Bahama 2018 Leg 2

6/5/2018 Tuesday

Another quiet night, storms were possible but none around here. Tomorrow is supposed to be 80% probability of rain or storms, so we will go to Marsh Harbor later today. We left the load box on when we shut the engines down yesterday, it prevents the engines from charging the batteries above their specified charging voltage, but overnight it drained the batteries of 1/3 their capacity. This will be a good check of the new solar panels. I moved the boom, so they are not shaded and right now, 9:30 AM they are producing 15 amps with a slight overcast. Later in full sun they produce 25 amps. We spend a quiet morning at anchor and after lunch we motor over to Mermaid Reef for a nice snorkel. There is rain and thunder over Man of War, so we wait a half hour and it dissipates. Lots of curious fish surround us at Mermaid Reef, only a few other people are on the reef with us. Back at the boat we have happy hour, cheese, crackers and drinks. We motor the short distance to Marsh Harbor and anchor next to Jeff’s boat, it looks in good condition.

6/6/2018 Wednesday

Another quiet night, the expected rain did not occur. We asked on the Cruisers Net about getting propane and they told us to go to the Corner Value store. We took the dingy in after breakfast and found the store, they would fill it for $12 and it would be ready by 4 PM. We looked around a few other stores for Comet cleaner for the grill and went back to Corner Value for a spatula for the grill. The propane tank was already gone, and they said it would be back by noon. We picked up some groceries, fresh vegitables and fruit and also pineapple and orange juice for Goombay Smash! We hauled our loot back to the boat, had lunch and then I went in around 1:30 and picked up the propane tank. We had a quiet afternoon, the wind switched to the North and went light and we could see a front moving our way from Florida on the Miami radar that may be here tonight.

6/7/2018 Thursday

Another quiet night, there were some storms to the west, but they did not get here. The morning is overcast, and we listened to the Cruisers Net while having breakfast. Several people complained about the WIFI service and one boat said they had an Aliv hotspot and have very good internet, even watching Netflix. We took the dingy in, but forgot to bring the trash, and walked to the store that sold the hotspot device, across from Kentucky Fried Chicken. They demonstrated the device and we bought it, $80 for a month of service and the device was ours to keep for next time. As we were finishing up another couple came in, they had been waiting 3 days for a new batch of devices. I told them I was glad I had not bought the last one. We returned to the boat and tried the device there, it works very well. We took the garbage in to the Jib Room Marina and had lunch there. Clouds and lightning began building South of us and we finished lunch and got back to the boat about 30 minutes before the rain started. The lightning stayed West of us, fortunately. We only got some light rain. After dinner, we used the new hotspot to watch a movie, the first episode of the new Lost in Space redo. This is a great upgrade in capability, I only wish the movies were upgraded also.

6/8/2018 Friday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ABchWob3R6dyMY9p6

After breakfast and the Cruisers Net, we pulled up the anchor. Our neighbor on a small trimaran wished us safe voyaging. We motored out of the harbor and a couple of miles up wind and then set the full main and jib for the first time and had a nice sail down to the south end of Tilloo Cay and anchored behind a sand bar. Going around the south side of Marsh Harbor, we got a nice view of Sea View Castle. Several small powerboats were on the beach and sandbar, enjoying the nice weather. After lunch we started the water maker, it took 35 minutes for the salt level to get down to acceptable levels and it was still 750ppm at the end of 3 hours, but we filled the tanks and used the early production to wash our cloths, cockpit cushions and clean the cockpit seats and floor which had accumulated a bunch of salt in the last few weeks. With the work finished, we jumped in and enjoyed the nice water and finished with shampoo and fresh water showers. The sky was overcast most of the day, but we only got a little sprinkle. The small power boats left in the afternoon and 2 catamarans and a large monohull ‘pirate ship’ that we have seen in the area before anchored near us.

6/9/2018 Saturday

Another quiet night, there was some thunder over the mainland, but it stayed nice where we were anchored. In the morning it was still overcast. I was using the GPS to check our course for today when Cathy heard a dolphin nearby. We watched as it swam around and then started swimming more aggressively. It circled around the boat and Cathy saw it chasing a fish next to our boat. I watched it zoom past the starboard hull, inches away at high speed. We pulled up the anchor at 10:30 and motored about 5 miles into the wind to Lynyard Cay and anchored off a small beach. 2 other boats were anchored north of us and another sailboat anchored south of us late in the afternoon. A large yacht anchored north of us after dark. We had a relaxing afternoon at anchor. The Aliv hotspot works just fine here, a long way from the nearest town.

6/10/2018 Sunday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UgGcN4YVpkTeXm24A

Low tide today is at 1 PM so we cleaned, swam and had lunch and ran the water maker. It did not get below 1000PPM TDS, so we only used the water for cleaning. We will have to call the Spectra guy and see what we can do about this tomorrow. We pulled up the anchor and motored 2 miles to Little Harbor and entered the harbor with a rising tide. There were a few other boats here but plenty of Pete’s Pub moorings available. 2 identical trawlers took moorings just after we did. I worked on the Stbd engine shift which was not going into reverse correctly. I adjusted the connector on the engine side, screwing it all the way in and it seems to work correctly. We went in to Pete’s Pub and had a couple of rounds of Little Harbor Blasters. We had nice seats in the shade with a great breeze blowing from a large spinnaker flying from a mast just behind us. The Tiki bar is covered in T-shirts, license plates and stickers. From where we were sitting, we could see a T-shirt from the Mucky Duck, one signed from someone from Vienna, and a cartoon of a ‘Real Live Dentist’. We walked over the boardwalk to the ocean side and watched the waves break on the rocks. A large yacht was coming in from the south. I did not think it would be going in to the harbor, but it did, and we watched it take a mooring, I have never seen such a large yacht in Little Harbor. We struck up a conversation with another couple from a catamaran with 2 small dogs. We shared a few beers and ordered the Conch Pizza, very good. There was some thunder earlier and a couple drops of rain, but the weather seems to be passing us by. We took the mooring for 2 nights because tomorrow is supposed to have rain and storms.

