jammin in jamaica

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Jenny

January 18 – 25, 2013

Arriving in Jamaica was like a breath of fresh air. It was a totally new place to which we had never been. Gorgeous, lush mountains rising high into the clouds. Palm trees scattered across the landscape. And a hot, tropical feel in the air.

The moment we pulled into Errol Flynn Marina to wait for clearance into the country, people were extremely friendly. Locals working on other boats would immediately introduce themselves and offer their services.

Errol Flynn Marina, Port Antonio

view from the Port Antonio anchorage

We only needed to be at the dock while we waited for Customs and Immigration officials, as well as the medical officer. The medical officer boarded and then the Customs official. Immigration took much longer to get there, so we ended up enjoying a cruisers’ cocktail hour with rum punches on the dock, courtesy of the marina staff. It was definitely a warm welcome. Once all business was taken care of, we moved into the anchorage where our marina fees would be cheaper.
Port Antonio, the capital of the Portland parish in Jamaica, is a relatively safe place for cruisers to visit. Errol Flynn Marina charges a small anchoring fee which allowed us to move freely behind guarded gates, as well as have access to the marina amenities. The swimming pool, internet access, and dollar rum punches were our favorites!

looking towards the town of Port Antonio

Just after waking up on our first morning in Port Antonio, we were boarded by the local police. They only wanted to check to make sure we had all proper documentation. After they were satisfied, we kept them aboard with a lot of friendly chit-chat and lots of questions about their country.
Jamaicans are very proud of their country and are thrilled to share their culture. Any time someone would say hello to us on the street or in a park, we’d return the greetings and tell them how much we love Jamaica. They would immediately get a great, big smile on their face and seem to hold their head higher.
Jamaicans also love their music. Regardless of what time it was, or what day of the week it was, we could hear various musics playing from the shore. Of course, Bob Marley and other reggae was quite popular, but we also heard many selections from the 80’s up to current day.
We hate that we didn’t get to tour more of Jamaica. This stop was mainly for provisioning and preparation for our upcoming visit to the San Blas Islands of Panama. Compared to the Bahamas, fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant and cheap in Jamaica, so we did numerous trips ashore, going to the farmer’s market, grocery stores, and bread bakery. The Coronation Bakery was our favorite place to buy fresh made bread.

Jamaican goods from the local market

From left to right: hibiscus flowers (for Agua de flor de Jamaica), star fruit, avocado, Blue Mountain Coffee, Otaheite apples, ginger, scotch bonnet peppers, jerk and chicken seasonings, and mangos.

our photo for a feature article in the Meredith Magazine, my alma mater

Once the boat was ready to tackle the Caribbean Sea, and we were properly provisioned, we bid farewell to Jamaica, and set our sights further south.
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the bahamas to jamaica

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jenny

January 14 – 17, 2013

Exiting from the Georgetown area can be a difficult task. The prevailing winds blow from some form of an easterly direction, and cruisers find themselves stuck down in the nook between the southeast end of Great Exuma Island and the northwest end of Long Island. The majority of sailors are trying to get east and south, so planning an exit with respect to the weather is tricky. When the winds are down, many will sail directly east to the lee shore of Long Island, and then gradually make their way around the northern tip of the island. We, on the other hand, need stronger winds (greater than 15 knots) to move us without any engine help, so our choice in weather window tends to be different.

Once the wind shifted to the east, we set sail and aimed ourselves due north. We planned to motor sail about the first 20 miles into the swell until we could round the northern end of Long Island. Once we rounded Long Island, and we turned southeast, the winds were supposed to have shifted north of east, and we were going to have the wind and swell on our stern quarter. Of course, we had no such luck!

The winds shifted to the east-southeast and kicked up to about 25-30 knots. Almost dead on the nose and howling like crazy! To make matters worse, before the passage began, I’d told Wil, who was tired and fighting a sinus infection, that I would pull his weight in work and watches. With the increased winds, there was no way Wil could get his needed rest, and the strong winds continued for two days and two nights, with stronger gusts at night. At times, our anemometer showed wind gusts at 44 knots apparent, so we had to stay on our toes.

