If you recall from our last post we needed to make a decision whether or not to remain over night in our current anchor and possibly spend several hours bumping on the bottom or get underway at high tide (10pm) and sail overnight to our next destination.

Whenever we plan to move Eos we spend time studying weather forecast to assist in our passage planning. We subscribe to a marine weather service that provides detailed marine forecasts, sends us emails twice a day, and has a daily webcast that reviews the local weather in detail and allows cruisers to ask questions in real time about the weather & passage planning. We’ve been very pleased with the accuracy of their forecasts and feel confident in the guidance they provide.

The forecast for the next couple of days was for the sustained wind speed to be in the mid to high teens with occasional gusts in the low to mid 20’s. While that’s a little higher than some of us on board are comfortable sailing in, it’s definitely well within Eos’s comfort range.

The wind direction was forecasted to be coming on our port stern quarter (think of 7 to 8 o’clock on a clock dial). This can be a pleasant point of sail if the seas are flat, but can be a bit rolley if there are any sizable waves.

So it sounded like we would have brisk wind and a good, but possibly rolley, point of sail heading down to New Providence regardless of when we left. So sailing overnight was a possibility.

If we were going to sail overnight we would leave around 10pm which was high tide and we would follow the reciprocal of course into the anchorage. Since it would be dark and our visibility would be limited this would ensure we were following a safe course back out to sea.

We discussed our options and decided that rather than sail overnight we would take our chances with the tide and hope that it wasn’t too bumpy of a night.

So we turned in just after boater’s midnight (8pm) and started to go to sleep.

After a few restless minutes, a few swells rolled through the anchorage and Eos was pitching up and down. If these swells kept up when the tide went out, it would indeed be a very bumpy night for us. It wouldn’t be great for the boat either. These bumps wouldn’t be the soft bumps we had at the earlier low tide.

So, we decided to change plans and go ahead and travel overnight.

Earlier in the evening we had made sure everything was secured and put away safely so that we were ready to get underway in the morning. We removed the motor from the dinghy and secured it on its mount and then lifted the dinghy out of the water and secured it to the davits (the stainless steel structure with pulleys that allows the dinghy to be suspended about 6’ out of the water while we sail or motor).

If we’re making a long offshore passage we will not only tie the dinghy securely in the davits but will also use heavy duty web straps to further secure the dinghy to the boat just in case the line or clamps fail on one of the davit lines.

While securing the dinghy that evening I recall Diane asking me if I had strapped the dinghy in or not. I also recall telling her that I didn’t think it was necessary since once we got out of the inlet and headed south to New Providence we’d be on a broad reach with the wind and waves slightly behind us and it would be a pleasant point of sail.

We pulled up our anchor and got underway shortly before 10 pm and motored slowly back out towards the inlet. There was a breeze but it wasn’t too strong and the waves were what we’d described as a slight chop … choppy but not very big.

We needed to backtrack north about an hour (3 to 4 miles at slow speed) before turning east for another 3 miles to get safely offshore. Once offshore, we’d turn southeast and have just under 40 miles (8 to 10 hours) to sail to New Providence.

All was going according to plan and I was looking forward to a nice overnight sail to New Providence.

As we got closer to point where we were to turn east, the breeze was starting to pick up and the water was getting a little choppier. But we were underway and I really didn’t want to turn around and try to anchor in the dark, so we made the turn east and headed out to sea.

As we continued on our course out to sea, the wind was getting a little stronger, but now the slight chop had turned into 2-3 foot waves and we had to head directly into them for a few miles. It was going to be an unpleasant hour before we’d turn southeast.

It was dark, the wind started picking up, and the boat was bouncing into waves and we had limited visibility. Thankfully all our electronic navigation systems worked and we were able to follow our previous course back out. But it was starting to get very bumpy.

While we didn’t have great visibility ahead of us, our stern light which is attached to the back of the boat was doing its job of shining bright. Consequently we had a great view of how the dinghy was handling all of this bouncing up and down.

Unfortunately what we saw was not reassuring. The dinghy was swinging violently back a forth on the davits (if it’s strapped in it can’t do that). I asked Diane to take the wheel and drive while I was going to see if I could do something to keep the dinghy from swinging so much.

Just about then one of the fasteners that keeps the dinghy connected to the line came unhooked and that end of the dinghy dropped into the water. Great. It’s dark, the wind is picking up, and the dinghy is dangling from the davits getting smashed into the water with each wave. If we didn’t correct this, before long the other fastener would fail and we’d lose the dinghy or the dinghy tubes would spring a leak from constantly being smashed up and down.

Fortunately our niece was still on board and we had a third hand on board to help us.

We ended up finally being able to fully lower the dinghy into the water and use several lines that were already attached to the dinghy to tow it behind us rather than try and lift it back up into the davits. It’s not the preferred way to travel with a dinghy in the open sea but it would have to do.

It was now close to midnight and with the dinghy finally secured, we turned southeast and headed to New Providence. Everyone was looking forward to a pleasant sail after all that excitement.

The forecast was 100% accurate… the wind speed was in the high teens, the waves were in our port quarter and we were rolling like crazy! What had been a long night already was going to be even longer if this kept up.

Unfortunately the wind and waves didn’t change throughout the evening and even though it was a safe passage, it was uncomfortable and no o e got much sleep. Fortunately we did make fairly good time and were able to pull into the anchorage just after 8 am.

Once we were sure the anchor was set we all turned in to catch a few hours of sleep before moving on to the big task of the day … booking our niece’s return flights home, now that we had good cell and internet coverage in the anchorage.

The passage didn’t go the way we had planned but we arrived safely, and that’s what matters most.

(This passage wasn’t conducive to picture taking … we’ll be sure to include some sunny skies and white beaches in our next post)

After successfully clearing into the Bahamas and tidying up the boat from our passage we were ready to stretch our legs on dry land for a bit.

We grabbed our beach towels and walked about a mile across the island to the beach. It’s hard to accurately describe how clear the water is here or how it feels to have an entire pristine beach to yourself so I won’t try. It never gets old though.