6/11/2018 Monday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Ba1nxwXh3QznHwKA

The motorboats around us ran generators but they were not too loud, and we had a quiet night and slept late. We went ashore to walk around to the beach and to the old lighthouse building. While there we got a call back from the Spectra dealer, he agreed the problem was probably the membrane and would coordinate with Jeff Swanson who arrives in Miami tomorrow and will take the repair parts to Marsh Harbor on Tuesday. We returned to the boat to text Jeff and talk to the Spectra main office and get all the details covered. The harbor was almost empty but around noon a lot of small power boats started arriving for lunch, by the time we went in, Pete’s Pub was packed. We had a few Sands Radler Pink which is a grapefruit flavored beer, very refreshing. Cathy had a seafood gyro and I had Garlic Tuna sandwich. We returned to the boat and rested for the afternoon. Several more boats entered in the evening. The sky is overcast, and we can hear thunder in the distance, but the storms stay over the mainland, west of us.

6/12/2018 Tuesday

Another quiet night except for the generator from the boat near us, did not stop us from sleeping. It was overcast again in the morning, A dark cloud moved over while we had breakfast and then things cleared up a bit, so we dropped the mooring and motored out. We started with the jib and were doing 4.5 Kt and once we were behind the protection of Lynyard Cay we raised the main and were doing 5.5 Kt. It was a nice down wind sail and we stopped at Tahiti Beach to swim, shower and have lunch. At dead low tide, ½ foot below mean low water, we headed across the shallows to Marsh Harbor and anchored near Jeff’s boat at 3:30. We tried calling on the VHF and texting and finally got a reply that he is here but no definite location. Cathy suggested trying the Coffee house, I took the dingy in and found him there. He had the replacement membrane we needed but TSA confiscated the wrench, so I will have to go to the hardware store tomorrow and see if they have one we can use. Still overcast and the radar shows a blob of light rain headed this way but so far we are staying dry. Jeff came over for drinks and dinner and we gave him some food for breakfast because he did not leave any food on his boat when he left.

6/13/2018 Wednesday

We have the new membrane but not the thin wrench we need to replace it. We ask on Cruisers Net if anyone has the wrench, one person responds but does not have an appropriate wrench. We go in to town and buy a thin adjustable wrench which may work and a standard wrench. The manager directs us to the Prop Shop which has a complete machine shop and we walk west from the stop sign for a half mile, past the commercial port and find the Prop Shop. After a wait, the mechanic takes our wrench and grinds it down in about 5 minutes and does not even charge us for the service. We stop at the small grocery store near the marinas, but they don’t have lunch meat or bread. The conch salad guy, George, is busy making Conch Salad so we stop by his stand, he is all out of ingredients, he must go to the grocery store. Cathy asks to go along to get lunch meat and bread, he says OK if it is quick. They end up at Maxwell’s and Cathy gets a bunch of stuff and gets stuck in a slow checkout line. George threatens to leave and call a taxi for Cathy but eventually the both return to the conch salad stand. Several people have wandered by and asked about conch salad, I keep saying they will be back in a few minutes. I start to wonder if Cathy has been kidnapped! At least there is a Bobcat and tractor preparing the lot across the street for new construction to keep me occupied. George and Cathy eventually return, and he chops up a huge mound of onions, green peppers, onions and conch, scoops them into containers, adds salt, orange juice and lime juice. We get 3 containers, one for Jeff and people waiting get a few more and then George is done for the day. We finally return to our boat with wrench, groceries and conch salad. After lunch I start taking the Spectra pump out of the locker where it is bolted down. With the proper wrenches it is very easy to access the failed membrane. I watched the YouTube videos and it is just as easy as shown to replace the membrane. I set the device on the bunk and hook it up, so it can be tested tomorrow before installing it back in the locker. A long day and a lot of things done, especially for the Bahamas where you should not do more than one thing each day. We have agreed to meet Jeff at Colors by the Sea for drinks at 5 PM. We go in and have some great drinks. They are in the process of adding a second story to their deck. The dock is nothing but a bunch of poles sticking up after the last Hurricanes. Jeff arrives and because it is ‘Wings Night’, we order a bunch of Garlic Honey Wings and a few more rounds of beer. I was feeling no pain when we made our way carefully back to the boat with no lights on our dingy.

6/14/2018 Thursday

After breakfast and Cruisers Net, we pulled up the anchor and headed to Mermaid Reef. The weather was overcast with the possibility of thunder storms. We started the water maker and flushed it for half an hour to get rid of the pickling agent and then started making water. The instructions are to discard the first hour’s production and the first water out was tinged with yellow pickling agent. Rain started falling and we had the water maker hoses draped out the forward hatch, so we could not close it completely. We checked the salinity and it was below 300ppm, very good water, better than we ever got from the previous membrane. After an hour we flushed the system with fresh water and shut it down. Lots of boats arrived and departed from Mermaid Reef while we were working on the water maker. There were no leaks in the joints I had to open to replace the membrane, so I reinstalled the unit in it’s locker. One joint at the accumulator was leaking a drop every minute so I removed it and the hoses connected to it and resealed the joint with Teflon tape. With everything back in place, we turned it on for real and got good water at the spigot. We ran it for a half hour just to be sure all the pickling agent was gone and then tasted the water, first class water! We ran the water maker for another 2.5 hours while we had a nice swim and showered off with lots of fresh water! The only downer is that another joint near the accumulator has a slow leak now, bummer. Jeff arrived around 5 PM after a grocery shopping trip and anchored nearby. After dinner, we watch the Space Station go overhead, this is one of the only somewhat clear nights we have had on this trip but we hope for better days ahead now that we have solved the VHF problem and the water maker problem.

