Heading To Florida

We left Marsh Harbor at 10 AM on April 2nd and motored over mirror like seas to Loggerhead Channel. We could see that the Atlantic beyond Whale Cay looked good so we proceeded around and re-entered the Sea of Abaco through Whale Cay Channel. This channel is the most dangerous in the Bahamas due to the Rages that develop there. Once around the Whale we proceeded to Spanish Cay and arrived at 5 PM to spend the night.

On the 3rd the wind had picked up and we motor sailed, sailed, and then motor sailed to Great Sale Cay. This island is not inhabited and is actually for sale for 9.9 million dollars. It is 6 miles long and maybe a mile wide at the most so if you are interested in owning your own island in the middle of nowhere this would be it. We anchored with several other boats at 6 PM.

We switched off and on with being on watch and in the second picture you can see Mike on watch. This sailing stuff is really stressful sometimes ;>)

A pod of dolphins visited us on the Sea of Abaco. There were several in the pod and they played around us for several minutes.

We made spaghetti for supper using some of the great canned chicken that I have aboard. We made garlic toast to go with it and no one got sick so it was a successful supper. We had an extra piece of toast so we through it overboard and were practically attacked by seagulls. Then we couldn't get rid if them and they sat on the dinghy until we forced them off. We were both tired so it was lights out at about 9 PM.

We got up at daybreak with a breezy ESE wind. It was all sails up with Mike at the helm. We made 5.8 to 6.x knots all the way to Mangrove Cay which is over half way to West End. At Mangrove we changed our heading so we were beam reaching and eventually close hauled with the winds a strong 20+ knots. We were really getting knocked around and couldn't hold our heading. The route through Indian Cay Channel is not forgiving so I dropped the sails and motored the rest of the way. Never the less we touched bottom multiple times before getting out to the Straits of Florida. We didn't get stuck because it was the rough seas that caused us to "bottom out" in the shallow water. We were really happy to see the depth meter go from 6 to 30 feet as we exited Indian Cay Channel.

We rounded Indian Channel Rock and headed into rollers and 4 ft seas as we proceed at 2.5 knots toward West End. Once in the harbor we called in on VHF and were assigned slip C31. Yippee!

We have some weather coming in so we'll stay put and wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to Florida. It looks good for maybe Thursday or Friday right now.

Mike Is Here

Mike Jacobs arrived in Marsh Harbor at 7 AM on Thursday. He was delayed a day because of a late flight out of Minneapolis and then again in Orlando. It worked out good because the weather here was pretty bad. You can see the sundown picture with the sun setting into the smoke because they have had big forest fires on this island for the last few weeks. The wind has been howling for the last few days and we were expecting and we did get gale force winds on Friday morning.

Mike is here to sail with me back to the USA. Since we couldn't leave right away we went over to Hope Town so Mike could see the coolest of the cruising destinations. We had a great time and I got to be "tour guide" again. We ran into Di and a few other old friends when we stopped into the Edge restaurant and had some Conch patties and then went to the Coffee House for some great coffee.

Mike is pointing at the "castle" which was build by a famous Marsh Harbor resident who became the doctor of the islands many years ago.

Our sail plan is to sail April 2 and hope to get around "The Whale" which includes a passage that can be bad if the weather isn't just right. It looks good now but we will make the real decision when we can actually see the passage.

Once beyond the Whale Cay Passage we will stay at Spanish Cay or someplace close and then sail to Great Sale Cay and then to West End. I figure we can stay in West End for a few days if necessary to get good weather for crossing the stream.

A Thought For Today

From a sign at an anchorage on the Baja Peninsula

Now is all the time you own
And no man knows the hour
Just when the clock of life will stop
At late or early hour
The future's just a dream of hope
The past a distant link
Go cruising now my brother
It's later than you think

Author Unknown

Small World

The other day, when still in Hope Town, I wanted to spend a few hours at the Wyannie Malone Historical Museum to read about the history of Elbow Cay and Hope Town. The gal that was at the desk noticed that I was from Lake Superior (from my t-shirt)and she said "say, I know someone here in Hope Town that is from Bayfield on Lake Superior." Of course I said "who would that be? That is where I sail most of the time." She said she would call her friend because she was sure her friend would want to talk to me. Her friend came over to the museum and it was Mary Rice who I had not met before but I have been to two of the three restaurants that Mary owns in Bayfield. The restaurants are Egg Toss, Maggies, and Wild Rice. Mary had been coming to Hope Town for many years to avoid the Northern Wisconsin winters.