After a nice walk on the beach we made our way to a beach restaurant and bar and enjoyed conch & fish bites along with a refreshing Pain Killer.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and then made our way back to Eos for an early dinner and a solid nights sleep.

Thursday morning was spent washing all the salt of the boat and refueling the boat 10 gallons at a time. The fuel dock in Great Harbor is about 1/2 mile away from the marina so rather than move the boat and redock again it was easier for my niece and me to make a few trips in the dinghy and use our two 5 gallon Jerry jugs for refueling. This also gave us an opportunity for a dinghy driving lesson and making sure she was comfortable starting the motor and operating the dinghy by herself.

She was a quick learner and took over dinghy duty for our next two fuel trips.

With our tanks topped off and Eos’s decks sparkling again it was time for an afternoon hike.

You may recall from our previous trip here that Great Harbor Cay was once the home to an exclusive resort and golf course. Apparently though they were not able to attract enough investors to keep the facilities operational and have been abandoned for at least 2 decades now. The buildings are better described as ruins now and the golf course is over grown.

Walking through the ruins it’s not hard to imagine how beautiful the place had once been. And although the trees and vegetation mostly block the views to the sound and ocean, it is possible to get a glimpse of them if you really look hard.

We got back to the marina in time for a quick shower and to call in our dinner order before grabbing a ride from the marina manager to Cooley Mae’s for dinner. We enjoyed cracked conch and shrimp for dinner. In addition to a great meal, we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Once the colors on the horizon had faded we took a cab back to the marina and called it a night.

The island of Great Harbor Cay is several miles long and just over a mile wide. Our plan on Friday was to leave the marina and anchor Eos on the other side of the island just off the beach restaurant and bar. Just about a one mile walk away. But we can’t take Eos across the island, we have to go AROUND the island. That’s about a 15- 20 mile trip (4 miles back out the same way we came in, 5 or 6 miles around the top, then another 5 to 7 miles back down to the beach).’

Once we got underway and cleared the cut, or entrance to the harbor, we through out our fishing line to see if we could catch something along our way. After all, we did throw that tuna back during our crossing so maybe the word was out among the fish that we were a ‘fish friendly’ boat!

Shortly after rounding the top of the island the fishing pole bent down and we heard the ‘whirl’ of line going out. We definitely had something on the line. I hooked in on the safety line, grabbed the pole and started reeling the line in. Again, Diane drove while our niece got the net ready.

After a few minutes we had a nice 16-18” Red Snapper on board! With the required trophy photos snapped we threw the fish in the cooler while we continued to sail south.

I ended up cleaning the fish and discarding the head and other scraps while we were still underway and not at anchor. Figured it was better to discard all that in the open water rather than toss it overboard in the anchorage as a possible invitation for sharks or barracudas looking for food!

Once anchored, we dropped the dinghy and headed over to the mangroves to see if we could spot any sea turtles or nurse sharks. Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon and although the tide was favorable to drift through the mangroves, the sun was shining directly in our eyes and we didn’t have good visibility to see anything.

Saturday morning we motored to the mangroves again and our niece paddled the kayak over, and this time we had great visibility. We saw several dozen sea turtles drifting along the current and even one nurse shark.

In the afternoon we returned to beach with the intent to take a nice long stroll on the beach. But first we stopped by the beach bar for a cool drink. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with that plan.

There were several other cruisers there and we all began to share our stories of where we came from, what our plans for the season were etc. Many of the other boaters we meet along the way are retired like us, but not all.

One of the couples we met on Saturday were still working but living on their boat full time. With a highspeed satellite internet connection using Elon Musk’s Starlink system they were able to effectively run their marketing company from anywhere they had connection. After spending awhile talking they gave my niece a business card and told her they’d be happy to help her get her foot in the door with their company. Unfortunately, they are the only ones in the company working remotely and everyone else works at least part time in the office. Not sure if she’s interested in moving to Arkansas but who knows!

We did eventually end up getting our walk in and then head back to the boat for a delicious dinner of Red Snapper picante!

We left the anchorage the next morning and headed to Hoffman’s Cay for some hiking and to see if those two lobsters I left here last trip with only one antenna each were still hanging around. (I was ineffective at spearing them so I tried to pull them out of their hole by the antenna which didn’t work out well for either of us last trip).

Unfortunately the wind was mostly on our nose and the seas were very rolly so we ended up calling an audible and used an alternative inlet at the north end of the island, several miles north of the cut we used last trip. Lucky break for the one antennae lobsters!!

We found a nice spot to anchor in pretty shallow water (5 1/2 to 6’) but since it was close to low tide we thought we should be good. The tide continued to drop to just under 5’ and then started to increase again. Once it was back over 5 1/2’ we went to shore and did some snorkeling just off the beach.

The swimming was refreshing but we really didn’t see much marine life. So we eventually returned to the boat, enjoyed dinner and called it a night.

Monday morning we gathered out the hiking and snorkeling gear, loaded up the dinghy and took a 2 mile ride south so we could hike to the blue hole.

We beached dinghy, hiked up the short path and had the blue hole all to ourselves for almost an hour. Just as we were getting ready to leave we were joined by a group of 5 other cruisers looking to take a dip. Good timing on our part.

We motored the 2 miles back to our anchorage and then spent the rest of the morning snorkeling on the ocean side of the island. This time we were treated to lots of marine life but no lobsters.

Once back aboard the boat we rested for the afternoon and were making passage plans for the next day. As the tide went out, we must have shifted slightly or the tides were slightly lower because we touched bottom a couple of times and saw only 4 1/2’ on the depth sounder. Fortunately the bottom was very sandy and it was as more annoying than anything that we were hitting the sand.

Eventually the tide came back in and we stopped ‘bumping’ the bottom. Unfortunately though we would have another low tide early Tuesday morning (3am) before we’d leave so we needed to figure out whether or not we’d spend the night at this same anchorage or get underway at high tide (10 pm) and sail overnight to our next destination, West Bay New Providence (Nassau).

Decisions, decisions. Always something to figure out while cruising around. We’ll fill you in later on what we decided to do, in the meantime we appreciate your prayers as always.

