Saturday March 31, 2018 - Treasure Cay to Great Sale Cay

Today was a long day.  I changed my mind several times during the passage but finally decided to push on to Great Sale.  I began early by getting the dinghy out of the water and onto the foredeck.  I left the Treasure Cay mooring field right at 7am and followed about a mile behind two sailboats that were headed to The Whale.  I was planning on going through the shoally Don't Rock Pass but when I saw the two of them turn left to go through the same pass, my comfort level went up a couple points.  It was about a foot below high tide so the whole event was pretty easy.  I motored most of the way past No Name Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Manjack Cay and on up north to Coopertown (on the west side of the Sea of Abaco). Active Captain showed two marinas with fuel and it was right on the way.  Unfortunately, both were closed so I ended up  going over to the east side of the sea to Spanish Town, for fuel.  The 3 or 4 boats in front of me were headed to Allen's Cay (not to be confused with the Allen's Cay in northern Exuma) but the wind had picked up and I hated to give up a good sail down wind - So I kept going. 

At about 3pm, the wind had dropped so I decided to start the engine and motor.  When I did, I heard an odd sound from the exhaust - there was no cooling water coming out.  I stopped the engine and investigated.  The water pump belt was very shredded and almost broken in half in the spot where it was slipping on the pulley.  Fortunately, I had two spare belts so I kept sailing (at about 2 knots) while I replaced the belt.  That is the kind of failure I like - no problem to diagnose or fix.

I was going to go into Fox Town (on the left) but was able to get phone and data coverage as I sailed by so I just kept going.  I sailed until about 8pm with east wind at about 15 knots.  After passing Little Sale, I jibed and motor sailed down to the anchorage near the south end of the island.  It was about 10pm by the time I anchored.  A long but rewarding (72 mile, sailing) day.

Today was Jaylen's birthday and I was able to talk to him and wish him  a happy birthday.  He is 6 today.  In the morning, he had his second baseball practice and in the afternoon, his mom Jeannine took him to Hershey Park.

Today was also the date of the Final 4 in NCAA basketball.  I spoke with Joan at about 8pm and Loyolla was beating Michigan by a good margin. Michigan was favored and it was half time. Kansas (my al ma mater) was playing Villanova later in the evening but I was out of range to find out the final scores of any of the games because I was out of range for the internet/phone.  Guess I'll just have to wait till I'm back in the USA.

Friday March 30, 2018 - Layover in Treasure Cay

I've been making somewhat of a habit of being behind on my blog.  I'm sorry.  But I do have a pretty good excuse.  My son Mike and his family (Jody and Quinn) have been here for the last 4 days and we have been pretty busy. 

It started on 3/27 when they arrived on the ferry on Man-O-War cay.  I think their first reaction to the island was a little disappointment - it's "dry" and there are not a lot of commercial stores or restaurants.  But after a couple days, I know they really began appreciating the charm of the little town.  The night before we left, we were sitting on one of the docks and were joined by David Albury where we all chatted for about 30 minutes. David is one of several brothers whose family have been on the island for many years.  While we were talking, David pointed over his shoulder to a small village house where he said he had been born, 70 years before.  He owns about 20 of the moorings and I was on one the first two days I had been there.  I had met him the first day and he gave me a ride to the grocery store in his golf cart where I bought a loaf of just baked (and still warm) bread.

On their second day here (3/28), Mike and Jody wanted to go to Tahati Beach.  They had read about it in one of the travel brochures.  It was about a 5 mile sail to the south near the south end of Elbow Cay (just  south of Hope Town).  It WAS a beautiful beach and Quinn found 2 or 3 small (live) conchs and saw a couple star fish.

Yesterday, 3/29, we sailed downwind in a very nice 10 to 15 knot wind from Man-O-War to Treasure Cay.  It was about a 16 mile and we got here just after noon.  They rented a condo on shore and I kept True Blue on a mooring.  Last night was Pizza night at the at the resort restaurant and it was packed.  But they had plenty of ovens and cooks and it went quickly. 

This morning, I came in for breakfast and we all went to the beach that is a 10 minute walk from where they are staying.  The literature says it is one of the top 10 prettiest beaches in the world.  Quinn and I did a little snorkeling but the beach was not good for snorkeling.  They went for a long walk on the beach while I rested up for my upcoming passage.  They will fly out at 8am in the morning and I'll be on my way to Florida.

I don't recall if I've mentioned that I've been having kidney stone symptoms for about a month.  A few days ago, what I thought was stone related pain began really bothering me.  For Mike and Jody's first two days here, I had trouble moving around and was preparing myself to fly to Nassau or Miami for testing etc.  It got better but is still bothering me.  I feel like it's somewhat risky to make the 3 day sail to Florida but I've decided that's the best course.  But I've concluded that's my best option and Fort Pierce (where I plan to sail into) has a real good hospital (if I need one).

I've really enjoyed spending time with Mike, Jody and Quinn and hate to see them go.  I also wish I didn't feel the need to rush back to the states but there is a perfect weather window between now and Tuesday night so I'm planning on crossing over to Fort Pierce on Monday. 

Sunday March 25, 2018 - Man-O-War Cay with day trip to Hope Town

What a great day this has turned out to be!  It started out by weighing anchor early (around 9am) and a nice reach in west 5 to 10 knot winds past the entrance to Man-O-War harbour entrance and on down to Hope Town.  I was a bit disappointed in Hope Town.  It is a VERY busy place - lots of moorings, the entire harbour lined with businesses and homes, and a big marina with huge motor yachts.  I saw a boat I remembered from Rock Sound (Early Out) and stopped by to say hello to my friends Rick and Debbie.  Rick was flying a huge Michigan Flag from his flag halyard and was wearing his Michigan hat.  And I ran aground coming into the fuel dock near the entrance to the harbour.  Fortunately, I was going slow and was able to spin off. 

