Yea right. I got off early. But before we even got to the Melbourne Causeway I thought of three things I had forgotten. We pulled up off of the Melbourne Beach pier and I dinghied in to the pier. On the way I managed to wrap a crab trap line around the prop. By the time I got back to the boat, it was getting late. We just anchored at Marker 21 about 10 miles from the dock. Got away early but didn't get far.
Want to welcome to the crew our newest member and second mate in charge of navigation and insect control. His name is Garfield and even on Friday he is hitting on Midori. To the left is Garfield standing watch. It has been suggested that we get him a Captain's hat and small life jacket.
We continued on to Manatee Pocket and dinner at Shrimpers. We got back to Incommunigato just before dark. Shortly after darkness, a guy came screaming through the anchorage in a dinghy with no lights. I joked, "Where is the marine patrol when you need them." Didn't even get the last work out when the blue and red lights came on and stopped the guy about 20 yards from his boat. I fee like I jinxed him.
This may have been the quietest day of any trip. Nancy had completely lost her voice. She would squeak. Midori could translate I think mostly by lip reading. I was a double of Nyquil for Nan this night.
Early this morning, Pete Anderson dinghied over. He is staying in Manatee Pocket one more day and so will tend to be a day behind me coming down to Miami. We hope to keep in touch as I make my way to the Exumas.
Down the ICW to North Palm Beach. Nancy is up to a croak today and sometimes I can even hear her.
Went by this house in Hobe Sound. Oh, oops, that is not the house but just the boat house.
Dropped off Nan Squeaky Cox, and Midori at the North Palm Beach Marina. Faye Bitzer got on for the journey to Fresh Creek on Andros. We stay the night in North Lake Worth.
We went out Lake Worth Inlet and down the coast outside to Ft. Lauderdale. Rough day out in the ocean with the wind on the nose all day. I think there is a fishing tournament down south somewhere. 50 Sport Fishers must have passed us today. Most throwing massive wakes. Once two passed at once, one on each side.
We stayed at Larry Wilkins house in Ft. Lauderdale and went out to dinner at Seasons 52, a new restaurant in town. Very nice.
Saw this shack on the water way on the way out of town.
Notice to mariners. The bridge just north of the Ft. Lauderdale inlet is now 55 ft. Not what was indicated on my chart.
Today we went down the inside to Miami. Smooth ride but lots of bridges.
We stayed at the Miamarina next to the Bayfront Center. To my surprise, this marina has no fuel. I think the best feature is being next to Bayfront.
Picture is the Miami Skyline taken from Biscayne Bay next day.
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We left early for Pumpkin Key near Angelfish Creek.
Special for Jeff McGinn. Jeff, you are always wanting me to upgrade to a faster dinghy. I think this fellow on the left has taken the fast dinghy solution to a new level.
We went out Angel Fish Creek in the daylight to get a look, then anchored at Angel Fish Creek. The plan was a 4:00 departure depending on the weather. A little late for me. The only real objective was to get to Bimini in good light and before Customs closed.
The forecast was for wind from the SW at 5 to 10. Sounded good to me.
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Got up at 4:00 but the wind was not from the SW. The radio said not to worry. It's coming around real soon now. We waited till 5:00. The wind slacked a bit so we headed out the creek. To make a long story short, the wind never came to the SW but blew about 10 out of the NW all day. It was a rough ride most of the way to Bimini.
About 3 miles out was the highlight of the trip so far. The sea had laid down and it was getting warm. Faye went forward to open the front window. On the way back to the bridgedeck, she fell overboard. Yes Incommunigato's first real Man Overboard Drill. Only not a drill. Wish I had a picture of Faye in the water but I prioritized getting her back on the boat. A wet Faye back on board is in the picture on the left.
Below, better times on Bimini at the End of the World Bar.
Friday morning we saw Pete Anderson pull into Bimini. He was going to stay a couple of days. Faye and I left and headed for Honeymoon Harbor.
Even early the harbor was crowded with boats. The two on the left were rafted up. We noticed that the boats were moving. The anchors had let go and they were drifting toward the reef in the current. Note the break to the right of the boats. We could not figure why they did not untie. They seemed to not be able to control the boats. Not visible in the photo is the line that went bow to bow. Suddenly there was an explosion in the water in front of the white boat. It sounded like a shot being fired. That was the anchor line parting,
Learned later that when the problem started there was only one person on the two boats. He was trying to save them both and so had to keep them tied. The two boats finally made it over the rocks with much grinding. This photo is after the crew made it back to the boat from the beach.
