Cathy relaxing at Grabbers
As we explore some cays north of the Whale in the Abacos, we look for the weather window to travel across the Gulf Stream back to the US. Before coming north from the central Abacos, we managed to visit some new places before taking leave of the Hub of Abaco for the last time this trip.
Sojer Day
What on earth is a Sojer, you might ask? Well, in addition to being a name for a hermit crab, it is also the nickname for the residents on Man of War Cay that sits east of Marsh Harbor in the hub of the Abacos. We managed to arrive on the day of their first (annual?) heritage festival, which they have named Sojer Day. For a first time event, they did it up right.
What on earth is a Sojer, you might ask? Well, in addition to being a name for a hermit crab, it is also the nickname for the residents on Man of War Cay that sits east of Marsh Harbor in the hub of the Abacos. We managed to arrive on the day of their first (annual?) heritage festival, which they have named Sojer Day. For a first time event, they did it up right.
There was a heritage trail through town, with more than 30 sites described by plaques outside. A temporary museum was set up and we were allowed to visit inside it along with some other historic buildings along the main street. The island is known for its boatbuilding history, which was in evidence with a ropemaking demonstration and the inner workings of Joe Albury’s studio, where he builds wooden Abaco sailing dinghies and detailed model boats that are works of art. The sail making involved with the early days of the industry evolved into a canvas bag business and they were sewing right in the shop while we watched.
No festival is complete without food, and they had some great selections. We enjoyed some cracked conch, Bahamian peas ‘n’ rice, and afterward some hand-cranked ice cream, which tasted great on this warm day. Further down the street, Sammie Boy’s Gift Shop had a cooler with cold soda that was available for free. It hit the spot!
An unexpected surprise was a two-for-one deal that the marina was offering for the festival. Since it had been about a month since we had last fully charged our batteries and with the forecast predicting high winds shifting from the southwest to the northwest, we decided to pull into the dock for the first time in a month and stay in Man of War until our batteries were charged and the winds subsided. An unexpected power outage on the island on Saturday night and then again on Sunday enabled us to negotiate a 2nd 2-for-1 deal for 2 more nights to finish the charging. We took advantage of all the marina’s services, including showers, laundry, water, power (of course), internet, Cable TV (!), and a wonderful freshwater pool. It was like entering a parallel universe. Dave was able to finish charging the batteries and attempted to equalize them. Our oldest battery is not holding a charge as well as the others and needs to be replaced, but that’s something we’ll pursue once we get back to the states.
With our extended stay, we were able to explore the island by taking several walks and even made it to church on Palm Sunday for the first time in a while. We had not made to Man of War Cay on our last visit, but we’re glad we had time to enjoy it this time around.
An unexpected surprise was a two-for-one deal that the marina was offering for the festival. Since it had been about a month since we had last fully charged our batteries and with the forecast predicting high winds shifting from the southwest to the northwest, we decided to pull into the dock for the first time in a month and stay in Man of War until our batteries were charged and the winds subsided. An unexpected power outage on the island on Saturday night and then again on Sunday enabled us to negotiate a 2nd 2-for-1 deal for 2 more nights to finish the charging. We took advantage of all the marina’s services, including showers, laundry, water, power (of course), internet, Cable TV (!), and a wonderful freshwater pool. It was like entering a parallel universe. Dave was able to finish charging the batteries and attempted to equalize them. Our oldest battery is not holding a charge as well as the others and needs to be replaced, but that’s something we’ll pursue once we get back to the states.
With our extended stay, we were able to explore the island by taking several walks and even made it to church on Palm Sunday for the first time in a while. We had not made to Man of War Cay on our last visit, but we’re glad we had time to enjoy it this time around.
West Winds
There’s something about a west wind. As you may recall from the Wizard of Oz, it didn’t bring anything good. In the Abacos, as in much of the Bahamas, a west wind is a similar bad omen. A front is passing through. And with the location of most anchorages open to the west, there are few places to hide when the wind shifts to this direction. But west winds aren’t all bad. When the wind blows out of the west, the ocean generally is calm, making for good snorkeling on the ocean reefs. The trick is to find an anchorage where you can ride out the west winds so that you can get over the dune to the ocean and still have your boat in the same place when you return. We were about to take a chance that this would be the case as we made our way once again to Great Guana Cay.
Leaving Man of War Cay on Wednesday (April 8) just after noon, we were facing a forecast that had unusually light winds from the west. These would eventually shift to the east, placing us in the lee of most of the islands. As we mulled over which direction to go anchor for the night, we came up with an unusual plan for us.
