s/v Kaleo

With plans to move Kaleo around to the anchorage closest to town, we got moving early right after Chris Parker’s weather report at 6:30. The day was framed around several trips into town so we wanted “home” to be closer for easier dinghy runs.

After setting the hook in the main anchorage, we jumped in the dinghy and zoomed over to Regatta Point for a 10 o’clock yoga session. Regatta Point is a dock and set of buildings on the south side of town that serves as the headquarters for the annual Black Point Sailing Regatta. But the other 51 weeks of the year it sits virtually unused. The main building has a large, multi-colored deck jutting out over the dazzling turquoise water which made for a serene morning yoga studio. Amy coached us through some poses like “Crow“, where you crouch with your knees pressed against your elbows, raising your lower body up while balancing on slightly bent arms, supporting your entire weight for as long as possible. Everyone was successful but agreed we’d all be sore from it.

After yoga, we spent time chatting with Amy and Dave of “Crow’s Nest”. Hailing from Colorado and Connecticut, they are a fun young couple who are out here for some of the same reasons we are. They remind us of fun, energetic Austin or Seattle-type people who are at peace with enjoying the world on a relaxed schedule, focusing on experiences, not stuff. We hope to spend more time with them as we continue exploring the islands.

Lorraine was still out of conch today and the Internet connection was dismally slow, so the whole Navy gave DeShmon’s (the other restaurant in town) a try. They had pizza on the menu and we split an italian sausage and cheese with Shane while browsing the net. The group made tentative plans for moving the fleet down to the next island of Farmer’s Cay soon.

On the way back to the boat we stopped by the market to see what fresh produce the mail boat might have brought in. The fresh selection wasn’t huge but we picked up a head of lettuce ($3), a plantain ($1) and eggs ($3). Last night we’d promised to bring some Fellowship Church Kids’ Curriculum DVD’s to Miss Sharon, a missionary at the local church. And while dropping those off, we discovered that kids’ church, called TeamKIDS,would be that evening and they would welcome any help. We planned to return ready to hang with the kids and help out.

After putting away the groceries we snuck in a nap, cleaned up the boat a bit and then had dinner before heading back into town for TeamKIDS. A few rain clouds dotted the horizon as we were leaving but they didn’t seem threatening enough to justify shutting all the hatches, (which we would later regret as Matt had to run back to the boat when the sky opened up and poured down). While walking up the dock we ran into Raymond, whom we’d met in church on Sunday, and he insisted on giving us ride to the church. We hopped aboard his golf cart and were chauffeured to the front door of the church education building while he explained a little history of the island. It’s just another example of how giving and gracious the Bahamian people are in allowing us to weave into their community.

About three dozen kiddos showed up early with enthusiasm and huge hearts for God for TeamKIDS. From Pre-K to 5th grade, the room was quickly filled with giggling and high-energy as games like “Candy Land” and “Connect Four” kept them entertained until it was time to start. First up, Miss Sharon reviewed the lessons they had gone through in previous weeks and then began with the evening’s lesson on “choosing the right friends.” Sampson was the example story and when she asked who knew anything about Sampson, almost every hand shot up. But these kids knew so much more than the simple fact of Sampson being the strongest man in the world. With answers about his marriage to a Philistine, adding that he shouldn’t have been friends with her, and not being able to eat dead animals, these kids knew their bible stories. It certainly helps that they are given Biblical knowledge as a class subject in grade-school.

Using a modern-looking felt board and engaging worksheets, Miss Sharon taught us all about how friends can be an influence on you and what to look for in a good friend. As the lesson ended, the kids were invited to join in together for “popcorn prayer” where everyone closes their eyes, folds their hands and prays about something out loud when they feel led. We were expecting crickets. Maybe a kid or two would speak out in the silence, but it was a heart-warming surprise when they were practically talking over each other, popping prayers throughout the classroom with the sweetest sincerity. Thanking God for “food on their tables, clothes on their back and shoes on their feet”, for “parents and teachers”, for “missionaries in far off lands” and for “protection”. We had lumps in our throats when one young boy said “God, thank you for Meez Chrestie and Mr. Mott, that they came here to us tonight” and another little girl thanked Him for “our special guests.” My entire self smiled and it was all I could do to not burst into happy-tears hearing their voices raised in such powerful prayer.

Refreshments of Animal Crackers and chilled Capri Suns were a treat for the kiddos as well as ourselves and we left feeling overjoyed and blessed at the opportunity to have been part of TeamKIDS for the night.

