Week 1 in George Town

We have settled into the George Town way of life. We begin each morning by finishing up breakfast by 8 so that we can listen to the cruisers net on the radio. Each week a cruiser volunteers to run the show, and things such as weather, tides, daily events (volleyball, scrabble, card games, straw crafts, meetings, etc.), upcoming poker, HAM radio, and dinner events, and questions for all cruisers are shared. The program takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes and once it is finished, we begin our schoolwork. We generally work on that until about noon. The girls are making great progress, and are quickly absorbing many new concepts, often several grade levels ahead.
Afternoons usually bring a trip to Volleyball Beach. A local hang-out, aptly named for its' volleyball courts, which are in constant use. There are a variety of swings hanging in the trees which the girls and their friends have great fun with. We usually find other cruisers to chat with, some new friends, others that we have previously met. We have also participated in a few fierce games of scrabble and euchre. At other tables are games of dominoes, weaving lessons, and at the beach people wade and swim and play with the friendly stingrays.
As the sun begins to lower in the sky, we head back to Cee Jem. We have dinner, usually play some cards and then read a bit before bed.

Yet, every day is always different.
Sometimes, a trip across the harbour into town allows us to stock up on provisions, and pick up some water. On Wednesday Greg had a particularly grueling trip. The wind has been fairly strong, making the harbour quite choppy. On his return he had a 20lb propane tank, 6 gallons of water, 5 gallons of gas and 3 bags of groceries. Needless to say he was salt-water soaked from his adventure and the dinghy once emptied of supplies needed bailing!
Sometimes, a special gathering is arranged and announced on the morning net. This week we attended a happy hour celebration. At 5, we, and many other dinghies descended on Sand Dollar Beach, snacks and beverages in hand. The girls quickly found a group of kids, and together they ventured along a short path to the ocean-side beach. Just as the sky was getting dusky and the Moms started thinking we should go find them, we heard the group of them laughing and yelling approaching from the trailhead. We can only hope the responsible influence of the older cruising kids rubs off on our girls just a little!
Other days, we arrange to meet up with a family for our own little adventure. Yesterday was such a day. Last week we had the good fortune to meet up with the boat 'Water Musick'. Bill and Becky, along with their children Joey, Ray and Melody set out from Annapolis this fall, and are beginning a multiple year journey, with the hope of circumnavigating. Melody is 9, and has been a fast friend to Jessica and Madeline. Yesterday after lunch we decided to hike to the ocean side of our anchorage and walk along the beach. We began shortly after noon, walked for several hours enjoying the view and company. Once back on the west side of the island, the girls decided they wanted to swim and we did that until dusk. We reconvened on Water Musick about an hour later and enjoyed dinner together. We will miss them once they head further south tomorrow, but will continue to share their travels through their blog.
Sunday Greg's parents arrive for a few weeks, and we are glad to have had a bit of time here to get aquatinted with the area and are looking forward to sharing it with them.

Friendly stingrays at Volleyball Beach

Jessica on her 10th Birthday!

Madeline and Jessica with their new knit friends

Bill from Water Musick kiting back to his boat in his kayak

Cruisers gathering on the beach for Happy Hour

A special jolly fellow on vacation from the North Pole??

Happy Birthday

On January 22 I turned 10. It was a very special day for me because I turned double digits. I got a stuff animal that mom knit, I named it Corodory. I got a necklace, lollypop, a butter finger bar, woven palm fronds and a Compass Cay shirt. We had a yellow cake with fudge icing after dinner, and brownies after lunch. We even had cinnamon buns for breakfast, BLT's for lunch and macaroni for dinner. We pet and fed stingrays and played with friends at the beach. We knit hats and more for Corodory and Madeline's stuff animal Buckely.
JESSICA

We've reached our destanation!

