We are back in the States, safe and sound. The crossing of the Gulf Stream was easy as a wink this time around. Conditions were favorable for motor/sailing as there was little wind and we made excellent time. What a relief! I had mentally prepared myself for a drawn-out ordeal but we were docked in Palm Beach within twelve hours of our departure from Old Bahama Bay. Good old Tranquility held it together and got us back to our homeland!
I am sitting at an Internet cafe in Fernandina Beach writing this in the early morning. I don't have much time; we're getting ready to shove off on the last leg of this journey. We have motored up the ICW the whole length of Florida (and it is loooong) because of northerly winds and storms offshore. Now it seems fine to head out into the deep blue ocean and really cover some ground. So, for the next three or four days we will be putting in very long hours while the sun is shining and coming back inshore to anchor at night.
I just wanted to let you all know that we are fine. Here are some pictures I have taken of our arrival in the States, moving up the Intracoastal Waterway and St. Augustine (we took a breather in that lovely city for a couple of days). I will be making one more post from Charleston to wrap up with some final thoughts. America- I love you!!!
"But do you not mean that the river is everywhere at once, at its origin and at its mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at the same time, and for it only the present exists, no shadow of the past, no shadow of the future?"
-Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Well folks, we are back where we started this exploration of the Bahamas-Old Bahama Bay on West End. The plan was to camp out here for a couple of days enjoying the Bahamian sunshine and waters while we waited for the perfect conditions to pass back through the Gulf Stream to the States. After our last crossing, I refuse to go in anything but the most favorable winds and the smallest swells. So, this is my last post from the islands. How bittersweet! On one hand I am absolutely heartbroken to be leaving this place-it has come to feel like home and we have an odd hodge-podge family of friends scattered over these rocks. On the other hand, I ache for Charleston and am thrilled at the thought of seeing all of my loved ones, chatting with my girlfriends, sleeping in my bed, snuggling with my kitty cat and eating fresh foods! I think the word for life is bittersweet.
These past few weeks we have been visiting our favorite islands in the Abacos. After my Mama left we sailed up to Manjack Cay for some Mother Nature time. Manjack is my favorite place to stay on the anchor in the Abacos. The harbor beach is beautiful and there are even thatched roof umbrellas with swings hanging down into the water! Fun! Just a few people live on the island and they have carved out hiking trails through the thick vegetation to the north shore and some of the most breathtaking locations I've ever seen. We have spent a lot of time here. The days have blended together and seem like one endless string of swimming, hiking, playing frisbee, sweating and reading. Oh, and rowing. Our dinghy outboard motor broke again at Manjack so we were rowing quite a bit for about a week. After lots of bickering we managed to finally find a system that works for us. We just can't sit beside each other :)
Our good friend Brendal invited us to a party at his house, so Green Turtle Cay was our next destination. It was so great to be in a real house, around people talking and laughing. One of the most amazing things about this experience has been the people we have gotten to know. My heart has been touched! The party was a huge success-divine food, lots of rum punch flowing, and a great mix of diverse people. My cheeks hurt the next day from smiling and laughing so much.
On that next day we had to skedaddle back down to Marsh Harbor to retrieve our dinghy motor from the fix-it shop, go get a few groceries and clear back through immigration. Nothing like waiting until the last minute-we were on day 90 of our 90 legal days in the Bahamas. But it was no problem-clearing was a breeze and we got 45 more days just in case something unexpected should arise.
Feeling the need to explore a new place we chose to anchor off of Man-O-War Cay and what a treat! Man-O-War (to my knowledge) is the only island in the Abacos that is strictly a dry island-meaning no alcohol is served anywhere. I think for this reason a lot of the party people bypass this little jewel. If I were to ever have a house in the Bahamas I would choose Man-O-War for the location (or Staniel Cay in the Exumas). It is peaceful, charming and covered in flowering tropical growth with homes scattered here and there. And lots of ice cream shops! We just hung out here and let the days idle past until Chip's parents were scheduled to arrive on Elbow Cay.
While Ms. Annita and Mr. Candler were at Abaco Inn Resort we docked at Sea Spray Marina less than a mile away. Unfortunately, the day before they flew in storm clounds and a deluge of rain settled over the area and didn't let up. We made the best of it: walking Hopetown in the light drizzle, shelling on Tahiti beach, golf cart rides over the island and eating wonderful fresh seafood. They took us out for great meals which were such a welcome change after months of the same foods over and over. (We are absolutely sick of our food selection on the boat and can't wait for Charleston cuisine-yum!) The last day before the Hunts left for Georgia, the clouds parted just long enough for us to take a day sail to Man-O-War. We got to show off our fantastic sailing skills :) and put their worried minds to rest. We have learned so much on this trip and we do actually know what we are doing! After dinghying to shore and walking into town we had a delicious lunch on the water and ice cream cones for the walk back to the boat. A pretty perfect day.