We spent the remainder of the weekend finishing up a few last minute boat tasks, buying fresh veggies and fruit, and topping off our water tank. We also made sure that we didn’t have any loose items laying around on the shelves and that everything was properly put away so that nothing would be rolling around the cabin when we went offshore.

With all the boat tasks complete, we took one last dinghy ride ashore to get showers and say goodbye for now to our friends at the marina. Some of them will be coming over to the Bahamas later in the season so hopefully we will see them before too long. Others are staying in Florida so it’s likely our paths won’t cross again this season. After that, we rode back to the boat, secured the dinghy and motor for the passage, and went to bed.

Tuesday morning revelry was a little before 6 am. We made coffee, double checked the weather forecast, and began to get ready to get underway.

We untied Eos from the mooring ball at 6:45, and motored out into the channel to wait for the 7am bridge opening. It was a beautiful morning with just a light breeze and very flat water. Not great sailing weather, but it did make for a very calm departure.

We motored down the St. Lucie river and were at the inlet a little before 8:30. This was the first time we’ve gone in or out this specific inlet so one of our tasks over the weekend had been to speak with others at the marina who had used this inlet in the past to see if there were any specific hazards or things we needed to be aware of prior to departing. Everyone we spoke with assured us it was a safe inlet to use, and since calm conditions were in the forecast we shouldn’t have any issues.

It’s always a little intimidating to navigate through an ocean inlet as there are swells coming in against you as you are heading out to sea. Fortunately the conditions were relatively calm and there was a boat ahead of us that was also going out to sea so we could observe their course and what effect if any the waves had on them.

The passage through the inlet was in fact uneventful, and we were in the Atlantic and finally headed to the Bahamas!

Actually we weren’t headed to the Bahamas quiet yet. Since we have to cross the Gulf Stream before reaching the Bahamas, and the Gulf Stream current runs 3-5 mph south to north, we actually we’re headed down the Florida coast for several miles before we would turn east and head to the Bahamas.

We motored down the coast for about an hour and then turned east. Once we were heading towards the Gulf Stream we decided to throw out the fishing line and see if we could catch anything. The line hadn’t been in the water for more than a few minutes when we got a strike. Fish on!

Diane drove the boat and slowed it down while I began to reel in the line to see what size monster we had hooked. Our niece was charged with grabbing the net and helping me hopefully bring the fish on deck.

After a few minutes of reeling in the line and with the help of my niece we got the fish on board. Now all we had to do was figure out what kind of fish it was and whether or not it was good to eat. Since we still had a cell phone signal I sent a picture and text to my friend who’s an avid fisherman to see if he could identify the fish for us.

While we waited to see if he’d respond, we unhooked the fish and took a few trophy pictures. Fortunately for the fish, the hook was only in its lip and we were able to remove it without really harming it at all. Another fortunate turn for the fish was that my friend was out in a walk and didn’t pick up his phone. So since we didn’t know what kind of fish it was, and the fish really wasn’t harmed at all, we released it back into the water figuring the fishing was good and once my buddy called back, we’d certainly hook some more!

My friend returned my call and text just a few minutes later and informed me we had caught a skipjack tuna, also known as a striped tuna. They are supposedly similar in taste to a yellow fin tuna, are very abundant, and are excellent eating! Figures.

Unfortunately for us, we didn’t have another strike the rest of the trip across the Gulf Stream.

The seas were flat and the breeze was light so crossing the Stream was uneventful. We made the 50 miles across in a little over 9 hours just after 5 pm.

Just like our previous crossing in 2021, our plan was to motorsail overnight and clear customs and immigration in Great Harbor Cay in the Berrys (between Freeport and Nassau). Diane and I again took 3 hour shifts throughout the evening so that someone was always on watch while we were traveling overnight.

Fortunately there weren’t too many other boats moving around so we both had relatively quiet watches for the most part. We occasionally did have to alter our course slightly to ensure we stayed safely away from any large ships. For us at night, we define safely away as at least a mile, preferably 2 to 3 miles. That allows plenty of distance & time to react just in case they don’t see us. We continue to really like our AIS system that broadcasts our position, course and speed to other ships and allows us to see theirs as well. Our navigation system then takes that information and calculates a “CPA” (closest point of approach) so we know how close we’ll come to another vessel. Super helpful at night when all you can see are a few dim lights on the horizon.

So as we said, the overnight passage was uneventful and by 9 am we were only a few miles from Great Harbor. Once we were within radio range, we called the marina to confirm our reservation and arrival and were tied to our slip by 10:30.

Prior to departing the US we filed our customs and immigration papers for the Bahamas with their online system. At the same time we paid all the required fees online. Consequently, when we arrived at the marina the Customs and Immigration officials had all our paperwork printed and simply just needed to stamp our passports. So by 11 am we were officially checked into the Bahamas and ready for another season.

Hello friends. Diane and I should be back in the Bahamas next Wednesday the 18th if all goes well.

We moved Eos from her home port on the Middle River just north of Baltimore to our current location in Stuart Fl in several phases over the fall and definitely intended to share the journey with you along the way. But it appears that ‘intending to share’ and ‘actually sharing’ produce entirely different results.

Rather than delay sharing this next phase with you until we catch you all up on the journey south this fall, we’ll start writing about what we’re up to now and see if we can fill you all in about our travels south over the next couple of weeks.

We arrived in Stuart on Thursday January 5th and have spent this past week catching up with cruising friends from past travels. We’ve also been busy provisioning the boat with supplies. This year we intend to stay in the Bahamas until late April early May before returning to the Chesapeake.

At various times this season we’ll be visited by our kids, the grandkids, and a few adventurous friends. So besides stocking up supplies to last Diane and I for 4 months, we’re picking up a few ‘extra items’ so we don’t run out of essentials with guests on board.

Planning and buying the supplies wasn’t an issue. Finding room for everything is a different story. We’ve been playing what I affectionately call ‘boat Tetris’ all week. Tetris is an old video/arcade game where you have to manipulate defending pieces of various shapes into a row before you run out of room. While I don’t recall ever seeing Diane play the original video game, she was a master this week at finding creative spaces to store all our supplies for the trip. (Hopefully we won’t lose the master list that she wrote down where everything is stored or we’ll be in big trouble).