Dear Friends and Family,
We have reached George Town.
Every morning we listen to the cruisers net at 8:00 and it tells us what is going on today.
Most days we have been going to"Volley ball Beach"at 2:30.
At the beach we can touch wild sting rays, there are 4.
They felt very soft on the bottom and are very gentle.You can also feed them conch scraps from a nearby conch stand. I think it's neat when they come rub up against your leg, it's there way of saying "thanks"
I have met some more friends, they are: Rachel, Anne and Jess who are visiting there grandparents aboard M&M and Melody aboard Water Music.
I'll post pictures later,
Madeline.

George Town - Our Final Destination

It is hard to believe we have arrived in George Town, Bahamas. After months of sailing and motoring we pulled into Elizabeth Harbour and dropped anchor at our final destination. We have planned for years to sail here and having finally made it is a bit of a relief.
The harbour here is a bit over-whelming. Hundreds of boats lie in neat anchorages, their bows dutifully pointing the same direction. Dinghies zip between them ferrying cruisers to and fro.
George Town appears to be a typical Bahamian settlement, bustling, chaotic, and more than a little disheveled. Failed resorts and hotels pock-mark the water front. Gone is the crystal clear clear water we have grown used to in the mid-Exumas. George Town harbour's water has the hazy of industry, population, and hundreds of cruisers.
But it is those cruisers we have come for. Gathering on the beach we have heard that there are packs of children to be found and played with, although they seem to have escaped us on our first day exploring. We hear through the grape vine that our friends on Dharma and Hi-5 have recently headed further south to Long Island. We hope they'll return someday. Volleyball, scrabble, and bocci games are organized in a day camp beach for adults. Sundays host a weekly beach pig roast that we are looking forward to.
We plan to be here for several weeks as we rest after months on the move. Grandma and Pop arrive next week for a visit and then we have to turn our bow north and face the inevitable voyage home.

Further South

We set out this morning for Little Farmer's Cay. By noon we had anchored off Black Point, having escaped building wind and waves. Nothing unsafe, but we try not to be on the water unless it's going to be enjoyable for all. Our aim after all is to have fun.
While at Black Point we were able to take our garbage to shore, pick up some water, and I checked to see if the grocery had anything interesting. Overall, it was a successful stop.
By 3, it appeared that the wind had subsided, so we put the dinghy back on the deck and set out again.
Now we are anchored at Jack's Bay, about halfway between Black Point and Farmer's. We had a great dinner, played some euchre - the girls are getting very good, almost beat us tonight - and are headed to bed shortly.

Tomorrow we plan to go 'outside'.
In order to get to George Town, we need to leave the protection of the Bahamas Bank, and travel on the east side of the Exumas, out in the Sound. We will go through the cut from bank to sound at slack water, to avoid the strong currents that flow through as the tide changes.

Our hope is to get to Lee Stocking Island, but will check the forecast before we go. From there, we will take advantage of this weather window and continue further south on Thursday.