It wasn’t until we neared the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti that the winds died off and came from the stern. In fact, the wind was so minimal that conditions were ideal for us to figure out how to use our spinnaker for our first time.

the spinnaker colors were a pleasant surprise

happy that we figured out how to fly the spinnaker

can barely make out the mountains on the southeast side of Cuba

As evening approached, we made plans to take down the spinnaker before nightfall. I had an 1800 hour Magellan Net contact with Andrew (s/v Eye Candy), so we wanted to take the sail down before my contact.
Suddenly, we had the “fish on!” call. We rushed to deal with the fish. However, instead of just one fish on a line, all five of our lines had fish on them! We had sailed through a school of tuna. By the time we finished bringing in the lines, we had three and a half tuna onboard. One got away, and one was half eaten by something MUCH larger.
Of course, catching the fish came just moments before my radio contact, the wind was picking up, and we still had to bring down the spinnaker. We had to work quickly, but considering it was our first time with the spinnaker, we got the big sail down fairly easily.
Other than a handfull of water spouts, the remainder of the passage was pretty mellow, not to mention extremely hot. About five minutes before I was to be net control on the Magellan Net, we spotted a big water spout behind us, and 5 smaller water spouts in front of us. They were a fair distance away, but we were able to see water churning as each one touched down. To be on the safe side, we took down the sails and motored for the remainder of the morning. At the same time, we suddenly had a school of dolphins swimming at the bow. There was no way I going to manage to be calm during my net controlling for the morning!
It was mid-morning when we reached Jamaica at the end of the four-day passage. Once the water spouts were gone, and we neared the gorgeous shoreline of Jamaica, we were able to relax and take in the incredible beauty of the mountains rising in front of us. This was a new and different part of the world to us, and we were ready to see what Jamaica had in store for the Full Monty crew.

the coolest place to take an off-watch nap!

water spouts between us and Jamaica!

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georgetown dolphin

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Jenny

January 2013

There was a small dolphin that frequented our anchorage at Stocking Island near Georgetown. One day, we saw other kids swimming, and the dolphin approached them. We immediately jumped into the dinghy and rode over to see the dolphin up close. Justine and Colin jumped in for an even closer look, as well. Sure enough, the dolphin seemed to be enjoying the attention. It would swim nearby, but stay just out of reach. At times, it was like it was saying, “Come on, catch up with me!” The dolphin would literally slow its speed to wait for Justine and Colin.

Colin captured some of this experience with the camera. For the most part, the dolphin is difficult to see, but then it comes close to Colin as it twirls past. It was truly amazing!

Watch Georgetown Dolphin.

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reef shark video

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Jenny

January 2, 2013

Check out our shark video from Rudder Cut Cay in the Bahamas. It’s another up-close-and-personal view of some amazing animals! Watch as they eat the fish heads and other scraps thrown to them. The scene was calm when there was only one shark. With the arrival of the second shark, there’s a little more aggression towards the food. At one point, I had to be quick to pull the camera out of the water as the shark swam for it next!

Reef Sharks – Rudder Cut Cay 2013 video (8:56)

[Note: Please don’t hesitate to notify me if there are any problems with viewing video]

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georgetown

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Jenny

January 4 – 13, 2013

After tons of fun at Rudder Cut Cay, it was time to get ourselves to Georgetown where we would set ourselves up for departure from the Bahamas. s/v Eye Candy headed for Georgetown, as well.

The Georgetown area and its neighboring islands are well known for being a place where hundreds of cruisers either hang out for all the fun, or get stuck there waiting on a weather window. We were determined to have ourselves in and out of Georgetown as quickly as possible. That “quickly as possible” turned into 10 days. Not so bad on the Georgetown scale!