With all the supplies on board and most of the boat chores complete we are enjoying the weekend hanging out with our niece who will be onboard with us for the first couple of weeks.

The weather looks good for a Tuesday crossing so hopefully this time next week we’ll be writing to you all about our passage across the Gulf Stream.

In the meantime, as always, we appreciate your prayers for a safe passage and we look forward to sharing the season with you.

Just a quick update to let you all know Diane and I arrived safely in Charleston this morning (Thursday 9am) and will be starting to head back up the ICW. Our plan is tone back in York by early May.

As always, thanks for your prayers.

We know we are delinquent with our posts and promise to provide some updates before too long. The weather has been nice and we’ve been enjoying ourselves as we knew we only had a few weeks left before our visa ran out and we needed to head home. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it)

We have a weather window in front of us now that should allow for a nice sail from the Bahamas back to the US this week so we’re taking advantage of it.

We checked out with Bahamas Customs earlier this morning and got underway around noon.

We hope to get some more detailed updates out later this week but in the meantime as always we appreciate your prayers for safe travels

March 18^th – 24^th

If you recall, earlier this winter shortly after entering the Exumas we had an issue with our outboard motor on our dinghy so we traveled south towards George Town as quickly as we could to pick up our new motor.  In our haste to travel south, we sailed right past many of the sights and destinations that make the Exuma chain of islands so interesting and attractive to cruisers and vacationers alike.  So, this time as we traveled north, we wanted to ensure we travel at a leisurely pace, allowing plenty of time to explore all those places we missed earlier in the season.

Our first destination on the way north was Rudder Cut Cay, about 30 miles north of George Town. 

We got underway Thursday morning and waved goodbye to our cruising buddies and George Town once again as we motorsailed out of the anchorage and up the channel.  As soon as we made our way down the channel and out into the Exuma Sound, we turned the motor off and were traveling under sail power only. Unlike our trip back south earlier in the week, this time both the wind and seas were ‘following’, coming from behind, and we enjoyed a very pleasant downwind sail.

The miles flew by fairly quickly and we found ourselves at the entrance or ‘cut’ by mid-afternoon with plenty of light to assist us in spotting any hazards or shallow spots.  The tide was falling and the current was fairly strong coming out through the cut which made it a little challenging.  Prior to entering the cut we were traveling at just under 6 knots and as soon as we turned into cut and current we almost immediately slowed down to just over 3 knots. 

When traveling through a cut, we try to keep at least one of the sails up so that if we encounter any engine problems we can hopefully still maintain some steerage and speed with the sail. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any mechanical issues while moving against the current and through the cut. Once through the cut and inside the channel, we dropped the sails and proceeded to anchor without incident.  (That’s always a blessing we try not to take for granted!)

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and nice dinner and called it an early evening so we would be well rested to explore Rudder Cut Cay and go look for a mermaid in the morning.

Just inside the entrance of Rudder Cut Cay and only about 50 yards or so offshore, there is an underwater sculpture of a mermaid and grand piano.  Shortly after breakfast, we loaded the dinghy up with our snorkel gear and went exploring.

The mermaid sculpture wasn’t too hard to find, and since it’s only about 10 to 15’ below the surface, it’s easy to dive down to, swim around, and pretend to play a few notes on the piano.  If you search YouTube or Goggle for ‘Mermaid and Piano sculpture’ you will find several neat videos and photos of the sculpture and people swimming around it.  (Since we don’t have a GoPro or underway camera we don’t have any pictures ourselves to share.)

After swimming with the mermaid, we got back into the dinghy and headed out across the channel to go diving around small islands about a mile away.  The snorkeling there was very nice as well and we saw lots of small reef fish but no lobsters. There were, however, 3 rays we could see that had buried themselves in the sand.  All you saw were two eyes a big bump covered in sand (the body) an then the tail! They were kind of eerie looking, like they were watching you from their hidden spot.

One of the activities we wanted to do while out in the dinghy was to check out the depth of the water in several spots along our intended path north. According to our charts, the shallowest depth in the channel at low tide was approximately 5 feet. Since our boat draws 4 ½’ we theoretically should be able to make it through.  But that’s at low tide. We’d be leaving the next time a few hours after low tide but before high tide so that if we initially ran aground the rising tide would eventually lift us off. That’s the theory anyway. Rather than rely on theory and chance, we decided to take the dinghy to the shallowest parts along our route (according to our charts) and then dive into the water at high tide and see how deep the water actually was. 

We did this in several different places and never saw water less than about 7 or 8 feet deep. Plenty of water and depth for our passage tomorrow.

With that task complete we continued exploring the area and took the dinghy into a small secluded cove to see if maybe next time we’re down here it would be a suitable anchorage.  The approach was very narrow, maybe 20 to 25 yards wide, but once inside it opened up to a deep and protected anchorage. Not enough room for many boats, but enough for one or two boats brave enough to pass through the narrow entrance.

After a full day of exploring, we spent the rest of the day just ‘chilling and enjoying the sunshine.

The next morning as we were waiting for the tide to start rising, one of the other boats in the anchorage began to head north along our intended path.  Since it was still several hours before high tide we wanted to wait a little longer before heading out.  Not to miss an opportunity for some good intelligence though, we waited until it look liked the boat had cleared the channel and hailed them on the radio.  We checked in with them on what the depth was as they headed north and they said they didn’t see anything under 5 ½’. Great, it was only going to get deeper over the next couple of hours. So, we waited a little while longer.

Rudder Cut Cay and the surrounding islands have been purchased by David Copperfield, the magician, and have been turned into a private and exclusive resort.  The resort itself is on Musha Cay which was just to the north of where we were anchored.  The resort is so exclusive that they don’t rent out individual rooms or cottages, but rather only the entire island itself.  So, if you have a spare $300k to spend, you too can reserve the island for $60k per night for a minimum of 5 nights, and bring your family and closest friends to spend a few days in paradise with you!  (Check out ‘Mushacay.com’ for photos and details).