We left Honeymoon Harbor early hoping to get to Joulters Cays north of Andros. Wind was good from 9:00 till 3:00 and then died. And we stopped to investigate some interesting features on the bottom. As we stopped the wind died completely.
Back on the way again and a factory ship with a fleet of small boats approached. They were cleaning out the lobster traps at the end of the season. We pulled over near Russell Light and anchored out on the banks. Immediately the wind picked up to 15 to 20 and stayed there all night.
The lobster boat anchored near us with the small chase boats anchored near it. Had to be a rough night on those boats.
Went through the NW Channel and headed for Morgan's Bluff. On the way we stopped at the same place I got a big hog fish last year. North Andros comes through again. This time I found two nine pounders. Also saw a large shark. I tried to show it to Faye but could not get her attention. Probably a good thing.
Morgan's Bluff was not what I expected. Don't know what I expected but this was not it.
There was one other boat in the anchorage, a cat in need of TLC.
There is a really poorly stocked convenience story and Willy's Waterfront Lounge, no longer serving food thank you. Gas is not available at the dock.
Other things are quite spaced out and not in walking distance.
The plan was to leave Morgans Bluff in the morning and work our way down the coast inside the reef. Worst plan I ever concocted but that was not evident yet.
We stopped in Morgans Bluff before starting down the coast and talked to the couple with the cat that had been anchored out. They were living in Andros after "sailing over." I asked from where and they said England. I think he tried to tell us that the inside route was not a good plan but was not direct enough.
We started out with guide books in hand. Soon the weather turned cloudy and the wind kicked up to 25. Even in the lee of Andros we could not read the bottom until we were on it. Bumped several times and I turned around and bailed out to an anchorage in Conch Bay that I had used in 1975. By the time we got there the wind was between 25 and 35 but we got anchored and stayed the afternoon and night. Inside passage along Andros needs really good light and I suspect some local knowledge.
This morning we worked our way from Conch Bay to the Bethel Channel and went outside the reef back to Morgans Bluff.
Went looking for Capt. Morgans Cave but could not seem to find it. Finally went into an "Administration" building and found two women. One offered to walk us to the cave entrance. The other said she would round up some transportation to the Mennonite Farm so we could get some fresh veggies. We check the cave and went back to see if a driver had shown up. He did, in about an hour.
He took us to the Mennonite Farm, the grapefruit orchards, Uncle Charlie's Blue Hole, and many other places. A complete tour of North Andros. His moniker was Dumpy.
Later we went to Willy's Waterfront Bar only to find that they no longer serve food. But we got a beer and ran into Dumpy again. He got Faye into the pool game and she won her first game and had the best player in the place beat till she choked on the eight ball. Quite an experience.
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Picture next to the Tuesday commentary is the freight boat carrying grapefruit to Ft. Pierce. Shipping grapefruit to Indian River County! What's wrong with this picture?
Left here is a picture of part of the Mennonite Farm. This is a pretty big operation. There are also quite a few Bahamians with vegetable farms in this area. The abundance of fresh water makes this possible. I don't know what they do for soil. Most of these crops seem to come up between rocks.
One picture down is Uncle Harry's Blue Hole. Sign and Dumpy say that it was explored by Cousteau who's team shot the 2 mile tunnel out to the ocean.
Wednesday morning we went north of Andros for some snorkeling. Got another big hog fish. North Andros has sure been good to me in the fish department.
Anchored back at Morgans Bluff for a departure to Fresh Creek in the morning.
We set out early for Fresh Creek. I had called ahead and confirmed a slip for us at the Lighthouse Club. Of course the wind was on the nose and we were really short on gas. We went most of the way on one engine alternating engines to conserve gas.
At the entrance to Fresh Creek we were greeted by the famous lighthouse, or so it says in the guidebook.
Once we got tied off, Faye called her friend Zela who works at Autec. Zela and her husband Jack picked us up at the dock and took us to dinner at Hanks Place. Hanks Place is on the approved list. Good Bahamian chow at reasonable price. The house drink, the Hanky Panky can safely be skipped.
