Onward to Exumas! First stop: Allens Cay

So much has happened since Nassau that I doubt I will remember it all or do it justice...part of that is the shear beauty of where we have been and part is that we are now living in so many sites sounds and sensations (see what I did there Jon?).  Right now we are moored at Warderick Wells in the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park...on one side of us is a sparkling shallow sand flat, on the other is deep indigo, turquoise, baby, and 10 other shades of blue clear water with rays and fish and at least one shark swimming around along with the boats coming and going from the field.  We have breeze today which is welcome because we've finally reached the balminess we had been begging for...so of course we lament about how humid it is.  Humans, never satisfied are we LOL.  I have little bandwidth and less battery so will try to sum up the last two weeks in stages.  Honestly, Nassau seems like ages ago and Florida is another world and feels like years.  We are joyfully lost in time here now, lost in time and in nature and in the rainbow of blues surrounding us.

We woke the next morning in Nassau Harbor to a sand barge blaring its horn and yelling at us because we were too far in the "channel".  We moved then moved again across to the more established anchorage on the New Providence side where we were no longer nearly side swiped by various fast moving vessels.  We walked down one main street and went to Potter Cay where we had a beer at one of the many food shacks.  Nassau is not the same outside of Paradise Island or the area immediately outside the cruise docks--no glitz and glamor but it feels real...if 'real' is what you're looking for.  We did our final fresh foods provisioning at the "Solomons" Fresh Market store near the dinghy dock...the shopping center looked exactly like any shopping center anywhere.  Exactly.  The store was exactly like any upper scale grocer in the US.  Exactly.  For provisioning, it was really nice; expensive but nice.

The next morning (2/16/15) we set out at sunrise, bound for Allens Cay.  Mark had done something to his back so was supposed to take it easy (please note: he is fine now, no issues, perfectly fine and healthy) so Jon had the helm and mastered it like a champ all the way to the channel of our first Exumas Cay!!!

He's just kidding!

Allens!! Our first Exumas Cay :-)

Measuring depth along the sand flats behind where we anchored...little did we know

We made it!

It was magical to finally get to the Exumas!!!  We went ashore on Leaf Cay and reveled in the sand and the water and the couple of igaunas we saw who were still out after their noon time visit from the tourist power boats.  By night even more boats had come into the anchorage--it was quite crowded.  That night, we found out how in such a small space, current versus wind can do crazy things to boats.  At one am Mark got up to find a catamaran that had been very far away from us, was 10 feet off our stern--he had sailed up his anchor and was "right there".  It was extremely unnerving and the monohull that had been close but "ok" was right next to us--very very close.  The three boats were in a sort of current vortex due to tides and winds and the sand shallows and were circling and dancing around their anchors and each other.  The cat moved and Mark pulled us in about five feet to get distance from the monohull; he was up all night, bumpers in hand, watching that we didn't run into the monohull.  On the plus side, he saw the Southern Cross.  He says when we see it for the first time, we'll understand now why we came this way ;-)

The next day most of the boats left asap but we planned to stay to wait out a blow but it was amazing to have the anchorage basically to ourselves.  We moved the boat to a less vortexy spot and later that day tried our hand at Bahamian mooring.  We took a dinghy trip down to SW Allens and got our close encounter of the third kind with the iguanas!  Mark had a close encounter of the tooth kind--a little one took a grape and a big one came up in his blind spot and decided his finger was as good as a grape.  Again, he is fine, not injured or otherwise unwell...oh Mark I mean, not the iguana (who I hope is none the worst for his Mark snack).  We also snorkeled for the first real time and even on a tiny little coral head saw so many amazing colors and shapes and sizes of fishies and coral life and even the butt of a lobster!  We then took a final visit to the actual Allens Cay where we saw a large engine block on the beach at low tide along with other natural and unnatural discoveries.  That night we slept well because no boats were near us and our new anchoring had kept us within a reasonable space versus all over the place.

