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Returning Through The Exumas

The past week has been punctuated by the sweetness of revisiting some of our favorite Bahamian islands and the inevitable departure of good friends.

The sands of Hawksbill beach

Over the past week, we’ve:

  • Sailed with “SYL” up to Little Farmers Cay and met back up with “Morning Glory.” We hiked across the island to walk along the Atlantic beaches, went to boat church and explored Oven Rock Cave.
  • Set the hook at Castle Beach near Black Point, where we first met “Morning Glory” a few months ago. Ranking as one of our top anchorages on the trip, we swam off the back of “SYL”, snorkeled and spearfished the nearby rock walls and conversed well into the night over highlights of the trip so far.
  • Docked for the day at Regatta Point in Black Point to do laundry and visit Lorraine’s cafe for Internet, home-baked bread and above all, her famous cracked conch.
  • Glided up to Staniel Cay on Thursday for groceries and more snorkeling in Thunderball Grotto. It was just as spectacular as before but this time the water was much warmer. In the afternoon we moved the big boats over to pig beach at Big Majors Cay to anchor for the night and see our grunting swimming friends one more time.

A colorful reef fish in Thunderball Groto

These folks didn’t know the pigs were hoping for a dinghy ride

  • Hugged goodbyes with “Morning Glory” as Friday made their departure for Florida.
  • Sailed with “SYL” up to Hawksbill Cay as Rusty radioed sail trim tips over to Matt. He was ecstatic at having Kaleo sailing so sweetly and grateful for Rusty’s advice.
  • Marveled at the most magnificent oceanside beach we’ve seen yet. A long hot hike over Hawksbill led us to a vista overlooking electrifying turquoise water with a powdery white sand beach that can not be done justice through pictures or words. Rusty even found a message in a bottle from a 5-year-old Bahamian boy named Truman. That’s two message in a bottles found on this trip so far!

The crescent beach at Hawksbill Cay

 

  • Reminisced with “SYL” about first meeting them one cold November day back in Kemah. Over dinner and Mexican Train we laughed at all the trials “SYL” encouraged us through as we made our way down the Gulf Coast, Bahamas bound.
  • Motored away from “SYL” on Saturday morning as we made our way north for Spanish Wells, Eluthera and The Abacos.

Overall, it was an enjoyable way to wrap up our time cruising throughout the Exumas. And while we will dearly miss “SYL” and “MG”, plans to meet back up while cruising the east coast have already been discussed.

National Family Island Regatta in GT

Tuesday marked our return to George Town for the 58th Annual National Family Island Regatta.

Racing for the windward course mark

The best sailors from every major island in the Bahamas converge to compete for the “Best in the Bahamas” title and a year’s worth of island pride.

The frenzied A Class starting line

Racers hiked out on the prye. Notice the name?

Criss-crossing the course

We’ve met many of the locally-built sloops’ crews and were cheering for the No. 5 boat from Long Island, “Running Tide” and the No. 18 boat from Black Point, “Red Stripe”! Along with these fiercely competitive races is a built-up Regatta Point with brightly-colored booths serving delicious local food, frosty rum drinks, and DJ’s pumping lively music, all Bahamas style!

Intently watching for No. 5

The Black Point favorite, “Red Stripe”. Go Lundy!

“Barbarian”, a little off course

A few of the days, we anchored Kaleo in the thick of the action near the finish line. It was close enough to Regatta Point that we could literally feel the music and smell the BBQ roasting. Hot and sunny afternoons were spent meandering through the huts at Regatta Point with throngs of Bahamians and the ever fun crews of “Storyville,” “Morning Glory,” “Pipe Muh Bligh” and “Palaola.”

A race boat heading out to the start line. Up close and personal with “Kaleo”

The market with hand-woven straw baskets and batik fabrics

The streets of Regatta Point

Que romantic race moment

In the evenings, we would move “Kaleo” to a more peaceful anchorage on the east side of the harbor and unwind from the frenetic but fun energy of locals still swaying to the music in George Town. Of course, we took advantage of the well-stocked Exuma Market, propane truck, bank and such before leaving the harbour.

Though planning to leave Friday morning, we ended up staying an extra day to catch a few more races and spend more time with Deana and Troy of “Storyville.” With heavy hearts, the time has come for us to take diverging routes but can’t thank them enough for all their friendship, advice and encouragement over the past several months. They have truly become part of our family on the water and we look forward to visiting them somewhere down island soon.

The crews of “Kaleo” and “Storyville”

With fond farewells we prepped “Kaleo” for an early Saturday morning departure bound for Little Farmer’s Cay.

N 23° 30.39 / W 75° 45.88

Mili Captures Kaleo

In addition to being an exceptional Cook, the Admiral of “Morning Glory” happens to be an excellent watercolor artist. While in the Jumentos, she turned that talent into charming image of “Kaleo” resting at anchor in Water Cay.

Kaleo captured in watercolor at Water Cay, Jumentos

It’s one of our most precious treasures from this trip so far. Thanks, Mili!

