Where to spend the summer?

We are still in Clarencetown waiting for the East wind to let up so we can make some progress towards Turks and Caicos. It looks like our weather window will come this Sunday. The past few days have been spent grocery shopping, and enjoying the Internet connection we are picking up on the boat.

We are trying to figure out what we should do after we meet my parents in Turks and Caicos in early April. When we started sailing our goal was to end up in a Spanish speaking country for hurricane season (June 1st – October 1st). Nicole and I both have a Master’s degree in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). We wanted to find jobs teaching English and taking classes to learn Spanish. The easiest and quickest way to get to a Spanish speaking country where we could find employment would be to go to the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, The Dominican Republic is not the best place for a boat to be during Hurricane season. Another option is to take the boat down to Panama. We would both prefer to be in Panama this summer and it is below the Hurricane belt, but getting to Panama is much more difficult.

Getting to Panama requires making three major passages. The first is 240 miles from Great Inagua to Port Antonio Jamaica. The second is 360 miles from Montego Bay Jamaica to Isla de la Providencia. The third is 230 miles from Isla de la Providencia to Bocas Del Toro Panama. These three passages would all start after our last guest leaves April 16th. We would have roughly 6 weeks which would be just enough time when you factor in waiting for weather windows and a 5mph average speed. This is definitely our most difficult routing decision.

None Better

We left around 8:30 this morning hoping to make it to Crooked Island. Crooked Island is located 40 miles Southeast of us. The wind was forecast to be out of the East-Northeast which is our limit for sailing towards the direction the wind is coming from. A few miles out of the harbor it was clear that the wind was too much out of the East and we were not going to make it directly to our destination - Landrail Point.

Whenever possible we give ourselves a back up destination, or a way to bailout if conditions become unfavorable. In this case we headed further south to French Wells which gave us a better angle for sailing with East winds. However, a few miles further we realized that we wouldn't be able to sail the 10 hours directly to French Wells either. The seas were six feet, not scary, but enough to make us a little uncomfortable. At this point our options were were to start tacking towards one of the destinations or turn back to Clarencetown. If we had to tack we would be making landfall after dark somewhere along a rocky coast. We rechecked the charts, tried a tack then begrudgingly made the decision to turn back.

On the way back we throw our lure in the water. Ten minutes outside of the harbor we had a huge hit on the rod. Nicole took the helm and I tried to reel the beast in. Thirty yards from the boat I saw the unmistakable fin of a Mahi-Mahi.

The night before I read our friend's fish identification book. For each fish it gives a food value. Some are described as "not edible", others "good" or "excellent." Food value for the Mahi-Mahi - "none better."


I got the fish along side the boat repeating to myself, "none better, none better." I was determined not to let this mahi get away like the last one. We are still gaff less, so I let the fish wear himself out next to our boat. Once he stopped fighting I opened the life lines and hauled him aboard. Yes! Finally, I landed a big one. I tried to dispatch the fish with a few blows from my vice grips - no dice. I need a nice sized club for the next fish. I sat on the side pinning the flipping fish to the deck with my feet as Nicole navigated us through the tricky entrance to the harbor. Once the anchor was down we raced to shore to fillet the fish.


Our friends Maxwell and Jen on Anastasia were a huge help in chopping up the fish. The four of us spent the next 45 minutes filleting and cleaning the meat. We had grilled Mahi for lunch and for dinner, you guessed it, Mahi Mahi. Based on my limited fish eating expereince I agree with the fish book, there is none better then Mahi Mahi.

Georgetown to Clarencetown

Our wifi antenna is finally performing as advertised, and as a result we have completed a major upload of our pictures. You can see our photos on the right side in the flickr photo stream.


We are currently sitting in Clarencetown harbor, Long Island. We left Georgetown last Friday and made it to Conception Island. Conception is a national park with no development, but miles of pristine beaches and blue water. We were completely alone on Conception, so for a day it was our own private island. On the way there we caught a Mahi Mahi. I was able to get it to the side of the boat but when I tried to haul it over the life lines it got away. Next gaff I see I am going to buy.

