Breeze On

The squalls subsided and the sun finally appeared again yesterday. Hooray!  We plan to leave Black Point tomorrow morning so we did laundry today. There is no other place more convenient to do laundry (outside of a marina) in the Bahamas than Rockside Laundry in Black Point. As usual, we met a few cruisers at the laundromat. George ran the water maker after spending two hours fixing the pull cord.  We thought we had a plan for our destination when we leave here but the most recent forecast predicts west wind all over the Bahamas this weekend. Now we are discussing other options. We always have to be flexible! Black Point Harbour Exuma Sound There are numerous roosters at Black Point and they are quite vocal at all hours.

We woke up yesterday morning in Little Bay to squalls and a rainbow. The wind had shifted just south of east so it began to get a little bouncy in the anchorage. We decided to move back to Black Point where there is more protection from southerly winds. At mid-day we went for a walk with Jean and Michael. We stopped at the blow hole which was happened to be putting on a show. Another squall rolled in so we stood under a shelter at a small cemetery. When it stopped we continued our walk. The skies really opened up on our way back so we stood on the porch of a cottage to stay dry. We walked back to our dinghies between squalls but another started so we were soaked by the time we returned to Breeze On. The squalls continued off and on all night and all day today. We finally put up the awnings so we could at least keep the hatches open for air circulation. We were convinced that the squalls would stop once we had put them up but they have not.  Rainbow at Little Bay Blow hole Awnings i...

We left Cambridge Cay yesterday morning for a delightful, leisurely downwind sail to Black Point. We were very grateful to have the comfortable, safe Cambridge Cay to ride out the west wind but we were more than ready to move on. When we arrived at Black Point there were already a few other boats anchored in the harbor. We took a brief walk with Jean and Michael before heading to Lorraine’s Cafe for the buffet. Before dinner we chatted with friends and met a few new people. Lorraine served turkey and ham along with Bahamian specialties. They were all delicious. After dinner Lorraine turned on the Junkanoo music, passed out Junkanoo hats, and we danced.  This morning George and I raised the anchor and sailed north to Staniel Cay to get fuel. While we were in town we walked to the Pink Store and the Blue Store to check out the fresh produce. They didn’t have a great selection but we did get a few things. After dinghying back to Breeze On we raised the anchor again and sailed south ju...

It has been a week and we are still at Cambridge Cay. The cold front came through last night and shifted the wind to the southwest, then west with several gusty squalls. Although in hindsight we didn’t need to arrive here as early as we did, we were very happy to be here as the front rolled through. Our friends on Desiderata,  Jean and Michael, arrived in the mooring field today and we had a brief chat with them. Although we have been very close to each other at various times since November, this is the first time we were close enough to talk in person. We plan to leave here tomorrow and sail back to Black Point for Christmas dinner at Lorraine’s.  Bell Rock Sunbeams

The only other boat in the mooring field left this morning, leaving us alone for a few hours. The wind dropped below 20 knots so we put the dinghy in the water and visited a nearby sandbar since it was low tide. Cruisers had built cairns on the small island next to the sandbar and George added a rock to the top of one. We found numerous small live conchs on the beach. Fishing of any type is prohibited in the park, allowing the conchs to thrive. After visiting the sandbar we dinghied over to another beach and walked over to the Exuma Sound side of the island. Exuma Sound didn’t seem as rough as we expected, considering all of the wind we have had.  After we returned to the boat George ran the portable generator to charge the batteries. We have quite a bit of cloudy weather and squalls are predicted for tomorrow. A small boat came in and, after failing to pick up the mooring, anchored instead. Now there are two.  Sand bar Cairns with Breeze On in the background.  Small conc...

There is not much to report over the past few days. The wind is still blowing 20-30 knots so we are staying on board. The mooring lines are looking good. George finished replacing the steering cables. When he removed the cable from the starboard side he found that three wire strands in the cable had broken. It is a good thing he replaced all of the cables.  Yesterday I used the SailRite to mend our tattered American flag. Before we left home I reinforced all of the seams (usually the first thing to go) and we hoped might get another year out of it. However, the fabric is falling apart. Today I baked a coffee cake. Other than that, we have been doing a lot of reading. We are hoping for calmer wind tomorrow and a chance to get off of the boat. 

Last evening, just after sunset, we spent an hour untangling the mooring lines. George had walked to the bow to check on them and found our lines (the black ones) wrapped around the large white mooring ball. It must have happened earlier in the day when the wind was light and the current pushed the boat close to the ball. George spent most of the day replacing the steering cables. His goal was to get the job done before the heavy winds and squalls arrived in the mid afternoon. He almost made it. He will finish that job once conditions improve.  It was important to get the mooring lines sorted out to reduce the chances that they would chafe through. The wind, up to 28 knots, put a lot of tension on the lines and made the job difficult. We put the marriage savers on so we could communicate and I started the engine. On George’s direction I would idle forward so he could pull the lines up and get them untangled. After an hour it was finally done.  Untangled lines Our neighborhood....