Monday, January 6, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

Another one of those “you’re never going to believe this” days! 

We have a mail service that scans our mail so that we can make a determination as to whether to send it to us, shred it, hold it, etc.  Yesterday while reviewing our mail, one of our investment companies (the one with the largest investments we have) sent their annual status checks and had Dale as still actively employed.  So, this morning he called to ask them to revise the status--only to learn that we had “fired” them on 12/12/2019.  Definitely a “whiskey tango foxtrot” moment. 

After extracting our fingernails from the overhead (ceiling), we learned that “we” had e-mailed them saying that we were going to a different firm and to redirect our funds to them.  We ascertained that no funds had been moved as yet, so we quickly put into place a don’t do anything with our money unless we call you with a secret squirrel decoder word.  For grins and giggles, our agent tried to send a return message to us via that e-mail and we received nothing.  They are going to use the information gleaned from that e-mail to see if they can track down who it originates from. 

Then, for the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon, I changed all of our passwords on our financial accounts and all of our e-mail accounts.  I’m in the habit of going directly to sites I visit though the Internet directly, not saving passwords on my computer, and not using e-mail links for this very reason, so I’m hoping that nothing else shows up.  I am curious as to why I wasn’t able to access one of our security accounts though.  That’s going to require a telephone call tomorrow as I was exhausted when I was done today. 

You know, one side of my family believed in putting all of their money in the mattress, I’m beginning to think they may have been on to something. 

This afternoon we attended another of the cruisers’ get togethers where the talk was on sailing in Europe.  Specifically, Croatia.  Not that we ever plan on sailing in that neck of the ocean but it was a way of meeting new people. 

Most cruisers are concerned with the incoming weather on Wednesday and Thursday.  It’s predicted that our 15-20 kts are going to decrease tomorrow but on Wednesday and Thursday pipe up to 25-35 kts. with gusts in the 40 kts range.  Dale has already let out more chain on our anchor and we haven’t budged.  We also have a kellet in our sail kit so we can add pure weight to our anchor tackle if needed. Today we walked around making sure everything is tied down, locked tight or wrapped so the wind can’t get to it.  I’m sure we’ll make another assessment tomorrow just to double check but its hard just to wait for it.  In the meantime, although the sun hasn’t shone long enough to keep our solar lights lit for very long, the wind generator has been putting amps in the can and Dale is a happy camper. 

Tonight, there was an “alt cruisers’ net” at 9pm.  It was definitely politically incorrect, slightly ribald, poked fun at everyone and had me laughing out loud. More than likely, it was sorely needed. 

 

Sunday, January 5, 2020
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

This morning’s net controller had obviously imbibed a bit at last night’s Junkanoo, as his normally chipper self was decidedly more calm and his ‘let’s just get through this’ attitude was evident.

Weather wise, we all started the day pointing west with hardly any wind but 2 hours later, beach church had been postponed and the wind and rain was howling from the north.  The rain subsided fairly quickly but the wind has continued its 18-23 kts all day long.  As a result, we’ve seen all sides of Loon throughout the day (still no joy on the slide but then they probably would have been launched half way across the channel today.)  Also as a result, we’ve not gotten off the Palace all day. 

 
Dale ran the engine to top off the battery, so I’ll have hot water for a shower tonight.  It’s the little things that make your day sometimes. 

This evening we were surprised to see Now and Zen, another Manta from Jacksonville, sail in.  Apparently, they are here for a week or so before heading off.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to make our way south in a week as well.  It might have to be one day at a time wherever we can find it but every little bit helps.  

We heard from Gerry and Nicky today.  Priss, their cat, is sick so they made a bee-line to the British Virgins from Puerto Rico, as they had a weather window and to get her to a vet tomorrow. 

Other then watching boats do the Georgetown shuffle, (anchoring on one side of the channel when the is blowing from one direction to anchoring on the other side when it changes again) that was our day. 

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

Well, . . . what can I say about today?  Dale listened to the weather and then jumped into the dink and went to town to fill up our water can and much to my surprise our 2 solar showers.  He came back, syphoned the can into the tank and immediately made a return trip.  Apparently, the weather is not in our favor for several weeks and he’s upset because its something outside of his control.  Imagine!  Not being able to control the weather. 