First, we needed to provision, since we would shortly be heading north of the Whale and, until we reached the states, would be out of reach of any supplies. That meant we needed to go to Marsh Harbor. We also wanted to try one more time to get to a famous potluck on Great Guana Cay that happened every Wednesday. Anchoring in Fishers Bay on Guana Cay in any westerly winds usually means it is too rough for us to make it to shore anywhere near dry. But maybe this time it would work. Then Dave had an idea. Why not do both? We did some quick math and decided we could get to Marsh Harbor, anchor quickly and then take a couple of hours to get our supplies. We would then pull anchor and head over to Great Guana Cay, making it there by 6pm in time to anchor again and head into Grabbers for the 7pm potluck. It might just work.
As we pulled into Marsh Harbor just before 2pm, the harbor was crowded. Apparently many other boats had the same idea (since many were gone by the time we left). Cathy waited on the boat to ensure it was settled, while Dave ran over to the marina to get more fuel. When he returned, we headed in to shore for groceries, a Batelco phone card and some rum. Then, we went back to the boat to unload and head out. It wasn’t quite 4pm and we were right on schedule. Everything was going great.
That is, until we lost the dinghy.
Dave was re-attaching the bridle, which required him to move the painter from the dinghy padeye to the bridle ring. The problem was that he hadn’t yet attached to the bridle to the dinghy itself. As he hopped out of the dinghy, he realized his mistake, only to see it slowly drift away. He was about to jump in after it, when we started flagging down nearby boaters. We finally caught someone’s attention and they brought it safely back to us.
Maybe, we should slow down just a little bit.
After weighing anchor, Cathy went below to stow the provisions and to make the sweet potato casserole for the potluck. She had just put it in the oven when she heard the engine slow as Dave arrived at the anchorage. As we anchored, the casserole cooked and by 6:30, all was ready for us to leave the boat to head into Grabbers for the potluck. It was an amazingly calm night and we had a dry ride in.
We had a great time at the potluck, spending time with Ned and Terry MacIntosh (Pat and Fred’s friends living on Guana) and enjoying some great food. There was even a spectacular sunset, with a perfectly clear sky, unobstructed by any clouds on the horizon. We hoped for a green flash, but were disappointed yet again. But what a great day. Although the winds had kicked up the waves on the way back to Orion, we managed to stay pretty dry and congratulated ourselves on a perfect end to the day.
The next day, the winds remained calm and had not yet shifted to the east. We decided to try snorkeling on the ocean, since the Cruisers Net reported it calm out there. Stopping by Termite Terrace, Terry told us about a reef on the ocean just up the street from their house. She and Ned joined us for a swim in a flat calm ocean over a beautiful reef. With no clouds in the sky, everything below was brilliant from the sun streaming into the water. Wow! Afterwards, we headed back to the Settlement Harbor, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water. Finally, we ended up at Grabbers, trying one of their signature frozen drinks and a dip in their freshwater pool to wash off the salt. Later, we had Donn and Sandi from Cypraea over to Orion for cocktails. We had met them at church on Man of War Cay on Palm Sunday and again at Grabbers. It was to be our last night in the central Abacos, as we were to head north through the Whale the next day. So, we were glad to see them one more time before we left.
The west winds had brought us good luck this time.
There’s something about a west wind. As you may recall from the Wizard of Oz, it didn’t bring anything good. In the Abacos, as in much of the Bahamas, a west wind is a similar bad omen. A front is passing through. And with the location of most anchorages open to the west, there are few places to hide when the wind shifts to this direction. But west winds aren’t all bad. When the wind blows out of the west, the ocean generally is calm, making for good snorkeling on the ocean reefs. The trick is to find an anchorage where you can ride out the west winds so that you can get over the dune to the ocean and still have your boat in the same place when you return. We were about to take a chance that this would be the case as we made our way once again to Great Guana Cay.
Leaving Man of War Cay on Wednesday (April 8) just after noon, we were facing a forecast that had unusually light winds from the west. These would eventually shift to the east, placing us in the lee of most of the islands. As we mulled over which direction to go anchor for the night, we came up with an unusual plan for us.
First, we needed to provision, since we would shortly be heading north of the Whale and, until we reached the states, would be out of reach of any supplies. That meant we needed to go to Marsh Harbor. We also wanted to try one more time to get to a famous potluck on Great Guana Cay that happened every Wednesday. Anchoring in Fishers Bay on Guana Cay in any westerly winds usually means it is too rough for us to make it to shore anywhere near dry. But maybe this time it would work. Then Dave had an idea. Why not do both? We did some quick math and decided we could get to Marsh Harbor, anchor quickly and then take a couple of hours to get our supplies. We would then pull anchor and head over to Great Guana Cay, making it there by 6pm in time to anchor again and head into Grabbers for the 7pm potluck. It might just work.
