– Double click on the thumbnails to expand the picture –
February 24th – Although their hours remaining in the Bahamas were few, Colin and Jaime crammed in as much activity as some folks do in three days. Swimming and snorkeling at our Black Point anchorage dominated the first half of the morning (after Colin made eggs and coconut bread toast for all), then we set sail and kept the engine at
Basket Weaving at Black Point
bay all the way to Staniel Cay. We anchored inside of a reef near the yacht club and the dinghy was deployed so C & J could snorkel again! A number of large (live) conch were discovered but they probably would not have enjoyed the plane ride back to Denver so were left behind. The Admiral served lunch when the snorkelers returned, then Pathfinder headed to the fuel dock where we said our good-byes to our Colorado crew. Although a short visit, Colin and Jaime had great weather and saw some of the best the Bahamas has to offer. And we loved having them for a visit! On their flight from Staniel Cay to Ft. Lauderdale on Watermaker’s Air, they were told that Jimmy Buffett and Michael Douglas had been hanging out in the Staniel Cay area at the same time. Too bad for them they hadn’t run into Colin and Jaime for some real fun! The remaining crew of Pathfinder topped off the fuel and took on 40 gallons of water, then motored back to Black Point to watch the sunset from the cockpit of Emerald City.
February 25th – The winds were calm and the morning air at Black Point was more than warm (we can hear the sighs of sympathy from Maine), but the Admiral could not let the first class laundry facility go without another spin (sorry). The Captain had a walk about town, took the trash to the town receptacle and bought a block of ice (our engine driven freeze plate likes a helping hand in the warmer air and water). A large number of the town folk were sitting in the shade weaving baskets from palm fronds. Most were very friendly and offered a big smile in greeting. The Admiral amazed some when she described the method of making baskets from white ash. They had never heard of making baskets from wood, but given the trees on their islands it is easy to understand why. The laundry operation suffered a set back when the laundromat’s fresh water
Shelby’s haircut at the Black Point laundromat
supply ran out in mid-morning. Too many cruisers hitting the operation too early in the day I guess. The water supply is R.O. (reverse osmosis) water, so the entire operation was shut down until the laundromat’s tank filled up to an acceptable level. We met a couple from Edgecomb Maine, Jack and Carol Dexter, and, as with all Mainers (or so it seems) we found we had mutual friends. Jack and Carol had gone to high school in Cape Elizabeth with our fellow Cumberland residents, Ron and Sally Bancroft, and Carol Beyna. We had a nice long chat, then 30 minutes later Jack received an email from Carol Beyna asking if they had run into the Witherills?! Pathfinder and Emerald City were tugging at the anchor rodes, so we bid a fond farewell to the friendly folks at Black Point and headed south into the SSE winds (the definition of ‘destination’ on a sailboat is ‘that point which lies directly upwind’). Pathfinder motored and Emerald City sailed for a bit. It was only 10 miles to Little Farmer’s Cay, but the entry channel along the south side of the island was challenging. Sometimes ‘reading the water’ is not enough and the Captain was happy that the Garmin chart plotter had accurate Bahamian charts in its memory bank. We successfully snaked our way to a mooring field off the Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club. Emerald City followed a half hour later, but had a chart plotter using a different type of chart. Where deep enough water was shown on their plotter, Emerald City struck bottom and stayed put. There was a very strong current running and this hindered Lee and Shelby’s efforts to free themselves from the reef. Although Emerald City was in sight of Pathfinder’s crew, the boat was far enough away that the situation was not very clear. The Captain and Admiral rigged their motor to the dinghy, but as the Captain motored down the channel, an inflatable dinghy with a large engine helped Emerald City get clear of the reef. Later, a discussion with Captain Lee revealed that they were using the ‘Navionics’ brand of chart on their plotter. A new catamaran recently went aground near George Town, Grand Exuma Cay, partly because their Navionics electronic charts showed deep water through a cut where it did not exist. The water was rough and the ‘cat’ could not be freed for several days. After a salvage crew removed the vessel, it was declared a total loss. The paper chart booklet that all of our contacts recommend is the ‘Explorer Chartbook. A U.S. couple painstakingly corrected the British Admiralty charts for the Bahamas, and in particular made corrections for the new world of the GPS. Their chartbooks are now the ‘gold standard’ and Garmin was willing to pay them a royalty to use the Explorer charts in the Garmin chartplotters. Navionics was not willing to pay so
Gail with the Full Moon Rising at Little Farmer’s Cay
used different charts. A word to the wise if you have a Bahamas cruise in your future. A swim by Captain Lee revealed nothing more than scratched bottom paint. A swim by Pathfinder’s Captain and Admiral revealed a current that needed a healthy respect. A trip ashore by all the Captains and Admirals led to a walk down the shore to an unobstructed sunset view on the Exuma Banks horizon. Conditions tonight were perfect and the green flash was seen by all (sorry Jaime!). For Lee and Shelby it was a first. Fresh grouper was on the menu at the Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club where our gracious host was the proprietor, Mr. Roosevelt Christian Nixon and family. Roosevelt is a descendent of the first settlers of the region.
