little settlement of New Bight. Built by beloved Father Jerome early last century, he spent his last years in seclusion here... wow.

Pigeon Cay Resort--Cat Island

We sailed on up Cat Island, a low-key cay of friendly folks.  Up on the north end we dropped the hook near the very charming and relaxing Pigeon Cay Resort and went ashore for a beer.  Found the "honor bar"; yep, just leave your money on the bar and help yourself.  But most noteworthy were the owners of this small resort, Leslie and Ned; they used to live and ski in Santa Fe and Taos.  Large ocean, but small world---a trend for us.  

Not quite as dark as the locals :)

Next stop was at a private island owned by Carnaval Cruise Lines, now called Half Moon Cay.  The anchorage was perfect and we shared it with another Island Packet 35 called Peacekeeper (both well-travelled ex-UN peacekeepers). They were based out of Twin Dolphins marina across from our home base on the Manatee River on the west coast of

Half Moon Cay---cruiseship playground

Florida---large ocean, small world. Along the white sand beach on this island is a cruise line company's prefabricated fantasy playland of air-conditioned 3-sided cottages (yep, AC for the outside tropics...?), shops, water toys galore, horseback stables and a GIANT replica tall ship of Captain Morgan's, which was the bar.  The playland was void of those white and splotchy pink tourists the day we were there, so I metal detected the entire beach looking for cruise liners' gold.....nada....dang.

Ok-ok...you got right of way....jeesh

The next morning, as we pulled out of the bay, small power boats were bringing in the employees from neighboring islands to work for not one, but TWO oversized Carnaval monsters waiting to unload their thousands for a day at the beach.  So happy and grateful to be on our humble little boat.

Next stop was a day-long motor/sail up to Rock Sound in southern Eleuthera Island, which had great, almost perfect facilities for small cruisers like us.  All-around protection from strong winds in the large harbour paid off when another stink blew through and clocked around all directions (something Cat Island did not have).  The only questionable and somewhat typical issue for the town of Rock Sound is the lack of safe dinghy docks.  When the tide drops (every 12 hours), it is difficult to crawl up (and down) a splintery, mucky and often broken 3rd world hand-made ladder to the dock.  We came back one day to our dinghy sitting on the mud bog bottom.....fun.  And if not careful with the timing of the tides, the "dink" could be caught UNDER the dock on a rising tide...."dink-unda-da-dock-doo-doo"......not good either.  

Now being read in the Bahamas----Taos News!

Another highlight of Eleuthera for us was a set-up rendezvous with friends Carl Gilmore and Francie on vacation from Taos!  They had rented a house and jeep, so we tooted around with them for a couple of days exploring and snorkeling. So good to catch up with the news from Taos.  

After three nights in beautiful and quiet Ten Bay and its sandy beach, we sailed up to Governor's Harbour for a look around and found a vibrant and fun town of colonial houses from a time when this was the capital of the country before it moved to Nassau.  We didn't dare stay in this harbour with a cold front blowing through, as it's known for its poor anchor holding.  But we will be back because this has one of the few government offices for us to renew our tourist permit.  We were given 120 days when we checked into this country back in mid-December and guess what, it's almost up.  Govt officials don't like to renew too far in advance of the expiration, so we sailed through a squall on our way up to Hatchet Bay, a unique enclosed bay with a narrow opening cut in the limestone cliffs around it.  Hatchet Bay had boasted of being THE safest hurricane-proof harbour in the Bahamas, that is, until Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Irene in 2011 proved them wrong, and wrecks still line the shore.  
Here we sit out another cold front coming soon. So we rented a car and headed down to Governor's Harbour to renew our stay for another 90 days!  

Waterspout over narrow cut in cliffs

Free boat wash and water tank refill

Alice Town on Hatchet Bay

Since our last blog, we have decided NOT to head up to the Abaco Islands.....perhaps another time.  But we feel the winds will blow us toward the Berry Islands instead...more on the way back to Florida. 

Onward we go through the big ocean.....and small world.


With peace and respect......Leslie and Tim

Check out Tim's latest video and 

you'll wonder why we are ever coming home.