6/15/2018 Friday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LFvaLoLWjnxFWkxa8

A quiet night at Mermaid Reef. After breakfast and as the tide was rising, we pulled up anchor and headed to Lubbers Quarters. At high tide, Jeff did not have any problem getting into the channel and we anchored near Tahiti Beach in 10’. A short time after, we picked Jeff up and dingied over to Cracker P’s restaurant and had a nice lunch, but it started to rain, we had not closed the front windows and Jeff had left hist hatches open. Lunch was great, and we walked around the island trails for a while. There was supposed to be a trail to the beach on the west side, is seemed to end at a swamp. We later learned we should have pushed on a few more hundred feet. We walked back, Cathy returned to the restaurant while Jeff and I explored a side trail that went to a tree platform overlooking the anchorage. It started to drizzle again so we retreated to Cracker P’s and sat out in the rain and finished off another round of beers. The rain subsided and we dingied over to sandbar at Tahiti Beach and swam in the water for a while. A houseboat was converted into a bar “Tippy Cuda” that served drinks and finger food in the shallows at the sand bar. We bought a round of Tippy Cuda drinks before returning to our boats. The rain had already dried from our cussions.

6/16/2018 Saturday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MyRSzghnmHUySUsM8

A quiet night except for the power boat ahead of us who ran his generator all night. After breakfast and the Cruisers Net, there were dark clouds to the south and a rain squall passed over us. We could hear thunder and decided it would be better to go to Hope Town today and try snorkeling tomorrow. Around 10:30 we pulled up the anchor, so Jeff could get in to Hope Town at high tide. There were lots of moorings available and we took a red buoy that turned out to be Hope Town Marina. Cathy wanted to do some laundry and took some of Jeff’s also. We forgot to bring laundry soap, the marina did not have any so Cathy got hair shampoo which worked just fine. Jeff and I left Cathy to woman’s work at the Hope Town Marina while we went to do man’s work, climbing and photographing the light house. The lighthouse keeper has opened a restaurant at their house just below the lighthouse. For once, there was almost no wind and there was no relief from the heat at the top of the lighthouse, but the view was as spectacular as always. They now have a gift shop with lighthouse themed merchandise. I bought an insulated glass with the Friends of the Lighthouse logo. We returned to Hope Town Marina and had lunch and a few rounds of beer while waiting for the cloths to dry. After lunch we agreed to have a snooze and then go swimming at Hope Town Lodge. Around 5:30, Cathy served rum drinks and wine. Jeff came by a bit later, we decided not to swim, and he went by himself to the beach at Hope Town Lodge. He returned with news that Sea Spray Resort had live entertainment and a shuttle because it is several miles away. We dingied in and tried calling on the portable VHF and asked the receptionist at Hope Town Lodge to call for the shuttle. We started walking but a short time later we saw the shuttle pull into a parking lot, several people got off and we got on for a 5-minute ride to the resort just as it was getting completely dark. The restaurant was very busy, we took a table overlooking the marina but could not attract a waiter, so we moved over to the bar and got some drinks and appetizers. The drinks came quickly but they were backed up 45 minutes on food. The New Era Band, a local group set up and played a lot of good tunes. We had one final round of Goombay Smashes and caught the shuttle back and then managed to get in the dingy and back to our boats without falling overboard. We made up the bed and fell fast asleep.

6/17/2018 Sunday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/y1rhu8CRvYkwHU1x6

Quite a hangover in the morning, I think the entire island had a hangover because there was almost no one had anything to say on Cruisers Net. In our condition we decided to skip the snorlking at Tahiti Beach and because there was a North breeze, sail down to Tilloo Cay. We left at 10. Jeff raised his main before leaving. Our starboard engine died a couple of times while we were getting ready to leave, probably an air bubble in the fuel line. The wind outside was very light but we raised our sails and crept along at about 2 Kt but we only had about 8 miles to travel. After lunch, the wind picked up and we could do 4-5 Kt and anchored at Tilloo Cay. Jeff was about half an hour behind us. It was a lovely day for a quiet sail and cured our hangovers. We started the water maker and ran it for 4.5 hours, the longest run yet and made a lot of water with low salt content. We dingied in to the beach, Jeff provided a couple of beers and we inspected the campsite and makeshift chairs someone had put together out of driftwood. We saw a shark and several rays swimming around the shallows. We swam on the sandbar for a while and then returned to our boats to practice getting into the dingy from the water for tomorrows expedition to Sandy Cay. We filled our sun shower and gave it to Jeff, He really liked our stern shower for rinsing off after a swim. Cooked hamburgers on the grill, along with salad for dinner.

6/18/2018 Monday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/C59STNhHXMp2TF1Z8

It was quite windy, 15 Kt in the morning, we used the jib and Jeff put up both main and jib. We rounded Tilloo Bank and passed Sandy Cay. The conditions were quite rolly, so we decided to pass on snorlking and continued to Lynyard Cay and anchored with a couple of other boats. After lunch and a snooze, Jeff came over and we went ashore to the beach which had a few tables, floats and fenders hanging from the trees, Christmas lights strung in the trees and piles of washed up plastic. We swam and walked to the next beach south and climbed a small ridge of coral to get to the ocean side. Later back at the original beach, I found a trail over the island to the ocean side which passed an odd structure of 4x4s 10’ tall sunk into the ground with a few beams to frame some sort of cabin.

