We had a good sail up the west coast of Long Island and so decided to go all the way to Conception rather than stop at Calabash Bay. Conception is a small island that is part of the Bahamian National Park. The beaches are clean and pretty and there is nothing on the island in the way of buildings. The anchorage was pretty rolly and the day after we arrived we walked the beaches and snorkeled in a shallow area with lots of coral reefs. It is called the "kiddie park" since it is so easy to snorkel there. We anchored the dinghy close by and Moose stayed in the dinghy while we swam with the fish. There were some pretty fish with vibrant colors-bright yellow and purple.
We decided to leave the following morning as there was a front due on Sunday and not a lot of protection in the anchorage so we got up and were ready to go at 6:30 a.m. Moose surprised us and did his business on the bow so we didn't have to take him ashore. Unfortunately we had little to no wind and had to motor the 44 miles to Cat Island where we anchored in New Bight and here we will stay until the front passes through on Thursday. Yesterday we hiked up Mt. Avernia (206 ft. high-the highest mountain in the Bahamas) to see the Hermitage built form lime stone by Father Jerome who has built several churches on Long and Cat Islands. It is truly an amazing sight. It was built by his hand and has a chapel and bell tower and then his living quarters with a kitchen and bedroom all out of stone.
We are traveling with Bob and Pat and Lucy the dog on Maverick. We all hiked up the steep limestone steps carved into the mountain with Moose and Lucy leading the way.
Last night we went in and met many Cat Island residents at an outdoor cafe where we ate and drank and listened to music. It was great fun. Today we are sharing a rental car and touring the island.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Long Island
Well we have been here just a week. It has been very relaxing. We walked across the island to the Atlantic side to see the beach. It was quite cluttered with plastic items but I'm not sure they came from the ocean dumped off of boats or from folks leaving junk on the beach. Very sad.
We have not really connected with other cruisers until today. People seem to have buddy boats that they mingle with or keep to themselves here but we met a couple who have a dog as well today so we are going to meet them on the beach tonight for a playmate.
So aside from boat chores like cleaning the stainless, sweeping up sand and filling the diesel and water jugs on shore and hauling them back to Spunky, we have spent our days reading and planning the next leg of our journey.
The northeast swells will end tonight and we will leave tomorrow a.m. for the north tip of Long Island and spend the night in Calabash Bay and then on to Conception on Friday. The winds will kick up above 20 knts on Sat so we want to be tucked in to our next anchorage by then. Hope this finds you all well and warm.
We have not really connected with other cruisers until today. People seem to have buddy boats that they mingle with or keep to themselves here but we met a couple who have a dog as well today so we are going to meet them on the beach tonight for a playmate.
So aside from boat chores like cleaning the stainless, sweeping up sand and filling the diesel and water jugs on shore and hauling them back to Spunky, we have spent our days reading and planning the next leg of our journey.
The northeast swells will end tonight and we will leave tomorrow a.m. for the north tip of Long Island and spend the night in Calabash Bay and then on to Conception on Friday. The winds will kick up above 20 knts on Sat so we want to be tucked in to our next anchorage by then. Hope this finds you all well and warm.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Long Island
We left George Town on Thursday. Tuesday was the dinner at Chat n Chill and the Valentines dance. We had fun. We took Moose to dinner on the beach and then back to the boat for the dance. He was tired and we knew it would be too confusing for him on the small deck with all the people. The night before the dance we had dinner on 'Not so Interim' with Bert and Maria Elena and two other couples-Roger and Linda on Sundancer and Patrick and Lisa on Giya II. Maria Elena who owned a restaurant in Venezuela is an awesome cook and we had conch fritters and fresh seared tuna which they had caught on the way to George Town. Turns out we knew Roger and Linda back in Galesville, MD when we had our 38' Ericson, Babe, named after the pig, of course, because it was as strange for a pig to be a sheepdog as for us to be sailing a boat. They caught us up on old friends with whom we sailed around the DelMarVa back in the late 90's. Small world. They met Maria Elena when they sailed to S. America some years back.
We arrived in Long Island yesterday afternoon. It is southeast of George Town. Thompson Bay is where we are anchored and it is large and not crowed. We arrived about 5:30 and took Moose into the beach and then headed back to Spunky for dinner.