We anchored near Monument Beach at Stocking Island, and barely had the hook down, when people we knew rode up in their dinghies to give us the local scoop. Best of all, we were reunited with s/v What If and s/v Good Trade. The kids couldn’t wait to play. For the next 9 days, while we waited on a good weather window, we spent time playing with friends and making re-provisioning trips across the harbor.

So I can play catch-up in my posting, I will quickly list the highlights and show more with photos.

The kids would dinghy ashore on their own to go play with the other kids. We got to pet the sting rays at Volleyball Beach. Every sunset began with the blowing of conch horns, and then the anchorage grew silent to listen to a bag pipe performance. We made our own conch horn and learned how to blow it. A wild dolphin played with the kids while they were swimming. I borrowed a heavy duty sewing machine from s/v Triumph (from NC), so I could finish the jib repairs. There were many fun evenings with s/v Eye Candy, s/v What If, and s/v Good Trade. Andrew (s/v Eye Candy) hired me on to be Net Control on the Magellan Net every Thursday.

taking the short way up!

hanging out on the Stocking Island monument

Full Monty anchored at Georgetown (left side of photo)

view from the top of Stocking Island

the most beautiful water

conch horn blowing at sunset

bag pipes at sunset

 

 

 

 

 

sewing the jib . . . again

great friends!

when the kids went ashore on their own, this is where they were found

the landing

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bounties of the sea . . . and sharks!

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Jenny

January 1 – 3, 2013

After spending another day in Black Point with boat chores (more laundry, boat cleaning, taking down Christmas decorations, etc), we pulled up the anchor by 8 a.m. and sailed offshore for another day of fishing. Whether we caught fish, or not, was the determining factor for our final destination. We would only go as far as Rudder Cut Cay (18 miles down the Exuma chain), but if we were able to catch dinner, then we would pull in sooner.

No such luck. We didn’t get a single bite, so Rudder Cut Cay was the spot for our anchor. The rest of the afternoon would be spent exploring the area and snorkeling nearby reefs.

beautiful palm trees & a fun cave to explore

We took a dinghy ride, just short of a mile out on the bank, to Dove Cay and Gaulin Rock where there was supposedly a submerged statue of a lady. However, after circling the islands a couple of times, we never found it. Instead we ended up finding and spearing a bunch of lion fish, a trigger fish, and a lobster on the southeast end of Dove Cay. We finally had dinner for the day!

our catch for the day!

After returning to the boat, Wil gave our catch a quick rinse on the transom, so we could have a photo session. As soon as we were satisfied with the picture, we got the Joy dish soap out for our transom showers where we jump in to get wet before soaping up. We were all just about to jump into the water when Wil noticed a shark swimming near the boat. That halted our swim and shower session!dangling her toes in the water just as the sharks arrived!

dangling her feet in the water just as the sharks arrived!

shark waiting for its next morsel

cleaning the a lion fish

consulting the fish book for shark ID

Wil decided to go ahead and clean the fish, while I ran to get the GoPro camera. Using our usual “attach the camera to the boat hook” technique, I placed the camera in the water next to where Wil was cleaning the fish. The following photos are still images that I removed from the video taken.

Caribbean Reef Shark . . . we think

 

this one almost got the camera!