Zela and Jack met on Andros at the Atlantic Underwater Test Evaluation Center (Autec). Zela had previously worked at Semiconductor with Faye. Jack has been with Autec and living on Andors for 30 years. They are planning to retire soon and return to the states.
Looks like I will be at the Lighthouse Club till the next crew arrives on Sunday.
About noon, the high speed ferry from Nassau arrived. The ferry carried passengers, cars, heavy equipment and containerized freight to Andros.
Faye and I explored the area. Just up the street from the marina is the Androsia factory and store. They make and sell the Androsia Batik Fabric available in finer stores everywhere. Really, it is famous.
Friday night Jack picked us up at 4:30 and took us to the Beach House. The Beach House is a bar on the beach at Autec with a Friday night special of hot dogs and hamburgers. Beer is $0.75. Try to find that somewhere else in the Bahamas.
Faye drove back to Jack and Zela's in Zela's golf cart. Tip, do not ride in a golf cart with Faye. Especially after a few beers.
We did some repairs on the boat and Jack picked us up about noon for a tour of the Island. We went up to Small Hope Bay Lodge and confirmed that we might be able to go diving with them. Had to call Sunday night for info on the dive. Also found a large group of Bahamian kids camped out on a corner north of Coakley Town.
Went back to Autec with Jack and had lunch at the General Mess, $2.00 for a fine lunch.
Then Jack suggested staying for dinner and he thawed out the last of his lobster tails. Got back to the boat about dark.
Left is a picture from the top of the lighthouse. Sea colors are spectacular.
This was crew change day. Faye and I did some additional repairs on Incommunigato in the morning. Went to meet the "2:35" flight at the airport. The Andros Town Airport is certainly an improvement over the one I used previously, in 1965. And we did not get the "Plane no come today mon" speech that I got then. But, the plane was an hour late. Because of that, the departing passengers were hurried onto the plane before the arrivals got through customs and my crews did not get to meet.
Later Bill and I enjoyed a beer back at the marina.
We fried the last of the Hog Fish and had to rouse Gayle for dinner. She was pooped after a 4:00 AM departure from North Carolina.
We had made arrangements with Small Hope Bay Lodge to join their afternoon dive on Monday. We were lucky to get there on time. Gas in Fresh Creek turned out to be a problem and I was running on fumes. We had to carry gas to the boat and it took 23 gallons. I hold 26 gallons.
The afternoon dive was to a spot called "Klein's Place." Nice little dive. Why can't I get this close to a Tiger Grouper when I have a spear in my hand. Got lots of other good underwater photos this dive.
We had dinner at the lodge and it was great. It is a buffet and included a snapper dish to die for. Be nice to spend a week here sometime diving.
Tried to make another dive with Small Hope Bay Lodge but their paying guests filled up the dive boat in the morning. We changed our anchorage to a spot behind one of the small barrier islands to get a little relief from the wind. Did I mention it has been blowing 20 for days now?
The picture on the left is from the Monday dive. Not a great shot but a fish one does not expect to see in 40 feet of water, the Long Snout Butterfly.
Tried and failed again to dive with Small Hope Bay Lodge. Bill and Gayle did do some snorkeling on small reefs inside the barrier reef.
We took a slip at the Lighthouse Club with the plan of leaving before the crack of dawn for Exuma. Tired of this weather holding us back.
We dinghied to Hanks Place for dinner.
Some folks have asked why the Hog Fish is named the hog fish. The photo at the left taken a Hanks Place I think tells the story.
We awoke at 4:30 and prepared to leave Fresh Creek. A totally dark night. Passage out the channel was a little intense but we did make it.
The crossing to the Exumas was terrible. Lots of 6 ft. rollers in the Tongue of the Ocean. But I think the banks west of Exuma were worse. This is the worst crossing Incommunigato has encountered. We made terrible time and just managed make Highbourne Cay before dark.
To the left a fuzzy picture of our anchor mates at Highbourne. At least we were in good company. We watched for the cocktail flag from the yacht but it never appeared.
Down to a tuna casserole for dinner.
In the night the wind rotated enough to make our anchorage very rough. Did I mention it has been blowing 20 to 25? We went into the Highbourne Cay Marina for gas, ice and some groceries. No slips available.