This morning we took the dinghy the 2 miles into Island Breeze a 'resort 'that tries to cater to cruisers by allowing us to use the dinghy dock. The grocery store in Salt Pond which is the settlement where we are is pretty well stocked by Bahamas standards which is not saying much by US standards.
I wish I could figure out how to get my photos from the camera to the update as I know it would mean a lot more for you to see what we are experiencing. I am going to try to have John figure that out. He has been diving on the prop to clean it of barnacles and washing off the boat line where growth is above the bottom paint line due to the fact that we have loaded Spunky down with provisions. This afternoon I am hoping to do a small load of laundry and then it is relax time.
We arrived in Long Island yesterday afternoon. It is southeast of George Town. Thompson Bay is where we are anchored and it is large and not crowed. We arrived about 5:30 and took Moose into the beach and then headed back to Spunky for dinner.
This morning we took the dinghy the 2 miles into Island Breeze a 'resort 'that tries to cater to cruisers by allowing us to use the dinghy dock. The grocery store in Salt Pond which is the settlement where we are is pretty well stocked by Bahamas standards which is not saying much by US standards.
I wish I could figure out how to get my photos from the camera to the update as I know it would mean a lot more for you to see what we are experiencing. I am going to try to have John figure that out. He has been diving on the prop to clean it of barnacles and washing off the boat line where growth is above the bottom paint line due to the fact that we have loaded Spunky down with provisions. This afternoon I am hoping to do a small load of laundry and then it is relax time.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Checking In
How are you doing. Yesterday was clean the boat bottom day. I cleaned the barnacles off the propellor and the shaft that drives it. Then I took a noodle tide to a line and had Elyse hold onto the other end and went along the side and scrapped the growth from the the waterline. I'm sure the boat will sail much faster when we leave here next week.
things are good. Life is pretty easy. Today I put two of our 5 gallon jugs of diesel into our big tanks and then we took them into to shore and filled them. I can tell you that diesel weighs a lot less than water weighs. I empty one of our gasoline tanks into the dingy tank. Tomorrow I will empty our water jugs into the water tank and we'll take them ashore tomorrow. Today when I filled the two 5 gallon diesel jugs the guy at the gas station loaned me his truck to drive the jugs back to the dingy. It was about 2 blocks. I then took him his truck back. I had to remember to drive on the left side of the road.
we are doing well. Dinner is ready so I will go.
Love from John & Elyse on Spunky
things are good. Life is pretty easy. Today I put two of our 5 gallon jugs of diesel into our big tanks and then we took them into to shore and filled them. I can tell you that diesel weighs a lot less than water weighs. I empty one of our gasoline tanks into the dingy tank. Tomorrow I will empty our water jugs into the water tank and we'll take them ashore tomorrow. Today when I filled the two 5 gallon diesel jugs the guy at the gas station loaned me his truck to drive the jugs back to the dingy. It was about 2 blocks. I then took him his truck back. I had to remember to drive on the left side of the road.
we are doing well. Dinner is ready so I will go.
Love from John & Elyse on Spunky
Friday, February 17, 2012
Long Island
Hey gang,
We are sitting in Thompson's Bay in Long Island. We are just south of the the Tropic of Cancer so we are officially in the tropics. The line goes through Simms which in the next bay north. We are able to get online here with our new Spot antenna. We bought it from someone who turns out to be in Wewahitchka, FL not far from Panama City. When I ordered it I asked if they would include some Tupulo honey which special and only comes from Wewa. He said no. It enables us to get Internet on the boat. The antenna, not the honey.
It is beautiful here. The wind in the Bahamas blows from the southeast. When you sail into the wind you say you are sailing upwind. Because of that people say they are sailing down north our up south. It can be confusing. Long Island was Christened Fernandina by Christopher Columbus when he landed here in 1492. The Island is 80 miles long and 4 miles wide at its widest.
This is a delightful place. It's as far south as we will go. We will start working our way back up the island and then plan to sail to Conception which is east of us and then start back north. We plan to reach the Abacos by the first of April. We are not in a hurry. This afternoon I have boat chores. We bumped a reef leaving Georgetown so I will swim down to be sure everything is ok. I will probably clean off the prop and prop shaft. They were starting to grow things the last time I looked. If we were in the states I would probably hire a diver.
