The spring weather that’s arriving in much of the US is also bringing warmer temperatures to the northern Bahamas, where we find ourselves now and for the coming few weeks.
Spanish Wells crest reflects the fishing and lobstering life of the community.
Spanish Wells, Eleuthera
With our arrival in Spanish Wells on the northern edge of Eleuthera, the weather for traveling north to the Abacos began to deteriorate. The fronts were stronger and the winds were staying out of the north in between them. This meant that we would need to stay here longer than we had planned, since the winds were coming from the direction we needed to go and were kicking up some nasty seas. Luckily, this wasn’t too hard to take.
With our arrival in Spanish Wells on the northern edge of Eleuthera, the weather for traveling north to the Abacos began to deteriorate. The fronts were stronger and the winds were staying out of the north in between them. This meant that we would need to stay here longer than we had planned, since the winds were coming from the direction we needed to go and were kicking up some nasty seas. Luckily, this wasn’t too hard to take.
Sunset at Spanish Wells
We pulled into Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, in the protected harbor on the south side of St. George’s Cay, on a Saturday morning after a short run from Current Island. Although the water is plenty deep in the channel, we made sure to follow the dark blue water, because the sides shallow up dramatically and without much room for forgiveness. Unlike last year, the dock was full of other boaters, seeking haven from the predicted high winds associated with the next front. Options 3, who shared a dock with us at Emerald Bay, and River Rat, who had joined in the Thanksgiving dinner at Charleston, were among our many neighbors. Of course, lots of cruisers meant a spontaneous gathering for hor d’ouvres on the dock, which lasted until the sun set and the winds turned too chilly for casual conversation.
Having time on a dock meant we could stretch our legs with long walks on shore. We took walks through the quaint streets of Spanish Wells, along the beach, and far out to the west on nearby Russell Island, connected by a small one-lane bridge to St. George’s Cay. Our muscles complained a bit, but finally started to toughen up. On the last leg of our first long walk, we were offered a ride by a gentleman leaving the Methodist Church after Sunday services. After initially declining, Cathy finally said yes, since her legs were not cooperating any more. Our benefactor, Andy, is a long-time member of the church and has an insurance business on the island (having retired from his other occupation as a building contractor). He offered us a ride to evening services, which we gladly accepted. Over the course of that evening and the following week, we got to meet several members of his family and even stayed just long enough to enjoy one more Sunday service before heading out.
One of Spanish Wells more famous residents, at least among the cruising community, is Captain George, of the fishing vessel Lady Marie. He is one of Chris Parker’s sponsoring vessels. (Chris provides weather routing daily on the SSB radio.) He is usually traveling to the fishing grounds off Andros and other less-visited areas of the Bahamas, which is more unusual than typical cruising boat calling in. So, we were excited to see the famous Lady Marie and get a chance to talk to George as he prepared her for their next trip. He was being held up waiting for a part, but was gracious to talk to us about what he does and some of the weather he has found himself in – the worst being a hurricane off Andros with 120mph winds. Like many of the other fishing boats in the harbor, he was anxious to be out again before the season for lobster closed on April 1st.
The highlight of the week was a little league baseball game double-header between the local Spanish Wells Divers and the Blue Marlins from Nassau. The visiting team had arrived on the ferry from Nassau in the morning and was taking it back in the afternoon. That meant there was no doubt when the 2nd game would end – in time for the Blue Marlins to catch the ferry. (According to the locals, it apparently is the only thing in the Bahamas that runs promptly on time.) We stayed for the first game, watching a lopsided 13-0 victory for the Divers with Andy’s grandson batting in some runs and George, captain of Lady Marie, serving as umpire.
Fred orders ice cream at Papa Scoops.
Our last night on shore, we took a stroll down to Papa Scoops, an ice cream stand that is nothing more than a tent outside a home off the main street in Spanish Wells. It had been closed all week, but apparently the coconut ice cream they serve as the flavor of the day on Saturdays is a tradition. So, we walked down to get a scoop. Most other residents drove up and placed their orders through car windows or from their golf carts.
Sunrise off Lynyard Cay
Crossing to the Abacos
We left the next day for a short run to Egg Island to position ourselves for the hop to the Abacos early Monday morning. Leaving at first light, we passed through Egg Island Cut easily but soon found ourselves heading into 8 foot swells. These moderated as the day progressed, as the wind gradually died. With what little wind there was just a few degrees off the bow, there was no sailing to be done (once again). It made for an easy passage into the Little Harbor cut though, and water so flat in the anchorage, we could see the bottom clearly all around us down 15 feet or more, as we anchored off Lynyard Cay.
We left the next day for a short run to Egg Island to position ourselves for the hop to the Abacos early Monday morning. Leaving at first light, we passed through Egg Island Cut easily but soon found ourselves heading into 8 foot swells. These moderated as the day progressed, as the wind gradually died. With what little wind there was just a few degrees off the bow, there was no sailing to be done (once again). It made for an easy passage into the Little Harbor cut though, and water so flat in the anchorage, we could see the bottom clearly all around us down 15 feet or more, as we anchored off Lynyard Cay.