I did a mass e-mail from there but could not get the web site photos to upload properly. Sorry.
As I write this we are anchored in a bay on the north end of Highbourne Cay with two other cats. A lightning storm of proportions I have not seen is in progress as a front passes over. Trying to get a photo of this but I need to know when the lightening will strike.
Gotcha. Wind just did a 90 degree switch but we appear to be holding.
Highbourne Cay to Normans Cay, a picture rich day.
We left Highbourne and went to Allens Cay to see the Iguanas. Just before we launched the dinghy, three power boats with 3 to 4 two hundred horse power motors pulled in with 50 tourists. I talked to the captains. They run from Nassau everyday on a "Powerboat Adventure." Above is the mob feeding the Iguanas grapes on a stick.
Above left, a single Iguana after the crowd has left.
On to Highbourne Cay where we found The Highlander, Steve Forbes' yacht. They did not invite us over for drinks. I am more than a little miffed as I am a long time subscriber. We went on a dive instead. While on the way back in the dinghy, the helicopter took off. No camera aboard the dinghy to capture this event.
Before we left Normans Cay we took the dinghy for a snorkel on the airplane wreck in the harbor. I had not expected much but it was a good dive. Bill identified the plane as a C-46. Normans Cay was home to a drug smugglinging previously and yachters were discouraged here with rifles. The plane was a drug plane that went down in the mid 80's.
We gassed up and iced up at Highbourne Cay and headed for the Exuma Land Sea Park at Warderick Wells. We met Pete Anderson there. This is really a beautiful place.
We had called ahead in the morning for a mooring, which you need. No anchoring.
Pictures on the Monday page.
I took a lot of pictures here but I don't think I captured the beauty of this place. Left is part of the mooring field. The channel is banana shaped and quite narrow. To the left of the boats you can see the sand bar.
Gayle and I snorkeled a nice patch reef and of course there were many groupers and lobsters on it. First lobsters I had seen on the entire trip.
On the beach is the skeleton of a whale with some information on saving the whales. This one was killed by a plastic bag it ingested.
Somewhere around the park is a wi-fi base station and I was able to update the web site from the boat. Uplinks thought were painfully slow.
We left early for Staniel Cay. Ice was down to nothing and the garbage situation was critical. Pete was off even before us. He radioed with information on the anchoring situation and took his morning power nap.
We got anchored and roused Pete for a trip to town and lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Very fine lunch and nice ambiance.
Then a dinghy trip to the famous Thunderball Grotto at low tide. When we got close, I was prepared for a great disappointment. Looked like just an undercut in the rock. But when we got in the water that undercut led to a big room in the center of the rock. Definitely cool. Pictures inside were tough and I don't think I got anything that really captures the effect. You'll just have to go. Left is looking out an underwater entrance to the grotto .
Pete set out earlier on the bank side. He reported bad seas and was coming back. Since there was a westerly componentent to the wind, we decided to go to the sound side for the passage down the chain. We encountered some left over rollers but otherwise nice seas. Had to motor to near Farmers Cay Cut but then were able to sail down to Adderly Cut and Lee Stocking Island.
Lee Stocking Island is home to the Caribbean Marine Research Center. They have 4 moorings and are responsive on the radio. Gayle had spent a week there doing research. The channel in features rocks on one side and a sandbar on the other. This trawler was on the rock side and awaiting the high tide at midnight.
We left early and made a stop for a dive off of Lee Stocking Island. The Marine Research Center has moorings on several reef sites on the sound side. They confirmed that the mooring would hold Incommunigato. Nice dive but unfortunately the inside of my underwater housing lens fogged and I got no pictures.
We continued on to Elizabeth Harbor and were making good time when the wind suddenly stopped. When it came back it was slow and had sifted. Made us a little late to Exumas Docking Services where we informed that, "The Gas Dock closes at 5:00."
We anchored off of the Chat and Chill near Stocking Island. Chat and Chill on the approved list. Have the ribs. World class. On the way to the Chat and Chill we saw this Nekton dive boat. I think the versions in the dive magazines must be airbrushed.