As luck would have it, a few days later I was having my usual coffee at the Hope Town Coffee House when Mary walked in to get her supply of custom ground coffee. We chatted over coffee about the similarity between Hope Town and Bayfield and about boating in general. She has a restored Nor'Sea blue water sailboat up in the Apostles that I hope I get to see someday.

As the late Professor Joseph Campbell pointed out years ago, "the true purpose of an adventure is to learn about yourself". For me this cruising adventure has taught me that meeting and interacting with interesting people is very necessary and important to me. With that in mind this has been a very successful adventure so far.

Hope Town Favorites

Hope Town is my favorite place in the Bahamas. Granted, I haven't seen many of the other 700 or so islands (or cays as they call them) but of those I have seen, this is where it's at. The slideshow presented here is about Hope Town and shows some of the places I frequent and have enjoyed.

Dinghy Motor Issues

My new Suzuki dinghy motor started to bog down and die last week. It acted like a fuel problem. I suspected bad fuel because I had just added my spare gallon of gas before the problem hit. I got a tow back to the boat and started to trouble shoot.

I first removed the fuel filter and blew backwards through it and then pulled the plug out of the bottom of the carburetor and saw some water drain out. I had added a gallon from my spare gas tank and I probably had a gallon of fuel left in the big external gas tank so now I have two gallons of bad fuel. Yuk! I replaced the filter and the plug.

I decided to "polish" the fuel by draining it into clean empty water jugs and letting the water settle out to the bottom. Then I pored the fuel through a paper filter leaving the last quarter of fuel + water in the jug.
After polishing the fuel I fired the Suzuki up and ran through the harbor running and feeling good. Then it died again. DARN! A passing dinghy gave me a tow back to Summer Snow.

I took off the cowling again to expose the inner workings of the motor. Hmmmm, should I start dis-assembly? I've never let lack of experience or knowledge stop me before, so why not!

I removed the fuel filter and blew it out again and checked the fuel pump to see that it was pumping OK. Then I took the carburetor off, turned it upside down, and removed the fuel bowl. Wow, these parts are really small! There was some "jelly" like stuff plugging the main jet so I cleaned everything with WD40. Then re-assembled all the parts. Finding no extra parts left over I figured it must be fixed.

I asked my friend Phil to follow me as I went for a test run. Sweet! The little Suzuki hasn't run this sweet for a while so we'll see if this is the end of my dinghy motor problems.

Friends

We have had a great two weeks. First Neil and Linda came to visit and then Dave and Paulette were here for a week. We rented the "Coconut Cottage" which was very nice accommodations for 4 people and was close enough to Hope Town that we could walk to coffee every morning.

The wind blew too hard to snorkel while Dave and Paulette were here but we did get out for a nice sail to Man-Of-War Cay on Wednesday. I used this opportunity to demonstrate the shallowness of the Sea of Abaco by plowing a furrow with Summer Snow's keel. The crew reacted quickly and rolled in the jib as the captain cursed and screamed while dropping the main. We dragged onto the bar but powered off using sweat, tears, and our Yanmar Diesel. A pod of dolphins played around the boat while we were aground. They seemed to enjoy our predicament.

The winds would not die so we spend the next few days walking beautiful beaches and paths while finding new places to eat and relax.

Bev being here and having friends visit has been the highlight of my trip so far.

Hope Town Sailboat Racing

I had good and honest plans to do my laundry today but my neighbors, Ace and Suze, came over and asked me if I wanted to be in the Hope Town Sailing Club race today. I said "sure, what's the deal?" They planned on entering the race for the first time and were looking for crew. They are on a large motor sailer (Aces Wild) and their main objective was to be able to go the the awards party Friday evening.