Our first night at Conception was pretty rough. We were unprotected from large swells coming from the South. I put out a second anchor as a precaution. We were surrounded by coral reefs and it would have been bad news if our anchor dragged. I attempted to sleep on one of the settees which is less bouncy then the V berth, but I was largely unsuccessful. I was on deck several times throughout the night to check our position and let a few more feet of anchor line out to prevent chafe. At some point during the night, half a sleep, I went forward to let out more anchor line on our secondary anchor, but I forget to retie the cleat- Ooops. The next time I went outside I was terribly disappointed to find out we had lost an anchor. The next morning I took a dinghy ride and within minutes I found the lost anchor, snagged it with the dinghy anchor and had it back aboard. Its nice when you can fix a really dumb mistake that easily.



The trip from Conception to Clarencetown was long and tiring. Along the way our Simrad WP30 quit so Nicole and I took turns hand steering for 9 hours. One highlight of the trip was hooking a Marlin on our fishing line just long enough to see it jump out of the water and break our hook. I am hoping for some more successful fishing on our next trip to Crooked Island.

A Great Visit from Great Friends

Our first few days in Georgetown were spent getting prepared for a very exciting event. We spent one day washing all our sheets at the local Laundromat which cost more money than the drop off we used to use in Washington Heights – and back then we had much more to wash! But this is the Bahamas, mon. The next day, Chad got to the long, overdue task of fixing the bathroom door so that it would shut properly, while I cleaned the interior of the boat. I vacuumed up sand that was probably still with us from Waderwick Wells and scrubbed off mildew that may have been as old as our days in Maryland. After clearing off the pilot berth and stuffing everything into the shower we rinsed down the cockpit. A few bottles of coconut rum and many gallons of water to top off the tanks later and we were ready! Sabbatical was ready to host its first set of overnight guests.

Sarah, a good friend of mine whom we met while we were teaching in Washington Heights arrived first. After receiving the following text message at 6 am from her we were very relieved to see her. “They won’t let me on the plane with the package. They think I want to blow up the plane because the box smells like gasoline.” After months without a working wind generator, Southwest Wind Power sent our repaired one to Sarah’s house since we knew it could take even more months and much more money to send it directly to the Bahamas. And who knows which island we would be on when in arrived in the Bahamas. We thought sending it with Sarah would be the cheapest and quickest way to get it to us. Unfortunately, the plot foiled when a couple of annoying ticket agents decided that Sarah was either a drug smuggler or a terrorist. Needless to say, her first night on the boat was spent drinking many cocktails with me while Chad ordered a courier in New York to drive the package to Kelly’s house since she was due to arrive the next day.

Realizing our mistake of not concealing the box in a duffle bag, we hoped Kelly would have better luck since the ticket agents would have no reason to question or sniff a duffle bag. It had clothes in it! Thank goodness for good friends! It worked!!!! For the first time in many months Chad and I are not fighting over how much time we are allowed to spend on the computer before draining the batteries.

Eddie’s hosted its weekly Rake and Scrape night on Monday and we all went there to celebrate! The girls got to see a great mix of locals and cruisers (some who stay in Georgetown long enough to be called locals). We also got to catch up with our friends on Anastasia, Jen and Maxwell and Margarita on Moon Shadow.

The next day, Hillary, our former roommate, coworker, and classmate from graduate school arrived and we were ready to set sail. We took a long day sail to Thompson Bay, Long Island. Yes, they came all the way to the Bahamas from New York just to sail to Long Island. But there were no guys with greasy blow outs, traffic jams on highways, or fake tans anywhere in sight. Pristine, pink sand beaches, crystal clear water, and one long paved road which extends basically the entire length of the 80 mile long island was what we saw instead.

We rented a minivan (perfect size for 5) from Fox’s Auto and kept it for 2 days to explore the entire island. Just driving down the island was a blast and exploring all the side dirt roads that led to the sites made it even better. We saw the funny Columbus Monument set atop the cliffs at the North Point. I don’t think it was actually from Columbus but it does have a lovely apology for decimating the entire population of natives on the island in 1492.