The Jumentos

Over the past week we have truly been off the grid anchored in some of the most remote islands in the Bahamas.



 Kaleo under sail to the Jumentos

The Jumentos are a short chain of small rocky islands about 60 miles from Cuba at the closest point. There are few protected anchorages around these ocean-exposed islands and we became accustomed to the constant rolling motion of Kaleo being rocked back and forth in the cradle of ocean swell. Most of the time the swaying was tolerable but four times per day, when the tides changed, the motion caused a ceaseless clanging of everything shifting within the boat. Thankfully, the majority of our time was spent off the boat exploring the islands’ rugged beauty and hanging with Ted and Mili aboard their more stable, two-legged cat.

Matt on a quest for coconuts

Our anchorage in Water Cay

For what the Jumentos lack in conveniences and calm anchorages, it makes up for in rugged, untouched territory ripe for adventure. Our daily excursions had us:

  • Living resourcefully by catching and baking our food, making fresh water from the sea, burning to dispose of our trash, and keeping ourselves constantly entertained with nature and each other
  • Dingy exploring a large cave on Flamingo Cay

Coming out of Flamingo Cay Cave


  • Hiking cliffs overlooking the ocean while the gals hunted the beaches for washed-up treasures

The captain and his winged friend exploring

  • Visiting with “Maggie M”, a boat we crossed over from Marathon with, and meeting their friends on “Three Penny Opera”
  • Surveying the wreckage of a seaplane along a nearly perfect sandy crescent beach

Seaplane wreckage

  • Spearfishing where Matt speared his first fish, a Queen Triggerfish. On one trip out, Matt speared a fish that got off and hid under a rock. The injured fish quickly attracted two 5-6 foot sharks looking for an easy meal. Matt swam off deciding not to come between the sharks and the meal he had just prepared for one of them.
  • Hosting a bake-a-thon, whipping up fresh french bread, an apple crisp and vanilla ice cream
  • Enjoying Sunday boat church service, courtesy of Lifechurch.tv, followed by conversation in fellowship that truly brings home the message
  • Beachcombing Water Cay for sea beans, tropical shells, and rare colors of sea glass
  • Sharing hearty meals and meaningful conversations while watching for the ever-elusive “green flash” at sunset

Our time in the Jumentos wrapped up as strong winds and sea states were forecast to move into the area by mid-week. So, we were early to bed on Wednesday night with plans for a 6:00 a.m. departure to make the 40 mile upwind battle back to Thompson Bay for Easter Weekend.

Big Treasures in Little Harbour

A quick three hour sail down from Clarence Town on Wednesday found us inside the swell-free protected anchorage of Little Harbour, Long Island.

Sailing south on the Atlantic

Guiding “Kaleo” in made for an exciting entry into a peaceful place because the inlet was surrounded on both sides by rolling waves crashing over submerged coral heads.

Little Harbour is a large bay with a few beaches dotting the shoreline and an abandoned fishing boat, sunk up to the deck, holding some untold story. The water is a calm turquoise green and the bay’s proximity to the wide open Atlantic is given away only by the sound of crashing waves just over the low hills.

Matt spent most of the following day cleaning marine growth from the bottom of the boat. A fuzzy green “beard” had grown below the waterline and besides being unsightly, it hinders our sailing performance. By late afternoon the hull was muck-free and we were off to explore a beach just a short hike away on the other side of a hill.

Not more than 20 feet onto the beach and our hands were full of sea glass and the pockets on Matt’s shorts rattled like maracas. Sea glass is broken up pieces of glass from bottles thrown into the ocean that have been washed onto the shore. The constant motion of the waves over the sand smooths and polishes the glass into beautiful, almost jewel-like, treasures.

With the sun setting, we stopped by “MG” to make plans for a dedicated day of beachcombing.

Ted and Mili had just returned from dinghy exploring further down the island with the ultimate find – a message in a bottle. A dark green bottle, corked to protect the letter rolled inside, sparked our curiosity about the story it would reveal . Upon popping out the encrusted cork, Mili read a sweet note from a six-year-old girl named Emily, who in 2007, tossed the bottle over during a family cruise to Bermuda. Written on Norwegian Cruise Line stationery were the following words …

“Hi. My name is Emily and I am 6 years old. I am on vacation with my family on a cruise chip called Norwegian Crown. Today is August 17, 2007 and we are going back home to New York. We were in Bermuda. My sister Abby turned 4 on Monday so we celebrated on the ship. If anyone finds this please write to me at my dads job. I hope whoever gets this letter is doing well. – Emily and Abby”

Rolled within the letter, Emily tucked her dad’s business card with an email and mailing address to respond. We imagine she, now almost 11 years old, will be delighted to hear her note was found with such joy. Mili even plans to mail her original note back to her as a keepsake. And we have plans for casting our own message in a bottle soon.

A note waiting to be found and read

Mili unveiling Emily’s letter

The next morning, with lunches packed and gear loaded, the four of us set out to hike the beaches. Matt and Ted helped look for sea glass and sea beans interspersed with breaks to haul the gear further and further down the beach. The gals didn’t lift their eyes past the sand line for the next three hours as sparkling piece after sparkling piece filled their “treasure chests.”