In any event, on his second trip back, someone put out a request for a doctor or nurse throughout the harbor as they had injured themselves while snorkeling.  Of course, he answered and 30 minutes later a young man named Robbie came over with a swollen hand saying that he had smacked it on a rock; not coral, a rock.  Dale wrote down the name of an antibiotic with the advice that if it should even hint at becoming red to hightail it into the nearest ER, pharmacy, whatever and get the medication. 

Then he set about extending the hoses on the solar showers so that we can set them up on the outside of the boat but extend one hose to the kitchen sink and the other to the shower we use.  He then tested out the arrangement and proclaimed it to be invigorating.  Sounded cold to me but I’ll wait until later to find out after a full day in the sun.

View from St. Francis

For lunch today, we checked out a place called St. Francis.  Pretty much the same fare as everywhere else but they did have a dinghy dock that we could pull up to which is infinitely better can trying to pull the dink up on the sand and tying it to a tree with less than all of your strength available.  

I was welcomed by a sweet little boy about 3 years old, who just came up to me, grabbed my hand and started pulling me along chattering all the way.  Then he spotted the fickle finger of fate and had many, many questions as to why was it in a bandage, what happened, did it hurt, until his mother/auntie/caregiver pulled him away.  I thought he was really cute.  I don’t think he mistook me for someone else, he’s just going to be one of those naturally sociable people that talks to everyone.  Had one of those myself.  We’d try to explain that you shouldn’t talk with strangers, so he’d start with asking someone their name before he continued on.  I guess in his little mind, if you know their name, they’re no longer strangers. 

Practicing for Georgetown Regatta

The local regatta has started practicing in their little gaff rigged boats for the race in 5 weeks and one made it all the way across the harbor into our hang out and right behind the Palace.  It moved pretty quickly, so I think they’ve got a chance at winning.  We also watched someone not so adept at kite surfing in front of Chat N Chill.  He had to be exhausted by the time he was hauled into a chase boat but he never ran into anyone or tangled the kite in various boats’ rigging which we were wondering about.  The Junkanoo is on tonight over in town but neither of us cared to go this week.  AND, unless the many female squeals we heard last night well after dark emanating from Loon were from people going down the slide, we still haven’t seen it being used.  Although, we have seen several dinghies transiting very close to it for a better inspection. 

Guess that’s it for today. 

Friday, January 3, 2020
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

    Good day dear readers.  Once again, I am taking up the banner and protecting Lorie’s damaged digit.  Fret not as she will most likely be back tomorrow as she doesn’t trust me to tell an honest story.

  Today was one of those good days, bad days.  We started off with fairly good news from the water maker people and there is definite positive movement in that area.  I am cowering at the potential shipping and VAT (value added tax) cost to get the new part however.  We learned about the new shipping costs from our mail service when we contacted them to send us our mail.  Our breath was taken away at an estimated cost of over $200 just to get our mail.  I don’t think so!  After much back and forth we decided that they should only send us our medications which is still going to cost us in the $130 range.  We will wait and get the rest of our mail in Puerto Rico where there are sane shipping costs.  Mack Sails finally got back to us with the costs of the sail parts which also was ridiculous.  However, they are FINALLY on their way.

  The other frustrating news for the day was the lack of communication from our boat insurance agent.  We have been corresponding for almost a year by e-mail in order to get insurance beyond the Turks and Caicos which we are currently on the door step of.  All of a sudden, she stopped communicating and has not responded to a couple of phone calls.  Today we received a short message that we were going to need a third crew member to go through the Caribbean.  Ok, we had heard that before and told her when we first started this effort that that was not going to happen.  She then went on to say that there was one company that might cover us but she was going to have to check.  Surprisingly enough, that was the same company we used on our last trip and the one we recommended when we first applied.  What are these people thinking?  I know, that’s the problem, they’re not.  Anyway, a short and to the point reply was forwarded to them. Now it’s a waiting game once more. We do have another quote from a different company but it’s costs brings tears to the eyes.

  All this frustration gets overwhelming at times and today was my day to almost throw in the towel and call it quits.  Lorie looked at me with disbelieving eyes and mouth wide open in an “oh my”.  Fortunately, things started to improve and Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic helped.  So, we are continuing to plod along and move forward with our plans.  Who knows what might  happen if we both have a bad day on the same day and there is no rum or gin.