The race started at 10 AM and we followed the Hope Town race boat "Rage" out of the harbor to the race starting point. All sailboats over 18 ft are welcome to race and cruisers are encouraged to participate in this "fun race". This particular race is not only their regular Wednesday race but also the first part of a two day race event in which the winner has their name inscribed on the Hope Town Cup. We had no expectations that this huge motor sailer could compete with the cruiser-racer sailboats or the pure race boats but just planned on having a fun day.

We came up to the start line in very good shape only to have another boat (we named the captain of that boat Captain "Bleep") jammed us off the line and we had to tack around and start late. Ace said "I thought they said this was to be a 'fun' race". He and Suze have a lot of experience having owned many sailboats and participated and won many races but assumed that this was to be a "just for fun race" as advertised. Unfortunately Captain "Bleep" didn't get that memo. We did have fun and Suze made us a great lunch during the race. One of the highlights was when Ace used great timing and tactics to force Captain "Bleep" into an extra tack just as he was trying to round one of the markers. We had a fun day and may enter the second leg on Friday and will definitely go to the Friday awards party.

Sailing out of Hope Town

We didn't get an early start but did spend some good time sailing on Saturday. In the photo you can see what the water looks like in the Sea of Abaco. It is primarily "line of sight" type sailing which is to say you can see where you want to go most of the time. It is important to use your charts just the same to avoid shoals and to double check depths. Most of the water is 8 to 10 ft but as you approach cays you often must follow specific sailing instructions to avoid the skinny water. The lighter areas in the photo indicate shallow and sandy bottom while the darker areas are coral or grass. Usually the lighter the color the shallower the water but you also must learn to recognize coral heads that come up close to the surface. They are often indicated by breaking water but at high tide you must rely on charts and local knowledge.

My advice for sailboats going to Hope Town that draw 5.5 + is to approach the enterance using published sailing instructions and tide. When in the harbor avoid the shoal before the anchorage areas by watching the water color and favoring the port side. If you do that you should have no problem with a 6 ft draft. I can tell you that the bottom is soft sand and it is easy to back off if you don't hit it too hard or have a wing keel.

Sailing to Hope Town

Josh Wegner arrived on Thursday on the late flight. He got situated in Summer Snow and then we went over to Snappa's for a little food and beer. Back at the boat we talked and laughed until late. Morning arrived revealing another beautiful day and we walked down to Jamie's for breakfast and then got ready to set sail. We managed to get off the dock at 11 AM with Dennis's help.

We sailed to Hope Town on a beam reach in a brisk breeze . We had a nice sail but I was anxious to get to the harbor entrance because we need a little tide help to get in the harbor. We fired up the diesel part way there to speed our progress but we had a soft grounding on the way in anyway. No big deal, we backed off and slowly felt our way around the problem area. Once in the harbor general we had good depth.

I radioed in to the Hope Town Marina and Aaron, the marina manager, was there to help us with our lines. They have a special deal right now, you can stay in the marina or hang on a mooring ball for the same price. Let's see, walk to the shower in the morning or dinghy in to the shower in the morning? I thought about it for a millisecond and took the marina option.

We secured Summer Snow and then took the marina provided dinghy over to Captain Jacks for an early supper and then to the Sugar Shack for ice cream and coffee. We returned to the boat and did our phone calls before retiring with our books. Tomorrow we plan on a big day of sailing on the Sea of Abaco. The wind should be 13 - 17 out of the SE so that should make for a lively sail.

Back To The Bahamas

Our work is done here so its time to get back to Marsh Harbor. My flight leaves MSP at 6 AM.

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Home Sweet Home

I don't believe that happiness is necessarily place dependent but being here with family and friends makes it for me. You taste the pure cool air and feel ice cool air on your face and feel good. The earth looks white and pure. Some people don't care for snow but I love it and I feel so lucky to experience two of my favorite things this January, sailing Summer Snow and a beautiful Minnesota winter.