The next day was a rainy day all day so reading and movie watching and iPhone playing ensued...unfortunately we missed the new catamaran that anchored way too close to us for what we knew the conditions were.  And yep, when the tide and current started their game, there he was perpendicular to us and very close.  Especially considering we were expecting 30 knot winds.  On the plus side, we never got any closer than "boy that's close" and our back up anchor who took over when the winds shifted was a rock star.  It was the same Fortress that held us in NC during the 40 knot winds and it proved itself once again.  I got up a lot during the night but eventually got a sense of where that other boat was always going to be and finally just trusted that nothing would cause a bump and it didn't. Whew!

We left the next morning basically at sunrise because we just had to get out of that washing machine current wind tide insanity!  We were southbound for Normans and protection from the soon to come strong east winds...we've had a lot of that--getting ahead of blows, but that's part of the fun!

To be continued...

From Tiny Bimini to Big Nassau

We left Bimini Harbor at sunrise and headed north to...yes, North Rock, were we made our turn east towards Mackie Shoal and points beyond. 

Early on it was clear we would be anchoring off Mackie Shoal. Once I digested this, and the winds continued to be calm if not nonexistent, I felt much more relaxed about the prospect of anchoring in the middle of miles and miles of open water. The entire trip there we could see down to the bottom and it was crystal clear water. We saw star fish and sea cucumbers and coral heads and maybe some conch and two different small schools of fish--yellowtail snapper and something else that I cannot identify. The floor of the Bank was very much like a desert where if you look close enough you can see the life but it's not obvious much of the time. We anchored nicely off Mackie Shoal and had a brilliant sunset experience in flat calm water...until the wee hours of the morning. The boat rocked hard and water banged and the motion brought water up to the second step of the scoops and at times up to the cockpit level. It was unpleasant and I was happy to leave. 

We headed then to Chub Cay and motor sailed to our planned anchorage--a small cove right off Chub Cay Marina/Resort. On the way, Mark even arranged for a Valentine's Day balloon to be dropped along our heading for me...hmmm I am not sure I believe that story ;-) The winds were not exactly as predicted and it was a rough anchorage but we thought it would settle as the winds turned from the north.  Well they turned but we still had no protection so I felt it was another rough night and I did not sleep well but it was at least better than the night before. The marina and resort groups are very expensive and there were hardly any people there but two boats did go into the marina so it wasn't empty.  We left at 0630 for Nassau.

It was a reasonably quiet morning with good wind and we got both sails up and engines off really early...and we were back sailing the Tongue of the Ocean. You know 2000 meters deep and all.  Jon put out the fishing line and we went about our morning. Then!! Whirrrrrizzzzzzzzzz!!!  OMG!! "Jon you got something!"  Down goes breakfast prep and the business of reeling in whatever it was started.  It was a hard fight and finally we saw him. A beautiful Mahi that Jon caught. It was hard to take him all the way and Mark apologized before "ending it". They fileted it (I will not go into detail) and we now have a good deal of fish to enjoy thanks to Jon's efforts.  The boys enjoyed the freshest fish ever for breakfast instead of eggs!

We made it to Nassau in great time and managed to find hold on the far eastern side of the Harbor.  We are being nearly side swiped by tour and fishing and power boats but here we are.  We are hosting Island Khaya for fish dinner and I sure hope the traffic does because I desperately want to sleep tonight.  Tomorrow we will go ashore and look around and get some fresh fruits and veg then be on our way to hopefully the top side of the Exumas on Monday.  We need to get to a comfy spot in advance of a front and blow coming on Wednesday.  

Next time I have data or WiFi I'll update you again. XO Suzanne

PS and we even got a bit of a firework show!!