Doting husbands schlepping our gear down the beach

Treasure hunting

Small bits of sea glass within the sand

Some of the sea glass we found

Sea Hearts and Columbus Beans

Hamburger and Purse Beans along with the elusive Mary Bean

After lunch, the guys took siestas against whitewashed cliff walls while the treasure hunt continued. Worn out, but with more sea glass, exotic shells, and sea beans in one trip than collected to date, we all returned to the boats. It was the gals turn for siestas while Matt and Ted went out on their own hunt to spearfish for dinner.

An afternoon nap

They returned with grouper and snapper, which Mili battered and pan fried to compliment the homemade glutten-free pizzas being made aboard Kaleo. Ted and Mili came to our house for the evening to enjoy dinner and a round of Mexican Train.

Little Harbour has been one of our favorite anchorages so far for its calm waters, rugged beaches and peacefulness. Yet, “Kaleo” must move on so plans were then made to sail for Dollar Harbour in the morning as a staging spot for our sail to the Jumentos.

N 22° 58.58 / W 74° 51.15

Clarence Town, Long Island

The day began, as most, at 6:30 with Chris Parker’s weather report covering the next five days over various regions of the Bahamas.

Flying Fish Marina dock overlooking Clarence Town Harbour

Without turning on the motor, Matt pulled up the anchor and set the sails to gently lift us toward our next destination (a first for us as we usually motor out of a harbor before setting the sails). The light winds moved us along at about 2 knots (pretty slow) but with 38 miles to cover, we fired up the motor to make better time.

By 3:00 we had the anchor down in Clarence Town Harbour and a full to-do list in our hands.

View of the Flying Fish Marina from our dinghy

Christie started the laundry at Flying Fish Marina while Matt refueled the boat. Joined by Mili, Christie explored the government packing house, where once a week the mail boat comes to collect locally grown produce from farmers in the area. On this particular day (and time) it had limited fresh produce (tomatoes, plantains, bananas) for purchase at very low prices.

Government packing house

Matt connected with a Bahamas customs agent to get a 90-day extension on his visitors permit, which was set to expire April 20. (We’re set to explore the islands a bit longer.)

After a productive afternoon, it was time for dinner. Perched alongside the marina is a colorful and quaint waterside grill with a deliciously robust menu and very inviting, breezy patio tables. It was quickly decided that we had a double date night ahead of us.

Our orders arrived and the table was filled with cracked conch, BBQ ribs, grilled grouper, conch burger, Bahamian mac ‘n cheese, fries, coleslaw, mixed vegetables and salad. While we were stuffed to the gills, we made room for their homemade desserts of lemon meringue pie and warm chocolate cake. Delish!

Pausing to enjoy the charm of Clarence Town

We plan to get a few more groceries tomorrow to stock up for our upcoming trip to the Jumentos. This chain of remote islands offers rugged beauty, reefs teeming with tropical fish and adventures well off the beaten path. With no stores nor services of any kind. No fuel. No internet. No cell service. There will be little to none in terms of civilization so we’re topping off our provisions before heading out. We will essentially be off the grid for about a week. We are traveling alongside “Morning Glory” and our SPOT tracker (click the globe icon on the upper-left hand corner of this site) will continuously update our sailing progress.

N 23° 05.9 / W 74° 57.4

Port Nelson, Rum Cay

Kaleo motored into Port Nelson, Rum Cay on Saturday afternoon in search of a laundromat, groceries and a smooth anchorage.

Looking out over our back yard

We found one of the three. A fairly smooth anchorage with a bonus, WiFi Internet accessible from the boat (a rare luxury these days). Rum Cay was named because of a legend that a cargo ship full of, you guessed it, rum crashed on the reefs surrounding the island. But, Matt said the water still tastes as salty as everywhere else. Another bonus was running into our friend Shane, on “Guiding Light”, who was already in the anchorage.

The only settlement on the island is Port Nelson, population about 100. We didn’t explore the town but stopped in the marina to inquire about laundry which was $12.00 per load. Housed in a dusty shed, with two working washing machines and one semi-working dryer, we opted out of trying to get our four loads done there. Instead, we took some time to catch up on all things digital and to clean the boat. One surprise about living on the water – dust – the boat collects more dust bunnies than we could have ever imagined so it’s a constant battle of dust particles vs. static cling pads. The static pads are winning this week.

Sunday we joined “Morning Glory” for boat church and listened to a service from their home church in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a thought-provoking service about where we put our ultimate value (Christ or anything else) and conversation eventually turned into lunch. Over lunch we made plans for dinner and then got to our respective assignments.

The guys speared some triggerfish, grouper and snapper and the gals cooked up all the accompaniments. Aboard “Guiding Light” we all enjoyed a feast of fish on a bed of butternut squash filled ravioli, steamed peas, and rosemary bread topped off with good conversation. Then it was time for goodbyes to Shane. We are sailing south to Clarence Town, Long Island in the morning and he is heading north to Conception.