  On a brighter note, we have determined that we are data hounds.  We went through our purchased data plan of 6 gigs in about a week instead of the 2 anticipated.  Maybe it was the Kindle book downloads, the internet chat with ATT to get Lorie’s phone turned back on (don’t even get me started with ATT), or my daily weather downloads.  Regardless, we went back into town and purchased a more robust plan as we figure we are going to be here for a while.  We picked up more water and I even made a second trip into town for an additional 5 gallons.  Lorie did not accompany me on the second trip as the winds and seas were picking up a bit and she would have been soaked.

Loon's BIG Slide

  The rest of the day was spent watching the comings and goings in the anchorage.  On a news front, this is now day 2 of the BIG slide and we have yet to see anyone use it.  Inquiring minds want to know, so we will keep you updated.  I think that’s about it for the day.  Fear not, I think Lorie will be back tomorrow.  By the way, I did change her dressing today and her finger looks great, even if I do say so myself.

Your reluctant correspondent, Dale

Thursday, January 2, 2020
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W



  Good day dear readers. I’m sure you will notice the difference in writing styles in today's blog post as I am giving Lorie’s damaged digit a respite from pounding the keys.  If you read yesterday’s blog you’ll recall that Lorie tried unsuccessfully to remove the last ½ inch of her left index finger utilizing the freezer door as a meat cleaver.  Fortunately for her, I am a doctor and arguably the best one on the Palace.

  After last night's repair, she has been doing very well today but is being very careful and I am the only one allowed to open and close the freezer.  She has a fairly conspicuous bandage and splint which has been a definite conversation starter.  Fortunately, Aleve has been controlling her discomfort.

   Today being the first working day of 2020, we were working the phones as soon as the “cruiser’s net” was complete.  I was able to talk with the water maker distributor here in the Bahamas and he informed me that it was going to be quicker for me to order from the states and have sent directly to me as he does not stock any parts.  I appreciated the honesty and then called the dealer who originally sold us the unit and he is going to contact the manufacturer (in California, of course) and expedite getting me the unit.  Finally, some positive movement in getting that repaired.  

     Next was a call to Mack sails for the parts to repair the main sail.  After some back and forth and exchange of texted photos we seem to be making progress and the parts should (hopefully) be sent to us in tomorrows Fed Ex shipment (DHL here).  Now it’s a matter of twiddling our thumbs or should I say my thumbs because Lorie is not twiddling any digits.

  Once the business calls were made, we climbed into the dink and roared over to George Town to go to the Exuma Market.  I don’t recall if Lorie mentioned how disappointed we were when we first got here and went to the market as the shelves were quite bare and the available vegetables looked so bad, I doubt if anyone would have used them.  In the markets defense, everything on this island has to come in by barge and the weather has been so bad that they had not seen one in a couple of weeks.  Well, on New Years Eve, not one but four barges came in and today is the first day the market has been open.  Everyone in the anchorage was making a beeline to stock up and it looked like a wagon train of dinghy’s crossing the harbor.  The shelves looked like a small market in the US with prices 2 -3 times what we see in the states.  However, they had stuff and the rule in the islands is, if you see something you even think you might need, you pick it up.  So, we filled our grocery bags and escaped before the mobs hit.  We took our own bags because they are now charging 25 cents per plastic bag to limit the plastic going into the landfill and in the harbor.

  Once we got back to the boat and things were put away, we decided to reward ourselves for a job well done or maybe we were just hungry, but we leapt (well I leapt and Lorie gingerly crawled) back into the dink and went to a different “restaurant”/bar known as the Peace and Plenty.  It is part of a local resort but they allow us mangy cruisers to eat, drink and pay there.  We had great cheeseburgers and fashionable adult beverages and enjoyed the somewhat less hectic pace from the Chat and Chill.  Then it was back to the boat for Snore o’clock.

  After a short siesta I was sitting in the cockpit reading when this huge yacht (mini cruise ship) came in and anchored outside of us.  I think their tender is bigger than we are.  Anyway, once they were anchored an army of ants started running around and the boat started vomiting toys out the stern of the boat.  I could have described it as a different bodily function but we do have a mixed readership.  They even deployed a 3-story inflatable slide from the top deck but we have not seen anyone use that yet.  To make things more outrageous, they extended a floating dock from the stern, complete with lounge chairs and I’m sure, cabana boys.  They have so much money, they can’t be happy.  The name of the boat is Loon.