February 26th – The wind piped up at sunrise out of the SSE and blew right through our Little Farmer’s Cay anchorage. When the tide turned it made for another one of those tide against the wind situations where the boats are all lying to the current but pushed up on the mooring by the wind. A good time for catching up on things so the Admiral tried her hand at making yogurt, using whole powdered milk and a thermos(non-fat powdered milk experiments with the thermos were unsuccessful). Later in the day she found
Little Farmer’s Cay at the end of the school day
positive results! An interesting question was posed yesterday by our son-in-law Andy’s son David (relayed by Joanna), which needs to be addressed. Have we seen any sign of Old Ben Bolt the Pirate since we arrived in the Bahamas? For those of you who are unaware, Old Ben Bolt is a pirate of the old tradition who sails in a black schooner that is named ‘Ink.’ The first sightings of Ben Bolt were made in Penobscot Bay by Cap’n Bob Witherill from his sloop Spindrift in the early 1960’s. Old Ben forgoes the pillaging of gold and silver, but has a strong preference for candy bars. Numerous buried treasures have been excavated by interested parties along the Maine Coast during the summer months (for several generations). It is easy to assume that Old Ben Bolt departs Maine at the end of summer and a natural winter home for any pirate is the Bahamas. After all, when you see names on the charts such as Pirate’s Cove, Pirate’s Lair, and Deadman’s Cay, you know they were not put there by Hollywood or the tourist bureau. The Bahamas are where the real pirates hung out in the early 1700’s. So we are keeping our eye out for Old Ben Bolt. A black schooner was seen in the vicinity of Staniel Cay. Could it be? Another shore expedition was mounted to Little Farmer’s Cay in the afternoon. We had a nice chat with Earnestine Bain who runs the restaurant ‘Ocean Cabin’ with her husband Terry. They are active participants in the Exuma Land and Sea Park (we visited Warderick Wells and Cambridge Cay), and are concerned that the government is allowing various interests to develop cays inside the park, causing environmental damage. We have witnessed first
JR initials his carving
hand some of that development, as a very wealthy individual is dredging his own private
Catch is in at Little Farmer’s
marina out of the side of Bell Island causing run off and harm to the surrounding reefs. Hiking from Ocean Cabin we found the neat little home of JR, a local woodcarver. JR was a very animated fellow with opinions all subjects. After a long chat, both Captain Lee and Captain Dave made purchases that they were assured were at wholesale prices. Most of JR’s carvings are sold in Nassau and he is currently working on a very large ‘bonefish’, a species that is highly regarded by fly fishermen in the Bahamas. Walking further up the road we came upon the local school as the students were being let out for the day. There were 11 of various ages and all in uniform. Most were very enthusiastic to pose for a group picture (the younger the student the more enthusiasm). We walked with several back to their homes, then circled the island via the paved roads until we arrived back at Ocean Cabin, and just by coincidence it was the start of happy hour. Terry Bain was serving us the Bahamian Kalik beer and explained to us how it received its name. During the Boxing Day celebration in Nassau, called ‘Junkanoo’, cow bells are one of the chief noise makers. The sound made by the bells is ‘kalik, kalik, kalik’ (maybe if the bells were in better tune the beer would be named ‘Kalang?’). Terry is a well-traveled individual who keeps well apprised of world affairs. He enjoys talking with all the cruisers that pass by and the feeling is mutual. In fact, each table would engage Terry in conversation until he could see it was time to take care of another party. We headed back to our boats for supper and to prepare for passing through the cut and out into Exuma Sound the next day. We have now experienced the ‘out’ island hospitality of Black Point and Little Farmer’s Cay. Most of the folks in these settlements are descendents of slaves and have developed a unique culture. Friendliness and big smiles seem to be part of it. Some cruising folks say it is an Exuma culture, but we will have to travel a bit further to form our own opinions. Thinking of the people we have met here will always give us a warm feeling.