Monday brought strong winds which would make for wet dinghy rides and unpleasant sailing so we spent the morning hanging out on the boat. Just before lunch the winds let up so we grabbed the opportunity for a drier dinghy ride and headed into the beach, then made the 2-mile walk into town. The first stop was Lorraine’s for, you guessed it, Internet and her famous cracked conch. She was out of conch as no one had been out fishing due to the choppy sea state and heavy winds so we opted for her take on wings and fries. Another reinforcement that she’s the best chef in town. We stopped by Adderley’s small market store to see if they may have any fresh produce but the mail boat hadn’t yet come this week so headed back to our anchorage to see what the rest of the Navy was up to.

The 2 mile walk (each way) into town from our anchorage on the south side of BP

From our experience, every anchorage has its trade-offs, but Castle Beach has offered some of the best protection we’ve had yet. It’s a crescent-shaped cove with good water depths, two big beaches and protection from heavy wind and waves in every direction except from the west. What we trade for calm nights at anchor and an uncrowded anchorage is a long walk into town and no Internet on the boat. But we really like the anchorage and it makes the 20+ knot winds seem like no big deal.

That evening, Shane hosted everyone in the anchorage for sundowners and snacks aboard his Lagoon 410. We had the chance to finally meet Ted and Mili, of “Morning Glory”, who we’d been emailing with for a few months. They had sailed into the anchorage a few hours earlier and came to Shane’s boat for the gathering. It was a delight to spend some time getting to know them in person and we’re looking forward to more of it. Their catamaran is the same kind as SYL, a Seawind 1000, so another common bond was formed and we’re sure there will be a race or two between them. No sailor can pass up racing against the same type of boat because it has the tendency to highlight your sailing skills.

The VHF crackled to life early Tuesday morning with an open invite to yoga led by Amy, a fellow cruiser aboard Crow’s Nest. The venue of choice for the morning’s session was outside the laundromat, as the owner, a local named Ida, wanted to join. Ida was in the middle of giving haircuts (yes, the laundromat doubles as a hair salon) so we all perused Mary’s garage sale that was set up out front while waiting for the trims finish up. Mary is an American that has lived in Black Point for the last 10 years but is now planning a move to Hawaii to be closer to her son. Only wanting to take what will fit in her luggage, she is selling the rest and her garage sale pops up at various locations throughout town during the week.

The sun shined brightly as half a dozen cruisers and three locals stretched out upon beach towels and yoga mats ready to follow Amy’s form. An hour later we were all feeling a little more inner peace and a little muscle burn too. Lorraine’s was next for some Internet but she was still out of conch so we didn’t stay long. We jumped in the dinghy with Deana, who’d given us a ride in, to zip back towards Castle Beach.

Lunch and naps aboard filled the early afternoon before we walked back into town to help tutor some local children at the church. A sign was posted at Ida’s laundromat inviting cruisers help tutor school children and with our hearts set on giving back to this community that’s given so much to us, we eagerly signed up the crew of “Kaleo” to help.

Gregory and Sharniece, both about 6 years old, came by the church’s educational center after school to work on reading. It quickly became apparent that they were both solid readers and just needed to practice a little pronunciation and stringing words into more fluid sentences with someone. We spent about a couple hours working on sounding out some words and reading books like,”Miss Spider’s New Car” and “The Pig Did A Jig”. We quickly adapted our Texan “cats” and “bats” to Bahamian “cots” and “bots” to help reinforce their British-influenced English. We had a great time with the kiddos and are looking forward to helping out again while we’re here.

Dinghying back to the boat, we stopped by SYL to say goodbye to Linda, who was flying back to Houston in the morning. She is a key witness in a criminal case that has been going on for a few years and the district attorney called out of the blue this week to say it was time to go court. Another bit of dinghying took us to “Pipe Muh Bligh” where the rest of the crew was cooking up their catch from the day’s fishing trip. Lobster and Lionfish were on the menu and it smelled delicious. They were gracious enough to invite us to stay and join the feast but we just didn’t feel right given all the work they had put into snagging their catch while we were in town with the kiddos. So, Matt cooked us up some turkey burgers back on Kaleo and we made it an early evening. Another fine day in earthly paradise.

It was early to rise on Monday morning to tuck into the cove near “Castle Beach”, just two miles south of Black Point Settlement, for the approaching weekend’s moderate blow. As we motored around the point, it became quickly apparent how the beach earned its nickname as there is a picturesque, yet somewhat out of place, white castle standing proud upon the bluff overlooking the anchorage. Though not as large as King Arthur’s, it’s a square castle with four turrets rounding each corner, arched windows and a grand staircase. Only a wind generator spinning like an airplane propeller proves it’s of the modern age.

