Feeding Time

Big Majors Spot

A group of pigs lives on a small beach on Big Majors Spot. These are just ordinary domestic farm pigs, but they are accustomed to being fed by the cruisers. As you approach the beach, they come out to see what treats you have. We offered bananas and sweet potatoes. They get a little excited and act like they will climb into the dinghy. Once they know the treats are gone, they return to the beach to lie in the sand and wait for the next feeding.

Diane (staying at a safer distance), 

Staniel Cay

At Staniel Cay is Thunderball Cave, after which the James Bond movie was named. At low water, you can enter the cave without diving under. At high water, it is just a short stretch through the entrance. The fish expect to be fed. The fish pictured were impatient for me to open the ziplock bag to release their food. It only took seconds for them to devour all the food I brought.

Really Busy In George Town

We have had quite a change of pace since returning to George Town. We met Gerald and Diane off Thyme Off from Ottawa, and through them, Marty and Debbie off Bay Pelican from Chicago. The six of us have been almost inseparable, sharing meals and playing dominoes on each other's boats in the evening and participating in activities during the day. We have taken walks ashore, spent time at Volleyball Beach, tried different restaurants for lunch, got engaged in French Day, sponsored by the French Canadians, and learned how to play Bocce Ball. One evening, we had an ABBA night, watching and enjoying an ABBA DVD together. Marty and Deb are heading south to Trinidad this season, so we parted with them. Gerald and Diane need to be in Nassau toward the end of the month to pick up her brother, so we decided to travel back up the Exuma chain with them for a while before returning to George Town for the beginning of the Cruisers Regatta. As of this writing, we are at Black Point Settlement. It was good to see Lorraine again and introduce Gerald and Diane to her. We were her only guests for dinner last night, so she decorated our table for a one-day late Valentine's dinner.

Diane, Marty, Gerald

Willie Rolle

Willie's Garden of Eden

Loraine at Loraine's Cafe

Gerald announces sundown on the conch (being a trumpet player, he is very good)

After gracefully entering the dinghy

French Day Gerald and Diane

Bocce Ball

French Day

Linda, Norm, Debbie, Marty, Diane, Gerald

Yoga on the beach each morning (not shown - guys just hanging out)

Gone Fishing

Until very recently, we did not have fishing gear aboard. Norm wasn't sure what he needed or wanted, so he procrastinated for over a year. The biggest obstacle is that there is no room on the stern to set up a trolling rod and little spare room aboard to store fishing equipment. Shortly after we arrived in George Town, Norm attended a fishing seminar put on by a cruiser who was very knowledgeable on the subject. This really filled some huge knowledge gaps for him and inspired him to get moving. In George Town, the prices on the fishing gear, as with most everything else, were too much. He found the fishing gear prices at a marine supply store on Long Island to be comparable to US prices and 1/3 to 1/2 less than in George Town and Nassau. He had decided, given our cluttered stern situation and otherwise limited space aboard, to go with a Cuban YoYo, which is a hand line. Our first opportunity to use the new gear was on our return from the northern tip of Long Island to George Town. This route crosses very deep water where the fishing is best. We had our line out for about one hour before we got a hit. We were under sail at about 7 1/2 knots, so first we had to slow the boat down. We rolled in the jib and then turned slightly into the wind. The Mahi Mahi on our line was absolutely beautiful, swimming and fighting in the crystal clear water. As soon as a Mahi Mahi is pulled from the water, they lose their beautiful colors.

We were traveling with Demon Du Midi, so we immediately invited them to a fish dinner. They subsequently caught a smaller Mahi Mahi. It was an all-around good day of sailing and fishing, finished with an excellent dinner and good company.

Exploring Long Island

We are exploring Long Island with Remy and Dominique from Demon Du Midi and Brian and Jan from Wind Chaser. We are taking advantage of a long stretch of good weather without west winds, as there really isn't any protection from the southwest in particular. We traveled as far south on the west side of Long Island as reasonably possible with our draft. We have been in Thompson Bay near Salt Pond for several days. It is a beautiful location. We rented a van with Demon Du Midi and Wind Chaser to explore the entire island. Long Island is about 80 miles long and about 4 miles wide. At our current location, we are below the Tropic of Cancer, so we are now in the tropics.

Roadside lunch spot

Cave just off the beach in Salt Pond - yes, they are bats.

