The Excellent Exumas

Hi Everybody,
    I know it's time for another blog but before I get started...did you notice my new blog profile picture?!?!  David & I are holding our local St. Augustine newspaper, The Record.  We'll send this pic. to the paper with a little blurb and they will post it in their travel section.  It's fun to see where St. Aug. folks travel.  It's even better to see where I travel!

     In a lazy, down-island, lifestyle existance, it's hard to be very constructive. But we do have our bad hair days.  Sailing isn't all fun and games, this is a sampling of our not-so-fun times.

David delving into the Chartplotter problem

    Our main navigation tool just up & quit on us.  With the help of other friendly boaters, David gutted,  tested, reassembled, (repeat gut, test, reassemble 4 times) cussed and pondered the problem.  We're not sure what he did to eventually fix the all-important Chartplotter but it's working now.  We decided to just thank the benevolent God of the Ignorant.

This is our mounting system for the horn, the Radar and the GPS.  It should be standing up tall and proud instead of swinging by the internal electric cables. On one particular bumpy passage the whole structure came crashing down.  Sailing - always an adventure waiting to happen.

Our gaily colored, light wind, spinnaker sail looks pretty when she's flying.  I have no picture showing what happens when the winds pick up- the tangled lines, the sail in the water & caught under our keel.   Can you visualize that picture???

The Exumas 

      We might have had a hard time beating our way South to get to Georgetown at the bottom of the Exuma chain, but, by damn we did it!

      The reward was 6 weeks in clear, clear water & white sand beaches surrounding uninhabited islands.  Along the way we found fresh bread in thesmall Bahamian settlements.  We've  met friendly boaters and have shared sunset drinks with some great people. 

      An amazing thing about these islands is how up close and personal you can get with the local wildlife.  (not sure if that should include the boaters, or just the animals)

Curly Tails are everywhere. I was feeding this one stale crackers.

 In Staniel Cay, the local nurse sharks have learned to come by for an evening snack from the fish cleaning station.  They seemed to like the shade from our boat while they waited.

Okay, so I have to explain about these pigs.  On the island of Big Majors, you have an assortment of wildlife - a herd of goats, chickens & the ever-crowing rooster, and ......swimming pigs.  They'll swim to your dinghy snorting 'n sniffling.  But I realized that unless you managed to drop the food right into their open mouths,  they couldn't eat the treats.  

So thoughtful me, I brought the food to the pigs.  

Notice I'm not hanging around to socialize with these guys.

                                              We called this anchorage our Bay of Pigs.

But it's the harvest from the sea that everyone enjoys.

Well, maybe those fish & conch had better days.

 Georgetown 

 Georgetown, Exuma is a boaters' mecca.  There were probably 250 boats anchored behind the protection of Stocking Island.  This is Monument Hill.  During a fun Equinox Bonfire Party, an intrepid group of us climbed the hill.  Doing it in the dark and the rain just made it more interesting.

A long, wet, bumpy dinghy ride gets you to the tunnel entrance into Lake Victoria and the town's dinghy dock.  Georgetown supplied us with groceries, coconut rum and a $20. anchor windlass part that ultimately cost us $240. Life's not cheap in the Bahamas.

My big purchase from Essie in the town's straw market.  Many women "plait" with split palm leaves.

    I'm going to end this rambling blog showing you what makes this sailing life so great.

  Many nights we found ourselves anchored in the middle of our own private paradise.  This is when I sit with my sunset drink and think..."Ahhh, life is good."

  Please don't tell me you would rather be poolside at a Holiday Inn!

     It's now mid April.  We are presently in the Abacos working our slow way North back to the states.  We'll get there eventually.  Until then.....Fair winds.

Alice & David on our 36' Endeavour Cat, Alice Mae

Bahama traveling

The Adventure Begins One More Time
   Sailing is always an adventure.  We left Florida in mid-February and plowed our way across the Gulf Stream to Bimini.  It was a long 24 hour slog. The crossing was rough enough that a porthole jarred itself loose and I found 5 inches of water on the floor of the forward bunk.  My newly laundered clothes were floating and sloshing about in the saltwater.  It was fun.
    Since the crossing to the Bahamas, we have headed south, working our way through the Exuma chain of islands.  These islands are low, scrub coral with drop-dead, beautiful, clear waters.  A great sailing area.  Too bad the winds and waves are ALWAYS on our bow.  (this means,motoring,  no sails and lots of up & down banging and crashing of Alice Mae.)  We keep telling ourselves "the sail North will be great!!!!!!!!"

Warderick Wells, in the center of the Exuma Land & Sea Park, is a protected zone for everything above and below the water.  That's Alice Mae - second from the back.  I'm moored and happy. This beautiful, clear anchorage offers a safe harbour for sailors from all over the world.  Our bay seemed to have three resident eagle rays.  They glide around morning & evening.  There is also a VERY big manta ray.  Way Cool!

  

I went on a little hike.  On the down-hill scramble I shot this picture.  Check out the curve of the horizon. 

 

Boo Boo Hill overlooks the North Anchorage on Warderick.  Vessels carve driftwood signs to mark their passage through this region. 