6/19/2018 Tuesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5dRmbH4dSwdNWg2K9

Another quiet night. There were several powerboats around with generators but far enough away that they did not disturb us. At 11, Jeff rowed over and we motor sailed to Sandy Cay. There were already a bunch of small boats snorkeling there. We anchored and had lunch and then took both of our dingys out to the reef. We tied off to a buoy with a small power boat already there. The wind and waves were much less than yesterday, perfect time for Sandy Cay. We swam for about 2 hours and saw a turtle, stingray, 2 eagle rays and lots of fish and coral. We returned to the boat and motor sailed back to Lynyard Cay and anchored near Jeff’s boat. A lot of other boats had joined the anchorage.

6/20/2018 Wednesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/U2k2Wir1rRraWjGy8

We planned an early start today, so we could search for a blue hole and still get to Little Harbor before high tide, so Jeff could get in. After breakfast and the Cruisers Net we decided Jeff would come in our boat to the Bight of Old Robinson which is shallow. He dingied over at 9:30 and we left shortly after for a quick motor to the west end of the bight. There was already one catamaran there, but we did not see any activity. We anchored and took both dingys in about a mile past a couple of cays and behind another. The water was very shallow at low tide and we had to paddle and pole through the very shallow bits. Cathy pointed out an area that looked different, smoother with no wind ripples. As we approached the water got deeper and we reached the collapsed edges of the blue hole. There was a marker on shore, a memorial to 3 divers who had lost their lives in the blue hole and a warning to be careful. The water was warm but cool water was coming out of the blue hole, probably through caves from the ocean on the rising tide. We swam around for a couple of hours, lots of fish, several turtles and a lion fish. It was quite a site, the shallow ground falling away to a hole 50’ wide with no apparent bottom. After swimming for a couple of hours we returned to the dingys. On the way back, we passed several turtles in the shallow water. The tide had come up and we had an easier time getting back to the boat. We had lunch and then returned Jeff to his boat and both of us motored over to Little Harbor and entered just at high tide and took moorings. They are building a new very long town dock at the south end of the harbor and we watched them put in a few pilings before going in for Little Harbor Blasters, beer and dinner at Pete’s Pub.

6/21/2018 Thursday to Marsh Harbor

We dropped the mooring at 10 AM and motored out. Jeff was waving at us from the rocks at the entrance to Little Harbor. We raised the sails and had a nice sail back to Lubbers Quarters. It was a bit slow at first, but a nice breeze built up and we were doing 5 Kt. Everything was going so well that we decided to continue to Marsh Harbor, that’s when the breeze died, and we finished the last few miles doing less than 2 Kt. Just around dusk, Jeff showed up, he had to wait for high tide to get out of Little Harbor and had a slow sail up to Marsh Harbor.

6/22/2018 Friday Marsh Harbor shopping

After breakfast, I took Cathy over to Jeff’s boat and collected his garbage. He and Cathy went in his dingy to Maxwell’s for a shopping trip. I got rid of the garbage, left a tip at the Mago’s office, no one was around. George was just setting up at the Conch Salad stand, Cathy had asked for some if he was open. I returned to the boat, got the empty fuel cans and went to Conch Inn Marina. They were out of gas, the tanker was late, no gas till Monday. I walked to Harbor View Marina and got 10 gallons of gas there and then returned to the dingy, moved it to the public dock next to the Conch Salad stand and ordered 2 containers of Conch Salad. George was still chopping away, he said it would be 15 minutes before he was done, and I was worried that Jeff and Cathy would be finished with shopping soon so took the gas back to the boat and Cathy was just calling on the VHF. They put all the food on Jeff’s dingy, he unloaded our stuff first and then I took our dingy in to pick up Cathy and return to our boat where she stowed the new provisions while I went back to the Conch Salad stand to pick up our order. This is all too much work for one day, or even a week on island time. After lunch, Cathy and I went in again to pick up beer and rum. Jeff had a few more errands to run and we agreed to meet at Colors by the Sea, a local bar on the waterfront at 5 for a few drinks. Jeff had left a battery charger at Maxwell’s that would not charge on his inverter, so he had to walk all the way back to Maxwell’s. He bought beer and some of the local kids were begging him for a dingy ride, so he told them to deliver the beer to his boat and then meet him at Colors by the Sea. Jeff walked over in time to watch them deliver the beer to the wrong boat. He sent them out again and they retrieved the beer and put it on the correct boat. Fortunately, the boat owners were away and did not know about the errant delivery. We had a few drinks and shared conch fritters before returning to our boats as the sun set. Jeff forgot his bag with his cell phone and wallet at the bar but the people there took good care of it.

6/23/2018 Saturday To Little Harbor Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnvYoy5FJRrK3bmP6

After Cruisers Net and breakfast, Jeff went in to get his propane refilled and we dropped the mooring at 9:30 and proceeded out of the harbor. The port engine died and refused to start so we went out on one engine. The fuel bulb would not prime. Once out of the harbor I removed the fuel connector and got the bulb primed and then reconnected everything and there were no more problems. Both engines have shown this problem and also the dingy engine but not to this extent. We motored to Hope Town and then raised the sails and had a very nice sail down to Tilloo Bank where we dropped the anchor and had a nice swim and shower. We watched rain and occasional lightning form over the mainland but it never got close to us. The wind was against us for the rest of the way, but we only had 6 miles left and motored the rest of the way to Little Harbor. There were quit a few open moorings and we found one that should be quiet and out of the way. Several catamarans entered after us. At 5 we went in to Pete’s Pub to register the mooring and have a few drinks. Jeff showed up around 6 and of course we had to have a few more rounds of drinks and also shared conch fritters.