Old Spanish Church - thought to have been built by Spanish settlers in the 1700's

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church - built by Father Jerome after he converted to Catholicism

Brian and  Dominique

Remy and Brian are collecting coconuts

Bahamas Images

Typical hiking trail - very slow going

Near a pirate's lair - a camping area of pirates, as evidenced by non native plants and trees from seeds which fell from their belongings

Police Station at Black Point Settlement

Loraine's Cafe - tending bar

Beach Church

The center of activity here in George Town is on Volleyball Beach. This is a regular community, organized and run by cruisers. We attended Beach Church on our first weekend here, and it immediately became a hit with us. It is an actual, organized non-denominational church. So far, we have not had any actual ministers in the anchorage, but that has not diminished the quality of the message.

Arriving At George Town

Elizabeth Harbor has to be approached from the east side. Since the winds are generally from the east, we timed our arrival in George Town according to the wind and sea forecast. We moved to Little Farmers Cay to stage for going out the cut the next day, and on down to George Town. There were two other boats at Little Farmers Cay, Nikita from Seattle and Free@Last from Sidney, Australia. Both boats had young children on board and had been traveling together since Annapolis. We all departed together at 7:00 am in perfect sailing conditions. It was a fast trip, and we were generally running 7.5 - 8 knots. Free@Last caught a Mahi Mahi and invited and Nikita and us to share the catch. It was a wonderful evening, and it was fun to watch the kids, two three-year-olds and a five-year-old, keep themselves busy in the cabin while we enjoyed good conversation in the cockpit. Hamish grilled the fish on the Bar B, and it was excellent. Shortly after we anchored, Ann from Borrowed Horse brought three pounds of shark over to us. Neither of us has knowingly eaten shark (we are guessing it is probably in fish sticks and similar things), but we were willing to give it a try. We grilled about a third of it a couple of days later, and while it was a good mild fish, neither of us cared for the texture. We gave our remaining shark to Brian on Wind Chaser, as he likes shark meat very much.

Our New Winter Home

Wind Chaser left Exuma Park a day before us. They spent last winter in the Exumas, so they wanted to see some new and different places and maybe go to George Town at a faster pace than we planned. We will catch up with them later. We had some nice gatherings on the beach for cocktails. The park built a fire for us on Saturday night. After leaving Warderick Wells, we went to Black Point Settlement to do laundry. The laundromat, Rockside Inn, came highly recommended. After some bad and expensive experiences last year in the Abacos, we are very cautious. This turned out to be the very best, not only for the Bahamas, but for the US as well. A little more expensive than in the US, but not bad for the Bahamas. The equipment worked very well, and the place was spotless. We like Black Point Settlement so much that we have decided it will be our home base, the place we keep coming back to after exploring. We met Lorraine, who runs Lorraine's Cafe. We are so comfortable at Lorraine's. She has great, reasonably priced meals, free WiFi, a book exchange, and a television. The bar is self-serve. You just make up your drink or find one in the cooler and note your drinks on a pad to be settled later. Lorraine's mom makes breads, and we started with an initial order for two coconut breads. It makes the best French toast. We bought two lobsters from local fishermen who stopped by in their boat. The catch was fresh, and we didn't take long to get them in a pot of boiling water. This was our first spiny lobster, and they were very good.

Now In The Exumas

From Nassau, we left with a flotilla, as everyone waited for the same favorable wind conditions. Our first stop in the Exumas was at Allens Cay. On the way across to Allens Cay, we went through an area of coral heads and began honing our skills at reading the water (color). For about an hour, Norm stood on the bow and directed Linda with hand signals to avoid any potential coral heads. As we approached Allens Cay, all navigation was by sight, using the color of the water to determine deep water and to avoid sandbars. Allens Cay is known for its iguanas. These are friendly, and just about as soon as you land on the beach, they are around, hoping to be fed. We did not feed them, as none of the wildlife should be fed, but we noted that commercial boats bring tourists to Allens Cay, and some provided food for their guests to feed the iguanas.

After spending a couple of nights at Allens Cay, we were off to Normans Cay. Normans Cay was once held by Colombian drug lord Carlos Lehder. The remaining part now is the air strip, which is active. There is a beach club and a few vacation villas. We let our dinghy drift over a plane wreck. It is perfectly preserved and intact below the surface. The fuselage and tail, which were above the surface, corroded away. Normans Cay is just outside the Exumas Park, where all plants and wildlife are protected. We found the conch plentiful at Normans Cay.

We spent New Year's Eve at Normans Cay and celebrated with pizza on Wind Chaser, but we were back aboard Ariel by 7:30 pm.