  The rest of the evening was spent watching another glorious sunset, complete with red sky, (For the non-sailors out there, the saying is; “red sky at night-sailors delight, red sky in the morning-sailor take warning.) reading and playing cards.  Lorie clearly beat me at Gin.  More to follow tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

                                       BEWARE GRAPHIC PHOTO ATTACHED

Happy New Year Everyone!  Believe it or not, I was all prepared to tell you that we had a rather boring day but then it ended with a bang.  Quite literally!

It started off rather inconspicuously.  The only news in the harbor was that the water fix in town had failed, so once again boaters were either without water or had to pay for it elsewhere. 

Dale cleaned the port side hull of the grass growing along the waterline.  I read another book before making another large meal to eat now and freeze a portion later--which in a round about manner, led to the big bang. 

We watched Star Trek Into the Darkness and then I got up to put the left overs into containers and put into the freezer.  In doing so, I had to rearrange a few things and Dale and I started discussing why the freezer was icing up again.  I was in the process of doing the paper check (where you put a piece of paper in the seams and try to pull it through) when the freezer (which is incredibly heavy) slammed down and caught my left hand index finger.  I jumped back and grabbed my finger thinking I had smashed it but when I saw the blood I knew I had done a lot more.  Dale was mid “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that” when I showed him my partially amputated finger tip and said “not like this.”

We don’t advertise the fact that Dale is a doctor; people might get the wrong idea.  Thankfully, he had a small suture kit on board (not sure how we're going to replace that puppy) and sewed it back on.  Unfortunately, the finger is also broken and he says that it will take six weeks to heal.  Guess that means he’ll be doing dishes for a while. 

So here I sit with one hand in an ice pack and the other doing the hunt and peck method of typing.  As I said, a rather inauspicious beginning to the new year.  Hope yours was better. 

Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

The last day of 2019 and it was rather productive.  After our normal routine of listening to the weather and the cruisers’ net, we hoisted anchor and motored over to the town to fill our water and diesel tanks.  The water was flat calm and there was no problem.  Even when the yacht club directed us to an inner harbor to fill up.  We had no idea that we could skirt around the piers and tie up on the inside.  They directed us to stop, pivot and back into the assigned area.  Thankfully, I was able to do so with Dale directing me through the headset as I can’t see past the swing seat when we’re backing.  Talk about a blind spot.  Anyway, we did it and when we were done, returned pretty much to the same spot in front of Chat N Chill that we were in to start with.  This is good, as after 2 days of flat calm, we are due to get nasty winds again going into the weekend and we need the protection from the hills around us.

Once we were certain that we weren’t going anywhere after we anchored, Dale donned his mask and snorkel and cleaned one hull of the Palace of the grass that is starting to grow along the side exposed to the sunlight.  He came back saying that the next time we paint the bottom, we’ll have to raise the waterline about 2”.  Hey!  Its his side-full of tools and spare parts-not mine.  Besides, we’ve always noticed that the Palace has a habit of sitting down when she picks up speed whether we’re motoring or sailing and water comes up over the swim platform.  Nothing we can do about that but we can raise the waterline along the side to keep the outside garden to a minimum. 

I was able to settle another bag of stores and pull out a couple of Sam’s bags to trip over regularly as we were informed the Exuma Market will be charging 25 cents (yipes!) per plastic grocery bag after the first of the year and I need to remind myself to take in my own.  I can’t say it’s totally unexpected, in Texas, Target was charging for bags the last time I was there but they were at least larger and thicker so that they could be used a few times.   Also, if I remember correctly, some other islands down further don’t offer bags for your groceries either.  Trust me, I came prepared this time. 

This evening Dale ran the genset (and it started right away and kept running) to put amps in the can.  Not really sure why, as we had a sunny clear day and put amps in the can all day long but who am I to argue with the amp Nazi?  I cooked a huge meal (using some of my own boat grown basil) so that I could freeze the left overs for our anticipated multi day journey to Puerto Rico once the parts come in. 

Last Sunset of 2019

Other than watching Medicine Man (I swear Sean Connery just gets better with age!) we’re just sitting here waiting for the new year to ring in.  Supposedly there will be fireworks. 

So, . . .  Happy New Year!

Monday, December 30, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

Today we learned that we’re going to be sitting here for a while.  After our normal routine of weather and net listening, Dale tried to call the watermaker people, yep, closed until 1/2/2020.  Then he tried to call the sail people to see if they had been able to send the batten end pieces.  No, they had not, in fact, because they couldn’t get a price for said end pieces, chances are that they would not be able to send them until after the first of the year as well.  You could see Dale’s shoulders slump with the news, so I didn’t have to ask what they had said. 