Went back to the fuel dock at Exuma Docking Services in the morning. The fuel dock was blocked by a large trawler that fueled up, water up, and finally paid up. Took us almost 2 hours to get gas and water. By that time we needed to start thinking about getting to the airport. We took advantage of marina's deal of $10. for a half day of dockage.
While looking about Georgetown for a half an hour, ran into Lenny and Nancy Beckitt. He was anchored south of town and informed us that Pete had e-mailed that he was still near Staniel Cay.
Out to the airport where we had lunch in Kermit's. Picture at the left. Sorry, this is sort of an inside joke.
Bill and Gayle left and Don Mueller my next crew arrived.
Don and I headed out in Exuma Sound with the intent of transitioning to the banks at Farmers Cay. Things were going well till about 2:00 when the wind kicked up badly out of the north. We decided we had had as much fun as we could stand that day and turned into the channel at Lee Stocking Island.
The picture at the left is one of many stone monuments along the coast of Great Exuma. I don't know what they are monuments to but there are several listed simply as monuments on the charts.
We were able to contact Pete on the radio that evening. He had finally started south but had pulled in at Cave Cay when the weather got nasty. We figured we would pass the next morning in Exuma Sound.
Pete was up earlier than us and we passed him just north of the cut from Lee Stocking Island. He suggested that we use the cut south of Farmers to cross to the banks as it was wider and an easy transition.
Once we transitioned to the banks, the seas were much more friendly. The waves were blocked by the island chain and did not have enough fetch to build back over 2 feet.
We stopped at Staniel Cay that evening and took this shot of the sunset from the dock at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. They have a perfect line to watch for the Green Flash from the end of their T-Dock. Of course you have to find the gap between the 100 footers to look west.
We stayed at Staniel long enough to catch the low tide and dive at Thunderball Grotto. This time there was actually a slight current through the Grotto itself.
Back up to the Exumas Land Sea Park where we had reserved a mooring. Got the same mooring as last time, number 14. It is close enough to the office that I can get the wi-fi signal from the boat.
The Bananaquits up by the office here are quite brazen. Yes, he is sitting on my foot.
We waited for the tide to flow out a little and made the hike to BooBoo Hill. It is a high spot on Warderick Wells and people have left mementoes of their trips there. No plastic or glass please.
As we came back toward the office, a sea plane appeared and pulled up at the beach. Apparently the park warden's parents had been visiting and were leaving that morning.
On to Normans Cay where we had dinner at McDuff's. It is truly the only game in town. We talked to the owners who told us they had sold McDuff's and were leaving for Belize on May 12. The new owners say they will keep McDuffs open, but. Much of the island has been sold to a developer who is planning a big housing project. Trailers have been brought in to house the workers building all the units. Bye bye remote Normans Cay.
We stopped at Highbourne Cay for gas and ice. A sport fisher had just come in and the fish cleaning stand was busy. This group of nurse sharks was swarming under the stand. Just on the opposite side of the stand is the beach.
Onward to Ship Channel Cay. This was the northern most anchorage I could find for the passage to Royal Harbor. This cay is mostly uninhabited except for a complex on the south end where the Powerboat Adventures bunch has a complex to bring visitors to.
We checked on a couple of small reefs in 6 feet of water but no dinner .
We left Ship Channel Cay at oh dark thirty. As I looked at the chart, it showed a route to Current Island but noted that VPR applied, numerous heads.
We also saw several boats leaving the area with one apparently heading toward Current Island. Later they hailed us as the cat following the cat and we established communications with Blue Lagoon. They were heading for the Current Island South way point and we decided to keep in touch. Neither of us had been in the area before.
Then the sun came up and I was petrified. There were patch reefs everywhere. I took off the autopilot and began dodging. One that we did go over I check on the depth recorder. Came from 18 ft to 12 feet. Note for following years, go dive this area in good light.
Blue Lagoon diverted to Current Island and was through the Current Cut better than an hour ahead of us. He gave us the okay on the cut and verified that we still had the current with us for the cut. He later called on his hand held from the Spanish Wells grocery to see if we needed anything.
As Don and I were touring the ruins at Royal Harbor, Blue Lagoon came in, picture on the left. Incommunigato in the Background
We were up early but not as early as some. There was a parade of boats out ot Royal Harbor heading for the Abacos or Nassau. Lots of traffic crossing the NE Providence Channel. We saw two large cruise ships, an assortment of freighters, and a ship carrying yachts. Must have been 10 to 15 60 to 80 foot yachts on this ship. And that is what we could see. Going to the med for the summer?
