Cat Island Thanksgiving

Except for a windy start, it appeared that we would have a good weather window for our trip to Fernandez Bay Resort on Cat Island for Thanksgiving.  It's a 52 nautical mile (60mi) jaunt, which a 6 kts average boat speed is a 9 hour trip.  So we planned our trip over (north) for Wednesday and our trip back (south) for Saturday.


To accomplish a 6:30 start David and Kathryn came aboard from George Town by dinghy Tuesday around 4pm, Mystique motored 1 mile across Elizabeth Harbour next to Chat 'n Chill, we had dinner, played Rummikub and a card game and went to bed.  It was a windy night following several days of 20kt winds from the north-east.  The forecast was for 15 kt dropping to 10 kt winds during Wednesday, but forecasts aren't accurate!

Salt Spray over the Bow

Before weighing anchor in the early light we raised the mainsail with one reef and popped some scopolomene tablets for the upcoming rough conditions.  Heading out the harbor toward Conch Cay Cut the wind was still howling so we put in another reef before getting into the open waters of Exuma Sound.  The large 6-7' waves and the 18kt winds pounded Mystique from 40 degrees off the starboard bow, consistantly sending salt water spray over the bow and occasionally hitting the doger and bimini as well.  So we zipped in one of our doger extension windows on the starboard side which kept us a bit drier.
  (I have given up trying to upload 3-4mb photos with this slow  connection, so sorry not to include more pics.)
After about an hour of this pounding (motor-sailing close into the wind with the staysail jib and double reefed mainsail) we had to make a decision:  Continue in this discomfort for 6+ hours before getting into the lee of Cat Island, or turn around, return to George Town, and have a turkey dinner with the turkey breast in David & Kathryn's freezer!  Everyone agreed that we were this far and could take another 'few' hours of the discomfort in order to enjoy the rewards that awaited us at Fernandez Bay.


About 2pm the seas and winds started settling down as we passed south-west of Hawk's Nest Point at the southern end of Cat Is.  Our moods gradually improved and we enjoyed the last two hours sailing to FBR.  We dropped anchor in the beautiful bay off the sandy beach and went ashore for celebratory drinks at the resort while enjoying another spectacular Bahamian sunset.  We keep asking ourselves, "How many pictures of beautiful sunsets should we take?"  Can there be too many?  A good, albeit slightly rolly, night was had by all.


Thursday we hitch-hiked down to New Bite (back of pick-up trucks both ways) and hiked up the 200' to the Hermitage, the highest point in the Exumas and famous home of Father Jerome (please see our blog and photos from last Spring's trip).  After enjoying another delicious Bahamian lunch at the Blue Bird and saying hi to the sisters who run it, we returned to Mystique for a swim and shower before Thanksgiving dinner.


The resort put on a huge spread of both Bahamian and traditional American food.  The Bahamas, being British until only recently, does not celebrate Thanksgiving except where there are Americans.  The highlight of the dinner for me was the lobster and conch stuffing!!  Oh, and David's outfit of polished leather shoes, socks, tie, suit and straw hat saved just for this event.


Much to the amazement of the resort guests, we all climbed into the dinghy from the sandy shore about 9pm and put-putted off into the darkness of the bay.  


Friday we lounged around, caught some Internet, dinghied around through a huge mangrove estuary and back around the other side of the island it forms.  We saw virtually no wildlife in the mangroves but did see a kestral and some oystercatchers on the banks side.  And Jan and Kathryn saw some beautiful coral and lots of colorful fish on their snorkel.


Saturday morning we hauled anchor at 6:20 and headed back to George Town in 10-13kt winds on a close reach in much-reduced and more comfortable waves.  It was a very pleasant trip with lots of reading and sudoku.  Saturday night we anchored just off town and made several dinghy trips in to transport four people, luggage, trash, and all of our laundry.  Kathryn and David graciously invited us to stay with them and do our laundry in their machine and dry it on their clotheslines.  Sunday morning we joined them at the wonderful St. Andrew's Anglican church and the very traditional 2 1/4 hour service.  This is really a favorite for Jan and me, and it's where we originally met Kathryn and David.


Our plan is to get out to some of the more remote islands 50-75 mi. further east from Exuma, but there are no anchorages with protection from W-NW winds, and that's what's forecast for the next week.  So we'll remain in George Town tackling boat projects for the time being.