With grateful hearts and full bellies, we buzzed back across smooth waters to our floating home silhouetted by the peaceful moonlight.

N 23° 38.73 / W 74° 50.70

Flamingo Bay, One Swell Of A Stay

Gentle enough conditions for pleasant sailing were forecast on Thursday morning when we set out for Flamingo Bay on Rum Cay, just a few hours away from Conception.

Flamingo Bay Beach on Rum Cay

The gentle conditions lasted about twenty minutes for as soon as we rounded the southern point of Conception, the sea state was lumpy and the wind was blowing about 20 knots. With six foot swell (large rolling waves) lifting and dropping Kaleo every few seconds, the boat rocked and rolled like a painfully long song. Imagine picking up your house and setting it into the seat of a giant Tilt-a-Whirl. Now, ask the carnie to throw the throttle on full speed and you have yourself a replica of our little sail from Conception to Rum Cay.

To add insult to injury, the wind was blowing straight from the direction of Rum Cay meaning we couldn’t sail a direct course and adding miles to our hobby-horsing journey. For our final challenge, we navigated over a mile through a tight maze of reef-riddled waters into the Bay.

There was no rest for the weary as our anchorage was so rolly we could hardly stand up without getting thrown from side to side in the boat. Picture our mast going from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock, 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock. Flamingo Bay’s anchorage is open to the north and west with a large rock that protects a small corner from ocean swell. Our draft (depth of our boat’s keel) wouldn’t allow us to get into the more protected corner so we had to anchor right at the point where the swell wraps around the rock. 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock. 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock.

Once our anchor was securely set under the firm sand, we immediately made for the beach to walk around and regain some sense of balance. All the while, watching Kaleo roll wildly on her chain leash. 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock. 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock.

That night, we slept off and on for a couple hours while being tossed back and forth, even wearing earphones to drown out the clanking of everything shifting within the boat.

When morning finally arrived, it was off to the beach for a few hours of reprieve with plans to sail somewhere more comfortable by mid-morning. We dinghied to an unexplored-by-us portion of the beach and ended up spending nearly the entire day there. The reward for our sleepless night was the best shelling we’ve had yet along the mile and a half curve of untouched sand.

Ted and Mili offered refuge aboard “MG” for the night in exchange for another night’s stay. Slumber party, catamaran style!

That evening, sleeping aboard “MG”, we watched Kaleo’s mast top continue its wild dance. She sounded like an ocean bell buoy as her halyards and cables (though drawn taunt) clanged and reverberated in the mast. It was painful to see her taking all the wave action alone but very comfortable to have a sound night’s sleep.

In the morning, the gals hit the beach again for one final shell hunt then we packed up and pointed our bows for Port Nelson to explore the other side of Rum Cay.

N 23° 41.20 / W 74° 55.47

Conception Island

We left Thompson Bay, Long Island on Tuesday morning with plans for a beautiful sail to Conception Island*, a remote uninhabited island northeast of us.

Christie exploring the beach cliffs

The day started benign enough as we  sailed up the protected waters along Long Island. As we rounded the top of the island into the open Atlantic, the sea state worsened making for a rough sail the rest of the way (another 15 miles, 3.5 hours).

We navigated around a reef and into the anchorage where we dropped the hook in translucent blue waters that lapped up to a perfect sandy beach. Conception Island is secluded, small and is surrounded on all sides by deep ocean (unlike the Exumas, which have shallow sand banks on one side) which makes the anchorage a little rolly but provides access to amazing reefs. The only way to the island is by boat and despite a few others in the anchorage we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Upon waking up the next morning, we headed to the beach to peruse for sea beans, shells, and flotsam treasures. Then the gals enjoyed a swim in the crystal blue waters while the guys tossed around the Frisbee.

Matt leaping for the Frisbee catch

Exploring a small cave

A fun hike up to the point

Hiking up the dune

A beach junk swing

In the heat of the day we snorkeled with “MG” on reefs just a few hundred yards from where Kaleo was anchored. It was some of the best yet in about 10 feet of water with coral heads that rose almost to the surface. With a little current flowing against us, fins were in full gear as we snaked through cuts in the coral toward what seemed liked endless heads rising from deeper and deeper water. Rainbow-colored reef fish scurried about as we marveled at the staghorn and brain coral of this underwater city.

The highlight of the snorkel trip (if you want to look at that way) was Christie setting a new speed swimming record when she spotted a shark less than 50 feet away. A blacktip reef shark, about 3-4 feet long, was hovering near a reef as she rounded the corner and locked eyes with it.

After propelling herself away like a jet ski, we all caught up and decided that the shark was likely looking for easy-to-catch small reef fish (not a skittish swimmer). S0 we continued on the beautiful coral sightseeing tour and then returned to the boats for showers, dinner and a movie.

With appreciation for yet another beautiful island, unique in its own way, we charted a course for our next stop to Rum Cay.

*No attempts for baby-making were made during the stay on this island.