6/24/2018 Pete’s Pub Kickoff Party Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ob1LFkK2SWEgYeE87

We slept late and listened to the Cruisers Net over the internet. We cleaned up and rested for a tough evening ahead. Lots of small boats and dingys streamed in for lunch and during the afternoon. The music started up around 1 PM and we went in at 3. We started slow with a few buckets of Kalik, 4 for $20 before going on to Little Harbor Blasters. We all had the Wild Boar dinner with coleslaw, rice and peas and more Kaliks. The wind picked up at one point and the spinnakers flying over the seating area to provide ventilation started kicking up a sand storm, so the staff had to pull them down. They had a bunch of floats on the swimming beach and a bunch of people and kids were in the water. We finished up with shots of something from a gallon jug filled with leaves. Don’t know what it was but it burned going down. We made it safely back down the ladder to the dingy and back to our boat around 8 PM.

6/25/2018 Monday to Lubbers Quarters Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RVobPBb2aoguFkxv8

We slept late again but Jeff had to get out early while the tide was still high enough. The port engine had problems with air in the fuel line again, but we eventually got it running and headed out. Jeff was a couple miles ahead. The winds were 10-20 Kt from the south east and we had a broad reach up to Lubbers Quarters. We set the full main and caught up with Jeff at Sandy Cay and got some good pictures of his boat. The winds were a bit strong at times for the full main, so I rolled up the jib to slow us down a bit. We anchored north of Tahiti Beach with 3 other boats in time for lunch. It was low tide and lots of small boats were on the sand bar. Jeff arrived around 2 PM, he had to go the long way around Lubbers Quarters because of his draft. He anchored near White Sound to attend the Skippers meeting for Abaco Race Week held at the Abaco Inn. We had a nice swim and then rested from a hard day of downwind sailing. Jeff anchored later at White Sound and took his dingy in to Hope Town Inn for the Skippers Meeting.

6/26/2018 Tuesday Hope Town Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TEqX1gmiEiVnYuzS8

In the morning, after breakfast and the Cruisers Net, I replaced the port fuel filter which was a bit rusted, but the real problem appears to be that the fuel bulb no longer pumps so I will have to try to find one at Marsh Harbor. I got the fuel to flow into the filter by using the oil change suction pump to suck gas through the filter. We raised the anchor at 11 and sailed out with just the jib to join Jeff in observing the race at the windward mark. We tacked back and forth and watched the racers round the mark and set their spinnakers. We anchored and had lunch and then went in to Hope Town and got a Capt Jacks mooring. At 5 we went in to Capt Jack’s restaurant and paid the mooring fee. When I tried to start the dingy engine, the starter cord broke so we had to paddle back to the boat, fortunately not very far away, remove the recoil start mechanism and use a starter cord to start the engine. We made it to the Marsh Harbor Marina and found Holly and her friend already there. At 6, we got a few rounds of free drinks from Mt Gay Rum, sponsors of the regatta. Jeff showed up a bit later and managed to get his boat in Thursdays race, he found someone to crew and asked me to be a third crew member. We arranged to pick up Holly and Juergen at 9:30 AM for a sail to Mermaid reef and Marsh Harbor where they will take a shuttle boat back to Hope Town.

6/27/2018 Wednesday to Marsh Harbor Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4HEmbmWMbgbnEvAA8

Holly and Juergen were waiting at the dock and I picked them up and took them to the boat. We dropped the mooring and exited the harbor, Jeff was anchored outside, and we meet him, raised our sails and had a rather slow sail across to the mainland. We turned the corner at Matt Lowe’s Cay and picked up some speed with a better wind angle and anchored at Mermaid Reef just before noon. We waited a bit while a rain shower passed over and then went snorlking. We had it all to ourselves for a while, but more yachts and small power boats showed up. We saw bunches of fish, a small ray and even a large lobster in one of the crevice’s. After swimming, we had lunch and motored into the anchorage. We took Holly and Juergen to the Conch Inn Marina where they took a taxi to Albury’s shuttle back to Hope Town. Jeff had some engine trouble, a belt slipped, and the water pump stopped which caused the exhaust hose to melt. He went in to town for a replacement hose. A bunch of the local kids were ‘helping’ him, driving his dingy and working on the exhaust hose. They took his dingy in to drop off one kid who could not swim, planning to come back and then swim back from Jeff’s boat. The motor stopped, and they started drifting so Cathy and I went after them. They got it started and we all went to Jeff’s boat and then Cathy and I ferried them in to the dock.

6/28/2018 Thursday Race to Guana Cay Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XadoBt3VqTgPC47n6

In the morning we saw Jeff go ashore, it turned out he went for ice. Matt and Julie came by in their power boat and called for Rocinante, we answered them, and they tied off to our boat and came aboard while we waited until Jeff returned. Jeff tied his dingy to our boat and then Matt took us to Jeff’s boat. The guys boarded Rocinante while the girls would take the power boat to Guana Cay and meet us there at the end of the race. It was raining just outside the harbor and we got soaked on the way to the start line. The race was delayed for a while to let the weather pass and around 11:30 the first classes started. Our class ‘Mother Tub’ started around 11:45. We followed the other boats in our class but fell behind on the first down wind leg. We did better on the second leg but near the end the wind went very light and we were just drifting around for a while until the wind filled in again. The final leg was also down wind and very slow, but we did cross the finish line ahead of one other boat, but it was not in our class. Jeff anchored, and Julie brought the power boat up and we all got on for a very fast ride back to Marsh Harbor where we said goodbye to Matt and Julie and took WINIM with Jeff’s dingy back to Guana Cay. Jeff went in to the after-race party, but the day was too much for us and we had dinner on board.

