Year: 2016

…Piggies on the beach…

Pig Beach, as it is nicknamed, is located on Big Major Spot next to Staniel Cay and is a very, very popular stop. We have seen mega yacht guests, speed boats with four 400 HP engines, sport fishing boats of all sizes, dinghies and even sea planes beached to see the pigs! AMAZING that pigs on a sandy Bahamian beach would create such a tourist destination! These are not feral animals; they were put here years ago by residents of Staniel and are used for meat, having been fed by tourists and mega yacht crews. It is suggested to bring produce and other table scraps, but no meat. Due to the popularity of Pig Beach here, Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos has started their own pig destination and have named it Piggy Beach.

Radeen overlooks a sleeping pig

We enjoy this stop but are always cautious about feeding the pigs. I have seen people bleeding from pig bites, because the pigs get excited for food and sometimes become aggressive. So, we usually just walk the beach, check them out and take some fun photos. This year there are chickens and roosters on the island now, so we are awakened predawn by the roosters and then eventually the squealing pigs. It is different here, and we enjoy being anchored about 100 yards right off Pig Beach where we can watch all the crazy fun action. So, when you sail into the Exumas, make sure you add Big Major Spot and Staniel Cay to your list of stops.

Hayden scratches the back of the sleeping pig

The smart pigs rest in the shade

Anchored 100 yards off Pig Beach

Watching the mega yacht tenders dropping off guests

Sunset Selfie off Big Major Spot

Helicopter on this yacht arriving to see the pigs

M/V Lady S, rents for $385,000 per week, they came to see the pigs!

M/V Lady S, notice fancy tender

Island Spirit in 10 feet of water right off the beach

Fowl Cay Resort rents sailboats so guest sail in to feed the pigs

Sea Plane beached to feed the pigs, then the pilots went swimming.

After dropping of one RICH guest, the two pilots took off

Our anchor chain off Pig Beach in 10-12 feet of water

We are enjoying this area immensely. Thank you for sailing along.

…Yes, the water is gin clear…

We count Cambridge Cay as the heart of the Exumas Land and Sea Park with coral gardens, sea aquariums, caves, beaches and more beaches. Most people count Warderick Wells as the heart of the park and that too is spectacular, but we really enjoy Cambridge Cay. Tomorrow we may move up to Warderick Wells. We may go out into the Exuma Sound and sail north or we will go inside on the Banks and navigate the shifting sand bores. The water is so clear and so beautiful, it will be interesting no matter which way we go.

Heading out to snorkel

We are working hard on water conservation as we push our 90 gallon water tank to about 11-18 days. This includes taking showers every day using our solar shower, staying hydrated, washing dishes, cleaning the boat and rinsing after swimming. Thanks to our Multi-Pure filter, we drink our boat water. We can get our water usage down to 5 to 8 gallons perday total, so that allows us to go 11 to 18 days at best. After that, we run out of water! No water means we need to exit the park area and go to Staniel Cay Yacht Club, dock, and take on water at fifty cents per gallon. So our 90 gallon water tank costs $45 to fill it up, not bad when you look where we are!

Spectra Ventura 200

For 15 years we have learned how to cruise on 90 gallons of water. From the Bahamas to Block Island, we have often jugged water. We carry water in 5 gallon jugs from land into the dinghy and then lift them up to the deck and pour into the water tank. This will be the last year for this activity, no more. We are installing the Spectra Venture 200 Watermaker which will make 8-10 gallons of water an hour and it only takes 8-10 amps of power. We have the power and we will be able to run it off solar or wind. We chose this model at the St. Petersburg Boat Show in December. Water is a real challenge here in the Exumas and all over the Bahamas so a watermaker will solve our water needs.

Speaking of water, take a look at our GoPro water photos from today……love this area!

Radeen ready to go swim with the fishes

Radeen loves the water more than anyone I know, Pisces, of course.

