2/23/09 - Norman's Cay

We left Highborne Cay Marina at noon on Sunday and hope to return on our way back north. It's a lovely island with friendly people, beautiful beaches, and a well-run facility - worthy of a few days' layover whether you anchor or dock (we did both).

People feeding "my" sharks

The name of this yacht is "Shadow,"but I think a more descriptive name would be "Darth Vader." Doesn't it look cool?

Now we're anchored at Norman's Cay, which gained notoriety during the late '70's and early '80's as the base for a drug smuggling operation. It's peaceful today but evidence remains in the form of bullet holes in buildings at the south end and a drug smuggling plane which crashed and lies at rest in the anchorage.

Today Norman's Cay is probably known more for tiny MacDuff's resort, whose bar and restaurant is reported by many to have the best hamburgers in the Exumas. We had to check it out of course, so we dinghied in at 6:00 for dinner last night. It's a cute spot with character and a roomy veranda, but probably better suited for lunch with a small group of friends - not so great for just the two of us. In fact, we were the only customers and were outnumbered by dogs by at least 2:1. It was a bit eerie... after dark, in the middle of nowhere.

We each ordered a cheeseburger and a Coke and shared an order of fries for a total of $35 - a bit pricey. We don't expect to have dinner out again except socially, especially with all the provisions we have onboard.

We did quite a bit of snorkeling today, mostly in search of conch for chowder or fritters. There were many enormous shells, but the meat had already been taken, as evidenced by the hole near the top of the shell. I did find one live conch, but we ended up throwing it back in since one conch wasn't enough to do anything with (Wayne's excuse for not wanting to bother with it).

The highlight of our snorkeling expedition today was a Cushion Sea Star, about 14 inches across. My impression of it - after marveling at its size - was that it looked like a cushion, so I wasn't surprised to look in the book and learn its name.

Tonight we did something different - settled in with a movie ("Notes On a Scandal" - I got to choose) and popcorn!

2/21/09 - Michele snorkels with sharks!

After a night anchored off Highborne Cay, we decided to check in to the marina this morning, visit the beach on the Atlantic side (where it's too rough, rocky, and shallow to dinghy in), and avail ourselves of their wi-fi service for $10 a day (which seems to be the going rate down here).

After our beach walk, I took Emma for a walk around the marina and down the dock. When we got to the end of the dock at the entrance to the marina, we looked in the water and were startled to see about a dozen nurse sharks swimming about and lying in the sand right below us. Of course I had to go back to the boat and get my camera. After watching and taking photos for a while, I knew I just had to do it. I had to snorkel with the sharks.

I stopped at the office to ask Barbara if it would be ok. "You really want to do that? Well, people do it," she said. "Just be sure to get out of there if anyone is on the dock cleaning fish."

I returned to the boat, grabbed my snorkeling stuff and underwater camera, and told Wayne what my intentions were. He followed along with the other camera, uncertain, I think, that this was a good idea.What a rush! The sharks were mildly curious and some came to check me out; one even nudged me with his nose, which freaked me out a bit and caused me to flee momentarily; I had to do this a couple times when they came much too close. I could have easily touched them. Some were about eight feet long and I was told that a couple of them were Lemon Sharks. It was an awesome experience, one I will never forget.Actually, I did it for you. This blog has been too boring and I had to come up with something to spice it up a little.

After we docked, we were met at our slip by Joe, the owner of Cool Runner's Catering Service, who told us about his Saturday night all-you-can-eat buffet served right here at the marina. Except for some conch fritters, we hadn't tried any Bahamian food yet and this was a great way to do it. I can especially recommend the conch chowder - it was delicious. We dined and conversed with two couples who've been cruising together on their respective boats, and a mother and adult son who came in on an 80+ foot yacht with a staff of three. By the way, Cool Runner will deliver food right to your boat.

P.S. Belated Happy Birthday, Robin!

2/19/09 - Allan's Cay

Our passage here from Nassau was lovely - sailed all the way in calm water. We heard accounts from those who left the following day who were not so lucky, as they were going into the wind and got beat up.

This is our third night anchored at Allan's Cay (which includes the three cays of Allan's, SW Allan's, and Leaf) because it offers protection from just about any direction. Fronts come and go all the time down here, so wind direction is a major consideration. It's a pleasant anchorage and we have lots of company with about 20 other boats anchored here, including Dues Paid.

We had our first beach walk yesterday morning on the Atlantic side of Leaf Cay. I found my first ever sea biscuits - four of them (only three made it back in one piece) - while wading along the shore.

