Breeze On

This morning a small shark swam around our boat. George was at the bow making some adjustments to the anchor chain when he spotted it. We believe it was a black-tipped reef shark, one of the most common sharks in the Bahamas. They are not aggressive and this one was most likely hoping that George was dropping fish parts into the water instead of anchor chain.  We went to another happy hour at Sou’side this evening. It was quite crowded and we met a few new cruisers. Yesterday was windy and choppy in the anchorage so we stayed on the boat and cleaned. 

We have been at Thompson Bay over a week. We are getting a bit itchy to move and had hoped to be able to visit Hog Cay or Conception Island from here. However, the frequently clocking winds have led us to stay put. Every other day a frontal trough comes through and moves the wind from the south, to the southwest, then west, etc. Thompson Bay is the most protected anchorage in the area for all wind directions except the southwest. We have decided to stay here until the wind becomes more settled. The good news is that we haven’t had very strong wind for a week.  Today we took another walk to the beach and went past the Salt Pond that I presume gave the settlement of Salt Pond its name. This afternoon we pulled the dinghy out of the water to prepare for a potentially choppy anchorage tomorrow.  Salt Pond with the Atlantic Ocean beyond on the horizon.  Salt Pond

Today we took a 2 1/2 mile (each way) walk to the beach at the end of Indian Hole Point. We had heard about this walk before but today was the first time we tried it. It was a warm day with very light wind. I decided to try my hand at operating the dinghy and drove to the cove-where we started the walk-and back again. Operating the outboard didn’t come naturally to me but I didn’t crash into anything or go aground, so I guess it was a success.  The walk on the rocky road and trail was long and hot but the beach at the end was lovely. I used my parasol to keep at least some of the sun off. I don’t think we will be doing that particular walk again anytime soon.  Beach at the end of Indian Hole Point My parasol The harbor after sunset last night with the reflection of the crescent moon. 

This morning we hiked to telephone pole beach. It is known by that name because the entrance to the trail is marked by telephone pole #108. We took the dinghy to the cove, walked to the road, turned left and walked .75 mile north to telephone pole #108. We then hiked .25 miles on the trail to the ocean beach. Once there we saw a very interesting rock formation out in the water. As always, the walk back seemed much shorter.  This afternoon we dinghied over to Tiny’s for drinks and a delicious pizza. We met a few other cruisers while we were there. It was so easy to tie up to Tiny’s fantastic new dinghy dock.  Telephone pole #108, marking the entrance to the hiking trail.  Interesting large rock at the beach Dock at Tiny’s Tiny’s Hurricane Hole

Today we left the boat at 8:00 am to go the the farmers’ market, already in full swing. A lot of cruisers and people who live on Long Island were there. We bought some eggs, three types of greens and green tomatoes that we hope will ripen one day. After we left the market we walked down to Seafarers Marine. George has been compiling a list for Seafarers over the past few months. Once we were back on the boat George ran the water maker and I washed the cockpit cushion covers and some of the salon seat slipcovers. It has been a sunny day with light winds, just perfect for hanging things out to dry. Speaking of the slipcovers, we have been really happy with the covers I made this past summer. They fit the cushions nicely and look good, if I do say so myself.  Last evening we went to Sou’side Grill for happy hour. George and I went early enough to order conch burgers before the crowd arrived. I realized it was the first meal we have eaten out since Christmas. As we were riding the ding...

Today I did something that I had never done in all my 65 years. I hitchhiked. Mom brainwashed me to never, ever hitchhike. Before today I never had.  It has been over three weeks since we last did laundry-with the exception of a little hand washing-and we were overdue. There is no place nearby to do laundry. Tiny’s Hurricane Hole used to allow cruisers to do their laundry there but they have stopped allowing that. The only options are a 30 minute drive north or a 30 minute drive south. We had heard that drivers are happy to pick up hitchhikers on the island so we gave it a try.  After getting to shore about 10 am with our three bags of laundry we started walking south. When a car came our way we stuck out our thumbs. The first one passed us by. I swear that the second one not only passed us by but gave us the middle finger (George disagrees). Three more vehicles passed by before the sixth one finally stopped. It was a very small car with a driver, a passenger and a sleeping ba...