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Back to Minnesota

I leave for Minnesota tomorrow and will be there until the 29th. Therefore I will not be posting to this Blog until I return to the Bahamas although I will read new comments and respond to questions. When I return I will leave Marsh Harbor and sail to Hope Town to hang on a mooring for a while. Hope Town is a fun destination and well located for snorkeling and fishing.

My reason for returning to Minnesota is that Mac and Jenny are expecting a baby and I want to be home when it happens. I have also been counting the days in anticipation of seeing Bev and the rest of my family and friends.

I have Summer Snow all secured, through-hulls closed, and everything powered down except the automatic bilge pump. This marina is very secure and a number of people have volunteered to keep an eye on her.

Sleepless in Bahama

A cold front came through last night and the wind blew 30+ all night. Summer Snow rocked and rolled even though she is securely tied in her slip. The rocking rolling doesn't bother me much anymore but you never seem to get over the creaks and odd noises of a sailboat straining on her lines. Then there is the unexplained POP that startle you out of the rack because you swear the gurgling sounds are now coming from inside the boat. You grab the always ready flashlight and turn on all the interior lights but find nothing. Then you peer out the hatch and see that all your lines are good and your neighbors boat looks OK (his lights are on too) so you crawl back into the rack and try to sleep again.

The morning is bright and cool (upper 60's to lower 70's) so you grind some beans and brew a big pot of coffee. You call Bev on Skype to find out what she's up to today and then it's time for the Cruisers Net on VHF 68. It'll be another good day with a nice walk and maybe a short nap this afternoon. Maybe I'll start that new book I just bought. Those boat projects will just have to wait for the wind to die down.

Island Time

Some of the cruising guides I have read talk about "island time". They imply that you must be aware of the idea that things may not happen on schedule like they did back in the "States". That the locals don't look at schedules the same as we do. I have not found that to be accurate here in the Abacos. My friend Joseph has been not only on time but often early when I needed to go someplace. Troy, the marina owner, and I were talking about boat maintenance yesterday and he emphasized how important timely maintenance is. On the other hand, the cruisers here may be up at the crack of 8 but you usually don't see any on the dock until after 9 AM and if there is a schedule or plan for the day it must be flexible because people are always asking each other "what day is it?" and 5 o'clock quitting time seems to happen at 3 PM .

I'm OK with this but the other day Bev and I had our own time issue. Her flight left at 8:05 so we figured we should get up at 5:45 AM so we had time for showers and taxi. I asked Joseph to pick us up at Harbor View at 7 so we were covered there. I don't have an alarm clock on Summer Snow but not to worry, I can set an alarm on my "smart phone", right? I set the alarm and we hit the hay. The alarm went off as set and we are both up but real groggy. We stumble around and get ready to walk to the shower and ...hmmm my watch says it's only 1 AM... what's going on ?? I check the only other time appliance, my laptop, and sure enough it's really 1 AM. Darn!! Double Darn!! How could this happen? My Droid X has let me down, this can't be. Well, guess what, the phone syncs the time from a cell tower and the nearest cell tower is in Florida, a couple of hundred miles away. When I booted up the phone it had no reference for time so it just started at midnight. So lesson learned is "smart phones still need smart people."

Getting Around

Getting from point A to point B in Bahama is not straight forward. I knew that moving from island to island with the sailboat would take some planning and time and works well in many instances but what I had not melded into the process was sailing into a very crowded harbor after dark and picking up a mooring buoy somewhere in the middle while alone or with a inexperienced crew. Well, we can deal with this. There is the ferry or we can always wait for first light, right? Right, but then timing becomes an issue with flights and all. The last ferry from Marsh Harbor to Hope Town is at 5:45 PM and the earliest ferry from Hope Town leaves Hope Town at 8:00 AM (or so).

The flight deal is easier to deal with. The Marsh Harbor International Airport is a short taxi ride ($15) to town. I knew the airport would not be a Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport but I figured it would be kind of like the Rochester, MN airport. Think again. It's OK and serves the purpose; There is a customs place in the airport but it is kind of tiny with outdoor waiting. It is safe and clean so not a big deal. Actually the size of the airplanes kind of match the size of the airport. The good news is that my friend Joseph (the taxi guy) gave me his cell phone number and is willing to pick up people any time - any where so one phone call and we're covered. So when guests get their flights all arranged we'll deal with the issues.