The next day we went to Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world. At more than 700 feet deep and only a few hundred feet wide it is truly a fascinating site. A beautiful crescent beach and limestone cliffs shelter the blue hole and make it one of the most beautiful natural scenes I have ever photographed. Our two day tour of Long Island ended in Clarencetown when Kelly and Chad climbed to the top towers of Father Jerome’s church. The only thing that could make this day better would be--- an inexpensive, tasty all you can eat buffet located next to the dinghy dock. What do you know, that’s exactly what we found! Every Thursday night The Thompson Bay Club hosts a buffet for 15 bucks with grouper, fried chicken, ribs, conch, mac and cheese, and anything else you could consider Bahamian. Yum!



On our sail back to Georgetown, we caught two southern puffer fish and our sixth sharp toothed, annoying barracuda. We have been hoping for some Mahi-Mahi since the trip began but still, the closest we have come to it is from a generous handout from our friends Holly and Rob aboard Hampshire Rose, another Pearson 365 who caught too much for them for a day. It felt bitter sweet to know that. Hopefully, we will catch one someday soon.

Saturday night we went to Porgy’s Place at the Fish Fry to introduce our friends to Buzzy, the captain of the boat Chad sailed on during the Farmer’s Cay Regatta. Sarah challenged a friendly local to a Snapper head eating contest and lost but witnessing it all was hilarious. After, Buzzy’s wife, Kayla, drove us to Regatta Park where the 70’s party was in full swing. We sung karaoke in the park with a Bahamian police officer in an afro wig and a helicopter pilot until 1 or 2 am. I don’t think any of us could have asked for a better way to close out the week. Well maybe Hillary could have since she had to wake up for a flight at 6 am.

But it was truly a wonderful week. We felt so lucky to have been able spend that time with our friends aboard our boat in the Bahamas. It is not easy to fly to Georgetown- especially with a wind generator and we have friends willing to do both. It’s also not always easy to live on a boat with just one other person. All humans need social contacts and Chad and I are both pretty outgoing by nature so we may need them more than some other sailors we meet. We may miss refrigeration, ac, and hot water but I think we both miss our relationships back home most. Having friends around definitely reminded us of all the great people we have back at home when we return to the states. In the meanwhile, we are hopeful that more friends will take the opportunity to sail with us in the Caribbean this year!

Sharks

You always hear that sharks aren't really interested in eating people, and that you have a better chance of being struck by lightening than attacked by a shark, but I wonder if those statistics still apply to swimmers that see sharks.

Nicole and I dropped the hook at inside Lee Stocking Island with plenty of daylight to spare. We had seen several coral reefs on the chart so we thought it would be fun to do some snorkeling. Into the dinghy we went with all of our gear and motored two minutes to the largest beach we could see. There was a young reef, mostly sand, with a few small corals sprouting up. We saw a few jacks and other small fish. There was also a flounder that we chased foolishly with our net. You really need a spear to catch any fish big enough to eat. After I convinced Nicole to give up our hunt for fish, conch and lobster, we decided to swim parallel to shore towards an area with a larger reef.

We were about 30 yards off of the beach in 3-4 feet of water swimming North. Nicole and I were side by side with Nicole on the beach side. I was looking down most of the time to dodge large sea fans, but I saw a few larger silver fish swimming off to my right. Just as they drew my my eyes up I saw a 6 foot shark swimming parallel to us. It was only thirty yards further offshore. I could see its eyes and it had clearly seen us. The shark could easily travel the 30 yards to us before we could travel the 30 yards to shore, but I was happy we were over a shallow area and the shark was swimming just past a ledge that dropped off to 10 feet.

I stood in the waist deep water and grabbed Nicole. When I said "Shark" Nicole shot me a look of fear. I must have also looked quite scared, since she believed me the first time I said it. We walked backwards over the shallow reef trying not to splash the water. I really enjoyed the feeling of sand when I sat down on the beach and I sat there for a few minutes thinking.