N 23° 51.07 / W 75° 07.27

A Return Weekend in Thompson Bay

We set sail from Joe’s Sound on Saturday morning for Thompson Bay to wait out a little weather and stock up on groceries before we head for the more remote Conception Island.

Our floating home in Thompson Bay, Long Island

Navigating out of the narrow and rocky entrance of Joe’s Sound was just as nerve racking as getting in but it went smoothly and we enjoyed a smooth sail back to Thompson Bay. Once there, we spent the weekend:

  • Stocking up on fresh produce and hard to come by all natural tortilla chips (it’s the little things in life that are so big out here)
  • Enjoying being reconnected with our friends aboard “Storyville” (were so excited to see their familiar hull in the anchorage as we returned from the grocery store)
  • Attending church service at the Assembly of God, where the pastor gave a powerful message on the church’s need to speak the truth
  • Sharing FC Elevate Family kids resources with the Sunday School teacher who will hopefully use them in her classes and with the local missionary family
  • Meeting a missionary family from Maritime Ministries who sailed to Long Island and who now live on there with their two young daughters spreading the Word of God
  • Relaxing aboard “Kaleo” reading, lounging, and studying charts of our next destinations

We plan to pull up our anchor on Monday to head for Conception Island with “Morning Glory“.

N 23° 31.09 / W 75° 08.04

The Remote Sound of Joe’s

We awoke on Thursday to the same calm from the night before but with Kaleo pointing the opposite direction, having swung in the night with the tidal current.

In full daylight we were able to take in how far removed we were from civilization in our new little cove of the world at Joe’s Sound. Only one currently uninhabited house and a forgotten fishing boat marked that people might have once been around.

Tidal flats just a few feet off from our bow

Both boats, ourselves and “MG”, loaded our dinghies with lunches, water and extra fuel for a quest to find the nearest town, some two miles up the creek. After puttering through crystal waters lined with dense mangroves, we came to a small bridge over a narrow whitewater rapid creek. We could see boats on the other side so we said what the heck and went for it. Swoosh! We caught the current and were hurtled under the bridge without scraping the gnarly rock walls. Exiting the other side, we had to turn sharply to avoid getting the motor wrapped in the mangrove trees trying to ambush us.

We laughed and lunched on the dock before walking a mile to Mrs. Pratt’s Convenience Store to enjoy a cold drink. After talking with her for awhile, she invited us to climb the hill on her property behind the store to take in a view of the Atlantic and cool down in the tropical breeze.

Mrs. Pratt’s hill overlooking the Atlantic

The dinghy ride back under the bridge was just as fun as our little motor crawled up the rapids. Like kids wanting to do the Disney World Log Ride over and over, we turned the dinghy around and ran it again.

By afternoon, low tide had come along forcing Matt and Ted to tow the dinghies by foot through the shallow water. They plodded along, pulling us grateful gals in our chariots, and at times sinking up to their knees in sloshy sand.

Pulling the dinghies through the shallows

On the way back, we stopped off at and walked along the nearby tidal flats where we saw millions of little sea snails left behind when the water receded.

We returned to the boats to find Kaleo a little too close to the shallow water so Ted and Matt reset the anchors, moving us into deeper water. Never to soon to enjoy lobster again, we whipped up a small feast of grilled tails, agave glazed carrots and buttered potatoes. Then it was off to “MG” to make a “cruising bucket list,” those things we want to do before leaving the Bahamas.

The evening’s lobster feast

N 23° 37.67 / W 75° 19.95

A Sail to Joe’s Sound

Most of Tuesday was spent taking care of laundry at Long Island Breeze Resort (beautiful views) and grocery shopping as we planned to sail north along Long Island the next day.

Long Island Breeze Resort

With laundry wrapped up, groceries bought and loaded aboard, Matt headed out to get fuel for the generator. He stopped at a local dock where Ted was talking with a Bahamian fisherman named Rodger. Matt joined the conversation and later inquired about buying lobster. Without hesitation, Rodger handed him five tails and despite several pleas to pay, he refused to take any money in exchange. Overjoyed by Bahamian generosity once again, Matt thanked him profusely and brought our gifts home as a welcomed surprise.

Wednesday morning, we pulled up the hook and left Thompson Bay and with the wind at our backs, we set sail for Calabash Bay. That made for downwind sailing which just happens to be the best and most leisurely point of sail. With Kaleo running wing-on-wing (the jib out to port and the main out to starboard) we cruised along at 5.5 knots under puffy white clouds through electric blue waters. (Think the color of Sonic’s Ocean Water.)

Sailing wing-on-wing

For lunch, Matt grilled two lobster tails on the cockpit BBQ and we melted drawn butter in the sun. It was a gold star cruising day as we lounged back with bellies full of delicious lobster.

Lobster lunch about to hit the grill

We arrived at Calabash Bay to find it rolly and somewhat uncomfortable, so we tracked back a few miles to the more protected cove of Joe’s Sound. The charts say the entrance is “narrow and tricky” with a “rocky bottom and swift current”. The chart was right. We pulled up to an entrance about 30 feet wide with coral and rocks on both sides. What made it tricky was that the only trail through the water deep enough for Kaleo was about 10 feet wide and made a snaky “S” curve through the rocks.

