The Exumas are beyond words!

Right this minute I am in the bar of Staniel Cay Yacht Club. The music is fantastically loud and there is the dull roar of masses of people talking and laughing. It is awesome! However, not really conducive to a long, thoughtful entry. The Exumas are truly beyond words to describe. So, I will let these pictures speak for themselves. Thus far we have spent time at Highborne Cay, Norman's Cay, Hawksbill Cay, Warderick Wells in the Land and Sea Park of the Exumas and Staniel Cay. I promise to relay some of the details of our travels when I can think straight!

Cruising the Bahamas in my pajamas

We had a last minute change of plans and instead of visiting Hopetown we decided to take advantage of a good weather window to make the offshore passage from the Abacos to Eleuthera. Friends on another Island Packet (hi Chuck and Trudy!) buddy-boated with us and we made the crossing with no problem. It took us from sunrise to moonrise (full moon!) to make it to Royal Island off the northern tip of Eleuthera. I did spot a waterspout that was maybe a little over a mile away. In the picture here it looks tiny, but trust me, it was quite menacing in real life-we could even see the upheaval on the water's surface. We were about to adjust our course to avoid intersecting its path, but just as quickly as it appeared it was gone. Royal Island was a calm, dependable anchorage, but that was it. Quite a depressing place actually, so the next morning we moved on. That's the nice thing about living on a boat: if you don't like where you are for any reason, you can go somewhere else! I have been cruising the Bahamas in my pajamas. We sometimes sail for days without seeing another soul, so who cares? :)

I read wonderful things about our next stop-the independent, lovely island of Spanish Wells-and a layover was definitely called for after three days of consecutive togetherness. All three of us were driving each other bonkers so we struck out in different directions to refresh and exercise. The homes here were brightly colored (Bahamian style) and well taken care of, the people were talkative and kind and I have never seen a cemetery that had more love lavished upon it. Each island is quite distinct from all the others. The people have varying accents, different architecture, some cays are prospering and others are deteriorating. That evening we anchored off of a beach at Meek's Patch.

The next morning we sailed a good ways to Hatchet Bay. Eleuthera is definitely more remote than the Abacos. It's not so much a tourist destination and the safe anchorages are farther apart. Hatchet Bay was praised in our books as a good place to see, caves to explore, etc. They were wrong. Hatchet Bay is an industrial wasteland. There was garbage everywhere, creepy abandoned boats, even creepier trashed dark caves and the water was brown! Everywhere else we have seen absolutely pristine waters and it has seemed as if people have pride in and respect for the beauty of their homeland.

Our next destination was Governor's Harbor and it was exactly what was needed to remove the bad aftertaste of Hatchet Bay. There were picturesque roads galore to hike up and down, miles of beaches to walk, and the whole place smelled like blooming flowers. There are dogs everywhere around here just smiling and roaming around looking to make friends with whoever comes along. Chili is very popular and they get to romp all over the sands playing together. We stayed in Governor's Harbor for two nights and then heard that bad weather was moving through, so we decided to get to a marina.

We are currently at Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina close to the bottom of Eleuthera. We have been here since Monday evening and have only seen one rain shower. Wouldn't you know it-the rain finally came this morning (Thursday) when I was about two miles away from the boat on my morning run! It felt amazing actually and made all of the island smells even more potent. Nature is spectacular. It is quiet here this time of year. We have been playing at the beach, reading, watching movies on our portable dvd player (electricity!), going for walks, and sprucing up Tranquility. When we are sure the high winds have passed through we are leaving for the Exumas. I am excited! The Exumas are said to be one of the most beautiful stretches of earth and a large portion of the cays are protected as a land and sea park. Everything that I read leads me to believe that we will be really isolated there. I will take lots of pictures and keep a log of our explorations so that when I come across Internet access I will be ready to share with you!
-Caitlin

 

Livin' it up

I am once again pressed for time on the internet, so this post will be somewhat brief. It's ironic, in practically every other aspect of my life these days I have nothing but time! Finding online access is difficult at best and keeping it for any length of time is tricky. But that is okay. There are so many splendid things in the Abacos to make up for the lack of that modern convenience.

We docked at Green Turtle Club in White Sound on Green Turtle Cay. My days are starting to blend together and all I know is that it was some time last week, in the beginning of March. We stayed on that lovely island for three nights and four days. I went hiking every morning on the steep, dusty roads and was impressed by the views at a higher altitude. Up until Green Turtle all of the islands we've visited have been relatively flat.

Directly off our dock there was Brendal's Dive Shop. Chip's first sailing and scuba diving experience was with Brendal twenty five years ago when he came to the Bahamas with his family! I happened to strike up a conversation with a man our third day on Green Turtle and wouldn't you know it-it was Brendal. He is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met and we immediately were all fast friends. Chip was stoked to meet the man who first inspired his sailing interest. Brendal came to our boat later that evening and we all went to the little, dark, intimate Club bar for a drink and ended up hanging out at our boat for hours. I have been teaching myself how to play the guitar and Brendal was kind enough to help me with some chords. He travels with his own guitar (given to him as a birthday gift by Jack Johnson!) and played and sang beautifully. Really, at certain points I had tears in my eyes. It was a night I hope to remember always. My new favorite song is "No Woman, No Cry", by Brendal. I am completely inspired.

The next morning we decided to head out to Great Guana Cay, the party hot spot of the Abacos. The Barefoot Man/Nipper's outdoor concert was on Friday, March 6, so we wanted to get there a bit early and find a great anchorage spot in Fisher's Bay to park it for the weekend. The Barefoot Man concert was awesome. I had such a good time; my cheeks still hurt from smiling so much. There were so many people there we knew and it was great to run into friends we made back in West End. I danced and danced. In fact, towards the end of the day, I even got Chip to dance with me. Miracle of miracles!