Had to motor sail the second half of the trip because of an opposing current. We were making good speed through the water but a knot to knot and half less over the ground. This is not fair.
Pete's Pub is still standing but my Melbourne Art Festival poster we hung up last year was a victim of the hurricanes. Several boats in Little Harbor were not so lucky.
The plan was to go grab a mooring at Hopetown. But we stopped at Sandy Cay for a snorkel on the way and did not arrive until 5:00. Not a single mooring in the harbor. We turned back thinking of anchoring near Tahiti Beach. But as we neared Tahiti Beach, the wind swung out of the west. So we anchored in front of Eddie and Patti's Summerview Cottages in the lee of Lubbers Quarters.
They stopped by on their way to Cracker P's and offered a ride. But I noted it was full moon party night and a simple drink was not in the cards. They said no, the full moon party was tomorrow. But I heard Cracker P's on the radio in the morning and Froggies was offering a boat ride from Hopetown. Turns out we both agreed that the full moon party was Saturday night. They simply thought the day was Friday. Oh that island living. Eddie says they go fishing every other day so you just have to remember if you fished or not yesterday. Day of the week is not so important.
Left, The Castle on the northern tip of Tilloo Cay.
Crew change day in Marsh Harbor. We got going just after the Cruiser's Net and headed for Marsh. The weather forecast for the coming week is uniformly bad. Many of days of 20+ kts of wind. On the way to Marsh we run into showers that according to The Net, "Are not on the radar."
On arriving, the plan was to top up the gas and water at the Port O Call Marina. That is Port O Call on the left. No gas yet at Mangos or Conch Inn as near as I can tell. But there docks are functional.
Marsh Harbor Marina on the other side of the harbor was spared major damage and their gas dock is open although slow.
We anchored next to Hakari Cloud, another Maine Cat 30 just off the Union Jack Dock. Union Jack dinghy dock is functional. Not so the dinghy dock at Long's Landing.
Did some laundry and went to the airport to meet Brian. I was not sure of the Conch Out Bar's status yet. Flight was 50 minutes late as was Don's flight out to Melbourne.
Brian and I headed out to Little Harbor. The forecast was for northwest wind at 15 to 20. Seemed like a great day to head south. Unfortunately, the wind was from the SE and we pretty much had to motor the whole day.
We sampled the Blasters, had dinner and retired to the boat. Despite the Blasters I had trouble sleeping. There was this noise all night. I could not identify it but it sounded like, "Aflac."
Buggy at Little Harbor. I took a mooring there to keep out of the 20 kt wind but I don't think it ever got above 5 kts.
This morning we did the tour of the rest of Little Harbor including the ruins of the lighthouse. The floor in this place is getting more and more shaky. I'm not going in anymore.
We also toured the Gallery but managed not to buy anything.
Headed for Hopetown.
Stayed the day in Hopetown and saw the sights. A question suddenly occurs. Is that "Saw the sights" as in the things to see or "Saw the sites" as in the site of the lighthouse and the site of the church? Whatever, we were not cited for any misdeeds.
Bad news day. We headed up to Bakers Bay on Great Guana Cay. We were greeted by the sight of this barge and crane. For those who are not aware, the north end of Great Guana Cay is in dispute. A developer wants to put in hundreds of homes, a large marina, and a golf course. The government has ignored the pleas of the locals and even given some crown land to the developers. Construction was supposed to start in June when the court cases surrounding this were resolved. Brian and I tried to visit the abandon cruise ship terminal but were turned away by a guard.
I reported the situation to Johnny at Nippers. Soon I was talking to Erin, head of the Save Guana Reef organization. She asked that I write her an e-mail documenting our experience. Johnny and Erin believe that the developer does not have title yet and cannot legally be working.
Take a visit to http://saveguanacayreef.com/ for more information.
Brain and I took off early for Marsh Harbor and had a great reach all the way getting to Marsh early. I had a lot of chores in Marsh including laundry and shopping.