February 27th – Our weatherman Chris told us the winds would be dying down by afternoon, but most of us were itching to be underway and Pathfinder and Emerald City followed a parade out of Little Farmer’s Cay. The run through the cut took a good deal of concentration with the shoals and strong current running, but we were quickly out in the Sound. Once again the wind was on the nose but we were able to motor-sail with the mainsail set. The seas were lumpy, however we had decided to run only halfway to George Town and at noon we had wound our way through Adderly Cut and found an anchorage off Leaf Cay, just north of Lee Stocking Island. Lee Stocking has been the site of the Caribbean Research Center, studying coral reefs and their sea-life, but in the past year the funding was cut and we have been told that it is no longer active. A dinghy was launched from Emerald City and all four of us ran into the small beach at the NW end of
Jurrasic Park
Leaf. Word was there were unique iguanas living on Leaf and sure enough, as soon as the dinghy approached, they came crawling out of burrows and the underbrush. Obviously
Crawling out of the brush to meet the visitors
there has been some sort of feeding going on and we were probably a big disappointment to the 20 or so greeters. The iguanas here are different from the other Exuma iguanas because of a pink hue clearly visible under their throats and bellies. As with the iguanas on Bitter Guana Cay, the largest
Open Wide!
were about 4 feet from tip to tail. We are not sure if the pink coloring has something to do with their diet or if they just developed the coloration over generations. After a swim off the beach, we rode the dinghy in search of a good snorkeling
Selecting a Toe
reef. We found what we were looking for-coral and fish- after looking in several coves. Pink iguanas and colorful fish make a good way to wrap up a Bahama day.
February 28th – Pathfinder and Emerald City were underway shortly after 0800 and were under full sail after clearing Adderly Cut. With a SSW wind blowing 10-15 and a fair tide we had one of the best sails of our Bahamas trip thus far, with frequent speeds over 7 knots. At 1200 we entered Conch Cay Cut and wound our way around numerous reefs and shallows. A swell from the east that had not seemed so bad out in the Sound, was amplified at the entrance to the harbor. It was rough going for about 20 minutes with reflected seas making the experience like being in a washing machine. Finally we were
Monument at Stocking Island overlooking Elizabeth Harbor
far enough into Elizabeth Harbor and the seas and surge settled down. Up ahead was a forest of masts. Elizabeth Harbor is a very large body of water that serves George Town, the largest town of all the Exuma island chain. It is located on Grand Exuma Island. To the east is Stocking Island, which protects Elizabeth Harbor from the easterly trade winds. It is ‘the’ destination for most of the cruisers in these parts. In fact some cruising boats arrive in early winter and stay for months. They have become very organized (some say too organized) and have designated beaches on Stocking Island for volleyball, arts and crafts, and musical jam sessions. A radio net is broadcast every morning at 0800 announcing the day’s activities and anyone needing repairs or spare parts can make their desires known to all the boats listening in. Presently it is estimated that there are over 300 boats anchored someplace in Elizabeth Harbor. Due to the need to buy groceries, and for protection from predicted W’ly winds in the coming week, Pathfinder and Emerald City anchored amongst a large group of vessels near George Town in an area called ‘Kidd Cove.’ No, this was not named for the pirate, but for a U.S. Naval officer who was part of a contingent manning a seaplane base in George Town during WW II. In fact, one reason Elizabeth Harbor is such a great place for cruisers is that it was extensively dredged by the Navy. After anchoring, the dinghies were launched and we ran into the ‘big’ town. It really is just a town, but after the smaller settlements we had visited it did seem busy. The Admiral went searching for fruit and vegetables and the Captain looked for a place to fill his propane tanks. He was told that there was a truck parked about one mile down the road that would take care of his needs. The two tanks were only 5 pounders, so a walk was taken. After going quite a ways, a fork appeared in the road, and just at the point the Captain was going to turn back, a white pick-up truck pulled alongside and the driver motioned Dave to jump in the bed with the tanks. At first the Captain was very grateful for the ride but after going several miles down the road, thoughts about the walk back with two full tanks caused a bit of concern. Finally the driver pulled over and told the Captain that the propane truck had departed, but the fuel and propane depot was just over the hill on the side road where the truck had stopped. Thanking the driver, the Captain trudged up the hill and down the other side and sure enough there was a propane facility. The door was locked but a large man got out of a near-by car where he was being dropped off. When Dave asked if propane could be purchased here, the man gave the Captain a stern look and told him that he needed to go and climb one hill beyond. As the messenger quickly broke into a grin, it became obvious that, yes, this was the place. The two bottles were filled for $11, and the Captain headed back up the hill and down, wondering how long it was going to take to walk back to the dinghy dock. Just about the time he reached the main road, the white pick-up came around the corner. The driver stopped, motioned the Captain to jump into the bed once again and about 10 minutes later was dropping him off in front of the dinghy dock. Patrick was the driver, but he didn’t want anything in return. Just a Bahama ‘ting, mon. After dropping off our purchases on the boats and cleaning up, we had a reunion on the catamaran ‘Time Enough II’, with Bob and Carol who we had met at Coconut Grove in January. They have been in George Town for several weeks now and provided us with a wealth of information. At this point we are not sure how long we will stay here, but for now we will take time to do some maintenance and needed chores as well as wait out a frontal passage on Sunday.