Navigating the narrow entrance into Joe’s Sound

With Christie on the front shouting the direction of deeper water, and Matt piloting Kaleo, we were almost all the way through when the boat slid to a halt in soft sand (thankfully not rock). No amount of motor forward nor backward would release us as the current pushed us deeper aground. “Morning Glory”, who had just entered the cut before us, turned back, tossed a tow line our way, and with their help and the rising tide, we cut through the sand bar like an elephant would struggle to fit through a dog door.

“Morning Glory” towing us off the sand bar

Deep water right up to the edge of tidal flats

In for the night, Matt set two anchors to keep us in the narrow channel when the tide shifted. The reward for navigating the entrance and extra anchoring work was a peaceful, glassy calm spot surrounded on all sides by low hills and tidal flats.

N 23° 37.67 / W 75° 19.95

Driving, Diving and Dining Long Island Style

Before leaving George Town, many cruisers told us it’s worth renting a car to see ALL that Long Island has to offer.

East of George Town and about 300 miles southeast of Florida, Long Island is one of the southernmost islands in the Bahamas’ chain. As its name implies, Long Island is indeed very long, stretching 80 miles with one continuous main road throughout the entire island and just four miles across at its widest point. It has a dramatically contrasting landscape of limestone cliffs, shallow water flats, and rolling hillsides. It’s graced with one of the world’s 10 best beaches and the world’s deepest blue hole (yes, we visited both).

On Monday, we and “Morning Glory” loaded up a rental car with snacks, swim suits and snorkel gear for a full day of touring the island. We pulled onto Queen’s Highway and our first sight was Matt learning to drive on the “wrong” side of the road. Cars drive on the left-hand side of the road in the Bahamas and while the guys did well under these foreign guidelines, they did drift briefly a couple of times to the “wrong” side when wrapped up in conversation.

The entire day was a fun-filled adventure as we:

  • Explored the ruins of St. Mary’s, an old Spanish Church from the 1500’s and hunted for a nearby cave. We didn’t find the cave but certainly met our hiking quota for the day.

The old Spanish church in Salt Pond

  • Drove south to Clarence Town and climbed up into the narrow spires of the Catholic church. From these heights, we were graced with a gorgeous view of the island and surrounding Atlantic ocean.

Hiking up to and through the spires of the Catholic church

Popping out from the church

  • Dined at the “Hot Spot,” a little out-of-the-way restaurant that had excellent grouper fingers, chicken and pot roast. Randomly chosen because of a sign on the road, we’re glad to have turned down the bumpy dirt road to get there.
  • Swam and dove into Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world at over 660 feet. A few miles down a sandy road we pulled off just in front of the beach and donned our swimsuits. In front of us was shallow turquoise water and small reefs surrounding a dark blue circle. Able to wade through shallow water right up to the drop off, it only took seconds before Ted and Matt had swam to the center. About a 45 foot drop, Matt hollered victory cries as he plummeted into the abyss. We shell hunted the nearby beach and then, eager to see more of the island, jumped back into the car to continue on.

Dean’s Blue Hole

Exploring Dean’s Blue Hole

  • Stopped at another Atlantic-side beach to search for sea beans. Christie won the prize by finding a Columbus Bean and soon thereafter it was off to dinner.
  • Relished an authentic Bahamian meal, served family style, at Triphena’s Old Thompson Bay Inn. Every Monday night she cooks up a feast filled with robust portions of cracked lobster, conch, and grouper. Complimented by BBQ ribs, fried plantains, potato salad, cole slaw, peas ‘n rice, and Bahamian mac n’ cheese. We sat around the table enjoying the company of fellow cruisers and locals, dining like royalty, and sipping fruity rum drinks adorned with little brightly colored umbrellas. As delicious as the cuisine was, the conversation and unique experience made the night one of our most memorable.

Reflecting over such a wonderful day, we floated back to our boat appreciating the beauty and charm of Long Island.

Water, Water Everywhere …

… but none we can make.Yet.

First thing Saturday, we moved a little more north along Long Island to Thompson Bay and found ourselves a deep and sandy spot to secure our hook.

Christie and Mili headed in to town to explore the local farmer’s market, check out the grocery store and hike across the island to beachcomb along the Atlantic side of Long Island. With the gals off the boat and with room to work (visualize tools everywhere and our home in disarray), the guys excitedly jumped into the watermaker install.

Matt working to hook up the pump motor

After hooking up the pump motor and a few calls with the factory, it became apparent there was a problem. Our power source, a Honda 2000 generator, couldn’t start the motor even though the watermaker is designed for this exact generator. Joined by Ken, a certified electrician from a neighboring trawler,” Barbara”, we double checked our wiring, ran multiple tests with different generators and none solved the problem.

In the meantime, Christie and Mili had hiked in a few extra miles all over Salt Pond (the town) tracking down parts that we ultimately wouldn’t end up needing. Frustration started to settle over “Kaleo” as we had hoped this would be a near-seamless install. But, who are we kidding. It’s a boat project after all.