While headed toward the anchorage, Christie got creative in the galley and made french toast with the last of our coconut bread. Partnered with eggs, bacon and Mandarin oranges, it was a meal that easily competed for one our the best breakfasts yet. We did the dishes, scouted a good spot for the boat then dropped the anchor. Quickly, the bow jerked the chain taunt giving us the reassuring feeling of our hook deeply wedged beneath the sand on the sea floor. We cleaned up the boat then jumped in the dinghy to head over toward some lobster hunting action. Storyville and Anchor Management were over near the rock cliffs looking for dinner and we wanted to check their luck. Deana and Steve were dipping below the surface with Hawaiian Slings in hand looking for an unsuspecting lobster or fish. A few poked out from beneath a rock ledge and the hunt was on! It took a few shots but Deana quickly speared her first lobster which they would enjoy with warm butter and as a topping on their pizza later.

Dinghying away from the hunting grounds, we stopped at yet another boat in the cove hailing from Houston; Randy, aboard “Mariah”, a single-hander that has been cruising the Bahamas and east coast for the past 20 years. We picked up a little local knowledge about the best road into town then jetted over to SYL to visit with Rusty and Linda as the sun set. We enjoyed their company as we all watched the front blowing in. We could see the rain line and dark clouds marching towards our bobbing boats and at the last minute we left SYL to return to Kaleo still dry. The wind picked up to about 20-23 knots and we settled in for a night aboard. “Ondine” was the movie for the evening and it does not make our recommendation list. Okay at best, we decided to delete it from our hard drive with no intentions of even sharing it.

Regardless of the movie review, we enjoyed being snuggled up onboard while the wind howled outside and Kaleo, chained to the sea floor, bobbed ever so slightly.

On Sunday, the same conditions greeted us but with plans to go to church in Black Point, we couldn’t let a little wind and dinghy sea spray stop us. After a hearty breakfast and dressing in our Sunday best (rare these days), the Navy piled into their respective dinghies and met on the beach. Shane arranged a ride for us into town and the island missionary, Charles, picked us up in his truck. It saved us a couple of miles walk and we all got to mark it as our first time going to church in the back of a pick-up. And certainly a first for sitting in service with sandy feet.

The Bahamian Holy Bible Mission Church is a quaint, sea-foam green building in front of the biggest beach on Black Point. Traditionally set up inside, it was really nice to go to church and even nicer going with the entire group of cruising friends. The Navy was in for a surprise as Shane, of Guiding Light, was enlisted to give the message for the day. Shane had been to the church a few weeks earlier and had really enjoyed his time there. The pastor, who also happens to double as the town’s police chief, asked if Shane wouldn’t mind giving a message and he gladly accepted. He delivered a powerful message based on the insightful personal relationship book, “The Five Love Languages” and how God shows his love to all of us via the five different ways. Perfectly timed for a Valentine’s Day message of expressing love. By the way if you haven’t read the book, we highly recommended it. Not just for romantic relationships, but to help you understand how all relationships (parent/child, friends, co-workers) in your life express love and the best ways to reciprocate it.

After service let out we all walked down to Lorraine’s for a leisurely Sunday lunch of cracked conch. Have we mentioned this is the most amazing conch to be had?! Delicate, tender, buttery and lightly fried with a side of french fries, it made for the best Sunday meal we’ve had in a long time. Christie and Linda stayed at Lorraine’s to do some Internet items while the rest of the crew walked to a blow hole further down the island. It was a powerful hole with mist and water shooting upward with every crashing wave but the scene was ruined by trash scattered everywhere. Either the blow hole was also the town dump or it happened to be the spot where all the trash from the ocean collected. Regardless it took something away from the otherwise awe-inspiring scene.

On the ride back to the anchorage we stopped to wait for a local guy to back his boat into a driveway. Just as we stopped, the boat came unhitched from the truck and began rolling down the road. Luckily it veered off and into a ditch before hitting Charles’ truck. All the guys jumped out of the truck and helped the local guy get the boat hitched back up and out of the ditch.

Upon returning to our own boats, all the guys lent a hand across the Navy with various boat projects. Shane had a watermaker project to work on, Rusty had a rudder fix to make, Steve a wind generator issue to diagnose. Matt returned home after dark just in time for us to enjoy some dinner and reflect on a really nice day.

N 24° 04.43 / W 76° 23.27