FYI:  I now have a piece of driftwood, David will carve.  Watch for a picture on our return trek north. (that will be some time in the future- can't tell exactly when!)

 

This is what David likes to do- work on the dinghy motor.  He does it all the time so he must love it.  While I explore island beaches, buy fresh bread, kayak and hike, David is sprawled in the dink whispering sweet nothings at the dismantled motor.  It's a very strange relationship. I keep my distance.

Dinghy Beach at Warderick Wells.  Bones of a 52' sperm whale shows what happens to you when you hang out in the island sun for too long.

Current population of animals hanging out in the island sun for too long.

 

The beautiful  waters of the eastern, windward side of the islands.  This is a picture-perfect calm day. 

 

The problem is, we always seem to be traveling in not-so-picture-perfect day.  Here is my journal entries for the sail (motor) down from Cave Cay to Emerald Bay, just north of Georgetown, Exuma.

To make this final run, you have to go out into the deep Exuma Sound- where the big waves are and there is nothing to stop the 20+ knot winds.  These are the times when you say "Why, exactly, am I doing this??"

Saturday, March 3

9:00     N23 50.42   W76 14.30

Out in the Exuma Sound. BIG rolling waves. Wind at 18-20 on our nose. Not a fun ride but we have 24.7 mi to sfe harbour.  I will do this.

11:00     N23 47.55     W76  05.64

Across from Adderly Cut. Rockin & Rollin.  Same beating waves.  Same 15-20kt winds.  Off our same nose.  A very bumpy ride.

1:00   N23  41.07     W75 56.02

Killing ourselves. the wind is up to 24 kts. Brutal.  Lost the stainless steel mounting for our radar and electronics.  Just crashed down.  Almost there!

2:30  N23 37.77   W75 55.08

Tied up at Emerald Bay Marina!

Looks like we're in cat city, and we're the little kitten.  Boats streaming in. Nobody wants to be stuck in a bad, crowded anchorage in the coming big winds.  And besides, the marina has TV, internet, showers, laundry, a comfy lounge, and ... the piece d'resistance.....a beautiful pool table.  Let the winds blow.

But when life gives you lemons you make lemonade........  The big winds blow down coconuts, and suddenly I have the makings for an island pina colada. 

Life is good.

Alice & David aboard Alice Mae

Alice Mae on another Adventure

December 13, 2011

   Well, we're off again!  This is our 4th Winter cruise.  It'll hopefully last 5-6 months and eventually get us to the  Bahamas- specifically the Exuma chain & the surrounding islands in those southern latitudes. 
   Sounds like a great plan doesn't it?? Course we can't manage to stick to our daily sail plan so what can I say... In sailing, and on Alice Mae, there are NO guarantees.



New Roller Furling Jib

Alice Mae with old jib and canvas top

   For several years I've wanted to switch out our cumbersome, hanked-on jib with a stream-lined, easy-open, easy-close roller furling system.  Much to David's dismay (his philosophy- if it ain't broke, don't fix it.) I forged onward.  I am now proud to say, Alice Mae boasts a fine, new sail and roller furling system!

   Just so you can appreciate how desperately I wanted this new jib system, here is a journal entry from last years' log.....



New Jib

8:30 Sail up. Mainsail went up pretty smoothly, Jib another matter. Battens snagged on stanchions, downhaul line wrapped around the forward standing rigging, and last but not least.. the sheet line got loose and pulled out of all its holdings and flapped in the wind in front of the boat.  Used our boat pole to retrieve the damn thing.  I am too much of a lady to mention the loud swearing, threatening ultimatums and stomping of the feet.

Miami

December 22, 2012

 We've made amazing time this year- averaging about 60 miles a day.  That's good for our little over-loaded, fat-bellied, double-wide-on-the-water.   So......here we are in in Miami. We like to anchor in Marine Stadium- a derelict basin with a bunch of derelict boats. Our kind of people.  The neon-colored skyline is an amazing nighttime backdrop for Alice Mae.

view for our Sunset drinks.  Not bad.



Boot Key Harbour in Marathon, Florida Keys

December 24, 2011

This City owned mooring field for 250+ boats is an active, fun loving community of boaters from all over the world.  David & I always enjoy our time here.

                                                                        David waiting- it's his job.

New Year Celebrations - Keys Style

 The Harbour had a lively New Years Eve Party.  Food, music and a conch blowing contest to mark the sunset of another year. My conch blowing sounds like a deflating frog.  Not exactly a winning sound.  We lasted until 7:30.  I listened to the midnight cheers from the warmth of my berth.  We're wusses.



Brave Polar Bear jumpers

On New Years Day, in keeping with tradition, the Harbour has it's own version of the Polar Bear Plunge.  The hardy participants line up at the dinghy dock, throw an ice cube into the water and, at the strike of noon- plunge in.  I believe they were eventually joined by a dog, a frisbee and a couple of stray kids.

Storm at the Moorings

Cold front coming in with big winds. White caps in the harbor.  A 2-quilt night. 

I'm so glad I'm moored.

    I'm so glad I'm moored.

         I'm so glad I'm moored.