Our few days in Bimini

Let me get this off my chest...One big thing I have learned in the last four months is that I'm deleting pretty much every cruiser blog and chatter group I signed up for before we left.  I was starving for any bit of information I could find in those days sitting up on the mountain and took it all 10000% as gospel.  It's like Yelp for boating where one comment is that an anchorage or marina is crap and the next one says it's like finding Nirvana...you know what they say about opinions ;-)  Now I am proud to say that I am learning about what sailing is on our boat for myself and better yet, meeting places and learning about them as well for myself.  I read a post the other day that started, "Bimini is not the place it was in the 70's...".  No, I don't suppose it is...nor is Haymarket, Virginia or Detroit, Michigan or the Chesapeake Bay or Acapulco or Morocco or London or the South Pole for that matter.  Places change; sometimes they change for the better, sometimes not, sometimes it's in the eye of the beholder.  The same can be said for people--I know I am nothing like the girl I was 20 years ago or even 10 or 5 years ago.  I'm much more bratty and obnoxious now LOL!  All kidding aside, I am going to make a true effort to withhold judgement and behold for myself and make up my own mind.  Chalk one up for life lessons learned on this trip!!

So we had a great few days in Bimini and my only regret is that we didn't plan a little better because we never got down to South Bimini and the Shell Beach I hoped to visit...hey, next time for sure! I will fondly remember the nice folks who said "good day" or "good afternoon" and the people who asked if we were enjoying our visit.  I should very much like to come back here again.

Of our two full days, we had a good jog one day (5k!) and ran past the famous Joe's Conch Shack so of course we went back that afternoon for conch salad...and beer.  He had run out of conch so went off in his boat to get some more...literally, get some more, like out of the water.  He cracked it right there behind his place and I even got to eat the pistol.  And no, I did not seem to benefit from any aphrodisiac qualities, sorry; but I can say that I've done it!  After that we got to have some fresh, and I mean fresh out of the water fresh, conch salad.  It was amazing! 

The remains

Right off the boat, literally

a Ma and her two babies

This morning we were a bit lazy but did take a last walk around North Bimini and picked up another batch of conch salad and lobster salad for our toast and dinner with Island Khaya.  That along with some out of the world garlic buns from the bakery across the street.  We also bought a massive sweet roll and a mini coconut cream pie.  While visiting with Island Khaya, who recently celebrated their four year cruising anniversary and their 40 year wedding anniversary, we went over to the bull shark area since a fishing boat had come in--high hopes for seeing some sharks who visit when the fishermen throw the scraps in the water.  It started slow but eventually four of the handsome creatures arrived.  A group of researchers were also there doing something that I really didn't understand but they kept calling them "trials".  Oh how I wish my sister was there to explain what they were doing...and likely to tell them how to do it correctly.  Some type of experiment with electromagnetism and the effect on shark habits?  Whatever it was, it was beautiful to see them not in an aquarium and we all hope to see them in much more natural circumstances very soon...but from a safe distance--like us on the boat and them in the water...but not when we want to be swimming please.

Should have just gotten one of each

You can go in the cage when the sharks are there...no thanks

Here are some videos--they are quick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTTKq9phj8g&feature=em-upload_owner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk9a86jx7oM&feature=em-upload_owner

Tomorrow morning we'll be up and out by sunrise for a big trip north then around and across the Bank towards the Northwest Channel where we will find an anchorage 15 or so miles west of Chubb Cay or possible on the bank depending on how far we get before the sun goes down...then we will continue onto Nassau around the northern side to find an anchorage somewhere on the east side.  Then we'll take a pause and decide if we want to just bee-line for Georgetown in the Exumas or bop down the Chain yet still ending up in Georgetown to regroup then head north to really take in the whole Chain proper.  I think tomorrow may be our longest passage in some time and it will be an exciting trip for the next couple of days!!  XO Suzanne

PS, For Mark and all his Ohio and OU pals, it would appear that Mr. Joe is or at least was an OU fan!

You walk up to his unassuming place:

 And then you see this poster!!

Go Bobcats!!