I left the Hope Town harbour just as they were starting a series of Sunfish and dinghy races.  That was fun.  The wind had picked up to about 12 to 15 and I had a real nice down wind sail back up to Man O War.  This time, I dropped the sails and motored into the narrow south entrance to the harbour.  I motored up through the crowded mooring field and spotted what looked like an empty mooring.  I asked a nearby cruiser what the different colors meant and he advised me to take the one I had spotted.  About an hour later, I dinghied ashore to check out the town.  Everything is closed on Sunday but I ran into David Asbury who asked me about the mooring I was on.  He controls the (pink) moorings. His family runs most of the businesses in the town - mostly boating related.  He ended up giving me a ride in his golf cart to the convenience store that was opens every Sunday night from 5 till 9.  I got there about 10 minutes early and the owners wife was just bringing 10 loaves of freshly baked bread in to sell.  It was still WARM.  On my way back to the boat, I asked the couple who had advised me on the mooring if they wanted some of the fresh bread.  They responded by asking me if I wanted to join them for very fresh conch salad.  They had just gotten the conch today by diving hear Fowl Cay just north of here.  Needless to say, I had an EXCELLENT dinner. 

Then, as I was going back to True Blue, I spotted the boat Chequered Past.  They had been docked on the other side of the dock from Phil and me at the Carolina Beach State Park Marina.  Phil and I had dinner with Paul and his friend Chris. 

Besides meeting nice new people and catching up with old friends, it was a really nice day - warmer with mostly 5 to 10 knot winds with sunny skies.

Saturday March 24, 2018

This morning was blog time.  I spent most of the morning writing and uploading recent videos.  The battery in my laptop is almost dead (holds a charge for about 10 minutes) so I'm sitting at the Pineapples bar uploading and writing.  They don't open for business till 11 so I think I'm OK.

The forecast was for winds to get much lighter today but they have veered to the NE and are still above 15.  I was hoping/planning on getting south of "The Whale" today but that is starting to look doubtful.  My son Mike and his family are flying into Marsh Harbour on Tuesday and I will meet them there.

I left the dock around 11:30am and headed out of Black Sound.  The winds were east around 10 to 12 knots.  It is about 5 miles past No Name Sound (where they have more Pigs for the tourists) to The Whale.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it through today but I could see other boats heading north so I decided to give it a go.  It was much rougher than when I had come north with Robert but I made it around without too much trouble.  The swell was about 3 to 4'. 

By the time I got down to the north end of Man O War Cay, it was after 5 so I quick showered, ate and fell asleep at around 7.

Friday March 23, 2018 - Layover in Green Turtle Cay

This morning was devoted to laundry.  The boat yard had washers and dryers but they are currently not operating because they don't use city water and their storage of rain water was running low.  So it was buckets in the cockpit and lifeline drying. 

At around 9am, I dinghied over to Steve's boat where he gave me a nice tour. Steve's began as an auto mechanic and later turned to electronics, computers, and networking.  It shows in his boat because he has made numerous mechanical and electrical modifications and upgrades.  I picked up a number of good ideas from looking at, and talking about, some of his work.  I was also amazed at how much room he had on a 27' sailboat. I'm certain he has more room than my Pearson 31.  And, unlike the Pearson, he has nearly every square inch of wall, bilge, and overhead space utilized.

At 6pm, I walked to town with Steve and several other cruisers for a short pub crawl, then dinner at 2 Shorty's, then back to Pineapples where our dock master Kevin was playing keyboard and singing.  Unfortunately, the wind was blowing 20 and the temperature had dropped to about 70 and we were all freezing.  So it was back to the boat by 10 for a cup of hot chocolate.

Thursday March 22, 2018 - Layover in Green Turtle Cay

Today, Steve's girlfriend Linda left for home on the 11am  ferry.  She is flying out of Treasure Cay (to Ft. Lauderdale and then home to NY). To help Steve get over his loneliness, we decided to go to Gillium Beach at the South end of Green Turtle Cay.  We walked through town, down a dirt road with good directions to the beach.  My dock neighbor had collected a lot of nice shells there two days before but it must not take long for a beach to be picked over because I had a hard time finding very many.  After we rounded the southern tip of GTC and headed back north, the shoreline turned in to mangroves and we had to wade out into the (calm) bay to get far enough north to take a path back to town. 

On the way back through town, we stopped at 2 Shorty's for lunch (fried conch and fries). 

Wednesday March 21, 2018 - Layover in Green Turtle Cay

Note:  For those of you that are still with me, I just finished writing and uploading blogs for 3/7 through 3/20.  As before, I'm sorry for the delay.  This afternoon, I'll work on processing photos and videos to accompany the text. I hope to have some of that done in the next day or two. 

I'm currently sitting on a rock wall outside Pineapples Bar and Grill - they have marginal wifi here.  The wind is blowing 25 to 30 from the north and the bar is not doing a very good job of blocking it.  This will be a short stay since the temperature is only about 75 and I'm freezing! And, yes, Pineapples IS in the Bahamas.  I guess I've acclimated somewhat to the climate here that I'm cold when it's 70.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 - Layover at Green Turtle Cay

For the first time in 2 weeks, I'm typing "real time".  I hope my blog followers haven't given up on me for getting so far behind.  I DO apologize.