March 1st – Dinghies were filled with empty water jugs and we made our way into the small protected ‘Lake Victoria’, that the town of George Town surrounds. There is a large dinghy dock near the supermarket and they have generously supplied a water hose with free water, which is unusual in the Bahamas. The dinghies line up in order and wait their turn with the hose. Meanwhile the Admiral hit the market and found that a shipment of bananas had just arrived-our first since Florida. After about 40 minutes the Captain was able to fill up enough jugs to carry 20 gallons of water back to Pathfinder. When we cleared Lake Victoria we found that conditions had changed out in the harbor. A NW wind had sprung up and there was a long fetch along the entire length of Elizabeth Harbor to our anchorage. It was a rough trip but we made it aboard safely. The dinghy ‘Sidereal’ is proving a might small for the Exumas, just as some folks had warned us. It fits well on the foredeck when we are underway, but like many things in life, there are
At the Chat & Chill
trade-offs. We shifted the outboard back to the stern of Pathfinder and later that afternoon shifted our anchor over to the Stocking Island side of the harbor where there was better protection. We anchored in Sand Dollar Cove with its beautiful beach lining the shore. In the evening Lee and Shelby picked us up in their 10 foot inflatable (now called the ‘truck’ or the ‘bus’ or ‘the steed’) and we motored along the shore to a beach bar and grill named ‘Chat and Chill’, a great spot to take in the anchored fleet of boats and enjoy a George Town evening.
March 2nd – Chris Parker warned that the long predicted weather front would make itself felt with gusto by mid-afternoon. We listened to the cruisers’ radio ‘net’ at 0800 and heard of the plans for the day and that included an ‘Around Stocking Island’ sailboat race, which circles the island east of Elizabeth Harbor. The radio net covers everything
Beach and anchorage off Chat & Chill
including advertisements of local businesses, announcements of daily activities organized by cruisers (volleyball, arts and crafts, softball, bus tours on Grand Exuma, card games, kids activities, and you name it). People call in with requests for parts, expertise in repairs, cab shares to the airport, and announcements of boats that have arrived or are departing. It goes on for more than 30 minutes. One cruiser is in charge (and it is obvious that he has been doing this for awhile) and he keeps the whole thing well organized and moving along. This is the George Town cruiser’s community, and it is obvious that a lot of folks enjoy the activity and socialization (think of a yacht club melding with day camp). With over 300 boats in the anchorage there can be a lot of radio traffic. The protocol in George Town as well as in other areas of the Bahamas is for the cruisers to make their calls on VHF channel 68, then shift to working channels. Channel 16 is intended for commercial and emergency traffic only. Despite the strong winds in the forecast, the sailboat race started as scheduled at 11:00. Many of the boats, but not all, had finished at 2 PM when the first squalls and wind blasts from the NW arrived on schedule. Most folks secured everything on their boats and hunkered down, but there were still a number of inflatable dinghies zipping about. Our anchorage had good protection from the seas but the steady 25-30 knot winds kept us healing over and Pathfinder was surging from side to side against the anchor rode (rope). Surprisingly the racers decided to have their dinner party ashore, so a number of them headed in with the dinghies. This brought some
Lee checks the wind gusts with his iPad app!
disapproving commentary over the VHF radio about the poor seamanship exhibited by leaving boats at anchor during a strong blow. If you are bored in George Town all you have to do is listen to the VHF and you will hear numerous comments, calls and commentary throughout the day. The winds blew all evening but settled down at bit around midnight.
March 3rd – The winds were light at daybreak. Since it was Sunday we didn’t have to get ourselves moving to listen to our weatherman. He takes Sundays off. We listened to the cruiser’s net and found that a tour to Exuma Point that the Admiral had signed up for yesterday, was a go for today, so she and Shelby were transported across the harbor by Lee in Emerald City’s inflatable dinghy. The Captain did some locker ‘diving’ and changed out the heat exchanger zinc. Later, Captain Lee came aboard and we discussed a transmission issue where Pathfinder’s forward gear does not always engage. All signs point to this being a cable adjustment issue as the transmission oil looks good and the transmission makes a healthy ‘clunk’ when the shift lever is moved into the forward gear. The shift cable was adjusted and will be monitored. After lunch Lee and Dave took the dinghy to the main cove on Stocking Island where a small resort is located. From here they were able to find a path over to the east side of the island where an amazing beach runs for about 3
The beach at Stocking Island
miles. We saw upwards of five people (nobody told us about the crowds) as we walked along the sand, then we veered off onto a hiking trail that brought us up one of the hills for a great view of Elizabeth Harbor. We headed back to the boats so that Lee could head back across the harbor to pick up the Admirals after their day touring the island. The Exuma Point trip was a success with stops at a variety of historical sites including The Hermitage-a burial ground containing the remains of some of the first Loyalist settlers of Great Exuma from the late 18th century
Exploring a cave on the island tour.
and early 19th centuries.
Pathfinder's Adventures! 
I love following your adventures! Smooth sailing! Cynthia Stuen