Back to George Town for Fall Cruise

George Town, Exuma

ARRIVAL AND SET-UP
Well this blog update is very overdue and we apologize for the neglect.  I arrived in George Town on Nov. 4 after stopping in Traverse City to visit my parents and the rest of the fam.  

Then flew to Jupiter, FL to spend two nights with long-time friend Bob Bruce (who recently sold his Island Packet 40 on which we did much cruising) where I picked up lots of boat parts which I had been shipping to him.


When I arrived, our friends David & Kathryn picked me up and let me stay with them and their dog Boo (below) ashore for a few days as the winds were 20-30kts  ~ a remment of near-by hurricane Thomas.  When I finally got out to the boat I found Mystique to be in great shape.  Topsides and bottom clean.  No mold or mildew inside, and little evidence of leaks.  What a relief.  I went to work preparing her for the Admiral who flew in on the 8th.

Among the boat prep tasks are to get the 3 sails up from belowdecks and installed with appropriate halyards and sheets, unpacking all the linens, books, charts, cds, clothing and electronics from their plastic bags and put away, checking out all the electronic and mechanical systems to make sure everything still works, inflating and launching the dingy from the aft deck, lowering the Johnson 15hp outboard on the dinghy, filling 2 tanks with gas and starting the outboard, which is always drained of fuel when we leave the boat (2nd pull starts it, always), opening, lubing and closing all 10 thru-hull valves several times to keep them in working order, starting the diesel engine and generator after checking fluid levels and charging the batteries, opening the LPG tank valve and starting the stove, diving on and cleaning the bottom paint and propeller, checking the zincs for corrosion.  This all takes a few days of labor and was not all completed before the Admiral arrived because of the weather-caused delay getting out to the boat.


But Jan and Sammy-the-cat arrived on schedule Monday 11/18 from Colorado as the winds subsided, and the boat passed inspection!   We did more work together then pulled Mystique out of her snug hurricane hole tie-up on Tuesday morning.  We took her across the 1mi wide Elizabeth Harbour to George Town and anchored there so we could make multiple dinghy runs into the market for groceries, booze, water, etc.


Click the Photos on Flickr link to the left to see the rest of our pictures from this trip.


CREW ARRIVES FOR A CRUISE
By Thursday we were ready for our crew, Paul & Helen Guillory from Grand Junction.  They are long time friends of the family and are experienced RV campers so we knew they would adjust to the close quarters of a boat for a week. After a day introducing them to the boat and George Town, we headed NW up the Exuma Island chain on Saturday in strong N. winds and high seas.  Mystique performed wonderfully.  Since we could not obtain diesel in GT, we stopped off at Emerald Bay Resort Marina (same place we celebrated after Andy and Jess' wedding 1.5 years ago) to top off the diesel and fill the water tanks.


The entrance to Emerald Bay Marina faces north, the same direction from which 8' seas were running from the high winds of the previous week.  We were advised to run the entrance at full throttle and with sail up for steadying the boat.  As we were just about to enter the narrow opening a wave welled up from behind and swung the boat to the left toward the breakwater rocks.  I swung the wheel to the right full stop and we straightened out and slid into the harbor with 4 big sighs of relief!  After that adrenaline rush we decided to spend the night at the marina because the wind and waves were supposed to lay down overnight. OK, Emerald Bay Marina is a five star marina, but we spent less there than many other places.  And get this, cruisers, FREE LAUNDRY and clean showers!  Not your average Bahamian marina.


Big D's beach conch bar just 2 miles north of the marina had been the scene of prior visits, and we decided that Paul and Helen needed to experience some local seafood at this place known for its excellent conch salad.  After some rum and seafood we returned to the high-class marina for a good night's rest.  We knew all about the luxury of Emerald Bay from the wedding.  But new since then was the purchase of the former (closed) Four Seasons Resort by Sandals Resorts which re-opened at the beginning of 2010.