We met Harvey and Nancy Melfi at the Conch Out Bar. Much to my surprise, the Rick Cope and Jacqueline showed up at the bar. I had been trying to raise them on the radio since Wednesday and was worried that they were not going to make their own wedding. Not to worry.
Faye arrived at the Conch Out Bar from the airport a little late. Apparently the plane flight was, "A bit bumpy." Actually that was not the quote but this is a family web site.
No pictures today. Picture at left is a few days later on the way to Little Harbor.
More chores today. Rick Crockett and Suzanne arrived early this morning and radioed from the Conch Out Bar. I should be getting a percentage from that place. We dinghied in and had breakfast at the Conch Inn. By the way, the Conch Inn has a 120 decibel parrot in the dining area that is cute for about 15 seconds and then becomes a real pain in the ear.
After breakfast Brian left for the airport and we got Rick and Suzanne loaded onto the boat. While returning to Incommunigato after dropping Brian, the clutch on the dinghy propeller started to slip. Now I can only idle in the dinghy.
Off to Hopetown to get staged for the wedding tomorrow. Ran into Ron Engle at the Hopetown Sailing Club. He has a fix for the dinghy propeller. Rick and I will give it a try tomorrow.
Left, Suzanne frolics on the beach at Hopetown. I think she was happy to be in the islands.
Finally, the big day. The wedding was at the Abaco Inn with Vernon Malone presiding. On April 9, Vernon performed his 500th wedding. Nice ceremony in a good 20 kt breeze.
In a new tradition, right after a glass of Champagne, Rick left -- -- to take his son to Marsh Harbor for a 5:00 flight. While he was gone, it was decided that his boat needed to go to the Sea Spray Marina for the night. Hey, that channel is tricky. Southern Breeze was aground. Fortunately, a boat from Sea Spray came out and pulled them off. By the time Rick got back his boat was safely tied up at Sea Spray.
Had dinner at the Abaco Inn with the wedding party.
Despite our best efforts, Suzanne had to leave today. That left us with no responsible adult on board.
We stayed in Hopetown and the Cope's organized a BBQ at the Sea Spray Marina. Seems there was a refrigeration failure on Southern Breeze and a bunch of meat just had to be eaten. Rick Crockett handled the grill duty and everyone else brought a side. They have a nice pool and grill. Too bad it was raining. But it backed off and we were able to enjoy a really nice meal.
We made a slow sail up to Great Guana Cay and took a mooring in the harbor. We saw Meridian go into the Orchid Bay Marina but were not able to raise them on the radio.
This boat was also in the Orchid Bay Marina. In the full size photo you can see that it is Protocol from Cary NC. Bill and Gayle (my Cary NC crew), you need to meet these folks.
Big disappointment here. We went to Nippers and got nipped but came back to the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill and they were closed. So, we did not get grabbed.
Note, they are back open after a honeymoon week off. Everyone is getting married over here.
Back to the south today. We anchored at Tahiti Beach and explored the beach. Others there thought the beach is smaller than it was before the storm.
Southern Breeze anchored near us and the crew went to Cracker P's for appetizers and dinner. That's Rick Cope in the background studying his marriage license for any loop holes.
After dinner, actually during, a darts game broke out. At our skill level, people were ducking for cover.
On south toward Little Harbor. We left before Southern Breeze. They were mumbling something about tides that I did not understand.
Before going to Little Harbor, we anchored in the Bight of Old Robinson and I tried to catch fish as we did last year. Unfortunately, a storm came through right after we got anchored and by the time the weather cleared, I had missed the low tide. No fish for us.
Onward to Little Harbor and Petes Pub. Southern Breeze was just behind us with a couple of feet over low tide to allow them through the channel. On the left, a fellow is explaining the finer points of the ring game to Faye and me while Rick Crockett listens in.
We hung around Little Harbor in the morning. Rick had been telling me that balonga would catch fish and I had been laughing him off. Guess what. We caught fish in Little Harbor on chopped ham.
Off to the north. I had planned to stop at Tahiti Beach but the wind was blowing near 20 and was predicted to swing through the north at night. We opted for a mooring at Hopetown.
We got one of Ron Engle's mooring. I had miss computed and took the one right in front of Capt. Jacks. Friday night and the band played on for some time. Got to remember. Music at Jack's on Wednesday and Friday.