My friend Robert just left for home.  He ended up taking a water shuttle to the Ferry that will take him to Treasure Cay.  From there, he and another cruiser we met last night will take a cab to the Marsh Harbor airport.  He will fly from there to Ft. Lauderdale and then onto home in Baltimore.  It has been really great having him aboard.  He is an excellent cook and a good sailor but also an all around really nice guy.  I'll definitely miss him.  Since we have been here in Green Turtle, we have spent a lot of time with his (now our) friends Steve and Linda.  Steve single handed here and has been in the area since late December.  Linda is visiting and will be flying home on Thursday. 

The weather has been great the last several days but fronts are starting to come through today which will make moving around much more problematic.  I need to get below "The Whale" for the arrival of my son Mike and his family and it already looks like it could be a little difficult.  The Whale is a small cay that you must go around to go between  the areas north and south of Treasure Cay. Going around involves leaving the Sea of Abaco, going through a cut, into the Atlantic, and then back in the cut on the south side of the cay.   It doesn't take much weather for both cuts to be impassable.  That means you must chose your time carefully and listen for reports of the conditions.  Sometimes, you get there when you have heard it is "passable" and there are breakers coming in that make it impassable. 

So, for today, I'll be doing some catching up on the computer and walk into town for some photos.  They are having a pork chop dinner at Sundowners this evening at 6 so I do plan on going to that.

Unfortunately, when we got to Sundowners, they had sold out of pork chops so we ended up being there for just an hour, or so, and then stopped at a takeout on the way back to the boat.  While I was there, I ran into my cruising friends Tom and Marylou whom I had met at Osprey Point Marina in Myrtle Beach and then again in Vero Beach. They have been here in Green Turtle for a month and will be here another month.

Monday March 19, 2018 - Layover at Green Turtle Cay

The day started by moving from the mooring we have been on for the last two nights to a dock about 300' away.  We were the second boat on the dock buy by the end of the day, it had 6 boats - a front is coming and everyone wanted the protection of this small, almost totally protected sound.   At 80 cents a foot (per night), the price was right.

Around noon, Robert and I went with Steve and Linda to a beautiful beach on the ocean side of Green Turtle Cay.  We had been told that there was a good place to snorkel about a mile up (north) the beach from the short (1/3 mile) walk across the cay. 

We returned at around 4pm and I stopped at the Boat Yard on the east side of Black Sound for some minor hardware I needed and some RO (reverse osmosis) water.  We dinghied back to True Blue and I did some boat work and met my new pier neighbors while Robert went to the close by Pineapples Bar and Grill for a beverage.

A little later, we went over to the boat in front of us for shared snacks and cocktails with 10 or 12 other cruisers.  Most of the group were Canadian - not that it really makes any difference.  One couple had flyed their helicopter all the way down and across from Quebec. 

At around 9pm, everyone returned to their boat and Robert and I went over to Skylark (Steve's boat) for lobster tails.  Of course, that was a hit.  We got  back to True Blue just before midnight.

Green Turtle Cay - East side beach

Sunday March 18, 2018 - Green Turtle Cay Layover

I spent some time trying to catch up on my blogs while Robert went into town to the grocery store with Steve and Linda. 

At around noon, we all sailed True Blue north about 5 miles to Manjack Cay where we anchored in Nunjack Bay.  It was a great beat against a NW - 12 to 15 knot wind.  We walked across the island where we met some friend's of Steve's and snorkeled.  The sail back was downwind and Robert had the helm all the way back. 

Later, we had a really nice (pasta carbanara) dinner on Steve's boat.  It was a relaxing and, otherwise, uneventful day.

Manjack Cay

Saturday March 17, 2018 - Little Harbour to Green Turtle Cay, Abacos

Today was the day to pass through "The Whale".  We wanted to get to Green Turtle Cay where Steve had been located since late December.  With very little wind, we motored north, past Hope Town and Marsh Harbour. 

As we approached "The Whale", we could see other boats passing freely through and could see that the conditions were unusually benign.  The Whale is a small island that you must pass to the outside (into the Atlantic) in order to go to the north or south of Treasure Cay.   There are two inlets - one on the north side and another on the south side.  There is usually a swell from the east that has had a chance to develop for thousands of miles.  When that swell goes from 20,000 feet in depth to 15 feet (over a distance of only a quarter mile), it builds quickly and develops into a huge surf that is very dangerous to pass through - on either side. 

There is an area behind (between the Whale and Treasure Cay) where there is severe shoaling - depths of 3 to 4' (at mid to high tide).  Some boats do pass through but it is fairly risky.  Today was an unusual (great) day to pass outside.  As we passed through the south side cut and motored along the outside of the Cay, we joked about anchoring and snorkeling on "The Whale".  After all, just 3 days before, we had SAILED through Current Cut. 

We wanted to get to Green Turtle Cay in time for the St. Patrick's Day festivities that were to begin at 3pm. We arrived right at 3 and called Steve who came out to greet us.  We took a mooring that was being rented by a Canadian couple (John and ??).  They had traveled north for a couple days and were very kind to let me use their mooring while they were gone. 

Robert and I hustled into the "Other Shore Club" dock and walked into town where the party had already started.  At around 5pm, about 15 decorated golf carts started the parade through town.  We all went to Sundowners for dinner and got back to the boat well after dark.