Great weather and perfect winds allowed us to sail up to Black Point.  Lorraine says hello and "where are all you cruisers?"  We then went to see the swimming pigs and Staniel Cay followed by an overnight anchorage at Sampson Cay.  On to the Land & Sea Park.  There is quite a controversy in the park these days.  One of the larger islands, Bell Island, is owned by the Aga Kahn who is doing a lot of development and dredging, to accomodate his (obviously very large) yacht.  And those of his friends.  He has already put in a helipad for the 13 seater that he owns.  There is a large faction who says if there were to be no development in the Park, the Govt should have bought all the private lands when the park was incorporated.  And it's too late now.  And then there is a faction who says 'STOP' developing our park.  It's a very interesting delemma.  Sailing past Bell Is, the Aga Kahn has already done a lot of visable building.  The controversy continues: does he or does he not have the proper permits??  All depends on who you talk to.  


We made another interesting stop on our way back to George Town.  We anchored outside Musha Cay.  The guide book says you can rent the entire island for $350,000/week.  It sleeps 20.  Don't know if meals are included....  We spotted a lovely beach complex, complete with sailing craft, sail boards, etc. There were several reallly nice cottages beautifully painted and landscaped.  There was also a sculpture in front of one of the cottages ~ a 10 foot cat.  We have since found out that this island is owned by David Copperfield and that there are several more sculptures around the island.  We were grateful to wake up the next morning and find that he did not make Mystique disappear!


THINGS LOOKING UP ON EXUMA
Sandals has been a boost to the local economy, and it is evident from the moment you arrive at the airport.  There is a bit more traffic.  The roads are cleaned of all litter.  Buildings are freshly painted.  There are at least 4 new eating establishments around George Town.  Chat 'n Chill beach bar was able to stay open over the summer instead of shutting down until tourist season.  There is a new cafe on the cove in GT which is open from 7am till 11pm and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and FREE WIFI!!!!  This is a big plus for us cruisers.  Jan and I independently came to the same conclusion and remarked to each other about our observations that things seem better all around. 


THANKSGIVING
Bahama doesn't usually celebrate Thanksgiving.  Something about the Loyalists who first settled these islands.. So we are heading to Cat Island for the holiday.  We anchored in Fernandez Bay last spring and made some friends with the owners who happen to be American.  So, winds and weather willing, we will try to get there for Thanksgiving.  And then??  Perhpas farther south to Crooked Island and the Acklins.  Perhaps to the Jumentos and/or Raggeds.  We'll keep you posted.  Until then, all is well aboard Mystique and we're thankful for so many blessings.  Among them are Kathryn and David, our friends and generous hosts who live in George Town and make us feel so at home here.

Home Again in Frisco

I've finally updated our photos, and the Google map outlining our voyages (see links at left).

The weather started warming into the mid-upper '80s during the day and the mid-upper '70s at night with increasing humidity as we spent the last week around George Town, spending 3-4 days getting the boat de-commissioned and the rest of the time sipping Goombay Smash (or Tonic & Lime) at St. Francis Resort or the Chat 'n Chill.

Two evenings we spent playing a fun $5 game of Texas Hold 'Em Poker with other cruisers at St. Francis, including Jim and Liz from "Imagine" after their return to GT.  Good to see them again.

And one day we were escorted by David & Kathryn in their car, along with Boo dog,








to explore the south end of Great Exuma and Little Exuma where we had the most delicious meal in all the Bahamas at a fun, remote beach bar and restaurant - Santanas.









This area of Little Exuma is right along the Tropic of Cancer where the sun will be directly overhead in a month.










The last two nights we stayed ashore at D&K's (what great hospitality!).  And on Monday, May 17, we moved Mystique to her new home in the Hurricane Hole #3 on Stocking Island between stout pilings where she'll spend the winter.  She'll be looked after by Bob at Kevalli House right next door.  He'll open the boat up every week and start the engine and generator once a month to keep them lubricated.

We have had the most wonderful cruise this Spring, with good weather, well-behaved Mystique, great friends and exciting new destinations.




We flew to Denver on the 18th, were picked up at the airport by Kari Cutbirth (thanks, Kari!), picked up our car which they had been storing, and drove home in a SNOWSTORM!  It snowed the next day and again this morning (pic).  So we've certainly cooled off from those last muggy days in George Town!  We're dusting off our road bikes, pumping the tires and getting ready for the biking season around Summit County.