6/29/2018 Friday Guana Cay Party Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TnKS3Jb66bJywver9

The anchorage is a bit rolly so we decided to sail over to the mainland for a protected anchorage to swim and run the water maker. Jeff sailed to Man of War to get another exhaust hose, they had the exact hose he needed. We had a nice sail over and found an isolated anchorage, but the wind shifted, and it was not as calm as we had hoped. But we had a nice swim and the water maker worked fine. After lunch we headed back. The wind had increased, and it was a bit rough on the way back. I closed the hatches for a brief rain shower and shortly after we slammed into an extra-large wave that splashed through the open front windows and down the starboard hatches that were closed but not dogged. Some cloths and a cushion were damp, and we had to hang them out to dry off. At 6 we went in to Grabbers for the party and meet the crews of The Grand and Ryan’s Place. They had a musician and several games. We got 2 water jugs and 2 T shirts that they threw into the crowd. Cathy participated in the watermelon contest where you had to eat a quarter watermelon, soaked in vodka without using your hands and won. They also had frozen T shirt contests where the shirt was frozen in a block of ice and you had to be the first to put it on by beating and melting it.

6/30/2018 Saturday No Name Cay

After breakfast, we sailed out and watched the start of the race to Treasure Cay before turning around and sailing north through the Whale Cay passage to No Name Cay where the locals keep pigs on a deserted island for people to interact with. There were lots of small power boats near the beach and a few sailboats and yachts anchored off the beach. After lunch we took the dingy in, fed a few crackers to the pigs and walked the length of the beach before jumping in the water to cool off. In the afternoon the small power boats left and we had a quiet evening.

7/1/2018 Sunday Green Turtle Cay Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ccHt7n5QND2NWTJU6

After breakfast, we ran the water maker because we would be busy for the next few days with partying. More small boats and yachts arrived to view the pigs. We swam and relaxed before lunch. We invited the crew of The Grand for happy hour but could not contact Ryan’s Place. The winds were light and the seas flat, so we pulled up the anchor and set just the jib and sailed at 1.5 – 2 Kt for the 2 miles to the Green Turtle anchorage. The Grand got there first, motoring and we both anchored near Ryan’s Place.

7/2/2018 Monday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qqX9AFv5t2u6KS4Z8

After breakfast, we raised the main sail and went out to view the final race. We watched for a few hours and traveled to the windward mark to watch the spinnaker sets. We could also see Fiddle Cay and there were a few small boats anchored there and a few yachts anchored in the lee of Crab Cay, a good anchorage for tomorrows party. We returned to anchor off the beach at the Bluff House where a bunch of other yachts were already anchored. We only have a short dingy ride to the beach, last time it was almost a mile from the anchorage at New Plymouth. We went ashore at 5:30 and pulled the dingy up on the beach and tied the anchor line to a stump. We purchased tickets for drinks and dinner. They had a conch salad stand and Cathy bought a cup, but we did not think it was as good as George’s in Marsh Harbor. We got several rounds of free punch and some Kalik beers while the sponsors stand was open from 6 to 7. We watched the award ceremony, nice trophies, including a new perpetual trophy done by Pete Johnston. I had the ribs dinner and Cathy had chicken. While we ate dinner, the band set up and played late into the night.

7/3/2018 Tuesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qPpYVjfzuz2BRGyE6

Finally, the Cheeseburger in Paradise party, and we are also celebrating Cathy’s birthday! It was only a few miles to Fiddle Cay and the winds were very light, so we could anchor close to the party instead of the other side of Crab Cay where we usually anchor. We passed another Seawind 1160 on the way in. There were lots of power boats and large cats anchored around the shallow swimming area. We found a place to put our dingy, they did not have a reserved dingy space this time. We set up our chairs and beach umbrella and then headed for the refreshment stand. They did not have rum!! But I got a tequila drink. We spent some time cooling off with our noodles in the swimming area and then joined the food line. It moved very slowly. Cathy went looking around and moved us to a shorter second line bit it moved even slower. Jeff showed up and he offered to trade a beer for a cheeseburger. We finally got through the line and found a bench, Jeff was there already. He did not have a beer for me but I gave him half of a cheeseburger. We spent more time in the water with our noodles and drink holder, watching all the people with pool toys, some really large. We found Ed and Meryl who were staying at Treasure Cay. Jeff had brought a couple interested in sailing with him from Guana Cay and he brought them by our boat so they could take a look at it. The owner of the other Seawind also dropped by to say hi. Jeff and his guests left to sail back to Guana Cay and we motored around to the protected anchorage between Manjack and Crab Cay. The Grand sailed by and then Ryan’s Place also joined us for snacks and drinks on our boat.

7/4/2018 Wednesday

Today was a day of rest and we really needed it after a week of partying. The Grand left early in the morning and Ryan’s Place left around 9. There were lots of rain clouds around and it rained quite a bit until 2 PM when it cleared up and we ran the watermaker. A good day to relax and recover from the excesses of the last few days.