After a night at Lynyard Cay, we motored north to Marsh Harbor. We needed to position ourselves for Pat and Fred’s company arriving on Friday. We learned from other cruisers that a number of factors had affected the boat traffic in the Abacos, with numbers down dramatically from previous years. This led to some bargains at the marinas in Marsh Harbor. We took advantage of the deals and pulled onto the dock at Mangoes on the southern shore of the harbor, next to the Moorings Charter base.
With another few days on the dock, we decided to rent a car and explore the southern peninsula of Great Abaco. Our first stop took us down a bumpy dirt road to Little Harbor, where Pete’s Pub and Gallery dominates the beach. We passed this protected harbor on our way into the cut on Monday. The bronze marine sculptures that Pete’s Gallery is famous for dotted the walkways in the harbor. We took a short trip over the dune to see the ocean, which was kicked up by the southeast winds.
From there we made our way down to Sandy Point, on the southwest tip of Great Abaco. The road ends here, where there is a small community surrounding a ferry dock that has 2 ferries a week arriving from Nassau. The locals were all gathered at The Palace, a local eatery and bar, which we couldn’t resist trying. To our dismay, the domino game was broken up so that we could be seated for lunch. But it wasn’t long before it started up at another table. Since the power went out in the middle of lunch preparation, we had longer than usual time to kill, so Fred joined the domino game, learning the nuances of this very competitive game, even slapping his tiles down with the best of them. He didn’t manage to win, but he held his own. We learned that most of the locals either work in construction or at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay (aka Gorda Cay) some 20 miles west of Sandy Point.
On our way north, we visited 2 large housing developments being scoped out on the eastern shore of Great Abaco. Both had grand plans for beautiful homes. Schooner Bay claimed to be a more environmentally-friendly development, but appeared to be doing far more aggressive re-shaping of at least some of its landscape, carving out a harbor with an island in the middle and raising the land many feet to withstand hurricane surge. Serenity Point had its own approach, having leveled every tree within its scope to provide unencumbered views of the water. Time will tell if either has a more manageable approach (or if they actually come to be).
After a quick trip to Cherokee Sound, another harbor on the east coast, we had to head back home, since time was passing quickly and we needed to get back to pick up Roger and Annie at the airport. The storms of the passing front arrived just after they landed, making us glad we had decided to pull into a dock to greet them.
After a quick trip to Cherokee Sound, another harbor on the east coast, we had to head back home, since time was passing quickly and we needed to get back to pick up Roger and Annie at the airport. The storms of the passing front arrived just after they landed, making us glad we had decided to pull into a dock to greet them.
The rest of our time here has been spent doing boat projects, walking the island, snorkeling on nearby Mermaid Reef, and provisioning, since this is the 3rd largest city in the Bahamas, with everything you could ask for in terms of supplies.
Boat Stuff
Not surprisingly, we still are dealing with the rudder leak that has plagued us for some time. While Dave tries to find a permanent solution, we are trying different things to manage it. Our biggest concern is a longer run back to the US, where it will be tiring for the person on watch to pump out the water at short intervals. Although the water will eventually find its way to the bilge (which has an automatic bilge pump), the route would be unnecessarily messy.
While in Marsh Harbor, Dave found an automatic bilge pump that he installed in place of the manual one by the rudder. With a diode he found at a local electronic repair shop, he was able to wire it so that it would run automatically (testing every 2.5 minutes for water) without the alarm sounding. It would still be triggered by the float switch and could be turned on manually if desired. This should do the trick for any longer passages that turn sloppy.
While on the dock at Spanish Wells, we took advantage of shore power to fully charge and then equalize the batteries. We also used time on the dock to defrost the freezer, top off the water tanks, and last, but by no means least, make lots of ice. You’ve got to set your priorities.
Island Hopping
We’ll be making short hops from here around the central Abacos before heading north of the Whale cut and positioning for a crossing to the US in April. We’re hoping for fewer fronts and warmer temperatures, but we’ll take what we can get.
Boat Stuff
Not surprisingly, we still are dealing with the rudder leak that has plagued us for some time. While Dave tries to find a permanent solution, we are trying different things to manage it. Our biggest concern is a longer run back to the US, where it will be tiring for the person on watch to pump out the water at short intervals. Although the water will eventually find its way to the bilge (which has an automatic bilge pump), the route would be unnecessarily messy.
While in Marsh Harbor, Dave found an automatic bilge pump that he installed in place of the manual one by the rudder. With a diode he found at a local electronic repair shop, he was able to wire it so that it would run automatically (testing every 2.5 minutes for water) without the alarm sounding. It would still be triggered by the float switch and could be turned on manually if desired. This should do the trick for any longer passages that turn sloppy.
While on the dock at Spanish Wells, we took advantage of shore power to fully charge and then equalize the batteries. We also used time on the dock to defrost the freezer, top off the water tanks, and last, but by no means least, make lots of ice. You’ve got to set your priorities.
Island Hopping
We’ll be making short hops from here around the central Abacos before heading north of the Whale cut and positioning for a crossing to the US in April. We’re hoping for fewer fronts and warmer temperatures, but we’ll take what we can get.