We eventually got underway and as planned had plenty of water as we motorsailed our way north. The shallowest depths we saw we somewhere between 6 ½ and 7 ‘ and we were still a good 2 hours before high tide.  Love it when a plan works out! Another blessing.

Our destination for the day was the settlement of Black Point, just over 10 to 12 miles to the north.  As we said earlier, we are planning to travel north through the Exumas at a much slower pace this time.  10 to 12 miles a day is pretty slow.

We found a nice spot to anchor just to the west of the town dock and hopefully out of the path the mailboat and commercial water taxis used as they crossed the channel.  When we stopped here earlier in February our dinghy motor wasn’t working and we never made it ashore and the anchorage was very rolly.  This time around was different.

The water was flat and we had a functioning motor. Once we had everything secured and tidied up from our short trip north, we headed to shore to go explore.  According to our cruising guide, Black Point is the second most populated settlement in the Exumas after George Town.  After walking around for about 45 minutes, I’m not sure if I would have come to that same conclusion.  The little village was nice, but it definitely didn’t feel like there were many people around.

One of the highlights of our visit to Black Point was dinner at Lorraine’s. We enjoyed some great seafood and a pleasant atmosphere. The other highlight of the visit was picking up a loaf of freshly baked coconut bread.  We actually had to call earlier in the day to place our order for the bread.  Lorraine is in her 70’s and has been baking fresh bread for the settlement for ages.  Cruisers make it a point to swing by Black Point to get a loaf or two as they pass by. 

The bread is delicious by itself, but also makes a great base for French Toast.  After dinner, our waitress took us next door to her grandmother’s house (Lorraine’s) so we could pick up our bread.  With a full tummy and a fresh loaf of bread in tow, we headed back to the boat for the evening.

We enjoyed our French Toast for breakfast and with a good internet connection, we were able to virtually attend our home church service.  What a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

After church, we got underway for another long journey or 10 to 12 miles to Big Majors Cay just north of Staniel Cay.  We’re beginning to really like this pace!

Big Majors and Staniel Cay are home to two of the most famous attractions in the Exumas.  The first is the swimming pigs.  Apparently, there is a herd (not sure if that’s the proper term for a group of pigs or not) of wild pigs that live on Big Majors just off ‘Pig Beach’.  I’m not sure how ‘wild’ they actually are anymore as tour boats come to the beach throughout the day bringing tourist. The pigs will actually swim out 20 or 30 yards offshore to the boats to be fed.  The tourist oblige by throwing food into the water, and the pigs do their part by putting on a show.  Some folks will get in the water to swim with the pigs or swim to the beach to try and pet them.  We were content with just hanging out in our dinghy a little beyond swimming range and just watched the show.

The other main attraction in the area is the ‘Thunderbolt Grotto’ that was featured in the James Bond movie ‘Thunder Bolt’.  At high tide, the entrance to the grotto is underwater and you have to dive a few feet below the surface and swim in to reach the opening. Once inside, the ceiling rises 20 feet or so above the surface of the water and sunlight pours in through a large opening in the top.  It really is impressive. 

We had timed our visit to the grotto for low tide so that we could enter without even having to dive under water.  Fortunately for us, there was only one other group of people at there when we first arrived, so we were able to really explore without feeling like we were part of a crowd.  As we were leaving, 3 tour boats showed up with a couple dozen guests so our timing ended up being perfect. Another blessing and great way to start the day.

After visiting the grotto we returned to the boat and grabbed a quick lunch. We then went snorkeling with a couple we had met back in January when we first checked into the Bahamas. Even though our paths through the Bahamas has been different, we’ve stayed in touch and shared notes about the different places we each had visited.  So, it was nice to connect with them here in Big Majors and spend a day or two exploring together.

We had a nice afternoon snorkel and then enjoyed watching the sunset with them from ‘cruiser’s beach’.

We took the dinghy to town the following day and spent the morning walking around Staniel Cay. Unlike Black Point, Staniel Cay appeared to have a thriving vacationing/rental business. There is a small airport that 8 to 10 passenger planes land throughout the day and you see golf carts with tourist driving around the island. 

There is also a large marina on Staniel Cay that is able to service the mega yachts that populate the anchorages in this area. So, it appears to be very prosperous. We ended up having lunch at the marina before returning to the boat. While at the marina, we saw at least a dozen nurse sharks just hanging out in the shallow water. Apparently like the pigs across the way at Big Majors, these nurse sharks are accustomed to getting fed by the fishermen when they begin to clean their catch each evening.  You can walk down the steps and actually try to pet them if you’d like. We elected to pass and returned to the boat.

The sun was really shining and without much of a breeze it got pretty warm onboard, pretty quickly so we decided to take a dip and cool off. The water looked like a pristine kept pool.  While we were floating alongside the boat we did see one nurse shark swim by us, but apparently they weren’t interested in us at all and kept right on swimming by. That was fine with us.

Later that evening we had our friends over for dinner and enjoyed another evening of camaraderie.  The next day we would be resume our trip north and they would be soon heading south to George Town.  So, after an enjoyable evening we turned in for the night.

We’ll be heading north and entering the Exuma’s Land and Sea Park later on Wednesday and hope to be able to explore a lot more than we did in February. There is no cell service in the park, so it might be a while before we post our adventures in the park.

March 13^th – March 17^th

Repeatedly pushing the start button didn’t change the situation. There was no noise coming from either the starter or the engine so it looked like we wouldn’t be heading north in the morning as planned.

One of nice things about Lee Stocking Island compared to George Town, is that it is uninhabited and very remote.  George Town was 20 miles to the south, and the nearest settlement, Barretarre was a little closer at just over 5 miles south of us. We COULD make the trip to Barretarre in our little dinghy if we needed to and then could possibly rent a car and drive to George Town or the airport if we needed to for parts. But first we had to figure out what was wrong.

After confirming the batteries were charged and in good shape, I suspected the start switch, removed it from the wiring harness, cleaned all the connectors, and reinstalled it and tried it again. Same result, no noise. Since it looked like a pretty simple little switch and I’ve had previous success disassembling switches and parts, I decided I’d again remove the switch from the harness and this time, completely disassemble it to clean all the internal contact points. 

