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Working the GoPro camera on a boat hook…Blaine style…..

Today was a dream sail, and a lazy sail, as we set the jib to port and put up a whisker pole for a dead dowwnwind sail in 15-20 knots from Big Majors Spot to Warderick Wells. This places us right in the middle of the Exuma Land and Sea Park and at the park’s office where we had the pleasure of meeting Jen, the most patient girl you will ever hear on the radio. Jen’s job everyday at 0900 is to manage the three mooring fields and assign mooring balls to waiting yachts. You can radio in the day before and request to be placed on the waiting list. At 0900, Jen takes over channel 09 and inquiries which yachts are leaving, or have left, and then systematically and calmly assigns yachts to the various moorings based on length and draft. There are yachts here 100 feet long on mooring balls! Most are 40-50 feet. Radioing in from Big Major Spot, we were on the waiting list and once underway, we were assigned mooring ball #11 in the north field near the Park Office. The sailing, dead down wind, was a real treat as well, and we easily slipped along at 4.5 to 5.5 knots with the jib poled out. A few hours later, we turned the corner at Warderick Wells Sand Bore and sailed a beam reach right up to the entrance. Radeen motored us into the creek and past the many moorings. In the strong current, she placed our bow directly over mooring ball #11 so I could connect our mooring lines. We are HERE….Warderick Wells, part of the Land and Sea Park established in 1958!

The whisker pole set to port side

We deployed the tender and motored into the park office, where we checked in. Amazingly, we bumped into Debbie “Blondie” and Dennis owners of IP420 TRUE NORTH. Wespent last winter with them in Marathon, Florida, at Harbour Cay Club and in the Abacos. After tomorrow, they are heading south as we are heading north. It was great to visit with Island Packet Friends!

Tomorrow, we plan to snorkel some the many reefs around the park. Then the frontal line will arrive late at night with NW, then N winds of 20-25 knots. We plan to hike the trails and explore the island when the winds will keep us from snorleking. Once the front passes, we will head north to Highbourne Cay or maybe make a run for Eleuthera.

Sail on sail on

Warderick Wells Exuma Land and Sea Park Headquarters view

Radeen checks in at the park office and scales the dock wall

Island Spirit on mooring ball #11

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Anchored with the swimming pigs a safe distance away….

We dropped anchor off the beach where the swimming pigs live; yes, these pigs can swim! From this spot, we have explored Staniel Cay and the famous Thunderball Grotto! When anchored off Big Majors Spot, it is about a 1 mile dinghy run to Staniel and the Grotto. The advantage to anchoring here is the protection from the east winds and the currents. There are over 45 boats here and some more than 100 feet long. I can see why so many people spend time here, as the beach is great, the swimming pigs are fun, and the Grotto is spectacular. 

Welcome to Big Majors Spot

Yes….pigs can swim

The local school for all ages, I love the slogan

A smart nurse shark rests in the shade of a tender from “Bernadette,” a Trumpy motoryacht built in Annapolis.

The local health clinic is manned by an RN and is open weekdays and for emergencies

This is how I am getting these photos online….BTCbahamas.com

Imagine climbing this after a hurricane and fix the wires!

A shed at the local boatyard and a corn patch

Bahamian skiffs and mega-yachts all arrive at Staniel Cay Yacht Club

Sunset – time to put the jet ski away and the tender, too

Famous local Race Boat ready for relaunch and spring racing

“Tida Wave,” ready to be rolled into the water at high tide

Radeen, anxious to snorkel the Grotto

Hayden and Radeen snorkeling Thunderball Grotto

Radeen entering one of the caves

Radeen is searching for James Bond inside the Thunderball Grotto

Looking up to the Grotto’s ceiling and holes to the sunshine

The coral reef that rings the outside of the Grotto

Purple Sea Fans wave in the current next to a large brain coral

The reef is alive and looking very healthy

Beautiful sea fans

Sergeant Majors are well fed by visitors …they swim right up to your mask

Time to run the tender back to the boat, a 15 hp engine is a must have

ahhhh…..back at “home” we swam a few laps around Island Spirit

What a beautiful day in beautiful water in the beautiful Exumas….this place will ruin you for sailing and boating ANYWHERE ELSE! Tomorrow, we will move onto Warderick Wells in the heart of the Land and Sea Park. So much to see….and we LOVE IT….

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IP350 KISMET and IP35 ISLAND SPIRIT in Kidds Cove

We have enjoyed our first time exploring and discovering George Town, Bahamas. This is a great place for cruisers to base because there are many places to anchor and to be protected from the cold fronts that arrive nearly every week. When a cold front arrives, the normal east winds will be pulled to the south, then southwest, then increase as they build blowing from the northwest. This northwest wind will then move around to the north and eventually to the northeast where it will really howl and then blow itself out. Once the front has passed, the winds will move back to the normal east winds and all is fine once again.