Leaf Cay and SW Allan's Cays are unique in that they are home to large populations of iguanas. Tour boats stop here a couple times a day and boaters who dinghy to shore are met by dozens of the creatures looking for handouts. We brought some slimy, well past its prime spinach, which the iguanas fought over and devoured in ecstasy.

Got spinach?

We had our first taste of snorkeling in the Bahamas yesterday as we and Leo took our dinghies over to Octopus's Garden, just north of Highborne Cay. There was an impressive variety of coral; we saw a ray and a trumpet fish, among other things I can never remember the names of.

Trumpet fish

Our last evening here we spent happy hour with Tom and Linda from Surprise, an IP40. We also bid farewell to Dues Paid, who is headed further south more quickly than we are.

2/16/09 - Had enough of this

After several hours of walking around Nassau (which is not pedestrian- friendly) - downtown, to the straw market, Potter's Cay, etc., we've decided we are SO ready to leave. Nassau is not without its charms (every place has its charms, right??), but we won't be sticking around long enough to discover them. To us, Nassau is the gateway to the REAL Bahamas, the Bahamas we came here for: uninhabited islands, remote and peaceful anchorages, miles of white sandy beaches, snorkeling and diving opportunities everywhere...

So tomorrow morning we will head for Allan's Cay, about 35 miles away. It will be our first stop in the Exumas.

Alex, you may be interested to know that tonight we had beer and conch fritters at a restaurant here at the marina called The Poop Deck.

Photos added

I added photos to my previous posts - check them out.

After Wayne finishes up dishes and I finish up here, we're going to head out to explore Nassau.

2/15/09 - For Alex

Belated Happy Valentine's Day and greetings from Nassau, Alex! We love you!

Papa Wayne and Gramichele

2/15/09 - Engine problems

Hmm...So this is Nassau. Wonder if they have grass here.
Wait a minute! There's Paradise Island! CERTAINLY there must be grass
on a place called Paradise Island.

An overheated engine is delaying our arrival in Nassau by an hour or so. Wayne dug a little sea weed out of the strainer, which didn't seem to help, then put in a new impeller. That made enough difference that we are able to use the engine on low rpms until we reach the marina, where Wayne can investigate further in the relative comfort of a dock. He suspects a clog somewhere.

I thought this was a funny photo because it looks like the cruise ships are on land. The one on the left is Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas, which Wayne and I cruised on many years ago. We much prefer the kind of cruising we do now.

We made it and are happily docked at Nassau Yacht Haven ($2/ft. + metered electric), still with Dues Paid. Wayne checked in while I got online ($10 a day for dial-up speed wi-fi service), then we went up to the Customs Office (aka the Laundry Room).

Betty and Leo stopped by for awhile, then I walked Emma until a downpour hit.

Wayne fixed the engine problem - sea weed in the engine intake through hull.

2/14/09 - Chub Cay

After a quiet, calm, pleasant day we anchored off Chub Cay with Dues Paid and quite a few other boats. We decided to wait until Nassau to check in because it costs an extra $100 to check in here if we don't spend the night at the marina and $2.80/ft (($126) if we do. Besides that, we would have to go to the airport to do it, which is a five minute bus ride (or so they say). In Nassau they will come to our boat and it won't cost us any more than the standard $300 for a cruising permit.

 

I am emailing these updates via our satellite phone, which has slow dialup speed of 38 kbps, too slow to even check the blog to make sure they're posting correctly. Tomorrow in Nassau we will have wi-fi so I will able to post photos, etc.

 

Betty and Leo had us over for "attitude adjustment" and dinner this evening, which was a real treat.

2/14/09 - For Alex

Happy Valentine's Day, Alex! We love you!

 

Papa Wayne and Gramichele

2/13/09 - Finally we cross

This morning we watched as, one by one, all the other boats anchored nearby made their departures, including Leo and Betty on Dues Paid. The thought that crosses my mind is that they're all going to the Bahamas (which of course they aren't) and everyone but us knows that today is THE only day to cross the Gulf Stream.

 

The satisfaction of getting a lot of boat stuff done today helped put us at peace with our decision to wait until tomorrow, though. Wayne cleaned sea weed out of some filters, etc., readied our fishing gear for catching The Big One on our way to the Bahamas, and is now installing some fans. I successfully made yogurt on my first attempt without a yogurt maker (Wayne likes it better than store-bought), made a few phone calls, did a little cleaning, reorganized some things, etc. I best deal with stress by over-preparing (guess it gives me the illusion of control) and I have to admit feeling a fair amount of trepidation over our crossing and passage to the Exumas.