On New Year's Day, we continued on to Warderick Wells in the heart of Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park. This park covers an area of 176 square miles. The entire area is a no-take zone. Nothing can be removed, living or dead. This area has great snorkeling, and the island has some very interesting walking trails. We were assigned a mooring in the north mooring field, near the park office.

We have been traveling with the same group of boats more or less since Nassau, so we are getting to know many of our frequent neighbors.

On mooring 

Nassau

Our original plan was to clear into the Bahamas in Bimini, rest there, and then continue on to Nassau for a brief stop before entering the Exuma chain. The weather windows to cross have been few and brief. Our window would only stay open for a couple of days, and knowing that if we did not continue on, we would be held up in Bimini, we decided to bypass Bimini and continue on to Nassau. We passed just north of Bimini, crossed the bank, and then entered the Northwest Channel and then on to Nassau. We arrived at Nassau just a few hours before the window closed again. This is our first time in Nassau, and we are glad we have the opportunity to see what it is all about. We are anchored in the middle of the harbor formed between Paradise Island and the city of Nassau on New Providence Island. We are at a position east of the cruise ship docks and south of Atlantis, and west of the bridges that connect to Paradise Island. Three or four cruise ships arrive daily, sometimes as many as five. They stay just one day. We ventured to the cruise ship dock part of town, but didn't find anything of interest to us. It was mostly luxury goods for the cruise ship crowd.

We spent an afternoon at Atlantis. We had permission to land our dinghy at a small dock in front of the Dockmaster's office. The marina caters to the very large luxury yachts. The aquarium is fascinating. We walked through the casino and past all the shops. We concluded with a walk on the beach, which was packed with vacationers.

The end of town east of the bridges is where most of the marinas are, and it is an area we like. It is where the locals shop. We needed just a couple of items at the grocery store and found the supermarket to be as well-stocked as is typical in the US.

We met many cruisers at a weekly luncheon organized by BASRA (Bahamian Air Sea Rescue Association). It was at the Green Parrot, an extremely cruiser-friendly restaurant. They provide a dinghy dock and free WiFi. BASRA also runs a radio net in the mornings to provide a weather update and a chance for cruisers to connect.

Fantasy Island (Windchaser in foreground)

Aquarium

Brian and Jan

A Fast Run To Miami

Upon returning to Fernandina Beach after three weeks away, we found Ariel in good condition, meaning the birds had not made too big a mess. The very next day, we were on our way south again. Our buddy boat, Wind Chaser, had left the same marina a full week ahead of us, so we were determined to do our best to catch up or at least not have them wait too long in Miami for us.

Along the way, we visited with Barry and Susan on Swan while anchored in Cocoa Beach and with Iain and Jan on Jocks Lodge while anchored in North Palm Beach.

After leaving the Palm Beaches area, the waterway was all new to us since we did not go any further south last year. The stretch between the Palm Beaches and Port Everglades has 21 bridges that must open to allow passage. Almost all of them are on a fixed schedule, so timing is very important. We found the bridge tenders to be very pleasant, and the schedules worked out to be very accommodating. We would do this stretch again without hesitation. We went outside for the last leg, departing from Port Everglades and returning via Government Cut in Miami. There is one fixed bridge in this stretch that we cannot get under.

Miami is an exciting place. There is ample room to anchor, and everything is easily accessible by dinghy through the extensive system of waterways and canals. It is just amazing to watch the cruise ships arrive and depart. They arrive around 4:00 am and depart the same day around 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  We spent an afternoon at South Beach after finding a canal that took us all the way there. This is a place we both wanted to visit.

Next stop - Bahamas

Miami Skyline

One of many cruise ships

Holding Up In Fernandina Beach

We went on a mooring at Fernandina Beach and then, for the weekend, rented a car. Enterprise offers great weekend rates at 1/2 the normal weekday rate. We had a great visit with Linda's sister, Dale, and her husband Steve in Palatka, Florida. We also made our last major provisioning for the winter months in the Bahamas. We had to take inventory and begin keeping records of our food stores in each compartment. They are not always visible, so it is good to know what is actually available.