FISH FISH FISH Scientific name: Abudefduf saxatilis

I love looking up to the surface, notice the needle nose fish

These Sergeant Major fish are so tame because they are used to being fed

Fun Fun Fun, fish fish fish Sergeant Major

This one wanted a selfie

Off to the sand bar and then the ocean beach

Anchor the dinghy and walk into the beach, tides are 4 feet

Hey look, a shady spot with  fish net hammocks

Hammock selfie, why not 🙂

The beach all to ourselves

Walking home to the “car” (our dinghy) for a fast ride back to the boat

The winds are still blowing 20 knots nearly every day, the current is running 3+ knots, so we have not our new diving gear as of yet. We hope we find a good spot soon. For now, it is simply fun to be swimming, beach combing, snorkeling and taking in the beautiful views. Thank you for sailing along.

We are sailing the Exumas and while centered around The Exuma Land and Sea Park, we have taken some beautiful pictures. These photos will show you why Blue is our favorite color. We think this is the most beautiful place in the world! It really is better in the Bahamas.  If you are a cruiser, then plan to spend February, March and/or April in the Exumas, you will never, ever regret it.

Enjoy the photo essay….

…Radeen heading to the Beach—

Celebrating a birthday in the Exumas ranks as one of the top places to celebrate, especially if you are like Radeen, who loves to swim, walk beaches, and hike trails. We spent her birthday doing exactly that and it was a very calm, peaceful and beautiful day. After hiking two trails and swimming on the ocean side, we had lunch at the St. Francis Resort and then went to a cruisers’ cocktail party at Hamburger Beach. Running the dinghy to the beach and taking photos of Radeen there was a joy and a gift for me as well. We count our blessings every morning and know we are in a very special time-frame of our lives. We sincerely appreciate our good fortune and this life we are living.  There is no better life for us.

Ocean side view from a southern trail. “Our” beach is at the top.

The cruising lifestyle is an alternative lifestyle and before you move into it, you think it will be difficult and challenging. Then after a few years of living the life, you recognize how wonderful it is and you know WHY people live this lifestyle. Sure, there are days that are challenging when the boat breaks down in remote locations or the weather is severe, but these times are fewer than expected. Of course, those are the stories you hear about because they make for great re-telling. Over all, the cruising lifestyle is peaceful and relaxing. Today, celebrating Radeen’s birthday, was a perfect example of a great day. Happy Birthday, Radeen, and thank you for making this cruising life aboard so wonderful.

Handmade pendant by a young sailor from Florida

Looking back to the harbor

Radeen on the beach

Look, we have this one mile beach to ourselves!

Radeen walking and reflecting

Heading to shore

Landing the dinghy on Sand Dollar Beach

Happy spot at the Bubble Baths

Returning to “home” our IP35, Island Spirit

…Our sailing into George Town…

We sailed the 20-25 gusting 30 knot North Northeast winds and ran for George Town. This was a 36 nm leg and we sailed all of it with just enough motoring to get out and set sail and to drop the anchor. What a great say of sailing. We use the B and G autopilot set to wind vane steering so the boat will hold a given angle to the wind. This allows us to set sail and the boat will follow the wind. On this leg, it was set at 115 degrees. We started the sail with 110% jib out and ended up with the full 135% jib out as we sailed into George Town. Island Packet Yachts love 20-25 knots of wind as they are full keel, heavy displacement boats that need lots of wind to sail well, the trade off is that in this condition they are also very, very comfortable because this is what the boat was designed for, ocean sailing. We are always pleased with the way Island Spirit will sail in heavy winds, she is a great boat.

Under sail in 20 knots+ comfy

Once in town, we sailed to Kidd Cove, dropped the anchor and dinghy and headed off to jug 30 gallons of water as we were totally out of water. Over the next day, we jugged 100 gallons of water, 5 gallon jugs, 10 gallons of diesel, and 6 gallons of gasoline. We needed services and in George Town there is free water, you just have to jug it out to your boat. It is the same with diesel, we jug fuel her as well. George Town is a cruising mecca and there are over 300 boats anchored in the harbor. We plan to stay through Regatta week and then move back up into the Exumas Land and Sea Park. For now, it is beach hikes, beach walks, Chat n Chill with buddies, volleyball beach, Beach Yoga, Water Aquatics, and cruiser lectures. So many people and so much going on. We can see why so many yachts make this their winter destination.