It was a long day. The concert started at noon and we didn't get back to the boat until about 7:30pm. Not five minutes after we returned, Chip discovered that he had lost his wallet. So he hopped back into the dinghy, sped off to the dock, ran across the island-barefoot, mind you :), checked all over Nipper's but did not find his wallet. Until...the next morning he awoke and discovered it was, in fact, safely on the boat. Disaster averted.

Just as a side note-we saw the woman who holds the world record for the smallest waist at the concert. She was wearing a skintight leopard print leotard with a metallic gold belt that accentuated her unbelievably small middle (the result of having three ribs removed). Seriously, it was disturbing. If I touch both of my middle finger and thumb tips together, I swear her waist was no bigger than that in diameter. I would guess she is about seventy years old. I am not gossiping, just relaying a memorable sight!

We had a delicious breakfast with our friend Mike from West End the morning after the concert and we all decided to leave party town and go to Treasure Cay. National Geographic has ranked Treasure Cay among the worlds top ten most beautiful beaches. It was gorgeous, but in my opinion Manjack's Atlantic beach is still number one. We are going to visit Treasure Cay again on our way back north and explore it more thoroughly. Chip is getting antsy to cover more ground and get south to the Exumas where it is more isolated, so we're moving on.

Currently, I am sitting in an internet cafe in Marsh Harbor, which is the big city of the Abacos. There is one stop light here! We have stocked up on produce, propane, and a few boat necessities. Next stop is Hopetown, and from there we will see. As always, I will report more as soon as I have the opportunity. Love to all!
-Caitlin

My, oh my...

As I write this, I am on Green Turtle Cay laying by the pool and being kissed by the sun while listening to birds chirp, chickens cluck and dogs bark. It is wonderful. Everywhere we have been since my last update has been remarkable, so I will remark!

We left Old Bahama Bay with a caravan of other boats headed to the uninhabited island of Great Sale Cay. It was really comforting to travel with others and keep an eye out for one another, especially for our first passage through the shallow waters here. From sunrise to sunset we motor-sailed east and found a safe anchorage to rest overnight. The next morning we rose early and headed to Allans-Pensacola. Along the way, a pod of dolphins swam along right under the bow in water so clear you could look them in the eye! I think I saw one wink at me :) We arrived with plenty of daylight left and went to shore to explore one of the island's white sand beaches. Our dinghy has proven itself very reliable. We can anchor the sailboat, hop in the dinghy and motor around to each island, so there is no piece of land beyond our reach. The waters here are lime-colored and we're able to see the grasses, huge starfish and stingrays on the bottom in 20 feet of water!

Sailing down the Sea of Abaco we decided to stop by Spanish Cay. I love Spanish Cay! The guys (Richard and Terry) that run this place rock. The island itself is three miles long, gorgeous, and has one road that runs from end to end that I ran and ran. Our first night there we went to the bar; I had the best grouper I have ever tasted and we partied with our new friends. Spanish Cay actually has its own radio station (102.5-which we have been listening to). I made a request for Barefoot Man because we are going to a concert on Great Guana on March 6th. Terry hooked it up with a little shout out to Tranquility! We are popular and on the radio! It was our first night hanging out with cool, young people. I am finding that really awesome individuals are in every nook and cranny of the earth. We decided to stay another day and enjoy the laid back island life.

Now, the downer. I dropped my cell phone in the water at Spanish Cay! I was jumping from the boat to the dock (my least favorite thing to do) and bloop! away she went. So that means no more occasional text messages to my loved ones and I am totally bummed. The only thing I can figure is that the Universe is trying to tell me to fully be where I am and let go. I will try. But I did make Chip snorkel down and get it (by that time I had dropped my boat key as well-oops!) with hopes of saving my SIM card. Not two minutes after he came up a shark swam by the boat to check out the commotion. That was the first time either of us had seen a shark in the wild. Since then, we have seen five or six nurse and lemon sharks. Needless to say, I have not been snorkeling yet. I'm working up my courage day by day.

The second day at Spanish Cay we hung out by the pool, I took a long run with Chili-dog and we listened to Terry jam on his guitar before talking into the wee hours with the guys. We seriously considered staying another day and going to a fish fry in Cooperstown but didn't want to wear out our welcome. I have a feeling we may be developing cabin fever where we pounce on people at shore and make them talk to and hang out with us! We're like, "Oooh, look, other people! Let's go talk!"

So, we left Wednesday for the quiet island of Manjack Cay. It was our first great sail of the Bahamas. On a beam reach we averaged over six knots the whole way! We heard that there were nature trails all throughout Manjack and I was dying to take a look. We found the rocky, rooted path on the second day. With a picnic lunch in tow, we walked from the harbor beach northeast through the thick to the Atlantic Ocean. I have missed the smell of wet earth! Somewhere in the middle of the forested part I stopped to have a moment in silence and realized that I haven't smelled rich, dark dirt in a long time. Ah, it was good. Upon making it to the end of the beach trail, we were amazed at the vast unspoiled splendor of the open Atlantic. So far, it's the most striking beach I have ever laid eyes on. It just makes you stop in wonder at the beauty of the world. Also, since I'm on this topic, I must mention the stars. Light pollution is almost nonexistent and the heavens in these parts are bursting with stars to blow your mind. We have a couple of Stellar Scopes we're going to break out and learn the constellations.

Today we came to the resort at Green Turtle Cay to power up the boat, get Internet access, and once again join civilization for a few days. We know people here just from our travels thus far and seem to make solid friends everywhere we go. This is the most populated, happening island in the Abacos we have yet been to and I'm looking forward to wandering around the villages and shops here. Souvenirs, anyone?
-Caitlin