We had a surprisingly nice trip from Hog Cay to Thompson Bay, Long Island. Although the wind was over twenty Sunday morning the seas weren’t as bad as I feared crossing the Nurse Channel. We sailed with the jib and double reefed main most of the day until we turned east into the wind. Passing by Flamingo Cay we saw the boat Veritas that had washed up onto the rocks a few weeks earlier, after we had anchored here on our way to the Raggeds. . The single-handed sailor and his dog called a mayday and was rescued by a nearby sailor. We anchored at the southern end of Water Cay and had a very pleasant night with very little surge. Yesterday we had to time our departure to put us at the shallow Comer Channel either before low tide or after. Our choices were to leave at 5 am or 9 am. We opted for 9 am and a rising tide at the channel. The wind was under 10 knots but still enough to keep us moving over 5 knots with a jib and full main. As we approached the Comer Channel the wind dropped so we d...

We raised the anchor at 6 am this morning and left the Hog Cay anchorage. It is 55 miles to our destination of Water Cay, Jumentos so we wanted to get an early start.  We put two reefs in the main to sail in 18-25 knots of wind on a beam to broad reach and we are zipping right along at 6.5 to 7 knots. I am hoping to get this post out before we run out of cell service.  We enjoyed our time in the Raggeds and will miss it, but it is time to move on. We stayed over two weeks and that is a long time for us. 

Yesterday we tried a different hiking trail. We walked north to the end of the beach, then continued on across flat rocks to another small beach. The trail started there. Karen and Jerry, from Persephone, had worked on the trail and left several interesting found items to mark the trail. My favorite was a bag of plastic forks that marked a fork in the trail. We eventually came across a large rock wall, then four goats who ran away from us pretty quickly. On the way back George spotted a huge termite nest.  As we were gathering for happy hour a squall came and rewarded us with a beautiful double rainbow.  Forks in the road Rock wall Termite nest Double rainbow

Here are some of the photos George took while we were snorkeling yesterday.  Ready to go. We both love our full-face masks.  One of two large starfish that we saw. George also saw some sea turtles but they were too far away for a good photo.  The anchor is in the middle. The lines radiating outward are made by the chain as the wind shifts and the boat swings back and forth.  The anchor is well buried. 

Bernie, one of the long-time Ragged Island cruisers, has planted three coconuts which are growing into coconut palm trees. He waters them daily using wash water from his boat. He built fences around the trees to keep the goats from eating the fronds. The trees appear to be quite happy. The one in this photo was planted two years ago. Our days here are following a routine. Every other day we exercise with a few others in the water off of the beach. Every afternoon at four we meet at the hut for happy hour. Last night we participated in another pot luck at the hut. Sometimes we go for hikes and sometimes we go snorkeling. We snorkeled today off of the back of the boat. We haven’t looked at the photos to see if there are any worth posting.  Bernie’s coconut palm Going back to Breeze On after the pot luck dinner. 

Before we first came to the Bahamas I had read that it can sometimes be difficult to find groceries in the out islands. The stores are small and the shelves may be bare if you shop before the supply boat comes in. I had thought we might not be able to find fresh vegetables at all so I prepared for that. One thing I did was buy a plastic screen sprouting lid to grow lentil sprouts in a mason jar. At least we would have something fresh to eat!  I was pleasantly surprised our first year in the Bahamas to find fresh vegetables all winter. Sometimes our salad would consist of just lettuce, but we also found carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and even avocados on occasion.  When we left Black Point to come to the Ragged Islands a few weeks ago I was unable to buy fresh vegetables. We ran out a few days ago, so we are now eating lentil sprout salads. I add dried cranberries, sliced almonds and dressing. They really aren’t bad.  This morning we went to shore for another informal exercis...

Last night at happy hour, John from Sam the Skull, gave me a hamburger bean. He and his wife, Barbara, had been beachcombing on the ocean side and found them. They find all kinds of interesting things while beachcombing. I had heard of hamburger beans but this is the first one I have seen. I certainly understand how it earned the name.  Yesterday morning a few of us did exercises in the shallow water off of the beach. Later in the day I cut Donna’s hair. I don’t have much experience and she must be very brave. I think it looks pretty good and she tells me she is happy with it.  This morning George and I went ashore for a walk on the hiking trails. We attempted to take one trail over to the ocean-side beach and another trail back over the hill. We got a bit lost and I jammed my leg on a jagged stump. I think we won’t be trying that again.  We still have very strong trade winds so we pull the dinghy out of the water every evening. It is a two-step process since we have to t...