GoPro photo out the port side

GoPro Sailing photo

Sailing at 7 knots

Blue water off the stern

Radeen manages the log book

7 knots and sailing well

Hooked on

Island Spirit is very comfortable under sail

This is our course from Miami

Boat Buddies at George Town Regatta Radeen & Hayden. Leslie & Tim, Kathy & Eric

Running into Dinghy Dock at George Town

Anchored off Chat n Chill

Our boat as seen from Chat n Chill

Chat n Chill selfie

Chat n Chill signature drink, Goombay Smash with a floater

My favorite model

Chat n Chill sign post

Great friends, Suzy and Dave on 37 Cay Paraiso

Sunset off Island Spirit

The beautiful church on a high hill in George Town

Anglican Church of George Town

Beautiful sanctuary

Radeen

My favorite model and photo subject

Peace and Plenty cafe in town overlooks the harbor

Refrigerated containers are the way cold food gets here

Refrigerated containers are delivered by mail boat and lifted off by cranes

The generator on a refrigerated container

The entire set up, genset, diesl fuel tank and refrigerator

This is $35.00 of food, now you know why….delivery is very expensive.

Whiteaker Yacht Sales flying off Chat n Chill

Our beautiful home, IP35 Island Spirit

That is us, Island Spirit

What can can be seen from Chat n Chill, THE IP FLAG and WYS

Bubble Bath beach with Suzy and Dave

Radeen and Suzy floating in crystal clear waters

Selfie in the Bubble Bath

Exumas, such clear waters

Look at the fun

Cruising Life is great with good buddies

George Town is such an easy place to live on the hook, and we can see why there are 300+ boats anchored here for the winter. Beautiful beaches, fun people, lots of activities, trails to hike, and crystal clear waters. From here we will move back up to the Cambridge Cay area, where we hope to break in our new dive gear! It’s about time!

…440 Sea Star, 35 Island Spirit, 380 Gotta Jibboo…

Thank you to Dan and Kathy on IP 440 Sea Star, who lead us and Karin and Carl of IP 380 Gotta Jibboo from Little Farmers Key south around Musha Cay and into Rudder Cut Cay to a private pond through a deep cut. Dan and Kathy have been here before and we all went there to ride out an approaching front. While there for three days, we swam (finally!) and cleaned the water line. Then we dinghy-explored the various islands in the southern Exumas chain. Six of these islands are owned by David Copperfield and they are all marked no trespassing, so we could not go ashore. One night we had a popcorn and movie night aboard 440 Sea Star with terrific homemade popcorn and delicious snacks. We watched a documentary from Mystic Seaport Museum “The Voyage of The Peking” and Nicholas Cage in “The Family Man.” The second night we had a casual dinner aboard Island Spirit with Radeen’s Blue Water Chicken Salad, Kathy’s yummy carrot salad, appetizers and candies from Karin and a pumpkin cheesecake.

Island Spirit at Sunset

380 Gotta Jiboo at Sunset

440 Sea Star at Sunset

The three of us at Sunset

380 Gotta Jibboo

Homemade Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

Radeen prepares dinner for six aboard Island Spirit

GoPro looking out from Island Spirit

Fast Island Packets with raked masts 🙂

Carl gets close to David Copperfield’s Piano / Mermaid sculpture

David Copperfield’s Piano / Mermaid sculpture

Hayden, selfie with Mermaid

David Copperfield’s resort on Musha Cay

David Copperfield’s resort

David Copperfield’s resort on Musha Cay

Our fleet in Rudder Cut Cay pond

My swimming fish, Radeen

Rudder Cut Cay Sunset

The Island Packet Battle Flag

Dinner aboard Island Spirit

We are also grateful for the willingness of friends like Dan and Kathy to share what they know with other cruisers. We look forward to seeing Sea Star and Gotta Jibboo somewhere soon!

…IP440 Sea Star shows us Little Farmer’s….

With the lead of Dan and Kathy on IP440 Sea Star, we motor sailed from Black Point to Little Farmer’s Cay into the slot of water between Little Farmer’s and Great Guana Cay. There we dropped the anchor on the sand bar in about 8 feet of water at low tide. The charts show 3 feet of water here, but like so many places we have noticed, the water is actually deeper than the charts show. This turned out to be a great spot with good protection for almost all directions. We enjoyed snacks aboard Carmen and Chuck’s Fontaine Pajot Soul Mates.