7/5/2018 Thursday

We are low in groceries so Cathy wants to return to Green Turtle. We motor the few miles back to the settlement anchorage and anchor with 4 other boats. We take the dingy in to the town dock and walk around looking for a place for lunch. The first place we try is closed until 5 PM but they point us to the liquor store and café which serves lunch. We have beers and lunch while a thunder storm passes over. After waiting for the rain to stop, it looks like there is a pause before the next storm passes over so we go to the grocery store and load up. There is only a slight drizzle as we return to the dingy and motor out to the boat. We pull up the anchor and return to the anchorage between Crab Cay and Manjack.

7/6/2018 Friday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qgqZzdG1A9W37bLM9

The weather looks good so we head to the nice beach at the north end of Manjack. There is not much wind and we have a slow sail bit it is only a few miles. We anchor with several power boats and another catamaran, AlleyCat. Capt Kelley said there was good snorkling here so we went to the northern point of the island where there were some rocks. Cathy talked to some other snorklers who had not seen anything. We swam out past the rocks and out a hundred feet and found a ledge that was teeming with fish and one large barracuda. We swam for a while and then dingied over to the beach which was crowded with a dozen small powerboats. Lots of people in the water watching rays and a few nurse sharks swimming around. We walked around to the Abaco Sea side and swam for a while and watched the gulls fight over a chicken bone. We returned to the boat and because it was still hot and windless, went for another swim. All seemed calm but at 2 AM, a dry squall passed through with winds of 30 Kt. We prepared by removing the screens, starting the engines and watching the GPS. The anchor dragged a bit but when things calmed down, we were only 100’ from our original position and not in danger so we went back to sleep. But the mosquitos had got in and we were bothered by them for the rest of the night.

7/7/2018 Saturday

We slept late to catch up with our missing sleep. In the morning it was hot and windless so we jumped in the water to cool off. The wind slowly switched from north to east. There was a cumulus cloud south of us building up and a slight wind started blowing from the east so we pulled up the anchor and started sailing slowly north to Powel Cay. After an hour doing 2 Kt, the wind from the storm cloud south of us filled in and we were doing 5-6 Kt. To be cautious, I reefed the main and we had a nice sail the rest of the way to Powel Cay We ran the water maker while sailing and it worked fine. There were 2 other sailboats and 3 power yachts already there when we anchored. The catamaran AlleyCat joined us shortly after we anchored. It was still hot and not too windy so we jumped in the water again to cool off.

7/8/2018 Sunday

We heard that Jeff was getting fuel at Green Turtle and headed this way so we stayed at anchor at Powel for him to catch up. There is a lot of weed floating in the water and the intake pump for the head picked some up and clogged, so I spent the morning taking it apart and putting it back together. Jeff arrived around 3 PM. It was hot so we grabbed some beers and the floating drink holder and swam under the boat to cool off. Afterwards Jeff and I went in to the beach and climbed the trail to a lookout at the top of a cliff for a great view of the anchorage but there were lots of mosquitos. Jeff came over for dinner of fish tachos.

7/9/2018 Monday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWPoDppV5GiSEUrn9

We decided to go to Allans-Pensacola Cay today and left around 11 with a west wind that we could just sail. After and hour, the wind turned north, and we had to run the engine. We decided to stop at Crab Cay and anchored around 2 PM. After a rest and waiting for a storm south of us to pass, we picked up Jeff and went to the small islands in the middle of the bay and snorkeled around a few. On our way back, we had a round of beers on Jeff’s boat and invited him for breakfast tomorrow. Storms were still moving over the main island south of us and we saw 2 of them produce waterspouts. Things quieted down at dusk and we are hoping for a quiet evening.

7/10/2018 Tuesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kZATsL2jZT6b7dXp7

The weather reports in the morning showed the weather associated with TS Beryl heading this way so I wanted to return to Green Turtle in case of bad weather. We decided to go to Manjack/Crab Cay today and then Green Turtle the next morning. Just before Manjack, we watched a storm cross our path. Jeff was ahead and radioed that the wind was shifting. When the wind shift hit us, we dropped the sails and a few minutes later the wind and rain hit us, we could only see a little way ahead and the wind whipped rain stung our face if we put our head out. We motored slowly past Manjack and by the time we got to the anchorage, the storm had passed. Jeff came by and he gave us a dingy trip through the mangrove shallows where we saw quite a few turtles. We met a resident, also motoring through the mangroves who said the Bahamas had protected the turtles and now they were almost becoming a nucense.

7/11/2018 Wednesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/A4Bco88LczshteL7A

After breakfast, Jeff came over and picked us up and we went to the beach on the south end of Manjack to walk the path to the ocean side. Jeff had taken the path last week. We started down the path, with side trips to a lagoon where one of the homeowners was restoring and selling a Shuckers motorsailer. We continued down the path and at the turn to Ocean Beach, Jeff suggested taking the other path to Coconut Beach which turned out to be on the Abaco Sea side about half way up the island. We continued through a swampy area and up and down hills before final coming out at the ocean side. It was already quite a hike but we started walking back along the beach. The beach ended in rocks and cliffs so we retraced our steps and found the path back. It was about a 4 mile hike altogether. We were met by the homeowners, who had lived here for many years and had a nice house with wide porches on all sides and lots of fruit trees. They offered us water and a hose to cool off with. Back at the boats, we pulled up the anchors and motored a couple of miles to Green Turtle and picked up moorings in Black Sound. It rained a bit and looked like a storm was coming but it just drizzled a bit. Jeff and I went in for a few beers at Pineapple’s bar and grocery shopping. We returned to the boat and then went in to Pineapple’s for dinner.