Out Of Gas

We are island hopping around the mid-Exumas for this week. We are going to be in George Town toward the end of January to meet up with family coming to visit. But we also understand that "GT" doesn't offer the same opportunities that you find further north. Sure, there is lots to do, a cruisers net on the radio every morning lists all manner of activities planned throughout the day: volleyball, yoga, book clubs, nature hikes, potlucks, etc. We've also heard it referred to as camp for the retired cruising crowd. It will be fun to have a selection of planned activities, but we can't make water in the polluted harbour, no swimming off the boat for the same reasons. Elizabeth Harbour is huge, so any venturing out requires more than a 20 minute commute. For now, we are happy to spend time just the 4 of us making our own adventures.
Which brings us to what we've been up to...
We had watched the mailboat come in to Black Point on Wednesday afternoon and I quickly got down to the grocery to restock on fruits, vegetables, and cheese. We also needed gasoline, which fuels our dinghy engine and generator. The closest fuel is available at Farmer's Cay, about 10 miles south, or at Staniel Cay, about 8 miles north. As there is another front passing through this week-end, and we know there's a great anchorage at Big Major, we opted to head north.
We left Black Point on Thursday morning and headed for Staniel Cay. We got a great spot in the little anchorage just south of the yacht club docks, very convenient to town and the beach. In the afternoon we piled our snorkeling stuff into the dinghy and went exploring. We found a great little cove, set the anchor and jumped in. It was magnificent! First thing I saw was 2 sea urchins, so I called the girls over to show them. It took me only a minute more to feel a bit foolish. The whole area was absolutely littered with them. Every crevice of the bottom was occupied by one. The smallest ones about the size of your fist; the largest, with spines splayed, were easily the size of a classroom globe. The other notable presence was purple sea fans. Many fish also swam among us, including one very large parrotfish.
On our way back, Greg noticed a few spots that looked like they would be popular lionfish hiding spots. Sure enough he had another successful spearing expedition. We dined on Shake 'n Bake lionfish for dinner. Delicious!
Friday we accomplished some schoolwork in the morning before setting out for land. We were looking for a few more groceries and gasoline. We walked to the general store, found garlic (not yet seen in the Bahamas), whole wheat flour, and an extra jerry can. On our walk back to the dinghy, a pick-up truck slowed beside us, a guy stuck his head out and said "I'll save you the time ... no gas here."
Confused, we stopped the next woman on a golf cart passing by, and questioned about the gas situation. "Just a minute, let's see who this is ... yep, the guy in this golf cart will be able to help you", so we asked the driver of the next cart about the gas "That's right, no gas on the island, the yacht club is out, have been for a couple of days."
"When will they be getting more?"
"Dunno, better ask them down at the dock."
So, back to the dock we walked. There we found out that they had ordered some more fuel, it would be coming in 'probably next week sometime', but to try Sampson Cay Marina. At dinner we found out that Sampson Cay also had no fuel, and had been out for almost 3 weeks.
Now we are in a bit of a bind, as we have used the last of our gasoline to fill the dinghy tank, and it was already mixed with oil. We now have only 4 hours of fuel for the generator, which is our primary source for battery charging. Our batteries are used for everything: pumps, lights and water-making. We have been running it for about 2 hours a day.
Luckily we have full water tanks and a decent supply of diesel fuel, so we could run the engine to charge the batteries, but it is loud and not our preferred method of charging. There are not a lot of places to get fuel, and we need to be careful with our diesel, as that is what fuels the boat engine. What now?

Fast forward 24 hours...
We are now sitting at anchor at Big Majors, waiting out this frontal passage. This morning we decided to get some more diesel, since it may well be our only fuel source until we get to George Town. Greg headed over to the dock with a jerry can, and while there was pleasantly surprised to find out that the fuel boat was on its way!
"Should be here around 1:30, we'll be ready to start pumping by 2."
"Great, see you then."
Sure enough, shortly before 2 a big red tanker boat appeared through the ocean cut. We watched him dock: "That might be the prettiest boat I've seen in a long time." says the captain.
Just after 2 Jessica and Greg go over with our old gas can, the new one, and our diesel can (just in case!), get them all filled up, and returned happily about an hour later. Luckily, they were first in line. The thirsty boats were lined up behind them!

Once again, we are thankful that the gods of weather and wind (and gasoline) are smiling on us.

A couple of days here until the wind settles down, then we are southbound once again!

Compass ( not the Cay, our pet )

We have a new pet, a hermit crab. We named him/her Compass because we think he got on board at Compass Cay. When Madeline was going to the back cabin she asked " why is there a hermit crab back here?" We figured out that when we were collecting shells at a beach he hitchhiked in a very large shell by hiding inside it. He has moved houses now to a smaller shell we found for him. We keep him in a big container ( at least for him) in our cabin ( the V berth). He likes cabbage and some of our fish scraps. He is quite small now, he is growing. Did you know that baby hermit crabs are red and as hermit crabs get older they get more purple?I will post pictures later,By Jessica