enjoying a snack

checking out the fish head

circling reef sharks

That afternoon, s/v Eye Candy sailed in and dropped the hook. They had never tried lion fish before, so we had them over for dinner that evening. After enjoying the lion fish, we all made plans to go snorkeling together the next day.
The next morning, Wil wanted to do a quick patch on the dinghy before we went snorkeling. During the process, he accidentally dropped the patch overboard. He couldn’t decide whether the patch was worth jumping in the water after being clean and dry, so I volunteered for the job. I would be the one to dive to the bottom, knowing there was the potential for sharks! Hmmmm!
I sat on the edge of the transom, scanned the water, and eyeballed the patch. Then, I dove for it. Wil never even saw me reach the patch and turn around. He only heard my splash, and when he turned around, I had already returned to the ladder. I didn’t want to give those sharks even a moment to see me there!
While snorkeling with Andrew & Clare, we managed to spear 8 lion fish. We also did a little exploring of neighboring islands by dinghies. We managed to find a small, twin-engine plane crash site to swim over. Once we returned to the boat, Andrew came over to watch the lion fish preparation process. Wil cuts the spines off with a pair of tin snips (heavy duty kitchen shears can work too). Then, after scaling them, the heads are cut off and the bellies gutted. The fish are filleted if they are big enough. Otherwise, we cook them whole on the grill or in the pan.
When we returned to the boat after our successful day of spearfishing, we had decided to leave the fish in the bucket while we took our showers. We didn’t want even a single drop of blood in the water for fear of the sharks returning. We were getting our shower stuff together and Justine was dangling her feet in the water when the sharks showed up. We had not even started cleaning the fish yet! We figure these sharks must know the sound of a returning dinghy. From now on, we’ll do our best not to clean fish where we want to swim.
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birthday surprises

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Jenny

December 31, 2012

[Now to get back on track with the blog posting]

After bidding farewell to Jennifer and Pete, we pulled up anchor and set our course for Black Point and their famous laundry facilities.

Bahamian regatta boat

As we were departing the Staniel Cay area, two local, award-winning regatta boats were preparing to race each other in 20-25 knot winds. Each boat had about twelve people (some volunteers) onboard. We watched them warm up, and it looked like it would be a fun race.

We were navigating our way through some very shallow water when Wil happened to notice the sudden disappearance of one of the regatta boats. He thought it looked like the boat went over, and his thought was confirmed when we could see several power boats quickly making their way to the regatta boat. We were too far to see details. However, later we heard that the regatta boat sank. One person had been stuck down inside the boat with his leg trapped. They managed to rescue him, and word was that he suffered a broken foot.

After seeing the disappearance of the regatta boat, we had to turn our attention back to our shallow water navigation. We were slowly creeping through 5-6 foot water depths with occasional coral heads. The skies had become slightly overcast, so we were having a difficult time reading the water.

Just as we reached what the charts (and our eyes) indicated was the end of the shallow area, we increased engine rpms and decided it was safe to put out the jib. I was at the helm while Wil was getting ready to pull out the jib.

At first, I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Was it the way the 20-25 knot winds were blowing white caps, or was I seeing something in the water? As the boat moved quickly forward, I suddenly saw a coral rock barely peeking its head out of the water dead ahead. I yelled “rock!!!”, and without thinking, threw the engines in hard reverse and turned the boat to port. Not good for the engines, I know, but adrenaline had taken over!

It all happened so fast, so it wasn’t until the rock was off our starboard side that Wil realized what was going on. Our hearts were in our throats! Wil returned to the bow to help direct us through the mostly submerged coral rocks. That one was too close for comfort!

Eventually, we were able to safely put out the jib and not worry about any more coral rocks or heads. We sailed the rest of the way to Black Point and dropped anchor just off the laundry facilities.

Rockside Laundromat is exactly as its name describes. The building sits up on the rocky coral shore with its own dinghy dock. It was a treat to drive right up to the laundromat, not having to walk a great distance with a load of clothes and laundry supplies. The machines are big and clean, and there’s free wifi!

Rockside Laundromat in Black Point

dinghy dock at Rockside Laundromat

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was doing laundry, Wil and the kids returned to the boat to make a cake for my birthday. Even though I was washing clothes on my special day, it was nice to have the afternoon to myself in an open, airy room with a gorgeous view of the harbor and free wifi. It was quite relaxing!

appears to be a beautiful boat in the making

small Bahamian boat

hard to believe this is 15 feet of water!