Practically every single day since then squalls have blown up from nowhere. They're packing high winds, torrential rains and (the scariest part) lots of lightning strikes. We are walking around in rubber flip-flops just to feel like we're doing something to prevent being zapped. June 1st (today) is the first day of hurricane season officially and we are trying to hightail it out of here before it gets any worse.
Of course, we had to stop by Green Turtle Cay, make the rounds and tell our friends goodbye. I'm not even gone and I am looking forward to coming back! I love these islands and the people. Green Turtle has been one of my favorite places to go running. The views are stunning in every direction. Roosters, chickens and baby chicks are all over the place. Friendly dogs roam about and everyone smiles and says hello. During my last run there, a horse just emerged out of the woods and stayed right beside me for almost a mile! It was the strangest thing. Over the course of these past several months I have befriended countless dogs that have followed me as I wander, but never before a horse!
I managed to talk Chip into staying one more day and night at Manjack Cay. I wanted to have just a bit more quiet calm in nature before we speed back to West End. Just the wind, waves and stars. I am going to miss this way of life.
Through storms and huge gusts of wind we made it from Manjack to Allans-Pensacola Cay where we stayed for one night. Another nerve-wracking squally day took us to Mangrove Cay where we spent our last evening at achor in the Bahamas. And, here I am at Old Bahama Bay. I have been living in a bikini, sipping pina coladas and enjoying the tropical sunshine. Early tomorrow we are leaving the docks here and setting out across the Gulf Stream. Conditions seem good: light and variable winds with seas less than three feet. The only concern is these thunderstorms that creep up unexpectedly. So, please, again, send us some good energy and blessings. We will be in touch as soon as possible. America! I'm coming home!
Forgive me, forgive me! It has been three weeks since my last update and I'm sorry for the delay. So much has happened. I think we have settled into the island lifestyle and getting things done in a timely manner just doesn't seem too important these days! The weeks seem to be slipping by. Let me catch you up.
So, we left Staniel Cay and headed to Warderick Wells for a few days of good, old fashioned outdoor adventure. We played frisbee, went hiking, swam around and snorkeled the many reefs surrounding our anchorage. Beautiful-the water here is as clear as pool water and visibility is just amazing. Warderick Wells is in the protected area of the Exuma Land and Sea Park so there is no fishing, spearing, or shelling. The only thing you leave is footprints and the only things you take are memories and pictures! We saw a lobster literally the size of Chili, lots of playful fish, and nothing big and scary-a perfect underwater experience.
From Warderick Wells, we continued covering ground north and stopped for two days at Norman's Cay which interestingly used to be under the control of an unfriendly drug lord. Even though that is way in the past, it still felt eerie and a little bit dangerous to hike along the paths and explore the hidden delights. (Don't worry Nanny, I always take my pepper spray whenever I go out by myself-smooches!)
It was a sad day when we had to leave the Exumas. I honestly don't know if it can be any better anywhere in the world. Just gorgeous. By mid-April we entered the waters along the western coast of Eleuthera with very little time to spare before my Mom was to arrive in Marsh Harbor. Knowing that, we decided to speed through but spend two nights in lovely Governor's Harbor-an area we came to know the first time around. We again walked to the far eastern Atlantic Ocean side of the island where in any one direction the water is nine different shades of blue. Pictures just don't capture the magnificence! In Governor's Harbor Chip decided he was going to be a vegetarian for the rest of the trip (I have been for some time). This decision was made while eating what appeared to be a pig-ear sandwich masquerading as a club. I guess it was the last straw. The meat available in the Bahamas is a bit sketchy to say the least. The seafood is divine and usually same-day fresh. The meat is not so much. I will leave it at that.
Anyway, we had to move on through Eleuthera and cover about 140 miles in a week. As it turns out, we planned it perfectly and when we arrived at the northern most anchorage of Eleuthera there was a one day weather window in which to make the 60 mile passage into the Abacos. Had we done anything differently we would have had a real hard time off shore with super high winds and gigantic swells. I love it when things work out nicely! We made excellent time with moderate wind behind us. It is all about the wind speed and direction. In March, the same 6o mile passage going south into the trade winds took us from sunrise to sunset.
We arrived in Marsh Harbor with three days to spare before my Mom arrived. Luckily, because we had a plethora of issues to resolve. Number one: multiple holes in a twenty year old headsail. Number two: a copious amount of sediment in our diesel tank that chokes out our engine in anything but the calmest seas. Number three: the outboard motor on our dinghy abruptly stopped working.