As we pulled into Marsh Harbor just before 2pm, the harbor was crowded. Apparently many other boats had the same idea (since many were gone by the time we left). Cathy waited on the boat to ensure it was settled, while Dave ran over to the marina to get more fuel. When he returned, we headed in to shore for groceries, a Batelco phone card and some rum. Then, we went back to the boat to unload and head out. It wasn’t quite 4pm and we were right on schedule. Everything was going great.
That is, until we lost the dinghy.
Dave was re-attaching the bridle, which required him to move the painter from the dinghy padeye to the bridle ring. The problem was that he hadn’t yet attached to the bridle to the dinghy itself. As he hopped out of the dinghy, he realized his mistake, only to see it slowly drift away. He was about to jump in after it, when we started flagging down nearby boaters. We finally caught someone’s attention and they brought it safely back to us.
Maybe, we should slow down just a little bit.
After weighing anchor, Cathy went below to stow the provisions and to make the sweet potato casserole for the potluck. She had just put it in the oven when she heard the engine slow as Dave arrived at the anchorage. As we anchored, the casserole cooked and by 6:30, all was ready for us to leave the boat to head into Grabbers for the potluck. It was an amazingly calm night and we had a dry ride in.
We had a great time at the potluck, spending time with Ned and Terry MacIntosh (Pat and Fred’s friends living on Guana) and enjoying some great food. There was even a spectacular sunset, with a perfectly clear sky, unobstructed by any clouds on the horizon. We hoped for a green flash, but were disappointed yet again. But what a great day. Although the winds had kicked up the waves on the way back to Orion, we managed to stay pretty dry and congratulated ourselves on a perfect end to the day.
The next day, the winds remained calm and had not yet shifted to the east. We decided to try snorkeling on the ocean, since the Cruisers Net reported it calm out there. Stopping by Termite Terrace, Terry told us about a reef on the ocean just up the street from their house. She and Ned joined us for a swim in a flat calm ocean over a beautiful reef. With no clouds in the sky, everything below was brilliant from the sun streaming into the water. Wow! Afterwards, we headed back to the Settlement Harbor, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water. Finally, we ended up at Grabbers, trying one of their signature frozen drinks and a dip in their freshwater pool to wash off the salt. Later, we had Donn and Sandi from Cypraea over to Orion for cocktails. We had met them at church on Man of War Cay on Palm Sunday and again at Grabbers. It was to be our last night in the central Abacos, as we were to head north through the Whale the next day. So, we were glad to see them one more time before we left.
The west winds had brought us good luck this time.
North of the Whale
We had hoped to spend Easter Sunday at church in Green Turtle Cay, but the winds kicked up (contrary to forecast), such that we didn’t think we could make it in and back any where near dry. The holding off New Plymouth Settlement is not the best, so we decided we should move up to Manjack and spend a few days there. Even when the winds have been blowing hard, we have held there. The anchorage was busy at Manjack with 17 other boats joining us Easter Sunday, together with a sea plane that landed for a short visit with the folks living on shore, maneuvering in and around the boats anchored nearby before taking off again.
We had hoped to spend Easter Sunday at church in Green Turtle Cay, but the winds kicked up (contrary to forecast), such that we didn’t think we could make it in and back any where near dry. The holding off New Plymouth Settlement is not the best, so we decided we should move up to Manjack and spend a few days there. Even when the winds have been blowing hard, we have held there. The anchorage was busy at Manjack with 17 other boats joining us Easter Sunday, together with a sea plane that landed for a short visit with the folks living on shore, maneuvering in and around the boats anchored nearby before taking off again.
Seaplane leaving anchorage
We made it ashore to visit with Bill and Leslie and their guests, as well as taking the ocean trail to the beach on the eastern side of the cay. It was a longer walk than we initially thought, but the trail was well maintained and the beach was lovely white sand, with a calm ocean. We went in for a brief swim to cool off from the walk and then headed back toward the east side of the island where the boat was anchored.
A few days later, we took the dinghy back up the mangrove creek to explore and were rewarded with sightings of turtles, rays, starfish, egrets and some beautiful scenery.
A few days later, we took the dinghy back up the mangrove creek to explore and were rewarded with sightings of turtles, rays, starfish, egrets and some beautiful scenery.
We left Manjack only briefly overnight one night to weather some predicted SW winds and possible squalls. We were by ourselves by the Treasure Cay ferry dock opposite Green Turtle on the north side of Whale. Our anchor set the best Dave’s seen it in sand. We did get the storms, which were dramatic with lots of lightning, rain and hail, but luckily not the high winds. A similar experience the next night back at Manjack caused us to lose some sleep, but with no drama in the anchorage.
It’s All Good
We’re still not sure when we’ll cross back to the US, but while we wait we’re enjoying the sights and scenery in the Bahamas.
It’s All Good
We’re still not sure when we’ll cross back to the US, but while we wait we’re enjoying the sights and scenery in the Bahamas.