We are sitting in Thompson's Bay in Long Island. We are just south of the the Tropic of Cancer so we are officially in the tropics. The line goes through Simms which in the next bay north. We are able to get online here with our new Spot antenna. We bought it from someone who turns out to be in Wewahitchka, FL not far from Panama City. When I ordered it I asked if they would include some Tupulo honey which special and only comes from Wewa. He said no. It enables us to get Internet on the boat. The antenna, not the honey.
It is beautiful here. The wind in the Bahamas blows from the southeast. When you sail into the wind you say you are sailing upwind. Because of that people say they are sailing down north our up south. It can be confusing. Long Island was Christened Fernandina by Christopher Columbus when he landed here in 1492. The Island is 80 miles long and 4 miles wide at its widest.
This is a delightful place. It's as far south as we will go. We will start working our way back up the island and then plan to sail to Conception which is east of us and then start back north. We plan to reach the Abacos by the first of April. We are not in a hurry. This afternoon I have boat chores. We bumped a reef leaving Georgetown so I will swim down to be sure everything is ok. I will probably clean off the prop and prop shaft. They were starting to grow things the last time I looked. If we were in the states I would probably hire a diver.
Monday, February 13, 2012
George Town
We have been here since last Wed. We have joined some of the activities, but it is a little bit too organized for us. We will go to dinner at Chat and Chill on Volleyball Beach for Valentines Day and go to the dance after on the deck and were planning on leaving Wed. for Long Island but looks like the weather may not cooperate. A front came through over the weekend with winds to 26 mph and rough water. It was also cold enough on Sunday to wear jackets. Most cruisers stayed on their boats but we went into the beach twice a day for Moose.Taking Moose in was a very wet experience. He did not like it at all nor did he like getting washed off with fresh water when we returned to Spunky.
Moose has made several friends. Yesterday he ran on the beach with two other bigger dogs. He is also the toast of the town with the cruisers. Everyone thinks he is so cute and John keeps trying to give him away !!! He is getting more comfortable on Spunky and really does well riding in the dinghy. He walks along the edge of the water and will actually get his paws wet.
I hope this finds all of you well and happy. I hope the winter is mild wherever you are.
Moose has made several friends. Yesterday he ran on the beach with two other bigger dogs. He is also the toast of the town with the cruisers. Everyone thinks he is so cute and John keeps trying to give him away !!! He is getting more comfortable on Spunky and really does well riding in the dinghy. He walks along the edge of the water and will actually get his paws wet.
I hope this finds all of you well and happy. I hope the winter is mild wherever you are.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
George Town
We arrived in George Town about noon on Feb. 7 I think. It may have been the 8th. I have lost total track of days and John wears our watch so he has the dates.
George Town is amazing. There are so many boats in Elizabeth Harbor. We are anchored off of Volleyball Beach where all the organized activities take place. There is volleyball, dominos, scrabble, yoga, straw work, art, softball, church and of course the Chat and Chill restaurant who sponsors all of this. There is a morning net on VHF where every morning announcements are made about activities and needs of boaters in the anchorage. It is pretty amazing. Very organized. In town there is a really good grocery store. We sit on a bench outside the market and use their internet. The market also allows us to use a hose on their dinghy dock to fill our water jugs which we take back to Spunky to fill her tanks.
We have caught up with some friends here. Our friends in England told us to find Water Witch, a 65 ft. Tayanna, who are friends of theirs and lo and behold but there they were anchoring next to us on our first afternoon here. Thanks Ed and Sue. We have really enjoyed meeting Mike and Deanne. They taught us how to play Mexican Dominoes.
Moose also got to see his friend Checkers from the cat Smooch who he met in Warderick Wells. Checkers is a huge Golden. He is very mellow and easy for Moose to be around.
This afternoon when we return to Spunky from town, we will defrost the freezer and try to get up the nerve to give Moose a haircut as his undercoat has grown in and he is very warm.
We plan on staying until the 15th and then heading to Long Island and Conception if the weather is cooperative.
More later-
George Town is amazing. There are so many boats in Elizabeth Harbor. We are anchored off of Volleyball Beach where all the organized activities take place. There is volleyball, dominos, scrabble, yoga, straw work, art, softball, church and of course the Chat and Chill restaurant who sponsors all of this. There is a morning net on VHF where every morning announcements are made about activities and needs of boaters in the anchorage. It is pretty amazing. Very organized. In town there is a really good grocery store. We sit on a bench outside the market and use their internet. The market also allows us to use a hose on their dinghy dock to fill our water jugs which we take back to Spunky to fill her tanks.
