refreshing rain

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Jenny

December 6, 2012

After one last snorkel at Rose Island, we picked up anchor and headed for Nassau. It was time to tend to some errands ashore.

The 6 mile journey to Nassau, taking us about an hour, was all motoring against the wind. Ominous rain clouds were appearing on the horizon, so we kept our fingers crossed that we would make it before it rained. We were in luck.

When coming into Nassau Harbor, all boats must hail Nassau Harbor Control on the VHF requesting permission to enter the harbor. Nassau Harbor Control asks for last port of call and vessel registration numbers. Then, they grant you permission and tell you to have a good day.

Moments after our anchor found the bottom in Nassau Harbor, the rain clouds found us. By that point we were actually quite excited to have the dousing of fresh water. Our foul weather gear had been sitting out on the back of our nav chair since our crossing from Beaufort because it was too salty to hang in the closet.

As soon as the rain began to pour, we put on our full foul weather gear and went on deck. At first, we just stood there, holding out our arms and rotating our bodies in the wind blown rain. Then, we began doing topside chores. I removed the offshore jack lines, and Wil began cleaning the deck and cockpit with a scrubbing broom. We worked to unclog a drain hole that happened to have pieces of refrigeration insulation in it from when we were at Jarrett Bay. We laid out the fishing gear for a good rinse. Anyone watching would have thought we were nuts, but it was so refreshing to be covered in fresh water.

As we were getting ready to go to bed, the wind had died and boats had begun to swing different directions in the current. A power boat had swung too close to our stern. However, since we were the last boat to anchor in the area, we were the ones who had to move. It’s never any fun to re-anchor a boat in unfamiliar territory in the dark, but we got it done. Then, we were able to rest easy for the rest of the night.

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rose island

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Jenny

December 5 – 6, 2012

The anchorage on the southern side of Rose Island was a great snorkeling spot. There are a bunch of coral heads along the edge of the island, and since this reef is protected for tourism, there are many large fish swimming in and around the coral.

As par for the routine, while Wil was working on some boat project, the kids and I would do school in the morning, and then we’d all go snorkeling by mid-afternoon.

There was a large mutton snapper that had us all wishing we could fish on this reef. It made the one we caught near Eleuthera look like a baby! There were lobster hiding under the rocks, and I almost bumped into a spotted moray eel. The assortment of parrot fish, and various other fish, were absolutely gorgeous!

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lions and kings and barracuda . . . oh my!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Jenny

December 3 – 4, 2012

So we could do some fishing along the way, our trip to Nassau was taken in steps.

After school was completed for the day, we picked up anchor and bid farewell to Spanish Wells. We sailed about 7 miles south to a remote spot along the northwestern coast of Eleuthera near Lobster Cay. We anchored with our stern close to a small, lone coral reef, and immediately jumped in for a quick snorkel before sunset. To our surprise, there were many lionfish living on the reef. Lionfish are a highly venomous, non-native predator that are damaging the already fragile reef system. They are a beautiful, but dangerous fish.

The next morning before school, and before our departure to Rose Island, we went for another quick snorkel, so we could video the lionfish. The filming was done in a safe manner by attaching the GoPro camera to the end of a boat hook, so no one risked getting stung by these potentially aggressive fish.

the darker color is a coral head under the water

Then once again, we were on our way to our next destination of choice, Rose Island, about 6 miles east of Nassau. All of our usual fishing lines were placed off the stern in hopes of catching some fresh fish for dinner.

As we were sailing out from the sand bank of northern Eleuthera, and into Northeast Providence Channel, we crossed over one coral reef. Suddenly, we had 3 fish on our lines. One was a beautiful, and very edible, mutton snapper. The second fish was a fairly large barracuda which we immediately released. And, the third fish got away by the time we got to it. It was an all-hands-on-deck affair. Wil and Colin pulled in the fishing lines, Justine had the fish book and was responsible for fish identification, and I prepared the filet station. Autopilot Max drove the boat.

barracuda smile for the camera

nice mutton snapper

helping with Colin's king mackerel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t too long after filleting the snapper that we had another fish on the line. Colin pulled in a very large king mackerel. The mackerel had enough fight in him that Colin had to brace himself to keep from being pulled out of the cockpit. There was enough meat on the mackerel to feed us for a straight week! I divided the filets into portions for freezing.

happy with his catch

For the remainder of the trip, we only caught two more barracuda which we threw back. Barracuda are edible, and many people eat them. However, they smell fishy to us. Fishy smells tell us that the fish have a strong, fishy taste, and that’s something we don’t like.