Using a screwdriver with a very small blade I was able to pry the switch apart, and as I did, several springs and internal parts popped right out like a jack in a box before I had a chance to see how everything was properly assembled.  The sad thing is, I was having second thoughts about whether I should be taking this apart or not, but once I started prying it open, there was no going back. 

Now, not only did we have an engine that wouldn’t start, I had a bunch of tiny parts to a switch laying all over the work table and I had no idea how it went back together. Even if I did, the parts were so small it was almost impossible to hold things in place while putting the cover back on.  This was going from bad to worse the more I kept trying to fix things.

Finally, Diane convinced me that we should probably take a break, fix something to eat, and then tackle the problem in the morning after a good night’s rest. It sounded good anyway. I did stop tearing things apart, but certainly didn’t rest well that evening.  My mind kept going back to the moment I started prying the switch apart … not one of my smarter moves. Even if cleaning the starter like we previously did fixed that issue, I now had to figure out how to fix the switch, since I didn’t have a spare.

After a restless night, I started sending messages to a few of our cruising friends letting them know what was going on and asking for troubleshooting pointers or suggestions. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I had the information I needed to jury-rig some wiring to bypass the normal starting circuit and go straight from the battery to starter (kind of like hot wiring a car I guess).

When I did this, the starter made a clicking sound but didn’t turn over. So, I disassembled the starter, cleaned it all again as I had done a week earlier, and then re-installed it.  This time when I did the hot wire trick the starter initially made noise like it was going to work, then stopped and began emitting the very distinctive smell of burnt electrical components.  This was really not good.

Upon removing and now disassembling the starter a second time this morning, it became obvious the starter was dead.  Apparently, the odor we were now smelling was caused when the internal starter components began to weld themselves together. 

We called the local auto parts stores and marinas in the area and were informed that they didn’t carry that starter. We could order one from a distributor in the US and have it flown to George Town and receive it in about a week or so.

Fortunately, one of our cruising friends confirmed that they had a spare starter, same model as the one we needed, and were willing to give it to us.  They just asked that we order a replacement and have it sent to their home in the US rather than deal with a chartered flight and customs duties to have one flown into the Bahamas. That was great news – what a blessing.  Now all we needed to do was figure out how to get from the boat in George Town to us.

Again, we were blessed when another cruising friend that was located about half-way between us and George Town, offered to sail his boat the 10 miles down to George Town early Sunday morning and then turn around and travel 20 miles to bring the starter up to us.  He even offered to stick around as long as needed to make sure everything was installed and working.

Knowing we had a new starter on the way we could relax a little, but we still needed to figure out what to do about the disassembled starter switch as I didn’t want to hot wire the new starter and risk ruining that one.

The friend with the starter put me in touch with another cruiser I had never met before, but she knew him and he was really good with electrical issues and most boat systems.  After contacting him and sending him a few photos of the switch and harness, he was able to walk me through how to start the motor using the original wiring harness and a few simple connectors. 

Now we had a starter being delivered the next day AND a solution to the switch that could work until we made it back to the States.  We were finally able to relax and spent the rest of the day enjoying the scenery around us.  If you’ve got to be stuck somewhere, anchored off the beautiful beaches of Lee Stocking Island wasn’t a bad place to be stuck.

By now I had become quite skilled at removing and installing the starter, so it didn’t take long to get the new one installed once our friend arrived with the starter. Prior to starting the engine, I talked him through the new temporary starting procedure and he confirmed it all made sense to him.  So, we were ready to give it a try.

The new starter cranked over immediately just as designed and the engine started right up. Success!

There were still a few minor issues to be addressed with the engine fuel system and we wanted to come up with a more robust solution for starting the engine than the temporary hot wiring, but that all could wait until tomorrow. Now it was time for a celebration/thank-you dinner.

Diane prepared a delicious dish of shrimp alfredo and we all ate well. It was a great way to end a great day.

When I woke early Monday, I was completely relaxed knowing that our engine would now start.  With a good night’s rest under my belt and a much clearer understanding of how the switch was supposed to work to properly start the engine, I decided to try one more time to reassemble the original switch. Much to my surprise, as I started putting the switch pieces back into what I assumed was the correct order and place within the switch housing they all seemed to fall right in place.  I grabbed the top half of the switch, carefully lined it up and snapped it into place.  Another blessing! The switch was now fixed.

Our friend came over a little later in the morning and even though I had the old switch reassembled and working properly, he agreed with me that we should probably finish making a backup switch just in case. Fortunately, he had several spare components that I didn’t have, and we were able to make a nice little back-up switch. Just in case.

With the engine starting, and the wiring complete it was time to enjoy the afternoon and go snorkeling to see if we could finally snag a lobster or two.

Since we didn’t have any ‘young guns’ with us trying to dive in 25 or 30 feet of water, we focused on locations that were only about 10 to 12 feet deep.  The second spot we tried we finally found an underwater ledge or ‘hole’ and saw several lobsters hiding in there.

I made an attempt to get one but wasn’t successful so he went down and tried.  He was able to spear one and swam back to put it in the dinghy while I kept watch over the hole.  I dove down again and ended up scaring one of the remaining lobsters out of the hole. I followed it for a while, tried to get it, but it swam away.

When my friend returned, I dove back down to try and get the remaining lobster.  This one also quickly swam out of the hole and we both began to chase it.  When we had it cornered, I told my friend to go ahead and use his spear to get it so it wouldn’t get away.  (I’m using an older, homemade Hawian Sling that’s more of an underwater slingshot than a pole spear. In the right hands it can be just as effective, but I apparently, I haven’t mastered using it yet!)

He dove down and was able to get it, so we now had two lobsters. 

Since it was just early afternoon and the diving was pretty good we decided to move to one more spot and see if we could find anymore. (And I still needed to get one).

It didn’t take long in the new location before I spotted a what looked like a pretty good sized lobster in only about 8 feet of water. I dove down, took a shot, and the lobster swam right out of the hole.  Not to be out done a third time, I followed the lobster and was finally able to get a shot off that worked.  When I brought the lobster up, I was surprised how big it actually was. 

