February 19, 2014

We are safe and sound in George Town. Happily catching some of the Olympic's on TV.

Bitter Guana Cay cliff

Last time you heard from us we were in Black Point and we ended up spending 4 nights there.

A great little spot, with a capacity to accommodate many boats without feeling like you’re anchored on top of one another. We managed to catch up on chores like the blog, laundry, and groceries as well as lots of social gatherings (Thanks Bob and Monique for a great night, awesome spaghetti!) and a day exploring the island by foot. There were no shortages of Super Bowl parties which we managed to stop into 3 before stopping at DeShamon’s ordered pizza and watched the game with some locals “out back”, such a fun night.

This little Island was definitely a highlight for us. The locals here have been so warm and friendly, not to say other stops haven’t been, but Black Point wins the prize so far. 

Laundry/showers

supply boat off loading

sound side from Black Point

Needing a bit of solitude we left Black Point and stopped for 2 nights a short jaunt down Great Guana Cay at a place called White Point. First night there were only 2 other boats with the second night bringing in 6 more as we are all slowly making our way to Little Farmers for the Regatta and Festival.

White Point

Arriving at Little Farmers Cay we decided to stay one night on dock at Farmers Cay Yacht Club to plug in and fully charge our batteries after many days on the hook we hadn’t been able to recover totally with the solar panels or even running the engine.  High winds and very strong current made it a bit of a gong show to get into but the second attempt went very smooth. Coming off the dock the next day was equally difficult but there were many hands on the dock to assist with lines. Contrary to what the waterway guide and Explorer Charts write about, there was no propane or fuel on Little Farmers so we would have to wait on those items. We are starting to pay for garbage disposal, $2-3 per bag depending on size, not a bad price.

Great swimming around our boat at anchor and we also had a chance to take a walk up to a land Cave on Great Guana Cay.

Our stay in Little Farmers took in the 5F party. We had a lot of fun but it was not what we were expecting. The Island didn’t really come together as one. Instead there seemed to be a battle of venues all competing to get your business. We managed to hit all 3. It was probably one of the hottest days yet. Good food and fun at Ocean Cabin, at the yacht club, cold cheap beer, good food and I entered a “Kayaking” race. It turned out to be a kayak with a single dingy paddle but with only 3 other competitors I managed to take 1^st place and walk away with $55, a nice little addition to the entertainment fund!! Finishing off the night at Sunset Bar and Grill for music, more food and sharing stories with fellow boaters. 

We took in the Class C boat races on Saturday, watching from Harmonium who was anchored on the West side with the boats racing right through the middle of the anchorage. These boats are all still hand crafted, single canvas sail hand stitched and three times the size of the boat! Lots of pride taken in these boats and a very significant past time for Bahamians.  We hope to take in the Class A boat regatta in George Town next week. Similar boat only bigger.  

yacht club

making fresh conch salad

our walk home along the runway in Little Farmers

1st place

Class C  races - Harmonium in the back ground

On Sunday we headed outside in the sound to make our way down to a couple more anchorages before getting to George Town. Rudder Cut Cay, Lee Stocking Island and Normans Pond Cay made for 3 great stops, enjoying fishing, snorkeling, hiking, dingy rides and the company of some old and new friends. Normans Pond Cay had one of the most spectacular coral reefs that we had experienced so far unfortunately cut short when Phil came across a shark. I’m still a bit of a chicken to sharing my personal space with such a creature and Krista and Phil agreed!

Our second attempt was cut short by a huge squall that hit while Al and Krista were waiting in the dingy and realizing some of our hatches were left open.

near David Copperfield's Island-he has placed this stainless steel piano and mermaid sculpture 

hummingbird on Lee Stocking island- I've never seen was staying still!!

So one disappointing story, I know some of you already know about because Al emailed some of you while he was still licking his wounds, the “one that got away”.

Our trip from Norman’s Pond Cay to George Town we put our rod out once again to try our luck fishing. We had had a couple of bites over the last few days but nothing on the hook. We were motor sailing to keep our speed up as we were told that Mahi Mahi like between 6-7 knots trolling in about 100 feet of water.

Yes, one on the hook!  It jumped out of the water twice before Al got to the rod. After 15-20 minutes of fighting Al had him at the back of the boat, attempted to gaff him only to have the fish flail one last time with everything he had and the line broke. I can’t explain how disappointed both of us were. Such excitement and adrenaline rush and then such a sense of  !!**@*!*@***@!

Any way now we know we can catch one and have discussed to death what we will and won’t do next time.

 The one that got away

celebrating being in George Town

What a great trip it has been so far. The weather remains hot and sunny day after day now other than a few squalls now and then and days constant wind. 

Stay tuned for stories from our stay here in George Town.