As we made our entrance to Rose Island, we pulled in the fishing lines and focused our attention on the surrounding coral heads and rocks. Soon we were anchored and ready to explore the waters of Rose Island after a good night’s sleep.

ahhh, the tropics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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snorkeling video

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Jenny

Here is some video we took while snorkeling at Lynyard Cay in the Abacos and near Lobster Cay in northern Eleuthera. A sea turtle and lionfish included!

Bahamas Snorkeling

 

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spanish wells

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Jenny

December 1 – 3, 2012

the waterfront at Spanish Wells

Royal Island turned into just a brief overnight stop on our way to Spanish Wells. We were hoping for some fun snorkeling in the small, protected harbor, but the strong northeasterly winds had really disturbed the water’s clarity. Therefore, we quickly sailed on to Spanish Wells at St. George’s Cay in Eleuthera.

After a brief tour of the Spanish Wells waterfront, we found a small cove big enough for one boat to anchor. It was our original intention to get some shopping done in Spanish Wells. However, moments after dropping the hook, we checked to see if we could find an internet signal. Lo and behold we’d found one! It was our first internet since leaving the states, and we were all excited to do some catching up. It didn’t take long before all you could hear onboard was the sound of taps on the keyboard.

As evening fell, Spanish Wells lit up. Many homes were decorated in Christmas lights, reminding us that Christmas as just around the corner. It was a beautiful sight.

Realizing that Spanish Wells was too small for the errands we needed to run, we decided to use the next two days to catch up on school, write blog posts, and get the water maker working.

Water desalination was a success! Wil was a happy camper as he brought around the first glass of fresh water for all of us to sample. It was amazing at how smooth and fresh the water tasted. That afternoon, the water maker produced about 150 liters per hour (33 gallons/hour). After letting it run for 2 hours, we had filled a little more than half of one water tank. It was a huge relief knowing that this could be the end of having to find a dock with water, or having to lug jerry jugs in the dinghy. It was also nice to know that we won’t have to purchase water outside the states, and that our water will be safe to drink.

colorful buildings of the Bahamas

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lynyard cay to royal island

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Jenny

November 30 – December 1, 2012

At first we thought we were stuck at Lynyard Cay until the strong northeast winds subsided. From our stand point, and through the binoculars, we could see the reef at Little Harbour Cut, and it wasn’t pretty. There were large waves breaking over the reef. Many times, conditions like those, also create breaking waves in the channel itself, making an unsafe passage.

After deciding that we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere for quite a few days, we discovered a photo in our chart book showing Little Harbour Cut from the air. The only warning given was not to use this channel in strong southeast winds. Therefore, we decided to give it a try.

We planned for an early morning exit when the wind strength would be slightly less. The high tide would also be in our favor. Higher water means fewer breaking waves.

As soon as the sun broke the horizon, we motor sailed towards Little Harbour Cut. The closer we got, the larger the swells became. However, we could still see a clear passage to the open water.

While it was momentarily tense passing between reefs and coral heads in big swell, the passage through the cut was successful. As we pulled away from the Abacos, we could breathe a sigh of relief.

The day’s sail to Royal Island was an amazing sail. With a 15 to 20 knot northeast wind, and a 5 to 8 foot swell, we sailed for eight hours on a very comfortable beam reach.

The trip would have been almost perfect if we would’ve caught some fish like we thought we would, and if I had not gotten my fingers caught in a fast moving jib line. I was very fortunate to have only suffered minor rope burn and bruised knuckles.

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tip of the month ~ trash tricks

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Jenny

One of the best tricks we’ve learned is how to handle our smelly trash. Thanks to our good friends onboard Matador, we can now go for longer periods of time without stinky trash bags piling up inside the boat.