We now had three good sized lobster. We would cook two tonight for the three of us, and then take the third one down to George Town on Tuesday to give to our friend that gave us the starter. It was the least we could do.

The fresh lobster was delicious and we again were thankful for how blessed we’ve been for this place and the friends we’ve made. We slept great Monday night.

We got up early Tuesday. The motor started right up, and along with our buddy boat, we were underway by 8 am. The ride down to George Town was pretty rough. Both the wind and the waves were right on the nose. That is, we were headed directly into them.  It wasn’t a pleasant ride, but one we definitely wanted to make to personally say thank-you and to also say good bye once again for the season. (A week earlier we had said goodbye to the same group when we initially left for Lee Stocking to seek protection from the weather during the last blow).

After arriving back in George Town, we spent some time ‘putting the boat back together’ as lots of stuff had rolled off the shelves or out of the lockers during our bumpy, rolly 4 hour trip south.  With the boat in some semblance of order, we went ashore to grab a burger and meet our friend.

Later that evening we delivered the lobster to her on her boat and enjoyed a nice round of ‘sundowners’ onboard.

We spent the next day in town getting provisions, water, and fuel for our trip north and then enjoyed one last meal of the season together as a group.  It really has been a blessing to meet this group of cruisers. We enjoyed traveling around with them for several weeks and look forward to catching up again in the not too distance future.

After a great evening, we returned to Eos and turned in for the evening.

At 8 am Thursday morning, we started the engine as planned, pulled our anchor shortly after that, and headed north up the channel.  We waved our goodbyes once again to George Town and hope that this time it will be a little longer before we return!

March 6^th – March 12^th

We got underway Saturday morning as planned and followed another sailboat in front of us down the channel and through the cut.  As we’ve mentioned before, it’s always nice to follow someone else out as it takes a little bit of stress off the navigator.

Once we cleared the cut, we turned into the wind to hoist mainsail. We only had a 20 mile trip and most of the day to get there so we were hoping to sail most the way.  We did hoist the main, but when we turned back to our desired course both the wind and seas weren’t cooperating and it was obvious that these weren’t great sailing conditions. The wind we did have was very light and when we steered to fill the sails with wind, the seas were rolling us too much. So, we dropped the main, and proceeded to motor the rest of the way.

Entering Adderley Cut later in the afternoon we didn’t have another boat to lead us through the cut, so we had to be extra vigilant during our approach and subsequent navigating. Fortunately, we didn’t run into any issues and made our way to the anchorage.

Since the forecast for the upcoming week was to have several days of consistently high winds from the East/NorthEast we selected spot that would provide us maximum shelter from both the wind, and any wind driven waves for those conditions.  The spot we selected would be perfect for those conditions later in the week. Tonight however, the wind would be coming from directly from the opposite direction and we would have to spend one rolley night at anchor until the winds shifted the following day. No worries. It was well worth it to us to get to a good spot for the upcoming blow and ensure the anchor was set.

There were only a few other boats in the anchorage, so we didn’t have any problems selecting a good spot and getting our anchor set. 

Shortly after anchoring, we noticed that one of the boats in the anchorage was owned by a younger couple we first met back in November while traveling through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We’d run into them a few times during our time here in the Bahamas, so we hailed them on the radio to check in and say hello.

After our check in, Nick asked if I wanted to join him on a spearfishing and snorkeling expedition in a few minutes. Since I still hadn’t successfully gotten a lobster yet, I jumped at the chance. I gathered my gear, and within a few minutes was onboard his dinghy and we were headed out to the sound (ocean) side of the island.

For the past several months, Nick and his friends have been diving throughout the Bahamas and have been very successful getting fish and lobster. Part of the secret to their success is that they are able to free dive down to depths of 25 – 30 feet and have great breath control. I haven’t mastered either of those skills yet but do continue to practice. So for this trip, I was basically along for the ride and practice. 

I watched as Nick routinely dove down to 30’ and stayed under water for close to a minute or more.  He showed me some techniques to improve my diving and had I found I was able to get down to 20’ or so without too much of an issue. The only problem was, once I was down there, I almost immediately needed to turn around and come back to the surface, leaving me little to no time to actually look for, much less shoot, any lobster hiding down there.

Nick quickly found and shot a lobster for us, and then proceeded to turn his attention to fish.  He spotted a Hog fish, supposedly really delicious despite it’s name, but was unsuccessful with getting it. We continued snorkeling and diving for another hour or so while I kept the lobster out of the water on a float. By this time, we had drifted several hundred yards away from the dinghy and it was time to turn around, swim to the dinghy, and head home.

When we were about a hundred yards from the dinghy, we spotted a very large, reddish fish, about 20 to 25’ below us.  Nick dove down, shot it, and brought it back to the surface where he then took care of finishing the fish off with his knife and proceeded to swim more quickly back to the dinghy. As he turned to swim to the dinghy with the fish in the air, but dripping blood, he says “I’ll swim this back to the dinghy, keep an eye out for sharks as we swim back.”  Keep an eye out for sharks? What was I supposed to do if I saw one, punch it in it’s nose or something? So, I proceeded to calmly but quickly swim back towards the dinghy as well, trying to keep one eye on the dinghy and the other scanning the water for a shark looking for an early dinner.

Fortunately, the sharks didn’t materialize and we got the fish, the lobster, and ourselves back onboard without any visitors!

Nick was nice enough to give Diane and I both the lobster and some of the fish he caught. Turns out the fish was an Amber Jack. While it’s not on the top of any delicacy lists, it was fresh and we eventually would make some delicious fish tacos one evening, and then some steamed fish another. But tonight, we finally enjoyed fresh Bahamian lobster. It was a real treat. Spending some time in Lee Stocking was going to be great.

The next day I was again invited to go out diving, but now several of Nick’s other buddy boats had arrived and they would be diving in even deeper water. I thanked them for the offer, but since I didn’t want to hold them up, I declined. Also, as the wind was forecasted to pick up later tonight and blow very stiffly for the next several days, today was going to be the best day for Diane and I to go hiking and exploring the island until the winds settled down.