We have caught up with some friends here. Our friends in England told us to find Water Witch, a 65 ft. Tayanna, who are friends of theirs and lo and behold but there they were anchoring next to us on our first afternoon here. Thanks Ed and Sue. We have really enjoyed meeting Mike and Deanne. They taught us how to play Mexican Dominoes.
Moose also got to see his friend Checkers from the cat Smooch who he met in Warderick Wells. Checkers is a huge Golden. He is very mellow and easy for Moose to be around.
This afternoon when we return to Spunky from town, we will defrost the freezer and try to get up the nerve to give Moose a haircut as his undercoat has grown in and he is very warm.
We plan on staying until the 15th and then heading to Long Island and Conception if the weather is cooperative.
More later-
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Musha Cay
This morning we bid farewell to our cruising friends at Little Farmer's Cay. They are all headed back to Black Point to watch the Super Bowl at Loraine's Cafe and then continue on further north but we are still headed south and motored with the wind on our nose to Musha Cay where we are anchored off the private island owned by David Copperfield. He rents it out for $325,000 for a week but it accommodates 20 people. We are anchored right off of his beach where there are Skidoos parked and cabanas amidst the palm trees. We are hooked into his wifi. We cannot take Moose ashore so we will take him over to another private island that has a more remote beach that we think we can use for a short time. Tomorrow very early at slack tide we will go through the Cave Cay Cut into the sound and head toward Georgetown.
Our chartplotter is not working at all now so we are using a handheld GPS that keeps running out of power. It makes things a bit more of a challenge but folks cruised these islands for many years without any electronics. I am going to send this off while I have the capability. We will be in Georgetown before I can get wifi again.
Our chartplotter is not working at all now so we are using a handheld GPS that keeps running out of power. It makes things a bit more of a challenge but folks cruised these islands for many years without any electronics. I am going to send this off while I have the capability. We will be in Georgetown before I can get wifi again.
Hello From Spunky
Many of you receive Elyse's update which is much better than mine so I have included it below for the rest of you. Life is wonderful! We are anchored off of David Copperfield's private island. He is nice enough to provide free wifi which we are taking advantage of. I am hopeful we will be able to get the Super bowl tonight. Elyse is pretty anxious to know how it turns out.
We have met a ton of people crusing on their boats. What a wonderful life. Things break and we continue to learn how to fix them. One guy said we would all make good farmers being so self sufficient.
Those of you who don't know, when we mention a Cay ( pronounced key) we are speaking of islands. Yesterday I met a guy in a ratty Florida State tee shirt walking with a Bahamian taling about dogs. When I asked if he lived there he said no, he lived in Miami. He said he owned some real estate in the Bahamas. When I asked for details he said he bought 5 islands 20 years ago. He sold one of them not long ago to Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill. Life is good for him as well.
It feels like we are hardly making a dent in our food supply although Elyse informed me we only have coffee filters to last a couple of months. Life can get tough but I think we will be alright. We looked all down the east coast for the #6 size without luck.
Tomorrow we will go onto the Sound side of the Exumas. We have been on the Banks side where the depth rairly gets above 20 feet. In the Sound it will get up to 1,000 feet deep.
Moose does better every time we go out. That being said I think we may look for a loving home for him this summer so he doesn't have to return with us. This afternoon it was low tide and I had to walk the dingy about 100 yards to get to shore. Actually it was still sitting in about 4 inches of water when we carried him in to do his business.
Elyse is terrified we will get lost or run aground. As a result she has become and unbelievable navigator. We are having problems with our chartplotter but she has her charts and plots our location about every 30 minutes. Today we used our hand held GPS which allows us to set up waypoints so we know which way to go. I have become very lax an
We have met a ton of people crusing on their boats. What a wonderful life. Things break and we continue to learn how to fix them. One guy said we would all make good farmers being so self sufficient.
Those of you who don't know, when we mention a Cay ( pronounced key) we are speaking of islands. Yesterday I met a guy in a ratty Florida State tee shirt walking with a Bahamian taling about dogs. When I asked if he lived there he said no, he lived in Miami. He said he owned some real estate in the Bahamas. When I asked for details he said he bought 5 islands 20 years ago. He sold one of them not long ago to Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill. Life is good for him as well.