As disappointing as this was, we decided to settle in for the week.  First, we went in to town and got another jerry can of water.  While Dale was doing that, I went into the market and picked up a case of Diet Coke and some potato chips; just the necessities of life today. 

We made our way back across the channel with less water in the dink than yesterday and put the items away before heading into Chat N Chill as the net said they were having some guest speakers talking about their travels.  As we sat waiting for others to arrive, another couple came up and we invited them to sit with us and struck up a conversation.  They, too, were embarking on their first Pacific crossing this year.  They told us that they planned to go straight from here to Panama and then on through to the Coconut Milk Run (the trip from Galapagos-French Marquesas).  We compared our cruising histories.  Again, they had never made the island hopping down through the Caribbean but instead made direct runs from Georgetown to St. Martin and Georgetown to Antigua.  We were sure surprised when we learned that they were in fact, the guest speakers.  They apparently have a television show where they show their many travels across the Atlantic, through Europe and the Middle East but they’ve never done what we’ve done.  In the middle of the talk, they actually directed peoples’ questions about the “thorny passage” to us.  Holy Smoke!  Hope there aren’t many.  There were about 3 couples that did approach us afterwards and hopefully we were fair and honest about the trip. 

Another set of speakers told of their experience on 12/23/2019 in Red Shanks Harbor where they were hit with a “water spout.”  I put water spout in quotations as they said that it was wind, more like a tornado, not a column of water that a water spout can be.  Apparently, it lasted about 2-3 minutes, they didn’t have time to do anything except go inside and hang on.  Although their boat listed dramatically and spun around a couple of times, their dinghy took the brunt of it being completely torn off its painter D rings.  They said that thanks to other boaters in the area, the only things they lost were the jerry can covers and a life vest that had been in the dink.  Don’t think I ever care to go through that. 

We listened to the last speaker who made a presentation on the proper way to anchor to see if there were any tips we didn’t know about but didn’t learn anything new. 

That actually took up most of the day.  We made it back in time to get an internet call from Gerry and Nicky, who are making their way around Puerto Rico.  We relayed our mail problems and most likely will meet up with them in the BVI’s. 

Tonight looks to be quiet as the winds have finally died down and the seas are finally settling.  It would have been a great weather window but one we’ll miss but can’t be helped.  I guess that’s about it for today. 

Sunday, December 29, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

I can’t say we did much more than we did yesterday.  We did drop the dink down and went exploring the inner most harbors around Volleyball Beach.  We were impressed as to how far back some of the more protected harbors were.  We stopped by Chat N Chill to partake of their Sunday afternoon pig roast and were fascinated as to how many tourists (as opposed to cruisers) were transported from various resorts in the area.  I don’t think we appreciated the degree of just how much the surrounding areas around Georgetown have become tourist destinations. 

Ferry boats loaded to capacity started transiting about 10am bringing folks over and then switched about 2 pm to taking folks back and didn’t stop until after 5pm.  The beach was packed and the wait in line to get the food lasted about 30 minutes.  Dale waited the same amount just getting the tickets and drinks but I had already gotten in the food line to save time.  Good thing. 

The wind finally started to die down sometime this afternoon and the waves are following suit.  Too bad we are waiting for parts as this would be a great time to make our way farther south and east during the 2-3 day respite.  We’ve been listening to 2 boats that are planning to go from here to Puerto Rico directly.  We plan on stopping in the Turks and Caicos but may go directly to Puerto Rico from there if we can get a good weather window. 

Can’t say there is anything else.  I’m on my 6^th Bubba book and Dale is reading the history of Florida, so we are staying occupied.    

Saturday, December 28, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

Chat N Chill

Today we did a whole lot of nothin’.  We listened to weather, more wind and rain.  We listened to the cruisers’ net, the junkanoo has been postponed for a week due to . . . the wind and rain.  We did move the Palace a little further into the protected area so we’re not hanging our derrieres out in the channel.  We read, we played games, Dale took a nap, I cleaned the cockpit, we sat in the swing seat and watched boats come and go, we had a great conversation with Gerry and Nicky (who are in Puerto Rico now and called us via the Internet), and that’s about it. 

Sorry, it was just one of those days. 

