Warm and sunny in the Bahamas

Week One in Paradise

We have now been in the Bahamas for a week.    And already some fun times, and lots of adventure.

We left Nassau on Monday, with the wind still blowing over 20.  It had been supposed to subside, but then the forecast changed, and it was going to blow until Wednesday.  I just couldn’t wait, so off we went.  We did have an adventure at the fuel dock, culminating with having to cut a dock line to free the boat before it took the dock down, but all ended well, thanks to quick thinking on everyone’s part.  So we motored thru the coral heads, and put up the sails. 

We had two great days of sailing, once my heart adapted to the 10 foot water depths, ending in the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  This is a most beautiful preserve, in crystal water.  The sharks and rays swim under the boat, the snorkeling is great, although this time we opted for looking from the dinghy, and the trip to the top of the hill had an awesome view of the ocean (well, Exuma Sound ) on one side and Walkabout nestled in the lagoon on the other.

Since our goal was getting Pam to see the pigs, we left Thanksgiving morning for the 20 mile trip south to Staniel Cay.  There was no wind (feast or famine) and we motored out into the sound and then thru one of the cuts back to the banks. 

By 11 am we were anchored and watching those pigs swim out to the dinghies that approached.  Pam had her pumpkin pie in the oven: as soon as it was finished we headed to shore.  Pam had her carrots ready.  Like a herd of cattle, I think they smelled the carrots, and soon all 4 500lb pigs were heading our way.  As Pam gave out carrots, one tried to get into the boat.  It had two feet on the pontoon and was trying to scramble in when I went off the other side.  I could just imagine that fiasco.  Pam and I waded in shallow water while she distributed her Thanksgiving gifts.  The pictures of the four pigs begging were a riot.  Then the carrots were gone and she tried to pet one of them.  It turned around and nipped her on the hip.  She will have a big bruise from that one.  And she was indignant that I didn’t get a picture of it.  I was trying too hard not to laugh and to escape at the same time.

We had a great, traditional dinner on board, with turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole and champagne for dinner.  And the best pumpkin pie ever for dessert.  Pam truly is a genius at making marvelous meals come out of that tiny galley. 

Friday, Pam and I took the dinghy to Staniel Cay in spite of the strong winds.  It was about a half mile ride, and by the time we got there we had water up to the gunwales.  And that was with her bailing the entire way.  Waves were coming over the bow faster than we could get the water out of the boat.  And of course we were so drenched we left puddles on the bar floor as we drowned our insides to match.  Okay, another experience we won’t repeat, it’s now a conundrum as to how I get her ashore on Tuesday for her flight.  Stay tuned.

Today is Sunday.  I haven’t had a connection to send this, so here’s the latest update.  We spent last night in Sampson Cay Marina.  I am trying to figure out where to leave the boat while I come home.  I wasn’t impressed, but the VaTech game was on tv so Pam contributed to the bar’s profit.  We left with the wind still howling for Compass Cay Marina this morning.  There is a long, winding channel to get in here, with a few balls as markers, when you can see them, and depths that read 1 to 2 meters at low tide.  Nonetheless, Tucker was on the radio assuring me I could make it as I wound through the coral and other things lurking beneath the surface.  And the journey was well worth it.  The marina holds about 15 boats and has a small shack with a refrigerator (beer) for an office.  Outside the door are steps down to the water. When we got here the dock at the bottom of the steps was under water by about a foot.  People were standing on the dock and SHARKS were putting their heads on the dock to be petted and fed!!!  Apparently these are all pets, although they are not caged.  They just don’t leave.  There are about 10 sharks from 2 to 10 feet, mostly nurse sharks I think.  And lots of bonefish and snapper in the mix. The sharks don’t eat the fish, so they say.

Pam put on a mask and snorkel and went to play.  I took pictures.

So all is good here.  Weather is beautiful in spite of the wind, warm enough to swim but not warm enough to need to.  Pam heads home Tuesday, so we’ll head back to Staniel Cay tomorrow. 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I look forward to catching up with you when I come home.

Walkabout is Wandering Again

Walkabout has reached the Bahamas

Hello all.  It has been a while since Walkabout has been roaming, so she spent the last two weeks getting from Annapolis to Nassau in the Bahamas.  It has been a great trip, and is still just beginning.