Hayden, Radeen, Chuck, Carmen, Kathy and Dan Head into Ocean Cabin for Dinner

The winds were calm and we were still a few days before the front, so we enjoyed the island scene the next day. We took our dinghies around to the other side and had mid-day refreshments at TY’s Sunset Beach Bar. Wow, what a beautiful place that is. Then in the evening, Dan and Kathy made reservations with Terry Bains, owner of OCEAN CABIN, where we had steak, lobster, fish and conch dinners. While anchored here, we were treated to beautiful sunsets and full moon rises two nights in a row. Fifty-five people live on Little Farmer’s Cay and you can walk the entire island in about 45 minutes. From here, we headed farther south into the less populated Exumas to Rudder Cut Cay.

Here are some Little Farmer’s Photos

Anchored on the sand bank off the channel at Little Farmer’s Day

Full moon rising off Little Farmer’s

Full moon settting at sunrise over IP440 Sea Star

The simultaneous sunrise off Little Farmer’s Cay

Our boat bow is pointed SE as the sun rises

Porthole view. IP 440 Sea Star, IP 380 Gotta Jibboo

Ernestine and Terry at Ocean Cabin. Happy anniversary and happy birthday!

Moon setting day two over the bow of 440 Sea Star

Just too interesting, full moon in the rigging of 440 Sea Star

Full Moon in the rigging at dawn.

Sunrise on day two.

Ty’s Beach Bar on Little Farmer’s, so beautiful

The team gathers for mid-day refreshments

The harbor near Ocean Cabin

Beached ship on Great Guana

Our late afternoon shadow on the sand bar

Little Farmer’s Cay needs to explored more thoroughly. We want to return to try the Little Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club for dinner. The lower Exumas, so much to discover and so little time….

…Hayden, Radeen, and Lee…

We had another one of those dream sailing days, sailing 50 nm from Highbourne Cay to Black Point in 25 gusting 30 on a broad reach. Island Packets love this wind, so we simply sailed a full 135% jib only and did 6.5 to 7.0 knots all day long. That is why we sailed right past all the great spots we wanted to re-explore like Warderick Wells and Cambridge Cay. We will hit these places on our way north, we think, but with the strong fronts and high winds and it being February, we wanted to get as far south as we could. We sailed all day and reached Black Point by 3;30pm with less than one hour of total engine time. Black Point is a fantastic harbor in any winds with EAST in the forecast; once it goes SW, W and NW, you need to find another place.

Gifts from Lee to Team Island Spirit

While here we were lucky enough to reconnect with two other IP owners, Lee on 440 Nautilee and Dan and Kathy on 440 Sea Star. We had a great night aboard Nautileec catching up with Lee as she single hands her 440 from Maryland possibly back to Sydney, Australia! YES, by herself. She is amazing. We also reconnected with Dan and Kathy on Sea Star. These experts know the Exumas very well and were kind enough to go over the charts and to show us very interesting new places to explore. Another terrific evening was spent aboard Long Gone Hunter 45 with Chuck and Stuart, our friends since 2011…wish we had a photo of the fun. We had a peaceful time living on the hook under full wind power and solar power while at Black Point.

Here are some photos:

Radeen fills out the logbook

Our first sunset in Exumas 2016 at Highbourne

Perfect sailing day 25-30 broad reaching

Radeen loves to sail

Rounding the corner for Black Point

Reaching under jib only

Black Point Post Office

The fantastic Rockside laundry and WiFi area

The water is so blue as it reflects off the sandy bottom

Our friendly local tour guide, six year old Shontell did a great job.

The nurse stops at the settlement once a week.

The large sand flat dries at low tide at the head of the harbor

Looking east to the sand flat

440 Sea Star

Living off wind and solar 100%

IP 440 Nautilee arrives

IP 440 Sea Star and  IP440 Nautilee

The Dinghy Dock

Hiking over the hill looking east at the Atlantic

From the same hill, looking back to the west into Black Point Harbor

IP 440 Nautilee is so beautiful

440 Nautilee on her way to meet friends in George Town

Island Spirit and 440 Sea Star in Black Point

Typical scene and looking for shade

Cruising the Exumas between Norman’s Island and Rudder Cut Cay must be some of the most beautiful waters in the world. Coral reefs, pristine beaches, friendly people, and not crowded. Who could ask for more? We cannot. That is why we sail the Exumas.