Most people rent golf carts to get around on islands like Elbow Cay. Some of the neat restaurants and beaches are on the far end of the island so the golf cart becomes the "family car". They have head lights, tail lights that work sometimes, and a horn so you can go all over the island day or night. You can even cram 6 people onto a 4 person cart at night with no tail lights and the tires don't blow and the cars behind you don't run you down, not that we would do such a thing coming back from a nightclub on the far side of the island where they were allegedly having a Junkanoo New Years Eve to get to the big Junkanoo in MH but I don't remember doing that so it must have been someone else.

My folding bike has proven to be really handy. You can walk to the supermarket or hardware store in Marsh Harbor but lugging stuff back to the boat without some kind of cart or bike is a real bummer. I have strapped a box on the back of my bike and problem solved :>) The folding bike is good for market trips but is not real fun to ride. If I had my Canondale here I would ride for fun but I don't so my favorite exercise is still walking.

Many people rent power boats for running between islands or to run to outside reefs for snorkeling. The dinghy isn't quite enough for the distance between islands etc. There are also many dive/snorkel outfits that take customers to the prime spots. They know the great spots and have boats that are easy to get on and off out on the reef.

The Bahama Experience

What words would I use to describe my experiences in the Bahamas? The words that come to mind are Friendly, Safe, Gentle and Comfortable. I am in the "out islands" and it is rural with small towns and therefore very different from New Providence Island and Nassau. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and is a very large city with the tourist-friendly experiences you would expect but also with the crime and poverty found in most large cities. Of course you can stay in the tourist zones and stay insulated from the less desirable areas just as you can in any big city. I didn't sail all the way to the islands to experience big city life or some "kind of real" Disney like tourist place.

The people that I have met and interacted with have been super friendly. Back home in Minnesota we often wave from car to car when we encounter someone we know but in the Bahamas you wave at everyone, not just a "index finger" wave but a whole hand wave with a smile. And everyone says "Good Morning", or "Good Afternoon", or "Hello, how are you?" to EVERYONE, not just people you have met. This takes a little getting used to but soon becomes natural and fun.

All the islands I have been to have been very safe. I still tend to lock things up when I leave for extended periods but it appears that few people lock up their dinghy or their boat. All the Marinas have security such as gates and keys but you just don't hear about any crime and you don't see much of a police presence. Of course on a small island you have very little room to hide any stolen property, I mean, if you steal a car or golf cart you can only run a couple of miles and you're out of road and island so where are you going to hide? Plus it seems that everyone knows everyone with such a small population (2/3 of the Bahamian population lives in Nassau while only 4 or 5 thousand live in Marsh Harbor).

The Bahamas are very Christian and rather conservative. They generally dress conservative with a kind of casual business look, very few shorts or revealing dresses although some very fashionable types. We tourists are all over the place as you may expect. Most businesses close on Sunday and the only radio station I can get plays church services and Christian music all day on Sunday. The Christian music has a great island flavor and the church services reflect the Bahama culture which is 80 percent black. Many churches are represented and while there is a Lutheran presence, I have not found it yet. I suspect they are huddled together someplace practicing waving at strangers ;>)


The people we meet seem gentle because the people are so friendly and kind. You rarely hear harsh or offensive language, in fact, one of the few times we encountered crude language was at a restaurant and it was spouting out from, you probably guessed it, an (ugly) American. Our waitress came over immediately and apologized for the lout. I was hoping he was Canadian but he had a Jersey accent :>(

The comfort level comes from the familiar language, currency, and overall culture. The Bahamian people seem to go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable and having a good time. I realize that their economy is based primarily on tourism but I get the feeling that their attitudes toward others is genuine because it is so universal. I have not seen any evidence of discrimination in their diverse society. Men, women, black, and white seem to work and play together with no apparent walls between jobs and activities. I wonder what their secret is, we've been trying to do that for 150 years and still have problems getting it right.