Whale Cay, unusually calm

Friday March 16, 2018 - Egg Island, Eleuthera to Little Harbour, Abacos

We were up at 3am and underway around 3:30.  There was almost no wind so we motored the entire 55 miles to the Abacos.  This was an open (Atlantic) passage and we saw a number of cruise ships and tankers passing ahead and behind us in the Northeast Providence Channel.  They were all traveling east and west and we were heading north.  The swell was only 2 to 3 feet, with a 10 second interval so it was a very comfortable passage. 

We entered the Little Harbour inlet about 30 miles north of the southern tip of The Great Abaco Island at about 1pm.  As we approached the inlet, I began reading about anchorages.  We stopped at a well known snorkeling spot on Sandy Cay.  We anchored behind Sandy Cay - on the back side of the Cay from the North Bar Inlet.  There was almost no swell coming in the inlet but the holding was not that good so I was glad to be in the protection of the island.  The wind had picked up to about 10 knots (NE). We dinghied over to the NE side of the island where there were 5 or 6 nice dinghy mooring buoys.  This was some of the best snorkeling I've ever done. I think it matched the snorkeling I did in Guam when I was in the Navy.

At around 4pm, we motored north to a very nice, protected anchorage (West side of Tiloo Cay) where we spent the night.

Thursday March 15, 2018 - Spanish Wells to Egg Island via Royal Island

We left our mooring at around 9am and dropped off our $25 fee with Jarrad who was on the dock of Ronald's Service Center.  We motored out of the harbour and then sailed downwind the 5 miles to the entrance of Royal Island.   I had planned on staying here for a day or two but the weather was good for crossing to the Abacos so we spent only 3 or 4 hours there.  This was Robert's first opportunity to snorkel so we dinghied ashore for a swim near and old dock.  At about 4pm, we left and motor sailed for the West side of Egg Island.  It was a good anchorage but it was a little bouncy from the waves wrapping around the reef to the north. 

Wednesday March 14, 2018 - Layover in Spanish Wells (on mooring)

I did my laundry while Robert went to a great grocery store.  Then I sat at the marina bar and uploaded my remaining (backlogged) videos.  We left the marina close to noon and topped off the fuel tank.  Then, we motored a short distance east to the small mooring field at the east end of town. 

Just after we took the mooring, a very large mail boat came steaming down the channel and made a 180 degree turn in a small basin at the end of the channel.  The bow of their boat came within 50 yards of True Blue. 

We had not seen that much of the town so Robert and I walked to the "Park".  The Park turned out being a baseball diamond for the locals.  But, the park led to a long, beautiful beach that extended to a point about 2 miles to the NW.  We walked through town, back to Budda's for a needed beverage.  On the walk there, we ran into Mike who just happened to be on the mooring just behind us.  Robert had been admiring his Pacific Seacraft 37.  Soon after we arrived at Budda's, Mike's wife Jen came and we visited with the two of them for a couple hours - they are from Colorado but now live on their boat as full time cruisers.  At around 5pm, their cruising friends arrived.  We stayed for a bit longer and then departed.  As we were leaving, we ran into Budda himself.  He and his wife were sitting at the entrance in their golf cart - they had been shuttling customers back and forth from some event a few blocks away to their restaurant. It was easy to understand why his business has done so well - he is a real "giver" and innovator.

Tuesday March 13, 2018 - Hatchet Bay to Spanish Wells (via Current Cut)

Today was an exciting day - a little too exciting.  We had gotten advice from multiple sources on the timing of getting through Current Cut.  Current cut is a narrow cut through rocks near the north end of Eleuthera.  You must pass through it to go from all parts of the Island to the south to all areas to the north.  Our destination for the day was the town of Spanish Wells.  I have studied this cut for at least 3 weeks.  We were going to go yesterday but it was raining and too windy.  Today looked like ideal conditions - winds from the NNW at 15 and veering to the north.  In reality, the winds started out at north which was a good thing since it meant more of a close reach than close hauled.  Our calculations were for slack (zero) current at about 1:15pm.  We left Hatchet Bay just before 9am.  We assumed a speed of 5 knots and a distance of about 16 miles.  We assumed we would get there at about noon and would go through if the current was not above 2 or 3 knots and wait (there is an area to anchor and wait about 300 yards south of the cut) for the current to drop. 

We were the first boat to leave Hatchet Bay but 3 larger boats followed us.  Two of them passed us about half way to the cut.  This allowed us to monitor their passage through the cut.  For the first hour, we averaged 6 knots and for the last hour, around 4.5 knots.  We were sailing with a single reef in the main and a reefed genoa.

The plan was to furl the genoa and start the engine about a mile before where the shoals leading up to the cut begin and motor through. 

At a mile before the cut, I went to start the engine and it didn't start - nothing - after trying, somewhat frantically, between 75 and 100 times.  We were able to watch the first boat going through on AIS so we could see his speed - it looked like about 3 knots above his "pre-cut" speed.  We were still about 1.5 miles behind him so I figured there should be a little less current by the time we got there.  Since we were still on a reach - which I figured would give us enough reliable speed to keep steerage, I decided to SAIL through.  As we entered the channel between the shoals, I realized we were too far south in the channel.  We tried heading up (right) but were unable to head up enough to clear the shoals on the south side.  We quickly tacked, crossed to the north side of the channel and then  tacked again.  Those two tacks took about a minute and put us on the north side of the 100 yard wide channel.  During this, I kept trying to start the engine.  Also, at this point, the wind had died to about 8 to 10 and backed so that we were now close hauled and just able to stay on the rhumb line through the cut.  Fortunatly, the line turns south a little to help keep the sails filled.  Just as we got the cut itself (the land comes up to an elevation of about 25' and has a few small pine trees) we had to turn a little right and the genoa began to luff a fair amount.  The (approximate) 2 knot current and our 1 to 2 knots of boat speed was carrying us through at about 3 knots.  As our bow began to clear the west side of the cut, the genoa caught a some wind that was wrapping around the west side of the island and filled the sail.   We were just a little off course (the south side of the rhumb line) but I was praying that the wind would not push us into the rocks on the south side - it didn't. 

