Happy New Year to all. I am back in the Bahamas and really enjoying it. I spent a fabulous New Years Eve with Nancy and Arnon in West Palm Beach catching up and comparing our cruising adventures, and got back to Walkabout on January 2. She appeared none the worse for having been abandoned. The freezer was still frozen, which was my big concern, the batteries were almost fully charged, and I was good to go. Except that the day after I arrived, and well forecast, a storm arrived with 30 - 40 knot winds from the west. And none of these islands have any protection from the west side. So I stayed in the marina, which was full of boats running from the storm, until the next day, when it had passed. It was cold and rainy as well as windy, and I was afraid this was a harbinger of January weather. However, the next day was sunny and warmer, and off I went.
This is the part of the trip I was not sure about. I am alone on the boat, and was concerned that I could handle all the boat chores alone. I had to get the boat anchored, get the dinghy off the front deck, and get the motor on the dink by myself. I headed back to Big Major where I knew there was lots of room and good holding. And by Thursday, the dink was in the water and I had wheels!!! By then, it was warmer still, sunny and beautiful and it has been every day since.
There are some great people here and it’s been a lot of fun over the past 10 days. The wind is light enough that I can dinghy to Staniel Cay (about a quarter mile) so I’m not feeling trapped. The mail boat did arrive (once) so there were fresh vegetables and fruit in the general store. And, typical of cruisers everywhere, the parties are continuous.
There are about six large trawlers here who are “parked” for the winter (Fleming 65, Hatteras 60, custom steel 65 foot, big power cat, and a couple others). These folks brought with them a picnic table, lots of beach chairs, and lumber to build an hors d’oeuvres table on the beach. Serious partying!!!
I have met Bob on a Gulfstar 49 motor yacht, who bought the boat last April and came from Florida for the winter. He has had so many problems that he’s heading back to Stuart to get some work done on the boat, while he returns home to Sun Valley Idaho to ski for the rest of the winter.
And there’s Mike, a 40 year old veterinarian, who sold his practice, got divorced, took a sailing course, bought a 32 ft Hunter, and headed to the Bahamas - by himself. He is having a great time and it’s fun to watch him discover the joys and tribulations of managing his boat. At one point he got his anchor wrapped around his keel and, not knowing what to do, looked it up in Chapmans.
Clay and Rita Kay, on a small trawler, spend the entire year in the Bahamas, They are football fanatics and head to the marina on the weekends so they can be in their seats at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for each game.
And of course everyone is more than willing to help each other out. I got my dinghy stuck under the dock at low tide at the Yacht Club and Bob jumped in the water to free it. That had never entered my mind, as there are sharks and 6 foot rays swimming right there (maybe not dangerous but still...). I think I would still be pulling on the painter trying to get it loose!
I haven’t done much (any) sailing and am looking forward to the 50 mile trip to Georgetown. Next week my friend Jean Woods will be here and after she leaves I’ll find a weather window to head south. I’m hoping that Vision Quest and Fraulein will be here by then and we can all go together.
It’s very interesting to be at anchor all the time. Power management becomes critical. Batteries run down quickly if lights and electronics are left on, so it’s constantly a balancing act. And at the moment the power gremlins are winning as I’m having problems getting the generator and battery charger to play nice together. So I’m running the engine about three hours a day to stay on top of it.
Parts are coming so hopefully this is a temporary situation.
All is well in this part of the world with new adventures daily. I hope you are doing well and surviving winter. At least the days are getting longer now.
If you have a minute I’d love to hear from you.
