Cat Island

After leaving Georgetown for the final time this year, we had a great sail to Cat Island and anchored outside the settlement of New Bight. As we got closer, you could see the difference in the colors of the deep 6,000 foot Exuma Sound and the 30 foot banks.

 There isn't alot to do here, but you can't miss seeing one of the most interesting places in the Bahamas - The Hermitage.  It is atop Mt. Alverna, the highest point of land, 206', and was built by one man, Father Jerome.  He retired from being a Catholic Priest and became a hermit living the rest of his life out on this Island. Father Jerome built the miniature replica of a Franciscan monastery.  He chose this site as he could see the cobalt blue waters of the Atlantic to the east and the emerald/turquoise waters of the banks to the west.  He died in 1956 at the age of 80 and is buried underneath the Hermitage. It is well maintained and open to the public.  There is a paved road (a 20 minute walk) up to the base of the hill where the Hermitage is located. Also, along a steep, narrow path, he carved the
twelve stations of the Cross.  

Seems like the island is filled with ruins.  There is an old plantation home of Henry Hawkins Armbister that was built in 1760 and burned by the slaves prior to emancipation.  The local town has a small hotel with a restaurant, a Shell gas station, a few small convenience stores and a bakery, but being a Sunday everything was closed but a great sunny day for a walk around and exploring new things......

More of Long Island

While at Long Island, Thompson Bay anchorage, there were many boats anchored.  Eva decided to arrange a dinner with Trifina at Club Thompson Bay with her famous Bahamian Buffet as a get together for all. Thursday evening was the arranged night for about 20 cruisers. The dinner started with a "Happy Hour" ( a necessity for cruisers).  Then the Buffet was presented in its full Bahamian Glory with mismatched platters of fabulous food for the now very hungry gang. The buffet included, ribs, chicken,  fresh battered grouper, mac n' cheese, peas and rice, cole slaw, potato salad, fried plantains, and other Bahamian goodies prepared for us.  The cost was a very reasonable $15.00 per person not including drinks.

Ed enjoying the buffet!

On Friday, we rented a car with Bob and Pat from "Maverick" and got to see the island from one end to the other.  Some of the sites included the Columbus Monument which was constructed as a tribute to the arrival of Christopher Columbus, Dean's Blue Hole, which is the worlds deepest blue hole plunging 663 feet to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean; Clarence Town which is the home of  St. Paul's Anglican Church and St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church both built by Father Jerome Hawes; Cape Santa Maria Bay and Beach which is one of the newest resorts on the island; Stella Maris Resort which is another resort and Adderley's Plantation which was a cotton plantation.  The rented car was a newer silver colored small car and it was put through the ultimate test on some of the narrow rocky, pothole covered roads that had branches scraping the vehicle on both sides.  This car looked like it was buffed with an electric buffer but using sandpaper instead of a polishing disc. The car was returned in a rainy morning and was all wet concealing ALL of the scratches.

Columbus Monument

St. Peter's Catholic Church

Dean's Blue Hole

Long Island

As we were saying good bye to Georgetown, the song verse ...Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day came into mind.  And those words were so true throughout the day.  We started out with 10 kts of wind, both sails up and gradually down to less than 5 meaning we were going to motor the rest of the way  But the sun was shining and the water was like glass, allowing Eva to stand at the bow and look for starfish in the breeding area - she saw at least 40 of them!

Long Island is our anchorage for the next few days.  The island is only 60 miles long and 4 miles wide. It has one of the most scenic highways in the Bahamas and is divided by the Tropic of Cancer.  It has two different coasts, one with soft white beaches and the other rocky land that descend right into the sea. There are sloping hills in the Northeast and flat white land where salt was once produced.  Many of the locals engage in pot hole farming, which involves planting in fertile holes in limestone.  They grow peas, corn, pineapples and bananas and many raise sheep, goats and pigs.
We are anchored in the central part, called Thompson Bay.  There isn't much around but 3 small restaurants, Long Island Breeze, Parrots of the Caribbean and Club Thompson Bay all with irregular hours. A short dingy ride takes you to one of the newest resorts still in the process of being built, Long Island Breeze.  There you will find hotel rooms, laundry, swimming pool and bar/restaurant. They have internet as well and Mike (the owner) does a cruisers net every morning at 8 am providing the weather, national news and info on the local businesses and general information for the cruisers. We met Phil and Wanda from "Amazing Grace" and Fred and Linda from "Cygnus" and had lunch.  Ed also had a dip in the fresh water pool.

 Across the street is one of two small local grocery stores. Many of the locals get their own cases of food and other items directly from the mail boat which comes in weekly. This is a place just to sit and relax and take it easy.  The only downfall is that the once beautiful beaches are now littered with so much trash, it is hard to walk let alone find a place to put your towel and relax! We also found a neat cave that we explored watching out for the bats hanging above your head the whole time!

Litter everywhere and seems like a lot comes from big ships in the ocean.

The inside of the cave we found!

Getting things right off the boat!

Georgetown

Sign to direct you to anywhere in the world!

