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!
We’ve coined those days where we don’t spend any money, “Gold Star Days”. And we try to have as many of them as possible while not limiting our experiences.
We haven’t spent one cent in the past nine days, earning ourselves a whopping “Gold Star WEEK”.
Now granted, there’s been nothing to spend money on in the remote, uninhabited places we’ve visited the past week but we’re celebrating nonetheless.
Since moving aboard “Kaleo”, our typical expenses include fuel (though we sail as often as possible), groceries (expensive in the Bahamas), dining out (local cuisine tastings and date nights are a must), internet (ranges between not available and $15 a day), laundry (anywhere from $2.50 to $12 a load so far), and the occasional mooring ball or marina visit.
We don’t have a mortgage nor rent payments (we fully own our floating home). No utilities (we’re off the grid with engine and generator charging our battery-powered electricity and make our own fresh water from the sea*). No car payments (we sold one and fully own the other that is tucked away in storage). No cable bills (no tv). No retail therapy (what the islands lack in retail, they make up tenfold in beauty and adventure). No gym memberships (would love to start a Bahamas Y). And so on. And so on.
Now that we’re back in Long Island, our spend-free spree will come to an end in the morning as we plan to hit up the grocery store (fresh produce!), top off our fuel (thanks to motoring into headwinds), and will enjoy a pool-side dinner at Long Island Breeze Resort tomorrow evening. It was a good run while it lasted but we’re going to savor the night out tomorrow.
*friends have shared the use of their watermakers until we install our new CruiseRO 20GPH watermaker.
Over the past week we have truly been off the grid anchored in some of the most remote islands in the Bahamas.
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.
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:
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.
They say “necessity is the mother of invention”.
While we were in the remote Jumentos (no stores nor services within a full day’s sail), Mili baked the most enticing apple crisp one afternoon. Only one thing was missing from complimenting her beautiful creation. Ice cream. Creamy, cold, refreshing ice cream.
And that’s when it hit me.
A couple of summers ago, at FC Kids Camp, we taught our cabin of girls to make individual servings of handmade vanilla ice cream. What a perfect treat for cruisers craving this hard-to-keep treat (boat freezers are really small)!
So, I immediately dropped below the companionway stairs and into the galley to find the few ingredients needed to shake, shake, shake up a few batches. Here’s all’s that is needed to make your own.
What you’ll need:
How to make it:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. You can also dice up and add dried fruit you may have aboard (mango, peaches, pineapple, apple) for flavored ice cream.
Also while in the Jumentos, we needed bread yet were no where near the convenience of picking up a loaf. So, it was round two of tapping into my inner “Betty Crocker”. With Mili’s coaching, we baked (grilled actually) the following bread recipe.
Dejarlo’s* French Bread
Small Bowl – Stir together yeast mix and let rise
Large Bowl – Stir together
When yeast mix has risen, add to large bowl
* Recipe shared by Pam of s/v Dejarlo during her “Eating Well While Cruising” infosession in George Town.
The sail from Little to Dollar Harbour was an easy downwind run highlighted by cracking open a fresh coconut we had gathered a few days before.
After whacking the coconut with just about every heavy thing on board it finally succumbed to a large pipe wrench. It provided a half glass of milk and a ton of rich, white coconut meat. It was a bit too sweet for Matt, but Christie enjoyed some for an afternoon snack and we shared the rest with “MG”.
Enjoying fresh coconut wasn’t our only first that day. Up next, we sailed alongside a rapidly moving squall that dropped another first for us. Off our port side, we watched as a waterspout danced beautifully about a mile from our course line and entrance into Dollar Harbour.
The narrow channel leading into the anchorage is already tricky to enter with many shoals, rocks, and submerged reefs. Albeit captivating, the approaching storm gave us one more potential obstacle to manage as we navigated our course. Thankfully the squall passed south of us and we were able to anchor uneventfully.
Once the hook was secured, Christie went for another first by baking homemade, all-natural english muffins for the crews. Topped with Nutella, they were a delish dinner dessert and made for hearty breakfast sandwiches the following morning as we got underway for the Jumentos.
N 23° 11.75 / W 75° 15.32
I’ve started embracing my inner “Betty Crocker” lately and have decided to learn to cook (with Mili’s coaching) at least three things from scratch while cruising. First up, English Muffins.
English Muffins fresh from the oven
What we like most about these bready treats are they’re really tasty, are all-natural (no preservatives) and are easily made with on-board ingredients and don’t require milk nor eggs (semi-precious commodities out here).
Stir all above ingredients together
A quick three hour sail down from Clarence Town on Wednesday found us inside the swell-free protected anchorage of Little Harbour, Long Island.
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.
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.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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:
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
Shortly after spotting and spearing our first few lobsters, Matt landed this colossal crustacean. Weighing in at 8.5 pounds, it was quite the catch that easily fed us a fresh, grilled dinner with enough meat remaining for decadent lobster mac ‘n cheese the next day.
Friday was a fruitful fishing expedition!
To start the day, the four of us tried our luck fishing a nearby blue hole. Mili caught a small snapper, Matt caught two rocks, Christie caught up on some reading, and we all baked in the sun a little too long.
After lunch (not of fish. yet.) and naps (dreaming of fresh fish) it was off to a different kind of hunting ground. Matt and Ted headed to a reef with spears and high hopes in tow while the gals perused the beach cheering them on.
It was Matt’s first time to use a Hawaiian Sling (a slingshot type spear), and with Ted’s coaching, he was able to dive below the ocean’s surface and spear three lobster.
Ted caught two large grouper and two snapper to add to the seafood feast we we’re already salivating over. Ted cleaned the fish on “MG”, Matt twisted the heads off the lobster, and after preparing the catch, we all indulged on some incredibly fresh seafood. From sea to plate in less than two hours isn’t too shabby.
After dinner, our stomachs did a happy dance as we realized that we had dined on eight lobster over the past four days. A dream come true for the admiral of Kaleo who is quite the vegaquarium!
Conversation drifted along aboard “MG” as we relocated to the trampolines (taunt nets on the front of catamarans) and watched the stars peek out from behind the clouds until bedtime.
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.
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.
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.
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.
N 23° 37.67 / W 75° 19.95
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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
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:
Reflecting over such a wonderful day, we floated back to our boat appreciating the beauty and charm of Long Island.