…This is $125 of food with no meat!…

We usually do not re-provision in the Bahamas until we get to Abaco because the cost of food, especially as meats, crackers and paper products are very expensive in the Bahamas. You do not want to plan to buy meat or chicken or cheese or crackers here. If you do then be ready to spend 200% more than you are used to spending for these items back in the states. Every thing is shipped in usually once or twice a week via mail boats from the USA. We were in Nassau for 6 days and this provided us an opportunity to re-provision after happily having guests aboard for 13 days and eating most of our meals together on board.

Parmalat is $1.75 in the USA

Once you leave Nassau and head down island into the Exumas, there will be almost no supplies until you pull into Georgetown. There you will pay even more for food. As you sail north out of the Exumas, you can re-provision in Rock Sound, Eleuthera and Spanish Wells and then up in Abaco.

While we were shopping in Nassau last Sunday and Monday, I took photos of common items to show the prices. The yellow price is the price paid with the new government VAT tax added. Take a look at these items and you will have a very good idea WHY we loaded up in Miami at Costco, Walmart and Publix. Fortunately, we needed no paper products or meat or crackers.

One roll of toilet paper is $2.03. A box of Wheat Thins is $7.00, Lunch Meat is $15/lb+, Beef is $25/lb+, Cheese is $10/8oz, and Dove Chocolate is $20/lb!

Click on these photos to see the prices.

Shopping day 1 of 2 at Super Value Foods, south of Nassau

Surprisingly Coke was the best deal, only $12/case! Not a good deal for us, as we rarely drink it.

Lunch meat $13.69/lb

Modern store in suburban Nassau

Dove $9.99/ 8 oz bag!

A jar of peanuts, $7.69

A can of mixed nuts $9.50

Box of Wheat Thins $7.19

SPAM $7.73 OMG, yup, it is meat but we didn’t buy it.

Baked Beans $3.54

Kraft Mac and Cheese $2.14 Bahamian mac and cheese is much better!

Small jar olive oil $11.28 This was shocking.

Scott Toilet Paper $2.03/roll (this is 1 individual roll)

Box of tissues $5.15

Roll of Paper Towels $3.99

Ice Cream $9.99

Salmon 4 oz $15.99

Salami $10.74

Box of cereal $7.19 for 23.5 oz.

Fresh Tuna $39/lb WHAT!!!!!?

Boneless Turkey Breast $11.59/lb.

Hamburger $6.99/lb…more affordable than other meats

Veal $24.99/lb NO WAY!!!

Chobani Yogurt $2.14 each, these are $1 on sale in the USA

Jumbo organic Hillandale eggs are $6.12 per dozen We were glad to find our favorite Eggland eggs. An 18 ct. carton was only $4.86.

Deli Lunch Meats, Roast Beef $14.99/lb, Ham $9.99

Laughing cow cheese $7.51

Feta Cheese 4 oz $10.74 OMG this is crazy!

Swiss Cheese $9.68 for 8 oz

Cabot Cheese $9.99 for 8 oz…OMG HELP!!!!

Milanos, for $5.36, are worth the price! Chuck and Jeanne Berrington of IP40 Relationship always stocked them on board. They established a noble tradition to which we happily adhere!

We left the neighborhood store (NOT the fancy Fresh Market downtown) wondering about the grocery bills of some local residents. Of course, Bahamian staples such as dried peas and rice and beans in bulk sizes were affordable. The store had plenty of upscale items that seemed to be selling. The cars in the parking lot and the surrounding homes were very nice and well-maintained. On Sunday afternoon, everyone was better dressed than we were! So, the residents of that neighborhood can apparently afford these items.

After a little research, we learned that the Bahamian federal government instituted the new VAT tax of 7.5%  on all goods effective January 1, 2015. On July 24, 2015, the government raised the minimum wage substantially, from $150 to $210 per week, or $5.25 per hour for a 40 hour week. Over the years, we have observed that many marina workers seem to work more than 8 hour days and more 40 hours per week and do not know if any over time wages are paid to them.

Welcome to the Bahamas, the weather is beautiful, the beaches are the best, the waters are clear and the food is expensive, so plan ahead!