Anchorage at sunsetPicture of anchorage from town 

St. Teresa Catholic Church - 1 service on Sunday

Angelican Church on top of the hill

Dingy dock right next to grocery store, across from gas station and water available right at dock

Georgetown

After waking early, listening to Chris Parker with the weather, the anchor was up at 7:15 am ready to head out Galliot cut to Georgetown.  We followed another boat, Shannondoah and saw her rocking back and forth ahead of us - not a good sign.  As we got closer to the cut, the waves were breaking and the winds were howling.  We went a little further and instead of it getting better, it only got worse. 

 Time to give Rylee a sea sickness pill and make sure for the second and third time that everything below is secure as it is going to be a rough ride.  The winds and wave height were not even close to what was predicted.  We had winds SE at 20 and waves 6-8 feet.  We put up both reefed sails and held on tight.  We bobbed up and down as the waves crashed over the bow and knew that if we turned back, it would be another four to five days at anchor waiting for the next weather window.  We decided that Makai would be tough and could make the six hour 38 plus miles to Georgetown where we would anchor for a week or so.  Georgetown is the final destination for a lot of cruisers who chose to spend the winter months here.  It has a variety of nicknames such as "Adult Day Camp" and "Chicken Harbor".  But it also has a lot to offer cruisers such as grocery stores, fuel, medical clinic, churches, liquor stores, laundry services, banks, restaurants, straw market, internet, water and trash disposal, all vital to a cruiser. 
 During a normal season, there are usually 300 or more boats here and as of today, 150 are at anchor with more arriving each day.  There are several prime anchoring spots, Volleyball Beach being the hub with Sand dollar Beach and Hamburger Beach to the sides, each representing their respective name.  Cruisers here are very organized to say the least, starting off each morning with a Cruisers Net on the radio announcing the days activities and events, weather, new arrivals, departing boats, etc.  If you are looking for aerobics, basket weaving, bible study, dominoes, arts and crafts, volleyball, basketball, Texas hold-em poker, trivial pursuit, music therapy, book study, sewing classes, ham radio classes - anything and everything is here just ask anyone and they will be more than happy to direct you to the right person.  It is a party place too --- lots of drinking, dancing, and more drinking until dark when everyone starts making ready for a good nights sleep to start the next day refreshed.

Black Point

A short six mile sail from Staniel Cay to one of the best laundromats and homemade carrot cake in the Bahamas is at Black Point. Actually, it is better than some of the marinas in the states having 12 washers and 12 dryers with each load costing $3.50.  We needed to do four loads including sheets, towels, jeans and sweatshirts that we have been wearing during the cold spell.  After the laundry was finished and carrot cake safely tucked away for after dinner, we walked down the street to Lorraine's Cafe for a burger, fries, beer and coke.  While waiting for our lunch, we were able to connect to the internet and catch up on the news on CNN.  Lorraine's mom also bakes some of the best Bahamian bread in all of the islands.  We grabbed a loaf of coconut since the white was sold out.  The $5 loaf is so worth it!  Also Black Point is one of the few islands that lets you deposit your trash and fill up your containers of R/O (Reverse Osmosis) water for free.  We departed the island in the early afternoon for our evening anchorage which will be at Galliot Cay, putting us five minutes from the inlet (cut) for our morning departure to Georgetown.

Staniel Cay/Big Majors Anchorage

As soon as we had nice weather, we were one of the first boats to leave the park and head further south.  In a matter of minutes late, eight more boats were following!  The winds were great and the sails were up letting us arrive at our anchorage in no time.  Big Majors is an uninhabited island about a half mile from the larger Staniel Cay which has a marina, two grocery houses, a bread house, a few small restaurants and an airstrip.  We made sure the anchor was set and took Rylee ashore.  Then it was off to see what had changed over the year.  Much to our disappointment, one of our favorite places, Club Thunderball had closed.  Last year, it was the place to go for happy hour, free internet and a fantastic super bowl party where the Steelers won the superbowl!  Next stop was Staniel Cay Marina, thinking we could grab a sandwich and a cold drink ---- wrong!  They actually closed down the restaurant for a day of major cleaning.  Continuing on down the road, we stopped at the Yellow House, where the woman bakes bread, only to strike out again...she was not baking due to the cool weather and her yeast was not rising properly.  One last stop of the day was Isles General Store. The shelves were pretty bare and the mail boat which brings in the fresh foods, dairy and produce was not due in for two more days.  The only thing that brightened our day was seeing the swimming pigs!  There are about 7 or so pigs that live on Big Major and everyone goes to see and feed them --- they actually swim to your dingy and try to get food.  