We met up with Brian and Jan from Wind Chaser. We also met their son Cory. He is stationed at the Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia, and has an apartment in Fernandina Beach. We compared plans with Brian and Jan, and we all agreed to travel together this winter. We will visit the Exumas and explore some of the islands between the Exumas and the Turks and Caicos. Brian and Jan will keep Wind Chaser in Fernandina Beach until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Iain and Jan from Jocks Lodge arrived a week later at Cumberland Island, so we took Ariel to Cumberland Island after dropping our mooring. It was extremely windy, but we all made it in for a walk. We had quite an international group for our island touring. Jocks Lodge is Canadian. We were joined by a couple from a New Zealand boat, Long White Cloud, several years into their circumnavigation. They are extremely interesting and have so many wonderful experiences to share. We were also joined by a couple from an Australian boat, Tacu Tori. They purchased the boat in the US and are now traveling with Jocks Lodge. They will visit Cuba with Jocks Lodge and then continue on to Panama to cross to the Pacific Ocean and on to Australia.

Our plans have changed. We put Ariel in a slip at Fernandina Harbor Marina so we could go north.  Our dear family friend, Annette Newland lost her long battle with cancer on November 17, 2008.   We will be there for her celebration of life service and later we will spend Thanksgiving with family. We expect to be away for three weeks, and then after returning, we will move quickly to Miami to rejoin Wind Chaser for our crossing to Bimini.

Submarine leaving Kings Bay as we were returning from Cumberland Island to Fernandina Beach.

A Different Experience

This year's journey south is so much different than our first trip last year. Our plan was to go outside (along the coast) most of the way, but the wind conditions, both in direction and strength, have kept us inside on the ICW most of the way. We are now in Fernandina Beach, having finally gone outside at Charleston and re-entering at the St. Marys River.

We also experienced the skinniest water ever in a stretch of South Carolina. We knew it would be a potential problem since we would be passing this known problem spot at an absolute low tide. For a 1/2 mile stretch, we had continuous depths less than 5 feet. We soon ran aground, and for the first time ever, we could not get ourselves off on our own. We were resigned to wait on the rising tide to lift us off, but almost immediately, a local guy out checking his crab traps offered to try and pull us off. Not only did he pull us off, with some difficulty, but he gave us guidance on deeper water. In this case, the deeper water was 3 additional inches, but enough to keep going. It was extremely nerve-racking, as we occasionally felt Ariel bog down as the keel ran along the bottom.

We were extremely happy to go outside and hope to continue traveling along the Florida coast. The windows for outside travel have been short. As it was, the seas were building rapidly under strong east-to-northeast winds as we entered St. Mary's.

Dewees Creek - one of our favorite places to anchor - north of Charleston

Fort Sumter

 

Ready For The Push South

High winds were forecast, so after leaving Elizabeth City, we selected South Lake just off the Alligator River as our secure anchorage. It is a very desolate place with the only visible sign of human development being a flashing white light atop a tower in the very far distance. No other boats joined us, so we were indeed isolated. The winds picked up just as it got dark, increasing quickly to a sustained 30 - 35 knots with higher gusts. Without lights or moonlight, it was not possible to see the shoreline. We both monitored our GPS position for a couple of hours to ensure we were not dragging our anchor. We were held in this location for three nights and two days with consistently high winds. When we finally retrieved our anchor, it was confirmed that it had buried itself quite deeply.

Our next stop was Belhaven, NC. We like this town a lot. It is really made up of working folks, but it offers the basic essentials we need. We find everyone extremely friendly. We stayed a day to pick up our mail, do laundry, fill our propane tank, and pick up a few groceries. At the post office, they already had our package out front, waiting for us to stop by. What a treat compared to our experience in West Palm Beach last year.

Our insurance held us back until November to keep us out of the hurricane area, but now we are free to go, so we are serious about moving south as quickly as possible.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Last year, we were disappointed to find the Dismal Swamp route closed due to low water levels. At mile 7.3 on the Intercoastal Waterway, there is usually a choice between the Virginia Cut route and the Dismal Swamp route. We called ahead and were delighted to find the water level was at least 6.3 feet and the locks were back on four openings each day. The Dismal Swamp route is slower (no wake zone), much more scenic, and has more free docks available. There is no commercial traffic, and most powerboats avoid it due to the slower pace. The Dismal Swamp Canal has locks at both ends.  Entering the canal, you are raised to the level of the canal and, at the other end, lowered back down again. Immediately after clearing the Deep Creek lock at the north end, we tied up at a free dock with room for about five boats. We stayed three nights and got to know our dock neighbors. One night, when we had five boats staying, we had a Happy Hour on the dock. The small town of Deep Creek has good shopping from a boater's perspective. Linda made big additions to our provisioning by shopping at the Dollar General store. On the last day before leaving, three of us worked together to move our boats close to the only available water tap, and we each then filled our tanks and washed down our boats by connecting our hoses. We timed our departure from Deep Creek to the first lock opening. We were actually trapped between the lock and the bridge, which operates in conjunction with the lock. The trip down the canal was everything we could have hoped for. It was a beautifully clear day, and the canal was very scenic. The pace was purposefully slow to arrive at the lock on the far end at exactly the scheduled opening. We ran over three deadheads along the way. These are logs that have sunk to the bottom or near the bottom. They just bump along the bottom of the keel and do no harm.