Laurie and Radeen enjoy the sunset at Big D’s on Stocking Island…

When you look at this map picture of the George Town harbor below, and if you think about this frontal passage and the wind directions, you will see that there are various places to move to when dealing with these fronts. Or you can simply stay put and ride it out for a day.

Here is a Google Map…(click all pics to expand)

#1. Lake Victoria. The heart of the town. Dinghy dock, Exuma Market, Fuel, water, trash, recycle!
#2. Hamburger Beach, this is where Big D’s is located and they serve great meals and drinks
#3. Monument Beach, a very poular anchorage just off Monument Hill
#4. Chat n Chill plus St. Francis Resort, this is the center of the action and where Volleyball Beach is located.
#5. Sand Dollar Beach, another great anchorage with access to a spectacular beach and hiking trails
#6. Kidds Cove, where you anchor when you want to service your boat by jugging fuel, and water, or stocking up on groceries from the Exuma Market and local produce stands.

The dinghy ride across the harbor is 1.1 miles and in a blow this can be a real rough and wet ride. We normally put on foul weather jacket and sometimes bibs, so that we are not soaked after the crossing.

In Feb 2013, there were nearly 300 boats at anchor in George Town harbor. With all the services, great beaches, pubs and town access, I can see why so many cruisers make this their winter home!

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…Look how nice this place is….Long Island Breeze…..

Thompson Bay, Long Island, in the Out Island Bahamas, is a great harbor for anchoring and riding out a cold front. The harbor is large with the Indian Point peninsula protecting yachts from the West and North West winds that arrive at 25-30 knots during cold fronts. This is the reason there are about 35 boats anchored here. The real treasure is the LONG ISLAND BREEZE RESORT run by Michael and Linda who provide the dinghy dock, WiFi, laundry room, pool, guest cottages and a fantastic restaurant and pub. The dinghy ride from Thompson Bay to the resort is about 1.4 miles,  longer than usual for us. When the wind comes, you need a foul weather jacket and you better hold on, because it is a WILD ride to the dock!

When approaching the dock, you may be greeted by “SANDY” the pet manatee who hangs around the dinghies. Here is Sandy stopping to visit us…

Sandy will get so close that you can scratch his head. If you are lucky, he will even exhale right in your face and you will take in the aroma of “manatee breath” …. how…uhhh….interesting!

What Sandy really wants is a drink of fresh water (rain water) that he has learned will be pumped out of the dinghies when the owners arrive. Below, Sandy is drinking in all the rain water I can pump out of our dinghy (named BUNS II) ….See the water pouring straight into his mouth? Very FUN!

Stop #1 was at the local PUBLIC LIBRARY and history MUSEUM for Long Island. Radeen enjoyed visiting with the Librarian and asking about her program and funding systems. Her salary is paid by the government, but she has no budget, so must rely solely on donations of books and other materials

As we drove south, we made a stop at Dean’s Blue Hole and gazed into the 600+ foot deep sink hole. Sadly, there is a memorial here for three people who died due to the fact that water flows down into the hole with a falling tide and it rushes up with a rising tide. If you are not careful, a dropping tide can pull you down into the hole and this is how several people have drowned.

Father Jerome built St. Paul’s Anglican Church in George Town and it is presently being restored after the damages from Hurricane Sandy

After his conversion to Catholicism, Father Jerome built St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Church in 1946. He was originally trained as an architect.

The interior of the Catholic Church is well restored and is used for several weekly services. There are a total of 14 churches, 35 restaurants and 4,000 very friendly residents on Long Island.

Mr. Knowles is the local boat builder on Long Island and here he stands in front of his latest project, which will be ready the end of next week for launch! All the wood is native and cut by hand and the ribs are carved via chain saws and hand saws.

This is what a twenty year old Long Island sloop looks like. Beautiful!

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Blue water as we sail for Long Island…

The farther into the Bahamas we sail, the more BLUE it all seems to be, the sky and the water, so we are calling this Long Island BLUES…..
Long Island is in the Far Bahamas, 48 miles east south east of George Town with several harbors. We chose the most popular harbor, mile wide Thompson Bay, for our arrival, and found only 15 other cruising sailboats on anchor. We plan to stay for the next cold front passing here in a few days with 25+ knot NW winds. After that passes, we will decide where to go next.