Later that evening, s/v Eye Candy joined us for a birthday and New Year’s Eve celebration. After singing Happy Birthday, eating cake, and opening my gifts, we turned our attention to the arrival of the New Year. Via internet through our computer to the TV, we watched a live video stream of New York’s Time Square. We all stayed up until midnight, watched the ball drop, and toasted with champagne. It was truly a special and fun evening.

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water’s coming in!

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Jenny

While this post is a little out of line, I want to let everyone know where we are and what happened on our journey here.

January 28, 2013 . . . enroute from Jamaica to San Blas Islands, Panama . . . NE winds 25 knots, seas 8-12 feet . . . starting at about 1530 . . .

“Water’s coming in!” Colin was shouting. I immediately put the helm on autopilot and ran into the salon. The escape hatch was gone, and water was rushing into the salon with nearly every wave. I grabbed a nearby towel to cover the hole and prevent any upward spraying of water, and yelled at the kids to get more towels. Then, I yelled for Wil who was on his off-watch nap. For the next day and a half, we had to work to keep water out of the boat.

Wil grabbed a square sheet of PVC to put down over the floor grate of the missing hatch, and then had Colin stand on it. Justine and I worked quickly to soak up as much of the water off the floor with an arm load of beach towels. Wil went on a search for a piece of plywood that we supposedly had onboard.

Suddenly, Colin went slightly airborne as a wave gushed up through the floor, sending Colin on a brief surfing moment atop the PVC sheet. Immediately, I hopped on top of the PVC, replacing Colin with my weight. Water still continued to flow out from under the PVC sheet, so we added beach towels on and around the escape hatch area. As Wil continued his search for the plywood, I remained on top of the PVC sheet and towels, and the kids kept soaking up water from the floor.

When Wil returned with Colin’s skim board to use to nail down to the floor, the look on Colin’s face told us we’d better try something else. We made sure to let Colin know that we may not have a choice, and we could easily repair or replace his skim board. Fortunately for Colin, Wil found some wooden dinghy seats that could be used.

The next step in the process was going to be tricky. In order to be able to stop water from coming in, we needed to remove the towels and PVC sheet, and lift the floor grate. We were going to get drenched with every wave. Therefore, we got all of our ducks in a row before removing even the first towel.

Working quickly, we tied string to the dangling empty frame, pulled it up, and secured it to the floor grate. Next, we screwed the floor grate down, the electric drill taking on some green water. After sticking a foam seal on one side of the dinghy seats, the seats were placed on top of the floor grate and screwed down to the floor. Then, after using a hot air gun to dry the area, we sealed the edges with shrink tape. Of course, this took a few tries because every time the edge was just dry enough to put down the tape, another wave would seep in from under the dinghy seats. We finally got the tape in place, and covered the area with freshly wrung towels.

We were finally able to take a breather. However, we weren’t sure our contraption was totally secure. As bigger waves hit underneath the bridgedeck, air and water were being forced under the floor board, and spraying up the salon wall. It wasn’t a lot of water, so we placed a rolled towel along the edge of the floor board to contain the water. Then, we went to work soaking up the remaining water and wringing out towels.

Eventually, the floor didn’t hold the force of the waves anymore. Before we knew it, one wave forced it’s way under the floor, ripping the floor up along its edge near the wall. Wil quickly grabbed the drill, and with me sitting on top of everything again, we added extra screws along the edge of the floor.

Again, we were secure for the moment, but more was going to have to be done. Our brainstorming continued. We had to figure out a way to slow the force of water coming in under the floor board. We came up with a new plan, but we would have to work quickly to take apart and reassemble our floor contraption. No matter what, we were, along with everything else, going to get wet again.

After undoing the dinghy seats and floor grate, we stuffed a waterproof IKEA shopping bag with two bed pillows into the open hatch area, allowing the bag edges to come up from under the floor grate. Then, we screwed down the grate and dinghy seats again, and returned to soaking up water and wringing out heavy beach towels.