We're excited at the prospect of driving back to help Andy and Jessica move into their new home in Cleveland mid-June, and assisting Megan and Jeremy move from New York to Denver in August.  Can't wait to have them living so close to us in Colorado as they begin new careers away from the Big City.

Abacos, Eleuthera, Cat Is., Exuma, Long Is. and Conception Is.

George Town, Exuma

Click our Flickr link to the left to view pics from this trip.

I haven't been very good about posting to our blog this trip.  I have
excuses.  First, we've just been having too much fun to sit down and write
about it.  The weather has been fantastic since we left the Abacos in mid-
April with clear skies and pleasant winds out of the east for the most part.
Second, we've had great crew and friends to sail with.  And third, we've been
to more remote places where internet access is limited.  One excuse I cannot
use this trip, thankfully, is 'mechanical opportunities'.  Mystique has been
running well and smoothly.

This morning we are experiencing our first rain in about three weeks and we
have internet access here in our old haunt just off Chat 'n Chill beach on
Stocking Island in Elizabeth Harbour, George Town.  This is the island where
Andy & Jessica got married last June.  So it's a great time to catch up on the blog.

ABACOS
Our first fun times were while we were still in Man O War Cay, Abaco and
surrounds.  This is in the far northeast reaches of the Bahamas chain.  There
we re-joined Harvey and Mary Helen on "Gone Away", with whom we had fun in
December before we left the boat.  I was able to join them on a rented
motorboat before Jan flew in, and we explored Great Guana with it's two
infamous beach bars - Nippers (nickname for the ubiquitous sand fleas) and
Grabbers (nickname for land crabs).  We also motored over to Treasure Cay
which is famous for its beautiful mile+ long beach with sand so fine it's
like flour flowing forward from each barefoot step.

Jan & Sammy the boat cat arrived in Marsh Harbour after Easter and we played for a week with
Harvey & MH before our former Boulder neighbors and good friends Steve & Kari
Cutbirth arrived to crew for the next 8 days.  We sailed south across the
open Atlantic to Eleuthera after sitting at anchor one day while a strong
rainy front passed.  Steve brought his newly created "Pirates of the Bahamas"
(c) board game (complete with bandanas) so we had some fun playing while our
big skull and crossbones flag flew from the mast.

ELEUTHERA
After arriving in Spanish Wells at the north end of Eleuthera we spent a day
taking the high speed cat ferry over to Harbour Island and rented a golf cart
for the day.  This is a ritzy and quaint settlement with roots back to the
days when British Loyalists fled the United States in the 1700's.  It is
famous for its trademark multi-mile long pink sand beaches and many upscale
resorts.

We then sailed down through Current Cut and 20 miles over the shallow 15-30'
blue/green Bahamas Banks to a spot we discovered last fall - Cocodimama
Resort on Alibaster Bay.  This was a perfect spot to unwind and relax so we
stayed there until Steve & Kari flew out of the local airport.

CAT ISLAND
Jan and I continued on to Governor's Harbour and Cape Eleuthera (Powell
Point) before leaving Eleuthera for Little San Salvadore and Cat Island -
again in perfect weather.  Our destination on Cat was Fernandez Bay Resort
which we attempted (unsuccessfully because of the weather) to get to for
Thanksgiving last year.  A Rotarian friend from Frisco is a good friend of
the owner there and said it was a must see.

We were delighted with the area and were warmly befriended by the resort and
also bumping in to Jim and Liz on Imagine, whom we had met last fall.  So we
whiled away three days at anchor while sipping drinks at the honor beach bar
and gladly accepting rides to explore Cat Island.

You'll see pics of our
trip to the Hermitage (at 200', the highest point in the Bahamas), lunch at
the very local Bluebird Restaurant, and a hot game of Dominos with Ginny and
Tom from the resort and Jim and Liz at a local beach shack/bar run by an
elderly woman who LOVED playing dominos!

EXUMA, LONG IS. AND CONCEPTION IS.

After a long and glorious sail from Cat Is. across Exuma Sound we arrived
back 'home' in George Town, Exuma, and promptly dinghied over for a Kalik
beer at the Chat 'n Chill.  KB, the owner, remembered us and the wedding last
year and said to say "Hi" to the newlyweds.

