s/v Kaleo

Sunday, May 15th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Over the past week we’ve made the jump from Eleuthera to the Abacos enjoying the company of fellow cruisers on the same route.

Dinner aboard “Fishhead”

Tuesday evening we staged in Royal Island Harbour to make the 55 mile jump north to the Abacos. While there we enjoyed a feast hosted by Cindy and Michael of “Fishhead” and were joined by Sherry and Wayne from “Wine Down”. A full roasted chicken dinner with a multitude of sides filled the cockpit with hunger-inducing aromas.

“Guiding Light” also happened to be staging in Royal Island for a trip to Nassau. Delighted and surprised to see Shane and his guest Micheal, we stopped by after dinner to catch up on all their adventures since we last saw “GL” at Rum Cay.

Wednesday we had a long and somewhat uneventful motor sail toward the Abacos. That is until we were about a half mile from the Little Harbour cut entrance into the Abacos. We saw a rainstorm on the way and prepared the boat but were welcomed with a 40 knot squall. Within 15 minutes the wind escalated from a mere 10 knots SW to a raging 40 knots N. Since the wind was simply too powerful on our nose to make headway in, we turned the boat around and ran downwind until it passed over us. About 15 minutes later, we turned back around, raised the sails and continued on our way. As Captain Ron says, “It’s just a little squall. They come on you fast and leave you fast.”

Entering Little Harbour in a 40 knot squall

The following day we anchored off of Tilloo Cay and had “Fishhead” aboard for a spaghetti dinner. As it was Michael’s birthday, Cindy baked a celebratory banana cream pie for us all to enjoy. Thanks for having your birthday dinner aboard Kaleo, Michael!

From Tilloo, we sailed into the “big city” of Marsh Harbour, the hub of the Abacos. We were able to get laundry done and more importantly, met up with “White Pepper” whom we met at boat church back in George Town. We also bumped into “Mango Groove”, a really lovely and fun cruising family we met in GT.

The giant Maxwell’s grocery store

On Saturday morning we did chores with “White Pepper” by walking to the bakery for fresh coconut bread, to the bank for the ATM, and to the grocery store. A grocery store is an understatement after months of cruising the lightly-stocked markets of the Exumas. With a parking lot the size of Costco and the actual need for a shopping cart, Maxwell’s is the equivalent to a full-sized Publix or Kroger. We bought fresh fruit and veggies, organic pasta, chips, salsa, cereal and even a watermelon. The only very minor downside was that Matt had to tote the watermelon in our backpack back to the boat.

Hanging with some mermaids

Later Saturday afternoon, we set out to check out the 1st Annual “T’ings Bahamian Craft Show”. With cold Kaliks and crispy conch fritters in hand we browsed tents filled with a variety of artisan crafts such as sea glass jewelry, local paintings, Androsia fabric purses, and mirrors framed in shells. I found a really fun bright orange Androsia catch-all bag that was perfect for helping relieve Matt’s pockets of our camera and water bottle.

1st Annual “T’ings Bahamian Craft Show” in Abaco Town

Amidst the live Bahamian music, ten contestants from “Miss Teen Abaco” paraded through the show introducing themselves along with the islands they represent and then modeled some of the local wares for sale.

“Miss Teen Abaco” contestants

Later, “White Pepper” joined us for watermelon aboard and then we all headed into Snappa’s for happy hour. As the evening settled in, “Fishhead” joined us at Snappa’s for dinner and we relished mouthwatering grilled Mahi-Mahi with caesar salad and baked potato.

Entering Hope Town, Abaco

Kicking back during our first Hope Town sunset

On Sunday we wrapped up our time in Marsh Harbour by watching a LifeChurch.tv service and then motor sailed over to the beautiful Hope Town to kick off our anniversary week!

N 26° 32.84 / W 77° 03.37

Category: Abacos, Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Eleuthera, Friends, Weather 4 Comments

Harbour Island, The Nantucket of the Caribbean

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Harbour Island is located just off the tip of Eleuthera and is home to a colorful New England-style community and a world renowned pink sand beach stretching over three miles across the entire length of its eastern shore.

From Spanish Wells, the only way for Kaleo to reach this alluring island would be by traversing a treacherous and twisting route through coral reefs and shallow banks known as “The Devil’s Backbone.” Some boaters take the risk, others hire a local pilot to come aboard to drive them through, and many leave their boats in Spanish Wells and hop aboard a fast ferry for a trip over. Since hiring a guide is about the same price as two roundtrip tickets on the fast ferry and the ferry being less than a quarter of the time to get across (45 min. vs. 4 hours), we opted to hop aboard, kick back and let someone else be the captain for the day.

So, Tuesday morning we boarded “Bo Hengy II”, a giant 396 passenger catamaran, for an exhilarating ride through the Devil’s Backbone. Looking down from the towering top deck, we felt the boat almost lift out of the water as it lunged for its course. The captain expertly jetted through the backbone at upwards of 35 knots! as we could feel the slight maneuvers and see the unusual course he took. At one point, we hugged the shoreline so closely that we could have tossed our own message in a bottle right onto the beach.

After docking, we hopped off and headed up picturesque flower-lined streets eventually bound for the famous pink sand beach. Meandering through a maze of brightly colored cottages, shops and restaurants, we noted how built up and polished this island is compared to the rest of the Bahamas.