Hope Town

As I mentioned in the previous posting, Brock and Brianna went to Treasure Cay for a few days before Patrick and Jessica arrived. Treasure Cay is about 20 miles from Marsh Harbor by road and about 15 miles by boat. It is a resort with a class A harbor (class A means that it is protected from wind in all directions) and has a beach that is one of the 10 most beautiful in the world. They came back to Marsh Harbor on Dec 26th and immediately took the ferry to Hope Town on Elbow Cay where we had rented a house. All the homes in and around Hope Town have names and ours was Coconut Cottage. The cottage was very nice with full kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room, and was close to Hope Town for the morning coffee run. Hope Town is a small “settlement” with just a few hundred residents but we have found it to be “where it’s at” for the sailing community. They have many anchor buoys to hook your boat to and lots of bars, restaurants, shops, and a great coffee house. It is also a class A harbor with the most photographed lighthouse in the Bahamas which, by the way, still works with its 1860’s light.

We also rented a golf cart for getting around on the island. The Bahamas was settled by loyalists who fled the colonies when it became obvious that the USA may succeed in their little revolution of 1776. Therefore the Bahamas is a very comfortable country to visit with everyone speaking English and with the Bahaman dollar tied to the US dollar so they are equal value and are interchangeable. The only problem I had was learning to drive on the left. I played “chicken” a few times with oncoming traffic and lost after succumbing to the screams of my passengers.

The locals said that the cool windy days that we experienced the first few days was “very unusual” but it got steadily warmer as we approached the New Year. The younger group went snorkeling right off the beach at Hope Town and Brock and Brianna went scuba diving. The cool air limited our snorkeling and ocean swimming but we found lots of other activities on the island. Today it is very nice and warm with just a light breeze so maybe they weren’t ”pulling my leg”.

Merry Christmas

I have had a very nice Christmas day in Marsh Harbor. I miss being with Bev and everyone and I miss the "white" Christmas my family is enjoying in Minnesota but I have met many friendly and interesting people here.

Brock and Brianna came zooming in with a rented 24 ft powerboat just in time to help me turn Summer Snow around so the bow will be facing the big wind predicted for the next two days. I skyped with Mac and family so I did get to talk with most everyone so that was fun.

The marina sponsored a pot luck Christmas dinner so I made a loaf of bread and also some scalloped corn. There was probably 60 or 70 people and the food was fantastic. I ate too much and there was none of my corn and just the heel of my bread left when it was over.

Patrick and Jessica are on the late flight from Ft. Lauderdale and will arrive at 6:50 this evening. I have arranged with my friend Joseph (a taxi guy) to pick me up at 6:30 so we can pick them up.

Boats and Marinas

Most of the boats that are here are sailboats and are here for the winter. I would guess that about half are from Canada with a few from Europe and the rest from the USA. During the peak of the winter season there has been as many as 100 boats in this harbor but the economy has taken its toll here so numbers have been down the last few years. There is very little agriculture or manufacturing in the Bahamas so their major revenue source is tourism and therefore they have really felt the economic downturn.

Of course I am in the Abacos which is less developed than the major tourist ports of Nassau or Free Port. I'm not really into water parks and tourist traps so the Abacos really fits my style. Marinas are about half the cost of similar marinas in Florida and are very nice with swimming pools and restaurants on site. Marsh Harbor has many restaurants and shops along with two large supermarkets.

In the Abacos you can sail to a different island every few days so in a few hours you can experience a whole different flavor of the Bahamas. The second largest coral reef in the world is here so snorkeling and diving are major activities along with all types of ocean fishing. The temperatures here average 70's during the day and 60's during the night. If you are looking for very warm weather you should probably go the the southern Bahamas but I find these temps "just right".

If you come without your own boat there are ferries that provide regular service to most of the populated islands. You can also rent sailboats (Moorings and Sun Sail) or power boats here in Marsh Harbor. I have included a short slide show of powerboats near me in an attempt to make John's day ;>)