As we sailed away from the cut, we "high fived" one another and then got back to sailing since the seas on the west side were like a washing machine.  We continued on a starboard tack for another half mile and then tacked over to the north where there was a lot less current and the seas were much calmer. 

With our destination still Spanish Wells (7 miles to the north), and the wind on the nose at about 10 to 15, we tacked a couple times, heading north and after about 30 minutes, I decided to give the engine another try.  I wasn't real surprised that it started right up!  So, we brought in the headsail and motor sailed the rest of the way up to Spanish Wells. 

On our way into the harbour, I spotted a boat I recognized - Jessica and Matt (and their cat Gorgie) from the YouTube Channel MJ Sailing.  They were just coming back to the boat in their dinghy and we pulled up and chatted for 5 or 10 minutes.

Then we continued into the harbour and headed west for Spanish Wells Yacht Haven/Resort.  It was a real nice place but a little pricy.   After getting the boat secure and verifying it would start again (which, of course, it did), we walked to Budda's Snack shop for some needed beers.  Later, I got my first real shower in a month and a half.

Exiting Hatchet Bay

Monday March 12, 2018 - Layover in Hatchet Bay

Sometime in the late afternoon or evening the day before, a new boat had come into the anchorage, not too far from True Blue.  It didn't take long for Robert to spot the Dutch flag flying off the stern.  We dinghied over on the way into town and spent 30 minutes talking to the couple.  I'm often so thankful that people are able and willing to speak English because Robert and our two new friends all three speak Dutch fluently. 

Robert and I went into town and, today, DaSpot was open for business.  We had a great lunch, at a very reasonable price. 

We got back to the boat (after getting another 6 or 7 gallons of water for the boat).  A front was coming through and the wind had already shifted to the NW.  So I wanted to move to the NW corner of the Bay.  We found a perfect anchorage (protected, good holding, good depth) and had a nice evening at anchor.

Sunday March 11, 2018 - Layover in Hatchet Bay (Alice Town)

Robert and I dinghied into the town dock at around 11am.  I had read great reviews about DaSpot (bar and grill) and wanted to go there.  Alice Town is a somewhat impoverished town but, like most places in the Bahamas, the people are very content and friendly.  We had to get directions a couple times and when we got to DaSpot, we found that they were closed.  There were two other restaurants so next, we walked to the Front Porch - run by Francis (who also controls all the moorings in the Bay).  It too was closed.  So, on the way back to the boat, we went to the small resort/restaurant Two Brothers.  There, we met and talked with the restaurant owner Carolyn and her friend Ash.  Carolyn has lived in the US for a good part of her life.  They both live together and admitted they are both looking for "husbands".  We had a great lunch and really enjoyed talking to Carolyn and her friend.

We got about 4 gallons of water for the boat and carried it back the 1/3 mile when we realized there was a spigot about 400' from the dock.

Saturday March 10, 2018 - Governor's Harbour to Hatchet Bay

The wind had shifted overnight from the SE to the SW so we decided to move over to the north side of the anchorage - the harbour itself.   That only took 20 minutes and we were at anchor by around 9:30am.  We dinghied ashore and walked to the library where, for a donation of $5, you could use their internet.  The library in Governor's Harbour is a pretty cool building.  It was built is 1897.  In the two hours we were there, I was able to download 2 out of the remaining 5 videos.  I was also able to give some thought on how to troubleshoot the engine starting problem and write one day's blog. While I was at the library, Robert went to the grocery store and filled one of our 4 gallon water containers from the spigot behind the library.  We were done around 1pm and headed back to the boat.

It is about 20 miles north to Hatchet Bay and the wind was from the SSE at about 15 knots.  We sailed under jib alone.   The entrance to Hatchet Bay is pretty intimidating.  It is about 75' wide with vertical rocks on both sides that are 15 to 20 feet in height.  There is a large, partially submerged rock on the south side of the entrance that looks like it is in the center of the cut when you are approaching from the south.  Entering would have been a little easier if there hadn't 40 miles of fetch that allows the waves to build and run almost parallel to the shoreline at the entrance.   The waves would enter the cut from the side, hit the walls on the north side and then bounce back to the other side.  It was basically like entering through a large washing machine. 

As soon as we were "inside" the narrow cut, things calmed down and we hunted for a good place to anchor.  I wanted to be at the south end, close to the town but the anchoring was not as good in that area.  However, we did find a descent spot.

Friday March 9, 2018 - Rock Sound NW to Governor's Harbour

The winds calmed down over night and we woke up to a nice north, 5 knot breeze.  I normally start the engine before weighing the anchor but, with so little wind, blowing us into deeper water, I elected to get the anchor first.  That was a mistake because when I went to start the engine, it would not start.  I have had this problem since shortly after I left home in October.  It comes and goes but has always started.  A couple months ago, I did a fair amount of troubleshooting and narrowed it down to the push button start switch.  Robert has a new switch with him so the timing seemed good.  However, as I was now pushing the button, I noticed the idiot lights on the engine panel were dimming every time I pushed the button.  That could mean only one thing - the push button switch WAS making contact and there was something else in the starting circuit that was preventing the starter motor from engaging.  Then, Robert, who was below told me he could gear a relay clicking every time I pushed the button. This also confirmed that the push button switch was not the problem. 