7/12/2018 Thursday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nraPGYKx4zFGEtGT7

The alarm rang at 6 and we had a quick breakfast and prepared to leave. Jeff left first, and we waved and wished him luck. We motored out and headed south on one engine. When we got to Guana Cay, the wind came in the right direction and we set the sails turned off the motor, just in time for lunch. After a couple of hours, the wind died but we saw several pods of dolphin and chased one. Another had 2 frigate birds circling above, waiting for scraps if they caught a fish. We pulled into Hope Town at absolute low tide, ½ foot below mean low tide but had no problem getting in and grabbing a mooring. The clouds built, and we were sure it would rain but it passed while we relaxed and slept in the afternoon.

7/13/2018 Friday

After breakfast and the Cruisers Net, I filled the fuel tanks and then took 3 empty jugs to the marina to top up our gas supply. Capt Jack came by in a small outboard and we paid for our mooring. We went to the grocery store for final provisions, fruit, bread and cold cuts. At 11:30 we went to Capt Jack’s for lunch of conch strips and grouper burger. We left the mooring at 12:30 and motored a few miles to Tahiti Beach. The Stranded Naked houseboat had been moored near us at Hope Town and left in the morning, now it was anchored at the sandbar on Tahiti Beach along with dozens of other small boats and a few yachts. The anchorage area had only a few sailboats and yachts. We anchored and immediately jumped in, it was such a hot and windless day. We spent a few hours scraping growth from the hull, just grass and only a few barnacles. A storm moved and we saw a waterspout form to the west of us, but on the other side of Lubbers Quarters, far away from us. We got an hour of light rain and then things cleared up.

7/14/2018 Saturday

Another quiet night, no bugs, we did not put up the screens. After a breakfast of pancakes and eggs, the wind was light from the east, and we set the sails and pulled up the anchor and had a delightful sail all the way to Lynyard Cay. There were 3 powerboats in the anchorage, the boy scout boat arrived later. We went swimming at 5 and I scraped more grass from the hull. A rain shower passed over and then things cleared up. We cooked steaks on the BBQ with corn and mashed potatoes, a hearty meal to start our passage home.

7/15/2018 Sunday

We slept late, swam, and relaxed. At 5 the boy scout ship anchored near by and the wind was low so we decided to take off. We motored out of Little Harbor entrance and headed south for Hole in the Wall at the tip of Abaco. It was a little bumpy to start but things settled down when it got dark and we made good progress. We watched some lightning ahead but at 11 PM we made the turn around the bottom of Abaco and headed west and the lightning was still south of us. It cleared up and we had great views of the stars, unfortunately, our Skymap phone app was out of date and did not show the correct star locations. We traded off 3 hour watches through out the night.

7/16/2018 Monday

In the morning we could see the northern end of the Berry Islands and the extensive projects going on there for the cruise ship industry. One cruise ship was anchored and on the VHF we heard the customs guy asking for the passengers records to get the paperwork out of the way before any passengers could go ashore. Shuttle boats gathered around the cruise liner ready to take people ashore, we did not see many people aboard the cruise ship, they were still at breakfast. There were many pilings in the water, it looks like they will build a pier, so the cruise ships can dock and let people off directly to the island. We were going to stop here but the wind was right to keep going and the guide said it was best not to travel across the banks at night so we (I) decided to continue and we had a fine sail until the wind fell light and then we motored for a while and then sailed slowly for a while. We finally anchored when we were 36 miles from Cat Cay, in the middle of the bank, nothing in sight but water all around. We swam and cooled off, the current was quite strong so we had to hold on or be swept away, had a nice dinner and a restful evening. Another boat, probably a catamaran anchored a few miles away. We were 2 miles north of the direct course from NW beacon to Cat Cay so they were probably very near the course.

7/17/2018 Tuesday

The winds were good so we had a quick breakfast, raised the main sail and headed for Cat Cay. We had a great sail for the first few hours, a beam reach doing 6-7 Kt but all of a sudden the wind dropped and we were becalmed. We started on engine and motored for a while. A rain cloud went over and drenched us for a while. Finally the wind came back a bit and we sailed the final 10 miles at 4-5 Kt. We got to Cat Cay around 3 PM and there was a large yacht and a sailboat anchored near the island. We anchored and immediately jumped in for a swim to cool off. We watched a plane circle and land while we were in the water.

7/18/2018 Wednesday Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yuwqPA2cuhnToY5c6

The alarm went off at 5:30 and we got things ready for the crossing. I checked the weather, using the wifi hot spot for the final time. There was a line of showers just off shore but everything looked good. Just after 6, it was light enough to start out and we motored out and started across. There was not much wind and what there was seemed to be coming from the west. We raised the sails anyway and it helped a couple tenths of a knot. On the radio, we heard the Coast Guard call a boat they were following several times before it responded, they asked a few questions and then told them they were going to board for an inspection. An hour later they pulled up behind us and called, they had their AIS transponder off so they did not appear on our GPS display. We gave them our information and they went away and soon were calling another boat. We also got warnings that another Coast Guard boat was conducting a live fire excersize at 11 AM, 12 miles off Miami. They kept repeating the message all afternoon with the same 11 AM time. We saw the boat about 6 miles away at 3 PM, outside their exclusion zone but we never heard any firing. The wind finally came back when we were 10 miles form Ft Lauderdale and we sailed for a few hours before the wind turned to the West and we had to motor again. When we got within cell phone range, I used the new Roam app to clear customs, they did a video call and it made the clearing in process easy. We anchored at Lake Sylvia and had dinner while the bridges were closed for rush hour and then proceeded up the river. We were held up for a half hour at the railroad bridge while the Brightline trains and a freight train passed. When we got to the dock, there was barely enough room but Mike was there to help catch lines and we made it safely.

INDEX