A Lionfish Feast

After finishing our schoolwork this morning, we moved 3 miles to anchor near Little Bay, around the corner from Black Point. The initial attraction of this anchorage was the 'castle' which is indicated on our charts. We had been told not to expect too much. In fact the castle is nothing more than a house with turrets, on the site of a planned resort and marina for which construction was halted in 2006. The bigger attraction here was the beach, which we had all to ourselves.
While the girls lazed in the sun, Greg headed off to do some spearfishing. He met with great success, returning with 8 lionfish. He has been on a mission here to reduce their population on the reefs of the Bahamas, spearing all he can. Ecologically, this is encouraged. You see, the lionfish are an invasive species here, first seen in the wild in 2000. They are native to the Indo-Pacific region and one story goes that 6 were released into the wild when a large tank broke in a Florida aquarium during Hurricane Andrew. They have no natural enemies here, and their population has exploded as they gobble up the juvenile reef fish. An article we read at Compass Cay said that they can consume about 75% of the small fish on a reef in just 5 weeks! The same article mentioned that in their native environment, their population remains under control because of several parasites. It is not known what further reaching effects introducing these parasites to the Bahamas would bring, so at this point, the Bahamas National Trust are strongly encouraging locals and visitors to net or spear any they cross paths with. They are slow moving fish, and not difficult to catch. The tricky part is keeping away from their venomous spines. Once speared, careful handling and cleaning while wearing heavy gloves keeps you safe from their poison.
Once we returned to the boat, it took Greg about 30 minutes to clean the fish. They are small and don't result in a large amount of meat, but they are tasty and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
Tomorrow we will return to Black Point so Greg can teach again in the afternoon.
More details on his experiences at the school following his lesson tomorrow ....

Black Point

Hello friends and family.
We are in Black Point and yesterday we got to play with some friends at a beach. We saved 35 alive sand dollars, we saw 5 sting rays, we found 3 starfish and we saved 2 starfish. I really like the beach here, we can dinghy up to it. The sand dollars were up on a sand bar and could not get back in the water. I learned that for protection sand dollars bury themselves so you can't see them. I really like Lorraine's cafe because the food is tasty and she has Internet. There is a good chance that we will be in George town for my birthday on January 22. We might also go snorkeling today or tomorrow.
Bye for now, Jessica

Still having fun!

Hey friends!
Right now we are in Black point,
Dad has gone to teach at the school for the morning ,
He is teaching the grade 9's and the principals name is Mrs.Young.
Yesterday,was Mom's birthday so we celebrated with not a cake but oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ( see picture below ).
In Compass Cay there is a shark dock that lots of nurse sharks hang out around so Jessica and I went snorkeling with them , I thought it was interesting and I knew they would not bite me because they have no teeth but strong jaws to crush conch shells and eat the conch.
Madeline

Our Own Little Beach

We found our own little spot of sand today.
Beached the dinghy, waded around, made sand angels, watched the boats bobbing in the anchorage.
Walked to the ocean side, just rocks and tide debris.
Back to the boat, get ready for dinner.
BBQ at Lorraine's Cafe, about 25 cruisers enjoying a great meal, good company, and sharing stories of voyages past and plans for the future. Great night!

Back to Black Point

We are back in Black Point, motored in yesterday after the 3 mile journey from Great Guana Cay.
After arriving we dinghied to shore and walked around a bit. We had hoped to mail some letters, but the post office was closed. The last time we were here it was closed because there was a holiday coming up .... this time we think it was closed because it was Friday. Hopefully we will find it open one day next week.
The good news was that the mail boat was arriving in the afternoon. In the Bahamas this is a big deal. The mail boat comes once a week and means the arrival of the next week's supplies. You never see as many people and vehicles on an island as on the dock when the mail boat is there.
We waited the recommended couple of hours to allow the grocery store to re-stock their shelves. As this anchorage is fairly busy right now, we almost waited too long. By the time we had our chance at the produce, it was almost all gone. Greg got the last of the bananas (1 bunch), the last 3 peppers, 2 heads of lettuce, and 2 apples. We also got several onions and potatoes, which are usually plentiful. That's it until next week when the mail boat comes again. I admit I am looking forward to being back on the continent for the continuous availability and variety of fresh produce.