After I reset the anchor, I went back and got into the engine compartment for a look.  I found the relay that was clicking.  I did some poking around and tapping on the starter solenoid - nothing.  Then I pushed the button about 20 more times - on the 21st, the engine started - halleluiah!  We pulled up the anchor and headed out for Governors Harbour. 

We arrived in Gov. Harbour at around 1pm, dinghied ashore and walked around town.    We went to the ??????? where we had a beer.  While we were sitting at the bar, a woman that I believe was the owner, mentioned the several dozen chocolate chip cookies she had baked the night before for some social even there in the town.  She had 3 or 4 dozen left over in a large baking pan and offered some to Robert and me.  I'm sure you can guess our response.

Our timing for arriving in Governor's Harbor was good.  It was Friday - the night of the "Friday night fish fry).  My timing in general must be good because when I had gone to the Exuma Land and Sea Park in the Exumas, I arrived on Saturday - the day of the weekly Cruisers Party. 

We dinghied back to the boat at around 4 and then back in at 6 for the big event.  The have a small outdoor porch with a 15 x 30' covered, open on all sides, area for serving drinks and food. The cooking is all done outside on the beach - they have pork chops, chicken, and fish.  How anyone could go to a "Fish Fry" and have pork chops or chicken is beyond me. We had fish - snappers and it was very good.  We returned to the boat at around 8:30 pm.

Thursday March 8, 2018 - Layover in Rock Sound - Robert arrives

Well, there was no way I would be heading north to pick Robert up anywhere the Governor's Harbour airport.  The southern half of Eleuthera runs north and south and the northern part runs NW and SE.  The wind was blowing from the West at 20 to 25 which meant it was onshore the entire length of the island.  Yesterday, I had made arrangements to rent a car from Friendly Bob - to drive to the airport and pick up Robert.  I started out anchored in the NW corner of the Sound.  I left the anchorage at around 10am and motored over to the NE corner where there is a "dinghy dock" that is only a few hundred yards from the Rock Sound airport/Customs office.  When I got there at around 11, the wind was blowing about 25 from the NW.  I hated to anchor in an area where there were no other boats and where I had never been (making me nervous about the holding).  But, I stayed on the boat for a couple hours to make sure the anchor was holding and then motored ashore in the dink.  I left for the airport at about 1pm and arrived at the airport within 10 minutes of Robert's arrival.  

As soon as we got back to the boat, we departed and motored back to the NW corner of the sound where things calmed down overnight.

Wednesday March 7, 2018     - Layover in Rock Sound

After spending some time trying to upload videos at Frigates and making arrangements for a car to pick up Robert at Governor's Harbour, I motor sailed to the South end of Rock Sound to anchor since the wind was forecast to go to the south at 15 to 20 (which it did).

Tuesday March 6, 2018 - Layover in Rock Sound

Mike and Lisa left early for Spanish Wells.  They wanted to be ahead of the weather that is coming tomorrow and Thursday.  I topped off my water first thing in the morning and then moved the boat about a mile north so I could go to the grocery store at the north end of town. 

In the afternoon, I did some bottom scrubbing on True Blue, took a shower and then went to a cruisers roundup at the Frigate Restaurant very close to where I was anchored.  I met several interesting people.  It does impress me how much MORE experienced I am that many of the people at my home marina but how much LESS experienced I am than people I meet here in the Bahamas.  As an example, one couple, Fred and Debbie are around 45 or 50.  They have a Caliber 40 that they keep in Oriental NC and live in Cincinnati Ohio.  They both retired from IBM at very early ages and have been cruising the Caribbean and Bahamas every year for the last 15 years. 

I left the party around 5:30 and moved True Blue south about 4 miles to the south end of the sound since the wind was forecasted to veer around to the south over night.  I dropped the anchor just after a beautiful sunset. 

My friend Robert comes Thursday and he and I are both trying to figure out how we are going to meet up since the entire west coast of Eleuthera is supposed to be rough on Thursday.

Monday March 5, 2018 - Layover in Rock Sound

Today was an adventure day. I had met cruisers Mike and Lisa about a week ago in the Exumas.  They were planning to leave for Rock Sound the same day as me so we left about the same time and crossed over to Eleuthera together.  Since then, we have had brief chats while dinghying back and forth to shore.  Last night, Mike sent me an email saying that they were going to be renting a car today to drive north on Eleuthera - and invited me to go along.  I was a little nervous about moving the boat (from the sound west side back to the east side) this morning and then immediately leaving it. 

We started out at 8:30am.  We drove north, checked out Governors Harbour and continued north until we encountered our first obstacle.  We were unaware of the sea/weather event that had occurred the night before.  The Atlantic storms that had brought all the wind to the northeast US last weekend had stirred up some huge swells that finally reached Eleuthera last night.  Our first obstacle was flooding over the main road (the main road is like a 2 lane highway   that runs the entire length of the island).  We got directions for a detour around the flooded section of road so we continued driving north.  Our destination was the Glass Window with stops on the way back at Hatchet Bay and Sweetings Pond near Hatchet Bay.  Lisa also wanted to do some beach combing at several beaches on the way back.  About 2 miles south of the Glass window, we ran into our final obstacle - another flooding.  But this one was not just standing water, it was more like a small river flowing across the road way.  There were lots of locals milling around and some police insisting that people keep a good distance from the water.  One of the locals had been caught in the current and was missing.   We spent a little more time in the area, talking to some of the locals and learned that this weather event was very unusual and something they had never seen.  Many had driven from 40 to 50 miles just to see the damage. 