Matt talked with the company’s co-founder a few times and was assured that they are willing to do whatever it takes to get it up and running. The only problem is that shipping a new motor out here is much more complicated than simply making a parts exchange back in the states. It’s a multi-week ordeal involving air freight, customs, duty fees, etc. Not to mention the time it will take for all this to happen and we’re not keen on returning to George Town to wait again. The builders are looking into how we might fix it out here and we’ll go from there.

Ted and Matt discussing the install

Frustrated at having waited in George Town for an extra few weeks and now still without a watermaker, we cleaned up then joined Ted and Mili aboard “MG” for dinner and a distracting game of Mexican Train. “MG” said they are happy to make us water anytime and we truly appreciate what a blessing they are to us. The dinner,  game and company were the high points of the day but we returned to Kaleo exhausted and still a bit deflated.

N 23° 31.09 / W 75° 08.04

Leaving for Long Island

Thursday was spent prepping the boat, and ourselves, to leave Red Shanks for our Friday sail to Long Island.

Kaleo resting at anchor before we left for Long Island

Our hearts were heavy as Friday would bring the start of diverging routes among The Navy.

Steve on “Anchor Management” is heading on a fast track to Puerto Rico. Us, more leisurely, to Long Island. And “Storyville” was planning to play in Red Shanks a bit longer. “Pipe Muh Bligh” was undecided and with “Morning Glory” already in Long Island and “SYL” on their way to Turks and Caicos, our time together, at least for now, had come to an end.

On Thursday evening, everyone piled on “Pipe” to enjoy sundowners and talk about the fun we’ve had together over the past few months. Though we’ll see “Storyville” and “Pipe” again at the Family Island Regatta in a few weeks, Steve is staying in PR once he gets there. Before we knew it, the sun had set and with plans to leave at first light it was time for bed.

A few grateful tears, strong bear hugs and a melancholic ride home from Troy (our dinghy was already stored on deck), and we waved goodbye to great friends who have become family on the water.

So with heavy hearts we settled into bed awaiting the 6:30 a.m. beep beep beep of the weather radio alarm.

Daylight on Friday morning came quickly and along with Steve, we pulled up the hook and motored out toward the mouth of Elizabeth Harbour. Troy woke up to radio one last “be safe out there” and other than talking with Steve on the VHF, the world was silent.

Exiting the cut, we hoisted sail and for the first time, pointed our boat in a different direction than Steve’s. He headed northeast and we southeast.

Drifting over the ocean’s surface

Halfway there we passed over the Tropic of Cancer. We now officially live in the tropics.

Matt is always going forward to adjust the sails

While sailing toward Indian Point on Long Island, we talked with “Morning Glory” who was already there to make plans to anchor near each other. We dropped the hook, caught up with them and dinghyied to a nearby beach to hunt shells and stretch our legs.

Christie hunting for sea beans and shells

Returning to the boats, Ted happened to dive his anchor only to discover it was barely holding on to a small rock ledge. Further investigation revealed ours was too! When we had set the anchor and backed on the chain the boat jerked so hard we thought it was buried deeply in the sand. Turns out it just happen to catch a rock ledge on the scoured rocky bottom. The next two hours were spent racing sunset as we motored north looking into alternate anchorages. Just after dark, we found a spot, though a bit shallow, with decent anchor holding so we settled in for the night.

Ted and Mili joined us for spinach lasagna aboard and we all agreed that visually checking the anchor should be the first priority each time we set the hook. The keel softly touched the sandy bottom a few times at low tide in the night but it was good holding helping us to sleep soundly.

N 23° 20.20 / W 75° 07.60

Royal Bahamian Red Shanks Yacht Club

Our final evening with the remaining Navy ships was spent at the “Royal Bahamian Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club” enjoying happy hour, throwing around the frisbee and taking in a gorgeous sunset.

Christie saving a local starfish

Matt and Ted tossing the frisbee

The yacht club bar

Matt jumping for a high throw

The Navy’s conch shell memento

The Navy being accepted into the yacht club

Now before you think we’ve gone all fancy, schmoozing at the “yacht club”, realize that this is no ordinary club. In fact, it’s a short beach that only exists at low tide. And only accessible by private yachts boats. There is a simple wooden bench and a driftwood bar secured to the rocks so they don’t float away. The backdrop is adorned with creatively decorated and signed conch shells left by members who have come before. And there you have it. A bonified Bahamian yacht club. Design by – and for – the quirky, yet ever imaginative cruising community.

As a place of legend in one of our cruising guides, and positioned in the front yard of our anchorage in Red Shanks, we couldn’t pass it by without a visit before making our way toward Long Island.

Just as many cruisers had done before, we all signed and dated a conch shell and secured it onto the rocky wall. The shell we signed had special significance as Rusty and Linda had given it to us the first time we met them wayyyyy back in Kemah! They had found it on their first trip to the Jimentos and told us to return it to the Bahamas when we got there. The “Royal Bahamian Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club” seemed like as fitting place as any to keep the promise. Thanks, Rusty and Linda!