So the ‘boys’ went out diving and we went ashore to go hiking.

Before we actually went ashore, we took a short side trip to snorkel around a little cay just a half mile from our anchorage across the little channel.  We had seen this little cay on the charts when we were looking at where to anchor and thought it was strangely named –“Tug and Barge Rocks”.  Thinking an accident must have happened around the key to be named that, we didn’t pay it much more attention. When we were coming down the channel to our anchorage Tug and Barge Cay came into view and revealed the origin of its name. It looked exactly like a little tug boat pulling a big barge. We later learned that there were some coral reefs around the rocks, hence the snorkeling side trip.

At one time, Lee Stocking Island was home to the Caribbean Marine Research Center, but because of lack of funding the center eventually closed in 2012 and has been abandoned ever since.  We tied the dinghy to the abandoned dock, ignored the posted signs and walked around the old buildings and across the abandoned airstrip. It’s kind of eerie and depressing to walk through an entire complex that been abandoned.  We only spent about 45 minutes walking around and decided to go explore some other parts of the island.

We motored to the beach directly in front of our anchorage and had a great hike up some small hills and were treated with nice 360 degree views of the entire anchorage, banks, and sound.  Much more energizing than tramping around old buildings.

Imagines from our first hike

Later that evening, the younger boaters were putting on a bonfire on the beach and invited everyone in the anchorage to join in.  By this time, there were about a dozen boats that had anchored in the harbor to ride out the big blow that was to come in later that evening and last for three or four days.  The bonfire was nice, and it we had a great time getting to know all our new ‘neighbors.’

We retired for the evening and waited for the wind to pick up later in the evening or early in the morning. At around 3 am, the wind speed did begin to pick up considerably as forecasted and didn’t stop blowing for the next 3 days or so.

During that time, we stayed on the boat, did some cleaning, took care of some administrative tasks, and actually started working on our taxes. With a good internet connection it’s amazing what you can do even in a remote place like Lee Stocking Island

It was a very productive couple of days for us.  One day when the wind wasn’t blowing quite as strong the ‘boys’ went diving again and shared another lobster and some more fish with us. It was still too strong for us to want to venture off the boat and go ashore, but apparently, they were all getting cabin fever and wanted to get off their boats for awhile. Again, it was nice for them to share with us and we made sure we gave them a few cold refreshments for their efforts.

Finally, by Friday the wind had died down enough for us to once again, go exploring. This would be our last day here on Lee Stocking as on Saturday we planned to begin heading north.  For our first hike of the day we decided we’d summit Perry’s Point, the highest point in the Exuma Islands.  While at first that might sound impressive, but at 39 meters (128 feet) it’s really not that tall at all! The hike to the top was well marked and maintained and we enjoyed the views. Perry’s Point was the hill that protected us so well from the high winds.

For the second hike of the day, we followed a trail that went across the island and we ended up on the ocean side of the island.  Even though winds had died down some, it was still blowing enough in the ocean that we were glad we weren’t traveling today as we watched some large waves roll in and crash on the rocks and beaches that line the Atlantic side of the island.

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After hiking, we decided to go for a dive near the cut and see if we could find any lobsters hiding out there for us.  The water wasn’t quite so deep, but there was a very strong current moving through the cut.  I spent about an hour in the water, saw one lobster but couldn’t get deep enough for a good shot so I decided just to keep swimming. After another few minutes, we had drifted to the other side of the cut, the waves were building, and it was time to make our dinghy ride back to the boat.

Throughout the day as we had been moving from our boat to the hiking spots, and then to where we were diving, the wind and waves in the harbor were with us so it was a very pleasant ride. When we returned to go back to the boat, both the wind and waves were directly on our nose and it was a very wet ride back to the boat.

We’ve enjoyed our time here in Lee Stocking and were blessed with great protection from the winds, and surrounded by a group of young and generous cruisers that shared with us during our time here. It’s been a great place to be ‘stuck’ for a week, but we were ready to get back on board, run the engine to heat some water, take a warm shower, and get ready to head north in the morning.

The ride back to the boat took almost an hour and by the time we got back on board, we were soaked and cold and looking forward to warming up.  Once back to the boat, we unloaded our gear from the dinghy sat out on the deck for a few minutes to dry off and got ready to fire up the engine and warm up some water.

The engine started immediately and then stalled after just a few seconds. When I tried to restart the engine, neither the starter nor the engine made any noise. Not this again.

Looks like we won’t be leaving Lee Stocking Island as soon as we thought! Will hopefully update everyone soon.

March 3^rd – March 6^th

We spent most of the next three days alternating between going into town for provisions, supplies, looking for spare parts, and hanging out with our friends over near Chat ‘n  Chill on the other side of the harbor.

In all likelihood we would all be taking different paths from this point forward and this would be the last few days we had to visit. The first boat to leave the group a few days earlier to pick up guests, actually returned to George Town for a day to visit. The crew on our other buddy boat was flying home after spending almost 2 and a half months traveling around the Bahamas. The captain on that boat was going to be staying put in George Town for another week or so until her next crew member flew in to join her. So, we all took advantage of the time we had for one last visit.

The weather forecast for the next week (March 9^th through 13^th) was calling for some very strong winds, consistently in the mid to high 20 knots with gusts into the 30’s. Not good weather for traveling, so we needed to be wherever we wanted to be by Sunday. After that, we weren’t going to be able to move for the better part of a week. 

We all talked over plans. Our friend who had the guest on board, would be moving slightly north and staying in a marina for the week since he still needed to be able to entertain his guest and get them back to the airport at the end of the week.  Our other friend would be riding the blow out in George Town and not moving at all since she would be without any crew for another week or so.

We decided it was time for us to start our slow trip back north so that we could visit all the places in the Exumas we had skipped on our way down as we had rushed south to pick up our ‘lightweight’ new outboard motor!

So, we restocked the boat, said our goodbyes, and got ready to head north early Saturday morning. We’ve enjoyed our time in this part of the Bahamas and look forward to returning and exploring even further south on our next trip.