On our way back south, we drove down a couple roads on the East (ocean) side of the island.  I could hardly believe conditions along the shore.  The east coast in this area is very rocky with reefs that extend out about a half mile.  The waves coming in were breaking at about 20' further out and coming into the shore with a scary and amazing force.  I'm not sure I've ever seen such an ANGRY sea.  It was low tide so the waves were not coming in as far as earlier.  We walked along a section of road that is right on the shoreline.  We stood in an area where the road had been washed away the previous night.  There were sections of the road the size of a car that had been carried 50 to 100' further up on shore.  Sections of the road that were missing were 200' long by the 50 or 60' width of the road.  I was in awe at what Mother Nature can do in hours what man has spent days or weeks building.  I took several videos but it will be a while before I can process them.

We had a little trouble locating the Sweetings Bay area where Lisa wanted to do some snorkeling.  She had heard there were seahorses in this isolated salt water pond.  We finally found it and she and I both went in the water while Mike stayed ashore with the dogs.  We did see some sea horses and a couple large crabs.  It was a great place for snorkeling.  Then we stopped at a local pineapple farm where the farm manager, Russell, gave us a great tour and explanation of when they harvest, and how they force the pineapples to grow to extend the growing season. 

We made one more stop on the east shore and Lisa did some beach combing while Mike and I had a beer at "The Deck Bar and Grill".

We got back to Rock Sound around 6pm.  What a great day.  Thank You Mike and Lisa!  Note: one of the highlights for me was spending time with the two dogs - mother and son golden retrievers. 

Governor's Harbour drive thru

Flooding event

Pineapple Farm

Sunday March 4, 2018 - Layover in North Rock Sound

The forecast has been for lots of North wind through the weekend.  However, last night, there were actually a few periods of under 10 knots.  I don't understand how the wind can be so variable out here in the open.  One minute it will be a very quiet and peaceful 5 knots and 30 seconds later, it will be a howling 20 knots.  In any event, the wind does appear to have subsided a bit (around 15 to 20) and tonight and tomorrow, it is supposed to really drop.  Tomorrow morning, I'll head back over to the Rock Sound Settlement to top off with water and provisions. 

Well, I "wrote" to soon.  It's now 10:30am and it's blowing a solid 25 with many gusts to 30 and a few to 35.  What's unsettling is knowing that there is a single, half inch diameter piece of three strand nylon rope between you and your anchor.  With some of the gusts, all I almost wince, hoping it holds.  Should I have put down a second anchor?  I've also thought numerous times how great it would be to have one of my high wind sailboards right now.  It's the perfect spot - waves just under a foot and 25 to 30 knot winds.  I'd be flying.

I spent 2 to 3 hours today organizing and cleaning up my photos and videos.  I've had some logic for filing and organizing but sometimes I just can't keep up with it all.  I even edited some of my videos from two weeks ago.  I have some videos that are two and three months old that I still need to process/edit.  And, then there is getting them uploaded - that has almost become an impossibility.  I'm beginning to think it's not going to happen until I'm back in the US - maybe even back home. 

It's 7pm and the wind has abated a little.  It's currently 15 to 20 which is a huge improvement over earlier in the day.  I may get a decent night's sleep tonight.  Wait….. it's back up to 25 - hopefully an anomaly of nature!

Saturday  March 3, 2018 - Layover in North Rock Sound

The first thing I did this morning (after having coffee, of course) was to move the boat North about a mile.  When I first came over to the west side, the winds were more west.  Also, the only boats up here were 3 catamarans and a small trawler (all have less draft than me).  The charts show just 3 to 4 feet in this area but when I saw a couple larger monohulls up here, I decided it was time for me to move again.  I was glad I did because between 7am and noon, the wind went from N at 15 to N25.  It was still rough but not as much as it would have been if I had stayed.  And the water depth is 6 to 7' so no problem there.

It was a pretty uneventful day.  With the wind and the boat rolling around, I didn't get much done - nothing that can't wait till tomorrow!

I did have a good phone conversation with my crew member Robert Vantrigt.  Robert lives in Middle River MD.  He has a Pearson Triton sailboat and, like me, is a part time crew member on SV Buggs (that's where I met Robert).  Robert is flying over to Eleuthera on Thursday and will be with me for 12 days.  He is flying into Governor's Harbour.  We will spend 3 or 4 days in Eleuthera and then make a passage up to the Abacos  where we will meet up with our friend Steve and his girlfriend Linda who just flew into Marsh Harbour a few days ago.  I'm looking forward to some social contact with friends!

Friday March 2, 2018 - Rock Sound East to Rock Sound West

Today was my first time of running and hiding from the wind since I've been in the Bahamas.  The wind has shifted to the West and will veer to the NW and North for tomorrow and Sunday.  Seventeen other boats moved to the west side of the Sound last night and this morning.  When I came over at around noon, there were still 4 or 5 die hards still off the town docks.  There is nothing here on the west side so, except for dealing with the howling, it should be a relaxing weekend.  It is only about a mile across the sound so I can still see the town of Rock Sound nad can still get good reception from the BTC cell tower.  Monday it is supposed to let up for a couple days and then Part 2 of the front is scheduled to arrive.  It is supposed to make Part 1 seem mild.  Of course, that is when I'm supposed to pick up my friend Robert (Thursday).  Hopefully the forecast will change between now and then. 