IKEA bag with bed pillows plugging the hole

dinghy seats screwed down over top the hatch

 

 

 

 

 

attempting to stay water tight for a day and a half

Water and air were still working their way in along the edges, but not nearly as much. We covered the entire area with towels again, but we knew we still couldn’t stop there. The screws would only hold for so long. We needed extra weight to hold everything down.

Wil came up with a plan for a support brace. He placed a block of wood on top of our contraption, a strip of wood on the ceiling, and wedged a boat hook vertically between them. While everything was a lot more secure, I hoped we weren’t going to end up with a hole in the ceiling!

Our watches for the remainder of the passage consisted of a new chore. The towels needed wringing every few of hours, and the bilge needed to stay pumped. The automatic bilge pump worked beautifully. However, an area of bilge with our speed and depth transducers would fill first before draining into the deeper bilge. Therefore, to keep the electrical wires from staying submerged, we used a hand pump and carried the water out in a bucket.

During this time, we were in twice daily radio contact with Magellan Net boats. s/v Saliander had sailed out of Providencia on their way to Porvenir in the San Blas, and they would be arriving a day ahead of us. If we were going to Porvenir, he had a piece of plywood we could use when we got there. He also offered to keep their radio on frequency throughout the night, although we didn’t think that it would be necessary. It was a comfort to know we weren’t alone.

At the same time, we were also in daily radio contact with family members and another good ham friend. Between all of them, there was a wealth of information pouring in for how to possibly deal with getting parts ordered and sent to Panama. And, we received extremely helpful information from s/v Morning Glory who is currently in New Zealand, but they had been in Panama last season.

At first we thought we would alter course for Portobelo, where we could have easier access to repairs. However, after weighing all options, and knowing we would have to beat against wind and waves from Portobelo back to the San Blas Islands, we chose the San Blas as our destination instead.

water rushed in, getting under the floor and to the bilge

bilge area needing to stay dry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived in the San Blas Islands on January 30 at about 0230, so using waypoint information we received from Magellan Net boats, we anchored in the lee of the Chichimi Cays. After the sun came up, we sailed over to Porvenir for clearance into Panama and the Kuna Yala nation. Then, we moved around to the back side of Sail Rock to be with s/v Saliander who was ready and waiting to help us with repairs.

an empty bag was discovered on our arrival to San Blas

drying out underneath the floor boards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A piece of plywood was cut to fit into the hatch frame. A smaller piece of plywood was cut so that it could be attached to the main piece of plywood, as well as fit through the center of the hatch frame. Once the two pieces were attached to each other, they were sealed with epoxy.

items found swimming in water

sealing the plywood with epoxy

 

 

 

 

 

 

After much measuring and fitting, the plywood was eventually mounted in the frame with fast cure 4200 caulk. In order to do this, Wil had to lie on his back in the dinghy under the boat, while I assisted from the inside. I shouldn’t dare comment on how much caulk ended up in his hair, or the frustration that went along with being in a moving dinghy when things needed to be still.

With Wil still holding the plywood in place from underneath, we thru-bolted the plywood to another piece of pre-measured wood that we placed on top of the original handle brackets. For additional support, another block of wood was placed next to the thru-bolts, between the plywood and the other piece of wood. Then, through drilled holes, precisely measured for proper location, we ran string through the holes and up through the floor grate to smaller blocks of wood on top. By turning the wood blocks, we created a tourniquet that pulled up on the plywood, sealing the hatch closed.

We are water tight again, and will relax and enjoy the San Blas Islands until it’s time to head towards a more modern civilization.

During this entire experience we realized that there may be up to thousands of miles between us, but we are surrounded by so many wonderful people who were able to help us in time of need. We thank you!

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family time

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Jenny

[Note: There are many more photos to come, but they will have to wait until our next internet connection]

December 25 – 30, 2012

Christmas Day

Santa was good to us this year!