Exuma Park, Wardrick Wells

We are currently on a mooring ball at Exuma Land and Sea Park in Wardrick Wells which covers 176 sq. miles of beautiful blue water, reefs and fish breeding grounds.  There are hiking trails and snorkeling areas.  The park has a small office with a gift shop, dvd rentals and a few souvenir items.  There are no grocery stores, fuel, water or trash disposal available.  Only the park ranger, his wife, two staff member and a few members of the defense force live on the island.  It is so strange to see lobster, conch and fish everywhere - but don't dare catch or take any as there is a mandatory $500 per person on board the boat fine per incident (a single fish, lobster or shell counts as one incident) and your boat can be confiscated!  The park warden patrols and will take action making arrest and impounding vessels for violations.  The fee for a mooring ball is only $20 but they have a "volunteer" program in which you can work in the park and waive your mooring fee.  Eva worked one day in the gardens and another day varnishing teak.  Several "must sees" are Boo Boo hill which is named for the spirits of a boat that sunk with people on board, but when they went to retrieve the bodies, they were gone!  They say their spirits are here and you can see them and hear them on the hill.

 Most visitors leave their boat name on a piece of wood which is supposed to quiet the spirits!  "Bubba" is the other must see --- he is a 4 foot barracuda who lives in the park waters along with 8 or so sharks, huge stingray and a variety of large fish.  And you think we are going swimming??? 

 Actually we did do some snorkeling and got to see some beautifully colored fish, coral and even one of the sharks!  We have a school of jacks (type of fish) that have been swimming around Makai and range in size from 2 to 4 feet.  While we were enjoying the waters, a few mocking birds were enjoying our apples on the boat.  They actually flew inside, ate some of the apple, left a mess of droppings everywhere and then flew out and on their way. The only mammal that lives on the island is called a hotia.  It is larger than a rat but smaller than a groundhog and comes out at night to eat the trees and vegetation.  Happy hour was held on Friday night on the beach complete with calypso music and a bonfire.  There are 24 boats in the park here including "Amazing Grace," "Adamant 1," "Blue Blazes," "First Edition," "Cygnus" and "Sun Spot Baby" all who we have met while cruising.  We will stay here until Tuesday since the winds are blowing rather high and we did have a few rain storms yesterday.

Iguanas

After 9 days in Nassau we headed to Allan's Cay which is a 30 mile trip. The winds were 15-20 knots out of the NW letting us motor sail.  Approximately 18 miles into the trip we were on the Yellow Bank, which can be a bit tricky.  It is about 15' deep but known for the coral heads that rise to 3' below the surface.  In order to see them, you need to cross at mid-day with the sun shining.  Eva was on watch at the bow of the boat directing Makai through, making sure to avoid them.

 There aren't that many, but they are there and look like a black patch in the water.   We arrived at Allan's Cay for our overnight stay.  This is one of several popular anchorages in the island chain of the Exumas. The anchorage is large enough for 10-12 boats and if the winds are blowing, you feel like you are in a washing machine, being tossed back and forth all night!  The main attraction of this uninhibited island are the prehistoric rock iguanas.  Most everyone stops to see and feed these rather large, almost blind ugly creatures!  They are protected by Bahamanian law.  They hid out in the brush until you are close and they see your movement or food being thrown (they love lettuce, grapes and veggies) and they scurry to check things out.  Some of these guys are bigger than Rylee!

 Our next stop will be at Exuma Land and Sea Park, Wardrick Wells.

New Year's Eve/New Year's Day 2010

What a fantastic anchorage spot for New Year's Eve!  We are anchored in the Nassau Harbor right between the famous Atlantis Resort and the Green Parrot restaurant.  The Green Parrot is very cruiser friendly, providing a dingy dock, internet and trash bins, however no water.   To celebrate New Year's 2010 the restaurant had a live band and also a DJ, enabling us to hear the music all evening. At midnight the fireworks began, lasting for 35 minutes with plenty to see.  After Atlantis , fireworks continued downtown Nassau for another 15 minutes making the New Year entrance GRAND!


 Then it was on to Bay Street for the annual New Year's Day Junkanoo parade which started at 2 am and ran until after 8am, we got there around 4:15 am.  Junkanoo is a Bahamian national festival which is a kaleidoscope of color and sound.  You hear the sounds of cowbells, goat skin drums and whistles, accompanied by an array of brass instruments.  The event takes place several times during the year -- on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, New Years morning and on July 10th which is Independence day here. Costuming is a tedious process that demands tremendous skill and creativity. Costumes begin with a selection of a theme. Then the patterns are created on cardboard, which is the base of the costumes. Once the costumes structure is complete, hundreds of brilliantly colored layers of fringed crepe paper are meticulously pasted on. The fringe effect is what adds texture and

 dimension to these elaborate costumes. The more elaborate larger ones weigh up to 100 pounds being held on your shoulders for the two mile parade which can make one very sore and tired! 

The floats are also made by hand and must be hand pulled by one or two men - nothing electrical permitted and sometimes can weight up to 300 pounds.  Cash prizes are awarded but more important is the prestige of being the "best of show".  And what amazes us is that the participants are so willing to stop and pose for a picture. (it makes for a rest period also) 

During the festival we stopped for Chinese food.  Where else can one have chinese food sitting on a stoop watching a parade at five-o-clock in the morning?  A trip to Nassau during Junkaroo is not to be missed for anyone planning a trip to the Bahamas at that time.