There it is again, our shadow on the sand 10 feet down….beautiful

Our primary target from here is the Abacos by April for our good friends Wendy and Craig to arrive. We have a month to get there and are excited see the Exumas, stopping at all the places we missed on the way south. For now, we will take in these beautiful blue waters and discover Long Island.

Here are some Long Island BLUES photos….

Using a GoPro camera on a boat hook (Blaine Style) to get these great shots!

Radeen reading her 20,000th book…..librarians want to read them all 🙂

Hayden sailing, Radeen reading, enjoying the blue waters

We are real lazy here, JIB ONLY….cruiser style

Sunset at anchor off Indian Point, Long Island, we are about a mile from town

So….we will explore Long Island tomorrow. Most likely, we will ride out the next cold front behind Indian Point for protection. Too much to discover….too little time….but, we will do out best 🙂 Thanks for traveling along with us….

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Radeen looking out to sea from Monument Hill

The George Town Exuma Daze has been taking hold of our daily “grind!” You know, we wake to hear the weather via SSB and Chris Parker, then we tune into the local George Town Cruisers Net on 72 while making breakfast. After breakfast we do some boat chores and around 11 ish we hit the beach, climb a trail, swim, search for shells, dinghy to the fun spot CHAT n CHILL and Volleyball beach to hear a discussion or chat with some cruisers. Grab a cold KALIK Beer, walk some more beaches, swim a little, and by now, you are about exhausted!

When the DAZE has kicked into full tilt, you may need a nap, or a hammock, or a good book to read. By 1800 hrs it is sunset and time to test your conch blowing skills and alert all to the SUNSET. Dinner is shortly after that and maybe some boat visits with friends. The full moon rises as the sun sets and the night sets in. Cruisers call 2100 hrs “cruisers midnight” and if you can make it that long, you are doing well. Most of “us” hit the bunk around then and call it another great day…..

Hayden walking the beaches off Stocking Island

The view from atop Monument Hill and our anchorage

Radeen climbing the trail to Monument

Our boat at anchor in the center of the screen

Over looking the beach with a sailboat on the horizon

The steep trail we climbed up the hill to Monument Hill

A lone person combing the beach at low tide

Typical palm along the trail

Our “car” behind the boat with Monument Hill in the background

The crowd at CHAT n CHILL and Volleyball beach, it really is FUN

Back to the boat for SUNSET and conch horn time

Full Moon over our stern with Monument Hill in the back

George Town DAZE….can you see why so many cruisers get stuck here? There are currently 300 boats on anchor, it is regatta time, and there is something for everyone….

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Bahama Hats to keep the sun off….wow it is HOT at 23 degrees N

Our day begins around 0630, as we take notes from our weather router Chris Parker’s broadcast on the SSB radio. Then we switch to the VHF radio to tune into the local cruiser’s net at 0800. This helpful radio net summarizes the weather, provides local businesses the opportunity to advertise events, and gives boaters here in the harbor a chance to ask questions, coordinate taxi rides, request help with boat issues, announce classes in everything from sign language to basket making to yoga, and to share news and social events.

The 33rd Annual George Town Cruisers’ Regatta begins on Monday, so there are many announcements regarding pet and dinghy parades, a conch blowing contest, two sailboat races and evening entertainment. At about 0845, individual boats start using the net to contact each other and we switch back to our SSB radio to check in our location with the Cruiseheimers’ Net and to hear where other boating friends are located.

Here are a few places and events we learned about from listening to the local cruiser’s net….

Fresh Conch Salad from Chat N Chill

A.J. makes the best conch salad on the beach

Relax at Big D’s on Hamburger Beach and swing on a tree swing or take a chair to the water

s/v ROMONE from Germany, celebrating their child Kim’s first birthday

Our neighborhood off Volleyball Beach

The ocean beach beyond St. Francis Resort

The beach is crowded today, we thought we had it reserved…

More crowds at the beach !

Typical coquina rock on the beach

Taking the “car” to town across the harbor. 15 Yamaha on a 10 foot AB-RIB….perfect

Ocean waves on the beach rocks

A.J’s pet sting ray waits for the conch trimmings…..go ahead and hand feed him

Radeen loves to walk the pink sand beaches of “da Bajamas”

We really need to move on beyond George Town and this harbor or else we may get totally stuck here! We  plan to press on and move EAST to Long Island and Conception Island, but not for at least one more day!

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The Team: Hayden, Radeen, Jeff, Sharon, Peg, Art

Today was a wonderful change of pace – no boat jobs and fun with friends, old and new! Jeff and Sharon, IP 35 Lucille, picked us up via car and drove us to their rental house on the beach. The house is near Williamstown on Little Exuma Island, which is 20 miles south of George Town. The approach to their secluded hideaway was a final bumpy 1 mile offroad ride from Queen’s Highway. Together with their friends, Art and Peg, we enjoyed swimming, snorkeling, walking the empty beach and sharing a delicious Mexican themed luncheon with plenty of beet and icy rum boat drinks.