When we’re underway, and well offshore, all biodegradable foods and items can be tossed overboard, something we’ve always done all along. However, now when we open a package of food wrapped in plastic, we stuff the dirty plastic wrapper into an empty jar or can with a lid, such as a peanut butter jar. Meat packaging gets rinsed with salt water, and then cut into bits small enough to fit into the designated “trash” container.

So far, we have continued to put non-smelly plastics into the regular garbage bag. However, Matador had also told us to put all trash into empty bottles or containers, and then it’s much easier to dinghy your trash ashore.

It’s amazing what one can learn when sitting around sharing yarns with other cruisers!

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the abacos ~ lynyard cay

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Jenny

November 29 – 30, 2012

Pleasant surprises were found at Lynyard Cay.

looking out from Lynyard Cay

We had barely risen from our bunks, and Colin’s level of excitement was to be matched by only that of Christmas. He was quite eager to return to the water, and very quickly reminded me that I had promised a morning swim before school. However, it was slightly overcast and chilly, and I was in no mood to get wet. So, Wil was the good dad who took his son snorkeling.

ahhhh! Bahamian waters

coral beaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wil and Colin returned with all kinds of stories about their sightings. A sea turtle feeding at a small coral reef nearby was the most exciting! There were also a variety of fish, such as yellow snapper, jack, grouper, and squirrel fish.

Over the course of the next two days, in between schooling, we all did a bunch of snorkeling. Each morning, Colin would go see the sea turtle before it would disappear for the day. Other sightings included a Moray eel, a sting ray, sea cucumbers, sea biscuits, hermit crabs, many empty conch shells, and several small barracuda.

our deck after snorkeling

such purity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the end of two days of snorkeling in the semi-cool water and a strong northeast wind, our bodies were chilled and worn out. It was time for a break from swimming, and time to work our way a little further south.

We studied the charts and made our departure plans for the next morning. Royal Island, near Eleuthera would be our next destination.

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the abacos ~ marsh harbor to lynyard cay

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Jenny

November 28, 2012

The clear blues and greens of the water. It was exactly as Wil and I remembered it. In all of our previous cruising, the water of the Bahamas was some of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. The kids, especially Colin, were bouncing with excitement, ready to go swimming.

After a painless clearance into the country by Bahamian Customs and Immigration, we pulled away from Marsh Harbor and headed for Hope Town, where we were expecting to anchor for a few days.

Hope Town is a place where a lot of cruisers go, the surfing is supposedly good on the other side of the island, and it’s a quaint little town to visit. However, without a guide book in hand, and no “word of mouth” from anyone recently, we weren’t sure about going into the tiny harbor which, according to the charts, seemed to be only for moorings. Therefore, we anchored outside the harbor entrance.

getting ready for a swim

 

 

We jumped in for a quick snorkel. The kids were amazed at just how clear the water was. There were many huge, thick starfish along the sandy bottom. (Exactly like the ones on many computer screen displays!) We took turns passing one around. It felt so rigid and bumpy, and reached about 12 inches in diameter.

admiring the beauty that surrounds us

lighthouse at Hope Town, Abacos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we swam, the wind starting picking up strength. It would not be a comfortable place to stay for the night, so we needed to find a better place to anchor. We quickly exited the water, dried off, hauled up the anchor, and headed further south down the Abacos island chain.

After looking at the charts, we had two anchor spots in mind. We arrived at the closest anchorage to find it was crowded with a bunch of other catamarans. We decided to continue on towards a larger and more protected anchorage at the end of the island chain. However, it would be close to sunset by the time we got there. With the Genaker out and the wind on our stern, we flew through the water, in hopes of anchoring with enough light to to see.

We were just over a mile away from the anchorage as the setting sun seemed to fall faster below the horizon. We were out of time. There was no way we could make it before dark, and it would be hazardous to try. We checked the charts again and found one lone spot at Lynyard Cay that seemed to be calling our name. All remaining daylight disappeared as the anchor found the bottom.

All was dark and peaceful. It would be fun to see what sorts of surprises we would discover when the sun came up.

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twitter updates

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jenny

As we’re quickly discovering, internet access is difficult to come by in the Bahamas. Therefore, for short day-to-day updates, you can follow us on Twitter. Every time I do a position report through SPOT, a brief message is sent to Twitter. This way, you can get little news blips in-between blog posts!

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