Exiting the South Mills lock after being lowered eight feet, we hurried on to Elizabeth City to arrive during daylight. Our big disappointment was to find all fourteen of the free city docks filled. Elizabeth City is famous for its Rose Buddies. Friends of ours who went through about a week ahead of us confirmed the tradition is still going, even though its founder, Fred Fearing, died last year. The Rose Buddies greet the boaters and invite them to a wine and cheese party. The city mayor attended the wine and cheese party that our friends had attended. We anchored out for the night with a few other boats caught in the same circumstances. It was probably just as well, as we planned to leave at dawn to get across the Albemarle Sound before expected high winds and to find a secure anchorage.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States. Both George Washington and Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia felt that canals were the easiest answer for an efficient means of internal transportation. In 1784, the Dismal Swamp Canal Company was created. Digging began in 1793 and progressed slowly since the canal had to be dug completely by hand. Most of the labor was done by slaves hired from nearby landowners. It took approximately 12 years of back-breaking construction under highly unfavorable conditions to complete the 22-mile-long waterway. By 1805, flat-bottomed vessels could be admitted into the canal, where tolls were charged to allay the continual expense of improvements and maintenance.
By 1820, the Canal was recognized as an important part of commercial traffic between Virginia and North Carolina. In 1829, improvements to the waterway made it possible to accommodate deeper drafts. The 1860's and the onset of the Civil War put the canal in an important strategic position for Union and Confederate forces. Wartime activity, however, left the canal in a terrible state of repair. The repairs and maintenance needed for the canal made travel difficult.  A new era for the canal came in 1892 when the Lake Drummond Canal and Water Company launched rehabilitation efforts. Once again, a steady stream of vessels carrying lumber, shingles, farm products, and passengers made the canal a bustling interstate thoroughfare.  With the 20th century, however, improvements in modes of transportation meant another downturn for the canal. By the 1920's, commercial traffic had subsided except for passenger vessels. In 1929, it was sold to the federal government for $500,000, and since then, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has operated and maintained it.

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Before Lowering

After Being Lowered

Back Together Again In Spa Creek

After returning from visiting family, we moved Ariel out of the marina and anchored nearby, still in the downtown Baltimore area. The next day, we moved to Annapolis and anchored off the Naval Academy. The sailboat show had just ended, and they were setting up for the powerboat show in the harbor, so it was busy. With all of the boat traffic, it was pretty lumpy, so the next day we moved into Spa Creek and took a mooring. Iain and Jan from Jocks Lodge, our cruising partners from last season, have been anchored in Spa Creek while Jan is working at both of the boat shows. We had dinner on their boat our first night in Annapolis, and had them over on Ariel a couple of nights later for dinner. They are leaving for Cuba as soon as the boat shows are over. Their plans will take them to Mexico, Belize, and then Guatemala. Ted and Alice from Windsong, also our cruising partners from last winter, had prepared for and had hoped to cruise again this season, but Ted developed some medical problems that will keep them grounded for a while. The six of us got together for dinner on Thursday evening, which was wonderful. Ted looked good and seemed to be on the road to a good recovery. We were so happy to see them and will miss having them out there with us. We are on our way now, having had a very fast sail from Annapolis to Solomons. A strong north-northeast wind pushed us along at 7 knots. The anchorage is extremely crowded, and we had to squeeze in.

Camryn's First Birthday

Our weekend trip to Ohio for Camryn's first birthday could not have been nicer. Ariel was very secure at Inner Harbor East Marina, and the car rental was only a couple of blocks away. The leaves were at peak or near peak as we passed through the hills in Pennsylvania and New York.

The party, which was a brunch, was really nice, and afterward we were all invited to spend the afternoon together at Scott and Pamela's home. We got to spend time with all of our grandchildren. It was a very quick trip, and we were sad to leave, especially knowing we would not see them again until next June.