Soon enough we found ourselves traipsing down a sandy path that opened up to the powdery soft pink sand beach. A few visitors lounged in nearby chairs and the surf rhythmically lapped up on the beach. The pink beach was, as claimed, not a bright pink, but a gentle hue made up of bits of coral and broken shells.

After walking along the beach, we made our way up an inviting staircase to explore the grounds of the Pink Sands Hotel, a gorgeous beachside campus with bungalows, pools and two highly-recommended restaurants. The menu and the view from one, the Blue Bar, was enough to convince us that we should come back to enjoy lunch overlooking the ocean.

We spent the next few hours wandering the paths and small streets crisscrossing the village to see more quaint villas, the local all-age school, and “Uncle Ralph’s Aura Corner” where dozens of foreign license plates and signs have been hung by island visitors. Back at Blue Bar, we chose a quiet corner table shaded by sky blue shutters and cooled by the cresting ocean breeze. First up were a frozen mango daiquiri for the admiral and a Heineken for the captain. Soon to follow were 1) Blue Bar’s famous fish tacos with seasoned local Mahi, cabbage slaw, fresh guacamole, pico de gall salsa, and fresh fruit and 2) blackened red snapper served alongside crisp Arugula salad filled with sweet peppers, tomatoes, and red onions with a lemon vinaigrette. It was one of the most mouthwatering meals we’ve had in a long time and was capped with the traditional Bahamian dessert of Guava Duff (a guava flavored plum pudding in a rolled pastry and drizzled with a brandy sauce).

Fighting a strong urge for a beachside nap, we strolled the pink sands to the far end then winded our way through local neighborhoods. We casually drifted along the waterfront street, admiring island founder’s original homes and the local conch bars as we made our way to the ferry dock.

Often times, people ask us where they should vacation in the Bahamas. Until now, it’s been difficult to pinpoint a particular island as we traveled here in our floating home and have no experience with the local hotels. Harbour Island is now our recommended destination for those seeking a comfortable, restful stay in the beautiful Bahamas. It offers a Bahamian experience among luxurious hotels and bungalows that many people want when going on a beach vacation. Harbour Island has superb dining, beautiful beaches, local flavor and easy airport access.

We would have liked to experience more of Eleuthera but are grateful for our stay in Spanish Wells and Harbour Island. Next stop … The Abacos!

Category: Bahamas, Boat Life, Cruising, Eleuthera, Harbour Island Leave a Comment

A Clear Shot to Spanish Wells

Monday, May 09th, 2011 / Christie & Matt

Saturday marked the first time in a long time that we were sailing somewhere as a fleet of one.

Kaleo and crew’s shadow on the ocean floor

Having left “SYL” in Hawksbill, we headed to Ship Channel Cay, a long rock in the northern tip of the Exumas. It was a 20 mile motor sail up to a wide open spot of shallow sand on the ocean floor where we set the hook. In front of us was the low-lying rocks of the cay and behind us open ocean. There wasn’t another boat to be seen, further proving we were in transition between the cruising grounds of the Exumas and Eleuthera.

Taking in the fresh air and clear water

After a short swim and quick dinner, we spotted a yellowfin tuna hanging around the boat. It seemed to be attracted to the spaghetti scraps we had thrown overboard. And, always looking to fill the freezer, we baited a hook with a small meatball and tossed the line over. Moments later it went taunt as the tuna swam away unspooling yards of line from the reel. After a brief tug of war on the line, we had the large tuna right up to the boat. With gaff hook in hand (a large hooked pole used to pull a fish onboard) it bit clear through the wire leader on the line and escaped to freedom. It returned soon thereafter, much wiser to our fishing attempt, and circled us (possibly in mockery) waiting for another course in its dinner.

Just before sunset, we were treated to a figurine-sized fireworks show on the clear ocean’s horizon from the Atlantis Resort in Nassau almost 40 miles away. Over the distance, the colorful explosions looked about the size of a quarter and the boom made its way rumbling across the water to us about a minute later.

Backyard sunset over the Tongue of the Ocean

At sunrise on Sunday, with the wind gauge reading 0.0 knots, we motored for Eleuthera cutting through the ocean’s glassy surface along our way.

The trade-off for no wind was the spectacular and unique view down to the ocean floor at depths up to 50 and 60 feet. With no wind to create ripples or waves, we felt like a toy boat being pushed along an aquarium’s surface as we peered overboard to take in the magic of the exposed sea world below. Within it, we caught glimpses of radiant starfish resting against the white sand, colossal-sized sea turtles lazily cruising by, sea cucumbers vegging in their ocean gardens, and our lone sailboat’s shadow clearly trailing our progress.

By late afternoon we sailed into Royal Island Harbour in northern Eleuthera and set our anchor in a protected cove for a good night’s rest.

Kaleo amongst neighbors in Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells, Eleuthera

Monday morning we moved Kaleo a few miles over to Spanish Wells, Eleuthera to grab a mooring ball and to meander about the town. Spanish Wells is quaint well-kept settlement with many boat yards and an industrious waterfront. It’s also the stopping place for the Bahamas Fast Ferry, which we planned to take to Harbour Island the next day.