Friday, December 27, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.068N
75.45.461W

Today was rather productive.  We listened to the weather; today would be fairly decent but over the next two days, it is predicted to deteriorate into high winds and passing squalls. We listened to the cruisers net, the junkanoo scheduled for Saturday evening may be postponed due to the weather, then Dale started with the telephone calls to see if we could get a couple of parts needed for both the sail and the watermaker.  

The sail part may actually be on its way as they were trying to get it out in today’s mail.  No confirmation number was forwarded, so we can’t follow up until Monday.  Unfortunately, the watermaker people are off for the holidays until January 2, 2020.  Ugh!!

We went into town again and picked up a sim card for Dale's telephone as its cheaper to do it that way instead of me going through AT&T for a special international rider on mine.  So I have internet and telephone messaging for the next month, if I need it. 

We walked up and down the main street looking for a place to sit down and have lunch and found a little place that served chicken curry.  Then while Dale filled up the water can, I went grocery shopping.  I was hard pressed to find all the items on my list but did come away with some decent looking lettuce and a green pepper.  The prices took my breath away but I suppose that’s the price for living in paradise. 

Gerry and Nicky are making their way across the Mona Passage today into Puerto Rico.  I’m beginning to think we’re never going to be able to catch up with them with all of our repairs of late. 

The ride back was wetter than yesterday’s as the winds were already starting to pick up.  Tonight we sit in in the Palace and feel as if we’re starting to ride a bucking bronco.  We’ll have to see if there’s a more protected spot tomorrow.  In the meantime, we’ll have to put seatbelts on the bed to keep from falling out. 

Guess that’s about it for today. 

Thursday, December 26, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.068N
75.45.461W

Happy Birthday April!

Well, today was a better day.  First thing this morning Dale called the sat phone people to ask for assistance in figuring out how to get the dang thing working again.  We’d already tried the-turn it off, then turn it back on-method suggested in the manual that came with it.  The lady he spoke with suggested, turn it off, take out the battery, take out the sim card, put them both back in, then try turning it back on.  That worked!  Unfortunately, 3 of our 4 children live on the west coast and it wasn’t a decent time to call to let them know their parents hadn’t forgotten about them during the holidays with their galivanting through the Bahamas spending their inheritance. 

So, with one item crossed off Dale’s “to do list” we lowered the dink and went exploring Georgetown.  Its been 12 years since we were here last and while it’s grown over on the beach/tourist side it’s remained about the same in the town itself.  We wandered around far enough to familiarize ourselves with the various establishments that were referred to on the cruiser’s net this morning when Dale asked for a place to access the internet and where to get incoming mail. 

It’s ‘Boxing Day’ in the Bahamas/Exumas and therefore, a holiday.  In spite of the holiday status, we did find a little bar type restaurant that was open and stopped in for some conch fritters and jerked wings.  Gene, the bartender/waiter told us that he was from Abaco, specifically the Marsh Harbor area.  He lost his best friend in Hurricane Dorian but he and his family evacuated to Nassau.  He was very nice and allowed us to access the restaurant’s WiFi after our lunch.  This allowed us to locate a business in Spanish Wells (northern Eleuthera island) that is a distributor of the watermaker company and where Dale intends to call tomorrow to see if he can get a part sent to us here.  Hopefully, with a somewhat local company, it shouldn’t be held up in Customs for a week or more.  Another item not exactly crossed off Dale’s list but definitely addressed. 

After that we hopped back in the dinghy, with me driving this time, as the tide had changed and Dale agreed to be the gentleman and take the waves over the bow for me.  I did my best but standing waves under the little bridge that you have to go under in order to get into town, soaked him. 

On our way back to the Palace, there was the sound of reggae music coming from Chat n Chill, so we moved in closer to see if the doors were open.  The cruiser’s net had said that they would be closed for the holiday but someone forgot to tell Chat n Chill that as they were going full tilt.  Of course, that meant we had to stop in and get the requisite “cheeseburger in paradise”. 

With our bellies full, we returned to the boat and called all the kids and grandkids to wish them well and learn of Santa’s visit.  It was good to hear their voices and the excitement from the little ones. 

So, with one item crossed off Dale’s list, another well on its way, we found where we could get water, diesel, groceries, WiFi and a local sim card for Dale’s phone should we choose to go that route, it was certainly a day we felt we had accomplished things--plus we talked with family, so I feel better too. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.068N
75.45.461W


Merry Christmas one and all!  As you can see, we made it to Georgetown. 