Christmas in the Bahamas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After awakening to presents under the tree, and a special Christmas breakfast of homemade cinnamon buns (made by What If), we headed off to snorkel the Thunderball Grotto. We were excited to show Jennifer and Pete the spectacular cave. This time we anchored Full Monty just off the cave, and also brought Simon (Cat) and Derek (What If) along with us for the day.

While at the cave, not only did we see so many of the fish, but also a celebrity. A few of us had come out of the cave, and ended up talking to a dad and his son. As we were talking, I kept looking at the dad and thinking that he looked just like a comedian we enjoy. As soon as we got back to the boat, we hopped online to see if we could find a photo of him. Sure enough, it was Bill Engvall, and he had recently tweeted from Nassau!

We returned to the Big Majors Spot anchorage to start cooking Christmas dinner. Honey baked ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli, croissant rolls, and pecan pie. It was truly a special dinner!

Boxing Day

Even though we had Jennifer and Pete visiting, the day after Christmas was a day for chores. Our jib was starting to pop at the seams due to thread rot, and the sail was in dire need of some repair. I was able to borrow a heavy duty sewing machine from Kris (What If), and with Jennifer’s help, we went to work. However, the machine was only able to do a few layers for one patch. We ended up having to hand-sew the rest of the torn seams along the sail cover, and it became an all-day project.

it's tough pushing a needle through all the layers

hand-sewing the jib seams at the edge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was also the day we ended up saying good-bye to Simon (Cat). Simon was heading back to the States in search of crew. We’ll miss him, but we’re looking forward to seeing him when he’s back home in New Zealand.

While Colin went to spend the day with Derek onboard What If, Jennifer and I took a break from sewing, long enough to help move the boat closer to Staniel Cay. Jennifer and I stayed aboard to keep working on the jib, and the rest of the crew went ashore to go check on Pete’s plane. Once they returned, we picked up anchor again, and moved over to our original anchorage near Fowl Cay on the backside of Big Majors Spot. What If and Good Trade were already there, and Colin was returned to us. Jennifer and I enjoyed a bit of snorkeling near the boat, and found many large starfish.

Hunter Gatherers

The next few days were spent in search of fresh seafood. We sailed offshore with What If and Good Trade, all of us spread out, dragging fishing lines. From Fowl Cay to Black Point (Great Guana Cay), we only caught five barracuda which we threw back. Even if we didn’t catch anything worth keeping, it was fun showing Jennifer and Pete the ropes.

With a brief overnight stop in Black Point, we enjoyed time ashore with Jennifer and Pete. They treated us to lunch at Lorraine’s Café. Conch burgers, grilled cheese, and a chicken sandwich were ordered, along with the Bahamas Goombay Punch. We savored every bite!

Sailing offshore from Black Point to Little Farmer’s Cay, we only managed to catch one small jack just big enough to keep. Once we dropped the hook at Little Farmer’s, some local fisherman came along side selling conch. Thinking we needed some extra seafood to have along with the jack, we purchased two conchs. Then, we continued the hunter gathering with a dinghy ride over to the cut for some spear fishing. The kids enjoyed the snorkeling, while Jennifer and I manned the dinghy. Wil managed to get one gray snapper.

At the end of the day, we were able to enjoy grilled jack and snapper with a side of conch salad and rice, complete with fried plantain sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was a perfect Bahamian style meal!

The next day, we bid farewell to What If and Good Trade. Jennifer and Pete’s visit was coming to an end, and we needed to return them to Staniel Cay.

We enjoyed a lazy sail on the bank, with a top cruising speed of maybe 2 knots. When we saw a bunch of coral heads near White Point (Great Guana Cay), we brought in the Genaker and cruised over for a peak. Wil found lots of lion fish present, so we dropped the hook and jumped in for a swim. By the end of the swim, we had 5 lion fish and a lobster for dinner.

Once we were done fishing, we couldn’t resist the beautiful white beach at White Point. We dropped anchor with the stern as close as possible to the beach, and we headed ashore. Some swam, some paddled the SUP, and some rode in the dinghy.