This morning, I made a second attempt at uploading my videos.  It didn't go too well.  The Frigate's internet is sub 3G.   I got two small videos uploaded in two hours before giving up and heading back to the boat.  I'm not sure when my next chance will be but, in the mean time, I'm not taking a lot of new videos. 

I'm reluctant to mention this (for fear it will reverse) but I think I may have solved the problem with my two 50 watt solar panels.  About 2 weeks ago, I found a loose connection in a connector I use to disconnect the panels from the wire that runs into the boat.  It allows me to remove the panels and coil the wire up and stow it all below when I'm going to me sailing or motoring a lot.  Well, I fiddled with connector for 3 or 4 days and finally just replaced it with crimped butt connectors.  Ever since, I have not had a bit of trouble.  Another mystery solved?  So between that and the fact that the days are getting longer and the sun is getting higher, my solar is slowly doing a better job of meeting my energy needs.  Besides the fridge (that uses about 15 amp hours per day) the thing I'm currently typing on is the biggest energy hog.  It uses 3.3 amps which is more than the fridge.  But I gave up typing on phones and tablets 3 or 4 weeks ago and I'm glad I did.  It is sooo nice having the Honda generator to give the batteries a good charge every couple days.  I sometimes wonder how many times Ed has thought "I told you so" - and he did.

Thursday March 1, 2018 - Layover in Rock Sound

Something very odd happened late this afternoon.  The cockpit of the boat was in the shade and the sun was still shining.  For the first time since I've been in the Bahamas, the boat was pointed west - into the late day sun.  Tomorrow, I'll be moving to be in position for my first cold front.  The wind veered from SE to S yesterday and from S to SW to West today.  It shouldn't be a big deal because I'm in a great place for a cold front (where the wind blows from the NW and North for a day or two.  I'll just pull up the anchor and motor about a mile and a half to the west and I should be all set. There are about 15 other boats here in Rock Sound that will be doing the same thing but there is plenty of room in the NW corner of the Sound.

Today was a busy day.  I was the first to dinghy to shore.  I did some laundry on the boat, then went and refilled my water containers.  Before coming back to the boat, I walked a little over a mile to the new restaurant, Frigates, at the north end of town.  It is really a pretty nice place.  The name has changed 2 or 3 times in the last 10, or so, years.  My new friend Holly was sitting out on the deck waiting to meet a woman who lives here.  Holly has been here many times and was bringing one of the natives some yarn for knitting.  Holly and her husband Rob Sanger live in Norfolk VA aboard their Pearson 365 ketch Hampshire Rose.  She told me they are members of the Chesapeake Bay Pearson Sailing Association.  What a small world.  She works at West Marine in Norfolk.  Anyway, I had walked to Frigates to see if they might have a free wifi connection.  I've read about several places that were supposed to but none have - so far.  Well, to my surprise, they DID and a good one (fast).  I wished later that I had brought all my electronics but I did download about 15 app updates while I chatted with Holly.  Before I left, we both ran into Peter aboard S/V Pearl - a beautiful 1973 Bristol 40.

I walked back to the dink and motored the water back out to True Blue, got my cameras and hiking gear and headed back into town for some sightseeing.  First was the Ocean Hole - a small lake near the center of town.  On the way there, I ran into Peter again and he gave me some tips about getting from the Ocean Hole to the Boiling Pot.  His advice was to carry a rock and/or a stick since there are dogs that will only back off if they see one of the two.  It was a good tip because I likely would have been bitten by only one dog along the way.

The walk from the Ocean Hole to the Boiling Pot was a couple miles and then another mile back to the dink.  Both "attractions" were fun and I'm glad I went.  The Ocean Hole was somewhat commercialized with signs and picnic tables.  It is a large hole filled with water that is about 1/4 mile in diameter.  The Boiling pot is much more rugged and out of the way.  It is also a water hole with some caves around the perimeter. 

I got back to the boat around 1pm, quickly (two hours) processed my Warderick Wells Videos and rushed off for a walk back to Frigates to upload 5 or 6 (two weeks' worth) of videos.   I got a drink so they didn't feel like I was a total freeloader but as soon as I started computing, I could tell the wifi had degraded since morning.  In 45 minutes, I download 42% of one single video.  I ended up using the data on my phone to finish the upload which took less than 2 minutes.  The wind had shifted to the SW and had picked up and now True Blue was on a lee shore (being blown into shore).  That made me nervous, plus I knew the dinghy ride back out to the boat was going to be a wet one.  So, I hustled back to the boat, pulled up the anchor and moved about a mile to the north where there would be a little better holding and a little more protection.

Like I said, it was a busy day - but a GREAT one!!

I'm back at Frigates (it's Friday morning).  Just uploaded 2 short videos - took 2 hours.  Like watching paint dry.  The rest will have to wait.

If I ever become Catholic, this is where I'll be going to Church

Enlarge and zoom into the sign.  Gives new meaning to "variety store".

Is this Eddie's or Saraha's?  Is it really open?

Another cruiser (Peter) told me Grandma's has ice cream cones for just $2.50

Dock access to True Blue

Road north to Rock Sound Settlement

Ocean Hole

Boiling Hole