Navy Dinner in Red Shanks

To celebrate Christie and Steve’s return to George Town, and with the Texas Navy starting to take diverging routes, everyone gathered at a restaurant in Red Shanks to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company.

A Texas-size celebration

Ted had made reservations for 11 and we upon arriving, we were greeted with a large pre-set table with lit candles, linen tablecloth and napkins. “SYL” had arrived a few minutes early and was thoughtful enough to assign seating for the two guests of honor. Hand drawn on little napkins were “Steve from Anchor Management,” “The Admiral” and Matt’s sign “The Admiral’s Servant.”

Christie’s place card

Matt’s place card

As we sat down, the chef/owner brought out complimentary conch fritters to start the evening. Rum punches and Kaliks (Bahamian beer) were lifted as we toasted to our friendship and soon enough the table was filled with cracked conch, cracked chicken, garlic shrimp, and New York Steaks with steamed broccoli and honey-glazed carrots.

The food and service were top notch and the evening was spent over vibrant and engaging conversation. On the dinghy ride home, we stopped to say farewell (for a couple weeks) to “SYL” who left for Turks and Caicos this morning.

We’ve spent the past couple of weeks waiting in George Town for our watermaker to arrive and it should finally be here on Thursday. Once picked up, we’re looking forward to setting sail for Long Island on Friday.

A Week in Waiting

The blog and Kaleo have been pretty quiet the past week while Christie flew to Houston to reprovision on family time and a few things that aren’t readily available out here.

She left on Sunday morning and after another Bahamas church service (just as long but without the shouting), I returned to an empty hull. All our stuff was there but the warmth, energy, and emotion that fills Kaleo was noticeably missing.

Knowing that a ship without its Admiral is like having a compass that doesn’t point north, the Texas Navy stepped up to help me through the week. From breakfast on “SYL” to dinners aboard “Morning Glory”, I certainly wasn’t lacking for wonderful and filling meals.

This week highlighted the bonds made while cruising as each boat we’ve spent time with supported, encouraged, and anticipated Christie’s return with me. I am continually amazed by how much everyone cares for each other and will stop at nothing to lend a hand, cook a meal or bring a smile to your face.

While counting down the hours until Christie’s return, I:

  • Enjoyed ice cream at the laundromat a few too many times
  • Crossed some boat projects off the list like replacing the toilet pump, preparing for the watermaker install, wiring water tank monitors and reorganizing the lazzerette
  • Hiked to some ruins on a nearby cay with Ted and Mili and unsuccessfully searched for caves on another cay

The ruins of a kitchen on Crab Cay

Hiking the ruins on Crab Cay

  • Finished two books and slept in a few days
  • Gorged myself on manicotti during “Italian night” aboard “Pipe Muh Bligh”
  • Crafted, with the help of Ted and Mili, a spray shield for the dinghy to help keep us dry on high wind days
  • Met and hung out with Rusty’s brother Jim and his two daughters, who were all a fun addition to the Navy. The girls kicked transom at Mexican Train and Jimmy, in chorus with Troy, serenaded us all with sailor songs on the guitar

Troy and Jimmy playing sailor songs

  • Appreciated the gracious nightly invites to dinner aboard “Morning Glory”
  • Attended “boat church” aboard “MG” with the entire Texas Navy where we sang worship songs, spent time in prayer and watched a Lifechurch.tv service

“Boat Church” aboard Morning Glory

“Boat Church” parking lot

  • Helped Mili on “MG” sew an anchor riding sail, which when hoisted on Kaleo should reduce swinging at anchor

Matt and Mili working on the anchor riding sail

  • Took full advantage of Skype by getting to talk with Christie a few times each day

While in Texas, Christie told me of her quest to stock-up on some of our favorite foods, boat parts, pampering and pick up a few requests for the Navy. Coming from a close-knit Italian family, most of their time was centered around meals of grand proportion with lots of conversation and laughter. One night (as most) the family got together at Christie’s parents’ house for a full-on Bubba Gump-style Shrimp Fest featuring boiled, grilled, and kabobed shrimp with every combination of zucchini, carrots, garlic, pineapple, potatoes, chicken, sausage and more. Breaks from these culinary feasts included road tripping to Dallas with her Mom and Nana to visit friends, dine at her favorite restaurants, and, in her words, “get put back together” at a few salons.

A round of reprovisioning

When I met her at the airport, the porter happily handed off the 3 giant bags and 1 box, weighing in at 50 lbs each. I was impressed that Christie was able to pack everything so efficiently and then get the freight down to George Town. “SYL” was kind enough to help with the pickup by staging their big boat near the dinghy dock to save us from the 30 minute dinghy ride with all the extra weight. We jumped on board, unloaded the dinghy and were back anchored in Red Shanks before dark.

It was announced on the radio upon pulling in that “the Texas Navy would like to welcome the return of Admiral Christie,” and we all (myself especially) were ecstatic that she was home.

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