This morning we went to shore to help prepare for a cookout/pot luck dinner. Some of the cruisers had gathered firewood and transported it to the hut area in their dinghies. They gathered quite a pile of wood. They also fixed up the fire pit. I assisted with cleaning tables. Afterwards, George and I went for a walk over the hill to the other side of the island. The waves on the ocean side looked angry.  In the afternoon everyone in the anchorage gathered for the pot luck. Some grilled meat in the fire pit and we shared side dishes. Everything was delicious.  Wood for the fire pit. There was a lot leftover.  Fire pit Gathering before dinner

Every year at the boat show we—or I should say I—make one or two impulse buys. This year’s impulse buy was Max 1 glue. It has become know as refrigerator glue on Breeze On because they recommend it be kept in the refrigerator. I had been in the market for glue that would work on the foam in the dinghy when we walked by the Max 1 booth. The sales pitch was reminiscent of something you would see on TV—As Seen on TV!—and it worked, on me at least. Max 1 is a two-step process of super glue with an accelerator. We have been using it as the glue of last resort and, I have to say, it has worked fairly well. Yesterday we used it to glue areas of Velcro that we placed around hatches and port lights to hold screens that I made. We had already tried two types of double stick tape and 3m 4200, none of which worked. Stay tuned to see if the refrigerator glue does the trick.  The night before last was a bit bouncy here at Hog Cay. The wind was from the NNE so not great protection here. The ...

Yesterday was a day for staying on the boat and doing boat chores. Today we put the dinghy in the water and go ashore, take our trash to the dump, and walk into Duncantown. It is a thirty minute walk across an airstrip and up a steep hill. We saw a few goats but not nearly as many as last year. We have been told that the crew of the supply boat hunts the goats, thinning the herd. There was evidence that some of the buildings heavily damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017 have been repaired. That was good to see. We didn’t encounter many people in town, probably because many of them are visiting family in Nassau. Our neighbor, Bernie, came over to tell us that he was moving back to Hog Cay and didn’t think the north wind we are expecting tonight would be a problem there. We decided to do the same. When we arrived here there were already five other boats in the anchorage. People started gathering on shore in the late afternoon so we joined them for drinks at the tiki hut. So far the Hog C...

This morning we moved 9 miles south to Ragged Island. Just before we left, Hans and Carla on Linde motored by to say goodbye as they left for Jamaica.  There was no wind and the water was flat calm. It was one of those days when you couldn’t determine where the water ended and the sky began. We love the Hog Cay anchorage but we moved to Ragged Island for better protection from the north wind that was due this afternoon. One nice thing about the Southside Bay anchorage at Ragged Island is the nearby reef for snorkeling. Just after we anchored we put the dinghy in the water to go over to the snorkeling spot. It was just as good as we remembered. We saw lots of interesting coral and fish, but no sharks! We encountered a pipefish sitting vertically in the water near sea grass. It did actually resemble a large blade of grass.  A few hours after we returned from snorkeling the cold front arrived with squalls and a north wind.  Where is the horizon? Not sure what these fish are ...

It is a long trip to get to the Ragged Islands but, once again, we are glad to be here. This morning we put the dingy in the water and went over to meet the people on the only other boat in the anchorage. They are a lovely young couple from the Netherlands who plan to sail on to Jamaica in a few days. After chatting with them for a few minutes we went to shore for a walk to the other side of the island. The couple had mentioned that they would be going ashore at 4:00 pm for drinks and a bonfire so we joined them and watched the sun set. It was a lovely, relaxing day.  Atlantic Ocean side of Hog Cay

We left Black Point two days ago and motored south in light winds to Rocky Point, on the south side of Great Exuma Island. Our plan was to take the Sou’side route to Long Island. When we got up yesterday morning and checked the wind forecast we saw that the northwest wind from the upcoming cold front was not supposed to be very strong. So, we changed our minds again and set out for the Jumentos and Ragged Islands. Yesterday was another day of light winds so we again motored the 40+ miles. We anchored at Flamingo Cay in the Jumentos. The light winds meant the water was calm. We could clearly see details on the bottom 30 feet below. We even saw a sea turtle resting on the bottom as we motored overhead. Quite a sight! The light wind and calm water also kept the anchorage from getting rolly, as it was when we were there last year. The anchorage has a thin layer of sand over ledge and we did have quite a bit of trouble getting the anchor to set. There is no cell service in the Jumentos. I h...