Pink Iguanas on Bitter Guana

Not a long voyage today. Six miles in total. Less as the crow flies but we had to sail around a set of islands. Into our very own anchorage at Bitter Guana Cay. No one around. Just the four of us, a pristine beach and a dozen pink iguanas. Friendly little lizards. Some of the rarest lizards in the world says the sign. Likely because they march up the the first human on the beach and try to stare them down. I guess they've been fed before. Quite indignant when no handouts are forth coming. At least they're vegetarians.
Sun and sand for today as the weather warmed up again.
Madeline made salt water pizza dough for dinner and Jessica baked a loaf of bread using left over pear juice. Water is rationed well here especially when we can only make 4 liters an hour.
We will post pictures tomorrow as we will return to Black Point and Lorain's Cafe.

Leaving Our Mark on Compass Cay

We really enjoyed our time on Compass Cay. We spent 4 days there, and feel that we took every opportunity available to us to see it all!
We hiked around the entire perimeter, finishing the south side on Monday. The girls swam with the sharks which is the big 'touristy' highlight of the island, and we have left our boat sign hanging at the office.

On Monday night a cold front blew through bringing stronger winds and cooler temperatures. We were glad to have sought the protection of the marina, so we didn't have to worry about being at anchor. 'Cooler' in the Bahamas means about 15 degrees, which we haven't seen since the Carolinas. We all had sweaters and long pants on, and put together a nice pot of stew and fresh hot bread for dinner. We spent Wednesday evening together in our cozy boat reading and playing games.

We left yesterday on a rising tide, headed for Little Pipe Cay. Once out on the bank, we decided that the wind might make that anchorage a little rough, and as we wouldn't be swimming anyway, we might as well go somewhere familiar. We are now anchored back at Big Major Cay.
Our plan for the next couple of days is to get to Bitter Guana Cay today, the north end is a protected iguana habitat which we've heard good things about. Then we'll likely head south to Little Bay on Great Guana Cay. We'd like to be back in Black Point next week, as Greg is hoping to do some volunteer teaching at the school, which has no science teacher on staff.

The weather is supposed to be improving, so we will also soon be back enjoying the snorkeling and swimming.