It feels like we are hardly making a dent in our food supply although Elyse informed me we only have coffee filters to last a couple of months. Life can get tough but I think we will be alright. We looked all down the east coast for the #6 size without luck.
Tomorrow we will go onto the Sound side of the Exumas. We have been on the Banks side where the depth rairly gets above 20 feet. In the Sound it will get up to 1,000 feet deep.
Moose does better every time we go out. That being said I think we may look for a loving home for him this summer so he doesn't have to return with us. This afternoon it was low tide and I had to walk the dingy about 100 yards to get to shore. Actually it was still sitting in about 4 inches of water when we carried him in to do his business.
Elyse is terrified we will get lost or run aground. As a result she has become and unbelievable navigator. We are having problems with our chartplotter but she has her charts and plots our location about every 30 minutes. Today we used our hand held GPS which allows us to set up waypoints so we know which way to go. I have become very lax an
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Little Farmer's Caye
Little Farmer's has been fun. We volunteered for the festival events. The wet tee shirt contest did not draw a single woman, but the legs and buns contest got about 20 men. John did not take part although I thought he could have won. The prize was a bottle of rum. There were also crab races which folks bet on. I would say there are probably 50 boats here for the festivities. There were class c sailboat races yesterday. The 17 ft. boats are towed in and the bahamians race. The boats are like the log boats in the Chesapeake with side boards that the crew sit out on to balance the oversized sail.
We are anchored south of the airport runway but off to the side of the flight path. Yesterday morning a plane took off over some of the boats anchored in the flight path and it was pretty dicey. He did not pull up and came very close to some masts.
Moose goes into the beach with us and has met some other dogs. The main restaurant and meeting place in town-Ocean Cabin-has an outdoor patio so Moose can sit with us for company and internet. He has made a lot of friends both human and canine. He is happy when we are anchored in one place for a while. It is upsetting to him when we travel.
So far our antenna has not caught any wifi on the boat. We have had to go in to shore and pay for service when we can find it.
We listened to weather this morning and it looks like we will leave tomorrow and make a 2-3 day trip down to Georgetown depending on our weather window. One has to time going through the cuts between the shallower banks of the Bahama Banks and the Exuma Sound as it can get very rough and the current can push you into the reefs if you try to go through at the wrong time. We have to go out into the sound in another 8 miles or so as it gets too shallow on the banks for Spunky.
These islands are so pretty and the people so nice and helpful. The colors of the water are spectacular and one must learn to "read" the water to tell when a coral head, rocky reef or shallow area is ahead. Most of the food served at the restaurants is fried fish or chicken and mac and cheese is the big side dish. This afternoon we watched the boat races off the airport beach where the crowd of locals and cruisers gathered. The Exuma Youth Band came to the island to march and play for the festival. It was great to watch them. It has been a wonderful experience so far and we are looking forward to the coming weeks.
We are anchored south of the airport runway but off to the side of the flight path. Yesterday morning a plane took off over some of the boats anchored in the flight path and it was pretty dicey. He did not pull up and came very close to some masts.
Moose goes into the beach with us and has met some other dogs. The main restaurant and meeting place in town-Ocean Cabin-has an outdoor patio so Moose can sit with us for company and internet. He has made a lot of friends both human and canine. He is happy when we are anchored in one place for a while. It is upsetting to him when we travel.
So far our antenna has not caught any wifi on the boat. We have had to go in to shore and pay for service when we can find it.
We listened to weather this morning and it looks like we will leave tomorrow and make a 2-3 day trip down to Georgetown depending on our weather window. One has to time going through the cuts between the shallower banks of the Bahama Banks and the Exuma Sound as it can get very rough and the current can push you into the reefs if you try to go through at the wrong time. We have to go out into the sound in another 8 miles or so as it gets too shallow on the banks for Spunky.
These islands are so pretty and the people so nice and helpful. The colors of the water are spectacular and one must learn to "read" the water to tell when a coral head, rocky reef or shallow area is ahead. Most of the food served at the restaurants is fried fish or chicken and mac and cheese is the big side dish. This afternoon we watched the boat races off the airport beach where the crowd of locals and cruisers gathered. The Exuma Youth Band came to the island to march and play for the festival. It was great to watch them. It has been a wonderful experience so far and we are looking forward to the coming weeks.
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