Since last fall, Walkabout has had a lot of major surgery getting ready for this trip.  She has a beautiful new hardtop, new canvas, a wind generator, a new windlass and new electronics.  And that’s only the major items.  The boatyard has spent countless hours making sure she was up to the journey.  All great guys!!

Dave Goen flew up from Panama, where he has his boat, to do the trip with me.  And my sister Pam joined us on the trip.  Pam is a great cook, and an even better food preparer.  She arrived with two coolers full of frozen food, to make sure we didn’t starve, even if we took a wrong turn and ended up in Europe.

We left Annapolis in company with Comocean and spent two great nights on the hook in the bay.  The third day we fueled up in Cape Charles and crossed over the Bay Bridge tunnel, sailing through the night, around Hatteras, to Beaufort NC.  Had we gone the inland route, it would have taken us four more days to do the 30 hour trip.  It was a great shakedown for our ocean passage.  The seas were so calm we motored through the night, enjoying a great lamb chop dinner in the cockpit.  At dawn, we rounded Cape Hatteras and the winds picked up, the seas built and we had a great sail to the point outside Beaufort, Cape Lookout.  By then it was very rough, and we were glad to round the point and head to shore.

Pam did well, admitting a bit of discomfort at the seas off the cape.  It was very rough with a few 12 foot waves.  So no one was comfortable for a couple of hours.

We spent two great days in Beaufort with Comocean and Kika, as well as some cruising friends passing through.

And on Friday, November 11, we headed off shore at noon.  There is a sailors’ superstition that a voyage should never begin on a Friday. We rationalized it by saying it was a continuation of our journey.  And just to make sure the gods were appeased we followed Susan Roof’s advice to make a counter clockwise circle before heading out.

We sailed until dusk, grilling pork chops on the back deck before the sun went down.  By then, we had lost our wind and we motored until Saturday night.  Now I was worried we wouldn’t have enough fuel to get to the Bahamas.  Sunday the wind came up in the morning and we sailed the rest of the journey, pulling in to Nassau on Wednesday around noon.  So we were five days at sea, in a glorious weather window, with great sailing and a great crew.

Contrary to popular opinion, it is not boring at sea.  First of all, it takes three times as long to do anything as it takes on land.  At some times, on a 30 degree heel, it took 15 minutes to get from the galley to the cockpit.  It takes forever to prepare a meal.  At least that’s my uneducated opinion, as I watched Pam struggle in the galley with sliding bowls, glasses flying, and still coming up with beautiful creations. 

The sea life when it shows up is fun.  Dolphins played in our bow wake, flying fish entertained, and ended up on the deck, a sea turtle ate Pam’s sandwich that she threw overboard, and then there is the fishing.

A good bit of discussion went into choosing the lure each day.  In the end, neither the green machine nor the pink squid attracted anything other than sea grass.  But it was fun watching the process.

And then of course there are the boat gremlins, that assure anything but a smooth passage.    The batten (12 ft long) came out of the mainsail on the first day and had to be stowed.  We ended up taping it to the hand rail in the galley.  It still hasn’t been put back.  We had water in the back cabin when we were on a port tack, which was most of the way.  I had to bail to get to the head.  We haven’t found that leak yet.  The hardtop is learning how to play nice with the sheets and preventers, but that is taking a lot of trial and error.  And we discovered after three days that the engine didn’t want to start.  We had lots of time to diagnose it, with SSB emails going back and forth to John and the boatyard crew. But in the end, two miles outside Nassau harbor we got it started and got in safely.  That has since been fixed. 

The weather was beautiful the entire trip, with each day getting warmer.  We started with a heater in the cockpit and ended in tshirts and shorts.

So we are now in Nassau, with one more item to get fixed before leaving.  The lights at the top of the mast don’t work.  The marina arranged for an electrician to come this morning, but it’s now 3:30 and we are still waiting.  Island time I guess.

Our plans are to leave here as soon as possible and head down the banks, stopping at great islands along the way, until we come to the swimming pigs.  Pam’s goal on this trip is to see the swimming pigs, and the least I can do is make sure she gets to feed them before going home.  And she has to be home before Dec 1.  Dave is leaving Dec 12, and I am flying home for Christmas on Dec 15.  Hope to see a lot of you then.

As always, if these notes seem to fill your inbox, please let me know and I’ll remove you from the list.  Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted on our journey south as email allows.

Also, even in paradise, it’s nice to hear from the folks at home.  So please as time allows, let me know what’s happening in your world.

Fair winds to all