THIS IS NOT a boat !

We were delighted to have “house” ammenitoies like ENDLESS ELECTRICITY, ENDLESS WATER, SOFAS, CHAIRS, ICE, BLENDERS, FREEZERS, and TV….what a different world living in a house is from living on 12 volt power. After a peaceful nap on a hammock and another trip to the beach, we enjoyed the massive SHOWER with lots of HOT WATER. Then Jeff cheerfully drove us back to the dinghy dock in town, another 40 miles roundtrip! Thank you, Jeff and Sharon, for hosting us at your vacation home, we really enjoyed the day!

Here are a few photos of all the fun…

Sharon and Jeff in “da car” with “da wheel” on “da wrong” side

Peg and Radeen on the beach, we have this entire beach to ourselves

Self portrait with the house on the hill

Sharon and Jeff with MOM, at Mom’s Bakery….emmm emmm GOOD

Radeen and Hayden with MOM at Mom’s Bakery

The beach view from the house!

The beach view from the house deck

Testing the GoPro.com camera underwater

Hayden and Radeen enjoying the beach and water off Jeff and Sharon’s rental house

ahhhhh…..this beats SNOW anyday…..

Thank you Jeff and Sharon for the great day at the house and lunch. This was a great day….now back to boat jobs: Today, jugging 5 gallon jugs of fuel across the harbor and looking at charts and weather for a run over to LONG ISLAND.

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Radeen on the hood of our “car” parked on da beach

What day is it? Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun? We really don’t know, honestly, we really never know what day it is anymore. One of my cruising buddies told me this would happen, and I said no way….well…it is true, it does happen when you are out cruising. It no longer matters what day of the week it is, you simply just enjoy every day and every activity. Activities such as boat jobs, water collection, cleaning da salt off da boat, beach walks, swimming, walking the towns, reading, napping, visiting friends, watching sunsets, studying the night sky and more! These are the simple cruising activities that fill a day, and it actually is fun, very fun. It is peaceful, relaxing, and slow paced. Just keeping the boat maintained and running is job number one, after that you can do what ever you want…..and TODAY, we finally walked and enjoyed a beach off Stocking Island here in the George Town Harbor. We are beginning to see why there are 300 boats anchored here and why so many cruisers make this their winter destination. This place will be difficult to leave!

This is BIG D’s where to go for ribs and burgers

Rest under the shade of a casarina tree on the beach

Finally….finally….we get to a beach….ahhhhh

Our “car” parked in a parking space

The road sign at Chat n Chill beach

Radeen walking the beach

Typical rock formation on the beach, this is sharp and jagged

Snails on the rocks and beautiful waves crashing into the rocks

Snails on the rocks at low tide in the sunshine

Shell collection, day 1

The approach to Chat n Chill and Volleyball Beach

Back to the boat, we enjoy the sunset off our stern

The moon rises over the starboard spreader with the Bahamas Flag

We will continue to explore the George Town area and plan to have many more beach days, hiking and discovering the bottom of the Exuma Chain.

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Our Anchored position off the beach

It has been blowing and very windy here on anchor and each day, we have run the dinghy the 1.1 miles across the harbor for services. Yesterday was the all exciting LAUNDRY DAY! Laundry from an anchored boat is a real chore, but we managed to process 4 loads and get them back out to the boat bashing into 1-2 foot seas with spray coming over our heads. Yes, we had the laundry in garage bags and we wore full foul weather suits in order to get back across the harbor. Once on board we remade two beds and cleaned up the boat some more.

Local neighbor taking his dog to the beach

Today, we plan plan go to the beach, lunch at Chat n Chill where should meet up with Jeff and Sharon and Art and Peg as they rented a 15 foot whaler for harbor fun. This A.M. I blasted the dinghy full tilt across the harbor then filled 25 gallons of water and powered back upwind in 1 foot seas back to the boat where we lifted this to the deck and poured it into the tanks. So, it is a simply life out here, working on the boat and just living an easy life. We can’t wait to finally explore some beaches and get a swim in and a beach walk.

Here are some random photos over the past few days….

Baking bread on anchor is a joy

When in “da Bahamas” eat LOBSTER

It can be “Block Island” tight here off Volleyball Beach

A treat for a late lunch after a day of laundry

Radeen’s Reading over the past week !

Life is a joy on a cruising boat especially when every thing is working and you are anchored in George Town, Exumas where you have water, fuel, groceries and pump out boats! WOW

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