The Hike - January 2

The highlight of today was a hike around the north portion of Compass Cay.
We left just after 10, headed for 'Rachel's Bubble Bath'. We trekked from the marina to the sound side beach, then began our journey north. The path wove through palm scrub along a jagged coast line swept by waves and wind. The trail was sporadicly marked with various bits of flotsam recovered from the ocean. There were buoys on sticks, fenders hanging from trees and fishing net buoys placed to mark our path. Most of the day we were in the company of curly tailed lizards and hermit crabs housed in empty peanut snail shells. On the rocky north shore we passed a few birds, American Oystercatchers, who yelled at us as we went by.
We arrived at the bubble bath at the ideal time of near high tide. The bubble bath is created by a small inlet between two large rocks such that as the water level rises, the waves crash over the rocks into a calm bay, causing the foam of the waves to settle over the swimmers below. The girls were quite apprehensive about swimming, as the pool just under the overflow is quite deep and the jagged rocks are very menacing.
The swim was short and we carried on our way.
The next portion of the hike was through a tidal flat, and then to the serene bank side beach. Here, our path was much easier to hike, as most of the trail was layered cracked sandstone just off the waters edge. We would hike along a beachfront, then through a short overgrown area before emerging again and carry on down the next beach.
Upon leaving the final beach, nearing the marina, we came to a mangrove flat, which seemed it would impede our progress. But we forged on through the muck, passing a few juvenile lemon sharks and two yellow stingrays in the shallow water. When we reached solid ground again, the sign told us we were entering the 'jungle trail' (we should tell you that every sign on this island is hand-painted on a piece of driftwood and nailed to whatever might be nearby, and was originally positioned to be pointing the correct direction, but very likely no longer is). Sure enough, the cut through the now thicker vegetation was very jungle-esque . It wasn't too long before we came to a stone wall, behind which was a hole and a sign (hand-painted, of course) stating that this well was protected by a pet water boa. After gingerly peering over the side, but seeing no sign of a snake, we again soldiered on.
The next clearing opened up so we could see the marina!! At this point, we had been out for almost 3 hours, and everyone was getting a bit hungry, so the sight of 'home' was a welcome one. We walked the few steps to the edge of the bush and were stopped in our tracks by the mutual realization that now the only thing between us and our boat, was water. Lots of it.
I turned to Greg, asked him to check the 'map' which was merely a picture of the hand painted sign on the marina wall that we had snapped before we left in case we needed clarification while out on the trail. Sure enough, after zooming in, there it was: Bonefish Creek. So, we faced a choice, turn around, and retrace our steps back to the beginning ... or swim. We, obviously, did the only logical thing and began to wade in. Luckily it wasn't too deep, Greg could walk across, and by carefully choosing a path to stay in waist-deep water could hold our backpack over his head to keep our belongings dry. We girls behind him, chose to swim, as the bottom was very silty and would have swallowed our shoes. None of the ladies on this trip are big fans of walking in unknown bottoms. So, now, Greg has crossed, and got the camera out to capture the moment ... we are approaching the sandbar at the midpoint as he gently says "just be aware that once you get past the middle, there are a few big stingrays up here, so be careful". What might have terrified me a few short months ago, now just makes me cringe a little. I must say how impressed I was with my girls. There was a brief wide-eyed look back at me, and then they carried on! We reached the far shore, dried off, and then finished our little hike back, laughing all the way at our adventure.
Following lunch, what to do with the afternoon?
Swim with the sharks, of course!

This Week's Photos

Here is a small selection of photos from this week:

Christmas dinner at Staniel Cay Yacht Club
a sea star at Fowl Cay
the anchorage at Big Major Spot; Cee Jem is in there somewhere!
swimming at 'the Aquarium', Exuma Land and Sea Park
New Year's Eve dinner with Judy and Dan on their boat Quest
exploring the beach at Compass Cay
the 'pet' sharks at Compass Cay
watching the hermit crab fashion show

New Year's Day

Well, the revelry on the dock lasted well into the early hours. We were glad this morning not to have imbibed quite as much as some!!!
We did sleep in a bit, and then enjoyed breakfast in the cockpit.
Last night we had decided a hike to the ocean beach would be in order.
There is a tradition here that you head to the beach and try to find some treasures from which you will assemble a boat sign, and then hang it outside the office, or along the beach path. We were told there would be lots to choose from. We were not disappointed. We have brought a few things back to the dock, and will make our final creation tomorrow.

We spent a couple of hours beach combing. The sand was literally like brown sugar, right down to the ability to pack it into sand balls. We also saw a snake on the beach who was just as interested in us as we were in him.
Around noon we headed back to the boat for some lunch, and then this afternoon headed back to the north beach for a little more exploration. Along the way we picked up 6 hermit crabs and carried them to the beach with us. The next two hours were spent wandering the beach looking for better sized shells than the cramped quarters they were in. We spread the new shells on the beach, added the hermit crabs to the selection, and then watched the fashion show!! It was very cute to watch them wander around and inspect the various shells. Some of them obviously liked what we had found and they were quick to jump out of their previous shell and pop into a new one.
We couldn't help ourselves but wonder what they were thinking:
"Do you have this in blue?"
"Oh, I don't know if I have any shoes to match"
"Does this shell make me look fat?"

We all had a good time!
Now we are back at the boat, waiting for our bread to finish baking so we can put sloppy joes on it for dinner.
Then a couple of rounds of cards, and I suspect we will all be turning in early.