Neither Dale nor I really slept very well last night as we were both nervous about getting underway again which means, we were awake before the sun and only moved once it came up.  We started the engines at 6:45am and slowly backed out of our slip at Cave Cay Marina.  The “boss” (we assume owner who keeps a very low profile) actually waved goodbye to us as we backed out, pivoted and then exited the protected harbor. 

Once out into the channel, we turned into the wind and tried to raise the main sail.  It only made it about 2/3-3/4 up before it jammed.  Dale donned his life jacket and went to investigate.  We lowered it a few feet, tried again and it jammed again.  We went through this once more with the same results when he found the problem.  One of the batten end pieces was cracked and just below it there was a tear in the webbing holding the feeder line to the sail.  Dale reported back, “the sail’s torn”.  Of course it is!!  I freely admit that the last 2 months of fear, frustration and life in general, finally got the better of me and I burst into tears. 

Dale offered to take the wheel but I was raised on a farm where you get back up on the horse that bucked you, no matter how many times it bucks you (someday I’ll go into detail about a few Shetland ponies that threw me many, many times).  So, I finished my shift which included going back out the cut that we had lost our engines in.  We lowered the main to a reefed position and unfurled the Code Zero to take advantage of the wind coming from behind us.  As the wind weakened mid morning, we added the engines back into the mix and then finally brought in both sails and motored the remainder of the trip by early afternoon.

Once it was Dale’s shift, I thought about a plan to repair the sail as I have a heavy duty sewing machine brought along for just such an event.  Dale reminded me that we went through many similar trials on our first trip 2005-2007.  I reminded him that those happened over the course of 18 months not 2.  He thinks we’re just getting it all out of the way now. 

We arrived in Georgetown about 1:30pm and found a spot not too far from “Chat n Chill”.  We anchored in our normal fashion and in spite of getting the tug of a well set anchor, we sat and watched it for about 30 minutes just to make sure.

It looked like every one and their brother was on the beach, so we lowered the dinghy and went in to see if the local hang out was open.  It wasn’t, it was one of the famous boater pot lucks and we were empty handed, so we went back to the Palace and took naps.

Later in the evening, we had hoped to call the kids to wish everyone a Merry Christmas but . . . you guessed it . . . the sat phone is not working.  Why should it?  It worked a week ago, but not so much now.  Dale added it to his list of things to fix/repair in exotic places. 

Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Cave Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.54.467N
76.16.305W


Today was spent mostly preparing for tomorrow as the weather forecast is holding steady.  Although the day started out grey and blustery, it cleared up by mid morning and I washed, hung out, folded and put away the last of the laundry.


Dale ran the fuel polisher again, took a scraper to the props and the sides of the hulls where grass had started to grow, walked the garbage to the cans at the end of the dock and topped off the water tank one last time.  We’ve singled up our lines and all is prepared to make our move to Georgetown first thing in the morning. 


We said our farewells to Scott and Sonia, our dockmates, and summoned Shark from parts unknown to pay our bill (no, we never did get water to the pier).  I guess we’re as ready as we can be.  Well, at least Dale is.  My chest feels as if its going to explode but I’m a great believer in mind over matter . . . one foot in front of the other . . . breathe in, breathe out, move on . . .


I’ll let you know tomorrow as to how it works out. 

Monday, December 23, 2019
Cave Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.54.467N
76.16.305W

Considering how quiet this island has been since we arrived, we were truly impressed when not one, not two, but three planes arrived one after another on the little uncontrolled airstrip. 

Dale and I had walked down the strip to the little dirt road that led to the upper area where there is a partially built “restaurant.”  From our vantage point, you could see the Great Bahama Bank on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, several islands to the north as well as those to the south. 

Ocean side

One can envision what the developers where going for when Cave Cay Marina was built but apparently ran out of money before completion.  Inside the restaurant, were iron tables and chairs piled up against one wall; paint peeling away from the metal, what appeared to be expensive stove exhaust vents were laying on the floor, a king sized mattress (still in its plastic envelope) was lying against one wall, exercise equipment throughout the building was simply set up and rusting in place.  The front area appeared to be a makeshift work area with saws, wood planes, a vise set up on 4x4’s and a few patio chairs set up on the porch overlooking the marina.  All of this was inside a very large, well built building now showing signs of distress in that the metal joists are beginning to rust through the protective paint.  We moved a couple of the patio chairs to the side patio and Dale made his calls to the watermaker tech people.  I sat beside him and saw so much potential going to waste. 