The next day we loaded the tanks with water and welcomed our local friends
David and Kathryn aboard for a 5-day cruise to Calabash Bay (Kathryn's picture) at the north end
of Long Island, then on to Conception Is. for a night with reef snorkeling
and dinghy exploration of a vast inland tidal lake. This is an uninhabited
island and part of the National Trust. The third day we motor-sailed 42 miles
south to Salt Pond, Long Is.  Aha!  Another opportunity for drinks ashore!

On Jan's birthday (May 7 - also Andy's birthday) the four of us celebrated
with a dinner ashore at Long Island Breeze resort.  We also rented a car the
next day and drove about 60 miles to see the southern end of Long Island.  Too many great pics to display here so you'll have to click on our Flickr link at the top right of this page.
This is a clean and very friendly 'out island' of the Bahamas and like Cat
Island has enjoyed a growing population of U.S. ex-pats.

It was a downwind sail back to George Town last Saturday.  David and Kathryn
returned home and we joined them Sunday at our favorite local church for
Mother's Day service and afternoon celebration luncheon.  D and K allowed us to
use their washing machine to do several loads and we hung the clothes on the
line to dry in the warm sunshine.  Electricity is so expensive down here that
using dryers or air conditioning can easily add several hundred dollars to
your electric bill!

Mystique is now back across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town, just off the
Chat 'n Chill bar and St. Francis Resort.  We re-met Jim and Liz and joined

them for the bi-weekly Texas Hold 'Em friendly poker game last night - great
fun.  We are anchored here because the rest of this week is supposed to bring
20+kt winds from the east.  We'll well sheltered here.

We'll relax this week here while slowly getting the boat de-commissioned and
ready to spend the long summer and early fall here protected in a secure
'hurricane hole' two holes in from Elizabeth Harbour.  We fly home from here
next Tuesday, the 18th. after a very fun, relaxing, friend-filled and
rewarding cruise of the Bahamas.

Man O War Cay, Next Voyage Spring '10

Happy Easter!

It's almost as though we never left!  Our friends in their 36' sailboat are at the dock still being repaired - they have just returned from Virginia and are planning on cruising to the Exumas also.  I returned Thursday via a stopover in Jupiter, FL to visit with Bob Bruce and spend a few hours at the local West Marine store for last-minute supplies.

The quiet, religious village here is especially sleepy this Easter weekend, with most places closed from the time I arrived through Easter Monday.  I awoke early this morning and attended the sunrise service on the ocean side on the beach - spectacular!  The familiar faces buzz around town in their electric golf carts, including Lola the bread lady.  The weather couldn't be nicer - 73-75 degrees by day, 65 at night with sunny skies and mild breezes.

Mystique spent the winter at a stout mooring in the well-protected anchorage here in Man O War.  I'm told it was the coldest, windiest, wettest winter in 40 years, so I'm glad we weren't trying to cruise this winter.  The skiing was good at home but not great as we had less precipitation and a milder winter than usual.  Because the native Loyalist population has several centuries of boatbuilding experience, the two marinas here are known to be the best place to get your boat work done in the Bahamas!  So this has been a great layover spot for Mystique.  At the moment I'm at the dock enjoying shore power and internet access.

Jan stayed behind in Frisco to help out with our church's Easter celebrations because she's co-chair of the worship committee.  She will fly in with Sammy the cat this Wednesday.  I'm really looking forward to her (Jan's ;-) arrival.  Today is also my 'significant' Medicare inauguration birthday and it's a bummer celebrating without her.  But I''m taking the message of rebirth to heart!!  I am celebrating the gift of having each of you in my life, even though I'm by myself in this beautiful location by myself.

Our cruising plan is to enjoy this area for a bit before heading back south to Eleuthera where we'll meet up with Steve & Kari Cutbirth, our former Boulder neighbors.  They'll be aboard for almost a week and will fly out of the nearest airport to where we are at the time.  Jan and I will continue south to explore some of the islands surrounding George Town, Exuma.  We hope to get to Cat Is., Long Island and several others before leaving the boat again in George Town.  We're hoping that David and Kathryn, our GT friends who came to see us in Frisco this winter, will be able to meet up with us and sail home to GT aboard Mystique.  We'll leave the boat and fly home somewhere around May 20-25 for the summer.

As always, please use the links at left to view more of our pics etc.  Stay tuned for Jan's arrival.