Once ashore and walking the pristine beach, we found countless sand dollars at the water’s edge. We joked that we’d be rich if they were real money! We also found numerous periwinkle snails tucked up along a patch of coral rock. Eventually, we made our way back to the boat, so we could make it to Black Point before sunset.

family time to a close

The next day the winds were about 20-25 knots out of the NE. We were excited to finally have some wind, so we could show Jennifer and Pete how the boat truly sails! For our final leg back to Staniel Cay, we tacked out over the bank for about an hour, and then eventually tacked back towards the cays. It was an exhilarating sail!

We dropped the hook near the Thunderball Grotto. We needed to be closer to the plane and still have enough protection from the strong winds.

That evening, Jennifer and Pete offered to treat us to dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It would be our last evening together, and it was also an early birthday celebration for me.

There is a standard, Bahamian-style protocol for dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a tradition that was started back in 1956, when the yacht club first opened. You must let the restaurant know your dinner choices by 5:00 p.m. Then, they ring the dinner bell at 7:00 p.m. and show you to your pre-assigned table. The wait staff then brings each meal course to all the tables at the same time. It was an absolutely wonderful meal. The black bean soup and key lime pie were the best we’ve ever had and out-of-this-world delicious!

The next morning, it was time for Jennifer and Pete to start their journey home. We said our good-byes with lots of clinging hugs, and Wil took them ashore. The kids and I stayed on the boat with the handheld ham radio tuned to Staniel Cay’s air traffic control frequency. It was almost too soon when we heard the Mooney being cleared for take-off. We stood on deck waiting for sight of their plane. Soon, the small plane appeared from the island, and we waved our arms in the air. After a good-bye tip with the wing, the plane gradually disappeared out of sight.

tipped their wing to say good-bye

We had had a wonderful time with Jennifer and Pete, and we were going to miss them terribly. It’s always fun to have family come visit!

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santa came to town

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Jenny

December 24, 2012

On Christmas Eve, Santa Clause rode into Staniel Cay Yacht Club on a sport fisher. Prior to his arrival, all cruising kids were invited for game and craft activities (face painting, cookie decorating, pin the nose on the snowman, bean bag toss, and other various crafts). Following the activities, all the kids were treated to a pizza lunch with a cupcake and ice cream dessert. When Santa arrived, the kids lined up for their turn to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Then, they each received a stocking with small toys and goodies, and were directed to gift tables labeled for each age group (up to 12 years old), where they each picked out a wrapped present. Justine got a beading kit, and Colin got a glow-in-the-dark basketball. We were amazed at, and appreciate, the generosity of Staniel Cay Yacht Club. And thank you, Santa!

cookie decorating

kids from Full Monty, Good Trade, What If & Essentiel

sting ray at Staniel Cay Yacht Club

After our visit with Santa, we rushed back to the boat to excitedly await the arrival of Wil’s mom and Pete. They were flying into Staniel Cay on their own plane. I set my handheld ham radio to the Staniel Cay air traffic control frequency, and listened for their approach. As soon as we heard them, Wil, along with Ross from Good Trade, took two dinghies to pick them up. In addition to their own luggage, we knew they were bringing extra Christmas goodies!

Once Jennifer and Pete were aboard, it was even more like Christmas! It was wonderful to see family again, and they fulfilled our request for junk food.

Jennifer and Pete barely had time to get settled before it was time to head to the beach for a Christmas Eve bonfire party, open to all cruisers in the anchorage. Everyone we knew was there (Cat, Essentiel, Tangerine Dream, What If, and Good Trade), and we met many more. There was an abundance of good food, especially from Tangerine Dream since Philippe had been a chef for 28 years! And Cathy’s rum punch was absolutely delicious!

Eventually, it was time to return to the boat, so we could get ready for the real Santa. The kids put out cookies and milk, as well as carrots for the reindeer. Then, it was off to bed hoping for at least a little bit of sleep.

Simon photographing the pigs

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