We spent a crazy amount of time trying to find someone on any of the surrounding islands to sew up our sails. Of the two men who do such work, one was gone and nobody knew when he would be back, and the other had hurt his back and would be gone for a bit! We managed to buy some sail tape eventually and Chip spent an entire day hand sewing the thick, heavy material. It was a big job, but he did some fine handiwork and the sail seems to be holding up nicely. Keep your fingers crossed!
We scheduled an appointment at Marsh Harbor Boat Yard to have a professional assess the persistent problem of our foul diesel tank. We thought the sediment was from corrosion of the tank-we were wrong. Actually it was some type of bio-sludge that diesel can grow. The nice men there performed a fuel polishing service where they vigorously pump the diesel through all the lines as well as two filtering sources. A huge clump of nasty, engine-starving sludge was removed and hopefully that problem is fixed for good. (Although, another guy who runs a boat yard told me that once a diesel tank grows sludge you must remove the whole thing and start over. We're going to think positively for now.)
Out of all the issues the one that took the most out of us was the little dinghy outboard motor quitting. A word to the wise: try to avoid being in a little boat with your significant other with long distances to cover and only oars to propel you. Yes, it could be fun and romantic if it were a leisurely row. No, it is neither fun nor romantic if you have to row far, far away against a ripping current with a wet dog who keeps jumping overboard and a person with a different rowing technique. :) After a little research we took (meaning rowed) the motor to a shop and with a quick fix had a new shear pin in our propeller and a dinghy that worked! Thank goodness!
And then... my Mom came to visit for a long weekend! I can't describe how wonderful it was to have her company. We really have been so isolated from family and friends what with no cell phone service, spotty internet if we're lucky, and being unable to receive mail. I'll bet that only one out of every five payphones I come across actually works; they are few and far between. Also, a phone card may work in one area and not be valid in another! There is a well known song here on the islands and the only words are "I need a phone card. You got a phone card?" over and over. That should give you an idea of the phone situation here! Haha! I digress.
My Mom came to visit! For her arrival we were docked at Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbor Marina in Marsh Harbor. This place was the fanciest establishment we have been to yet. The grounds were lush with vegetation, there were pools, tiki bars, and the food was delicious. On Saturday we made the short trip over to the quaint village of Hope Town on Elbow Cay. Of all the settlements we have experienced Hope Town is the coziest and possibly the most picturesque. The homes were like doll houses and their elaborate gardens sprawled as far as the eye could see. We ate great seafood, drank fruity drinks, took long walks on the green sea beaches, climbed the candy-striped lighthouse and soaked up the views. The next day we had a pleasant little sail back to Abaco Beach Resort and spent the afternoon lounging by the pool and catching up on everything that has gone on in the last three months. All three of us were super blue when Mom left for Charleston and I'm as homesick now as I was in the beginning of this voyage! If I could only be in two places at once...
After Marsh Harbor, we came north to Green Turtle Cay and here we are. This past weekend was the Island Roots Heritage Festival which celebrates Bahamian culture. We rented bikes and pedaled over to the festivities where we enjoyed good home-cooked food, music, dancing, a stellar marching band and running into some of our old friends from the first round through Abaco! Locals gave lectures on Bahamian history, flora and fauna, bush medicine, archaeology, and reef preservation. A huge crowd turned out and it was delightful.
Wait! I almost forgot-we were without running fresh water for a few days last week and over the weekend. There was a major leak and about forty gallons of water ended up in the bilge and we had no water pressure at all. It took a while to track down the source of the leakage. Chip took apart the pump, checked hoses and we were starting to think Tranquility had to go back to the boat yard to have the floor ripped up for a major overhaul (can you imagine how awful?). Fortunately, along with some help from our friend Brendal, he was able to locate a hose underneath the aft berth that had come detached and was just pouring water into the bilge. It has been repaired and all seems well. You don't realize how absolutely wonderful running water is until it's gone! Again, keep your fingers crossed.
We have been chilling with our friend Brendal-of the famous Brendal's Dive Shop here on Green Turtle. He has taken us to some local hot spots and is more fun than you can imagine. He was also kind enough to let me pick through his music stockpile and copy a bunch of songs to practice on my guitar. I can strum a somewhat recognizable "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley. I have played it so frequently over the past couple of weeks that Chip absentmindedly hums it and speaks to the rhythm! Hmm, maybe we need to get off this boat more...
Tomorrow morning we are leaving society and going to anchor off Manjack Cay for a few nights. We have been more social this past week than in the past two months combined and I feel the need for some quiet on the water. Ahh, simplicity.