As soon as we were out of the water and for most of the night I had a feeling of disappointment that I didn't get a chance to have good long look at the shark. If I had just taken a little bit more time in the water I would have soaked in a few more details of its appearance and maybe after the fear subsided I would have enjoyed the view. Instead, panic took over and I looked at it just long enough to see that it was a shark and it was big. My best guess based on the color and shape was that it was a lemon shark.

Since seeing the shark I try to repeat the mantra that sharks aren't interested in humans and the chances of an attack are extremely small, but that mantra doesn't work as well now as it has in the past. I like the idea of snorkeling close to shore or close to the dinghy from now. It may not be any safer, but it will make me feel better.

Refugees in Farmer's Cay

The second day of the Farmer’s Cay regatta was rained out so Nicole and I took our time getting to shore for the awards ceremony. When we landed we saw a couple of Bahamian Defense force boats and a commotion at the end of the dock. We asked around and discovered there were 60 plus Haitian Refugees in custody on the back of the boats. They were found floating a few miles off the island in a 40 ft. sailboat after being at sea for several days. These people faced considerable danger and spent who knows how much money only to be caught and returned to a country in chaos. Everyone, including the Bahamas defense force was moved by their situation.

The restaurant at the dock donated food and several of the cruising boats gathered food and warm clothes to donate. We raced back to our boat to get a big blanket that we haven’t used in several weeks, but by the time we returned the BDF boats were leaving the dock. We were able to chase them down in our dinghy and hand off the blanket and some warm clothes in a very dramatic fashion. The Haitian men who took the packages from us were so happy to get the few things we had, we both felt like we should have looked harder for more things to donate. They shouted “Thank you, Thank you” over the hum of the engines. We wished them good luck as our boats parted. The refugees spent the night on the back of the boat exposed rain and 25 knots of wind. I wonder where they are today, and although I am not optimistic I hope that they have found what they were looking for.

Farmers Cay Regatta

It started with a simple question. You want to race?

We came to Farmers Cay for their annual festival and regatta. I thought I might get to watch a race and have a few drinks, but I didn't think I would be invited to crew on a boat. I was just getting into the dinghy when Capt. Buzzy said he needed another crew.

Bahamas C class racing is done in traditional open boats with lots of sail area and very little ballast. They would easily capsize in moderate conditions if it were not for the crew sitting out on long boards to keep the boat upright. The boats are made entirely of wood with a huge cockpit and large open space under the decks.

There was a frenzy of activity in our boat just before the race. Sails being changed anchors moved and rigging being repaired. I couldn't understand why a battery was being removed from the skiff and put in our sailboat which had no obvious need for electricity. Then under the floor boards I saw the two bilge pumps hastily wired to the battery.

The first race we had a stiff breeze and 3 foot seas. We took nearly every wave over the front of the boat, drenching us as it spilled into the bottom of the boat. "Is she pumpin boss?" My crew members would check after the larger waves filled the cockpit. We surely would have sank if either of those pumps or the battery failed during the race.

I was lucky enough to be on Capt. Buzzie's Bull Reg which won the previous 6 years. Although our boat won the first race, we finished third in the second race, which was apparently the only one that counted.

The C-class skippers generosity is legendary. Buzzy wouldn't let us pay for our food or drinks after the race. I also got to take home a huge best boat trophy that must weigh 15 lbs. (Where is that going to go?) We had a great time at Farmers Cay and highly recommend trying to get out on a traditional Bahamian racing sloop if you get the chance.

A few differences between C-class racing and yacht club regattas in the States:

1. C-Class boats start at anchor. Being able to pull in your anchor the fastest is a major part of the race.

2. In U.S. yacht clubs protests (disputes) are heard before the protest committee which makes a ruling on a penalty. In C-Class racing disputes are handled at the finish line when the anchor is dropped. The protest involves profanity and yelling between boats with no penalties.

3. In yacht club regatta's people sit on the rail with little gained in terms of angle of heal or speed. In C-Class racing you sit out on the rail so the boat doesn't capsize.

3. Hoping the boat finishes in one piece with all crew members on board is half of the fun of C-Class racing.