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.