In my mind, the developers were going for a huge, exclusive get away for the rich and famous.  Shark, the caretaker, had dropped a few names of those that use the landing strip to head to their own islands.  My take was that they should have started off smaller “island style” and built up as the clientele demanded.  Now, there are literally millions of dollars rotting in place. 


Then we walked down to the strip and passed airplane hangers, fuel tanks, and construction equipment all left to disintegrate where they were left and farther north to where another dirt road led to the ocean side of the island.  You had to walk past a graveyard of forgotten appliances, refrigerators, washers, dryers, pallets of what used to be cement bags that are now concrete stones, and everything else, now useless.  Reaching the beach, there was a lot of flotsam and jetsam, but we were surprised to find a lack of sea glass amongst the debris. 

Interisland Airplane

We returned to the airstrip and had intended to walk further north but that’s when the first of the 3 planes arrived, so we waited until it had passed us and walked back to where it was depositing its passengers.  A small ferry was waiting at the dock to pick them up and take them to Musha Cay (see 12.16.2019 for more info).


The second plane landed and also deposited people heading to Musha Cay.  The third plane only carried luggage, a ton of luggage.  We watched 3 men loading and unloading for a good 30 minutes. 


Shark had told Dale about his garden too and had invited us to visit it.  I was impressed!  It was about a half acre in size.  He gardens the opposite of how you would normally think to plant but for an island composed of marl, coral and what looked like quartz, it’s perfect!  He dug rows and planted watermelons in the furrows not on the hills, I would think to direct the fresh water to the plants.  Deeper furrows contained citrus trees protecting them from the constant wind.  Fingerling bananas lined one side of the garden and large pots of tomatoes, turnips, lettuce, spinach, and radishes were growing.  He had an extensive drip water system throughout.  There are literally hundreds of bags of Miracle Grow and mulch lining the opposite side of the garden from the banana trees.  Obviously, the developers had thought to make this a self-sustaining resort.  I think Shark is a better gardener than he is a mechanic; we still don’t have water on the dock, but he does keep looking at it.  

Cavy Cay Marina

As I said, the potential is enormous and . . . it’s for sale!  Only $60,000,000!  Like everything else, its not the cost, it’s the upkeep.  


Although this morning was blustery (as usual) it seemed to be losing its intensity toward the afternoon but that’s when Dale’s barometer started its beeping alerting us to another gale prediction.  It signaled another two times during the day but has quieted now that the winds are picking up again.  The long range weather still is looking favorable for a Wednesday departure for Georgetown and although we very safe here, its time to move on before I start weeding Shark’s garden. 

Sunday, December 22, 2019
Cave Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.54.467N
76.16.305W


There appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel!  Today Dale was able to download weather and thinks there is a reprieve on Wednesday, Christmas Day, to get to Georgetown.  The winds die down to 15 kts but more importantly, the seas die down to less than 2 feet.  Thursday also appears to be transit worthy, so hopefully, we’ll be able to make the next big leg.  Until then, its overcast, grey, blowing a “hooley” and looking like rain is on the way--again, but we’re relatively quiet in the marina. 


Dale busied himself carting down 4 more jerry cans of water to top us off (he borrowed a hand cart found next to the maintenance shed).  Also, we wanted to have an idea of how much water we use when we’re being very conservative (about 6 gallons a day).  Of course, that doesn’t include the showers we’ve been using at the marina, so we can go about 2 weeks.  That being said, we decided that we’d try to get the laundry done one more time and fill up one more time before striking out.  Then let’s hope we can either find readily available water in Georgetown or he’s able to repair the watermater in a timely manner. 


I, on the other hand, have found a WiFi connection that has been pretty stable (guess the “Boss” isn’t working today), so have been getting my internet connection fix!  I’ve done e-mails, banking, uploaded blog posts, read blog posts, surfed Pinterest for a bit and even looked up the Holy Ghost (I’m not sure why but I started wondering just exactly who this was and why he/its so important but it is Sunday and it was as close to Church as I was going to get today).  I don’t want to disconnect for fear that I won’t be able to reattach until midnight tomorrow (which seems to be the only time I can get a good connection when the Boss isn’t working.)


Until then . . .