On the way to Marsh Harbor, we noticed this terrible rip in the sail. I think it happened the day before but we did not notice it until this morning. We dropped the main and proceeded to Marsh Harbor.
Once in the harbor we taped up the sail with the roll of sail tape I had aboard. Used up the whole roll. Sound of ominous music.
Boats in the area of Bakers Bay are reporting that the Whale Cay Passage is not a good idea this morning. Could probably get through but would not enjoy it. Just before noon, Patti from the Blue Dolphin reports that a plane flying over the Whale says it is a wall of breaking water all the way across. No boat should try it. First time I have heard that in 3 years.
Hendrix plane arrives and we attempt to do some laundry and shopping. We did neither. Got to the Laundromat and found it unattended. I put my laundry in front of a machine. To get quarters, you had to use the change machine. It only takes american bills in excellent condition. No one could get it to work. I went next door to the grocery and traded some Bahamian money for US. Bills not in good enough condition. Finally I broke down and put in an American twenty. Bingo. I sold $10 worth to a local who could not make the machine work. Turned around and someone had loaded the machine with my cart in front of it. Every machine in the place was going and all the dryers were full. I decided to forget the laundry and just get a few things at the grocery. It had closed while we fought the coin machine.
Yesterday was not a total disaster. After the laundry fiasco, we talked to Rick and Jacqueline and had a great dinner aboard Southern Breeze. They were staying at Boat Harbor along with 50,000 sport fishing boats in town for a tournament. Jacqueline claimed to be able to smell testosterone in the air.
Back to today. We picked up the crew and learned that one bag had not made the trip. Welcome to the Bahamas. It did not make the later flight and they told us it would be delivered by 11:00 the next day if they could find it. Continental says US Air never delivered it to them.
We settled in for another night in Marsh Harbor. Two of the guys did something that has not been done before. They slept on the trampolines. They reported it as great but I noted it never happened again.
An early call to the airport confirmed the bag was on its way and would arrive at the Conch Inn before 11:00. We went to the Conch Out Bar to wait. No bag. Finally, Continental quit answering their phone. Lunch time. Hendrix and JR took a cab to the airport to track down the bag. Turns out, the Continental had indeed put it in a cab at 10:00. The bag had been touring Marsh Harbor. Their cabbie tracked the guy down on the radio and took them to the errant cab where the bag was recovered. If they had not done that, that bag might still be riding around Marsh Harbor.
Despite a late start, we headed over to Guana Cay and managed to test Nippers and Grabbers before heading back to the boat.
Left, the crew on a rock in the surf in front of Nippers. From the left, Hendrix, Kramer, and JR.
We sailed on down to Tahiti Beach. Made a stop between Guana and Scotland Cay on the way but once we got into the cut in the dinghy I decided it was too much to continue out. Rick and Jacqueline stopped with us and stayed around to snorkel on the inside. They are headed north now and I probably won't see them till I get back to Melbourne.
Tahiti Beach was near low tide when we arrived. Much more beach than when I stopped there with Rick and Faye. Lots of people there.
On to Cracker P's for happy hour and dinner. Cracker P's is on the approved list for this crew. I met a guy with Lat Lons for two blue holes near the Bight of Old Robinson. Meanwhile, Hendrix met the crew of Painkiller and was adopted by them. Now he just needs to meet his new brothers and sisters.
This was to become a theme. This crew was adopted many times on the trip by other cruisers, young ladies on vacation or local law enforcement.
We sailed down to Pete's Pub for some blasters and a few rounds of the Bimini Ring Game. But, would you believe that the Swedish Bikini Team showed up at Pete's? Good. You did not believe that. But, in fact, it was the Norwegian Bikini Team. They were here for a wedding and doing some sight seeing before the wedding. Or was that me doing the sight seeing.
After the Bikini team left we also checked out of Petes and went to Lynyard Cay for the evening. I figured fewer bugs. Surprise, it is blowing 15 over here at Lynyard. Should be a bug free night.
Left, Hendrix is adopted by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also visiting Petes Pub today. What are the odds?
We came north to Hopetown for the night.
Picture at the left is Hendrix and Kramer in the surf in front of the Hope Town harbor Lodge. Just minutes after this a shark came cruising through the surf about 10 feet off shore. Probably happens in Melbourne too but here you can see them.
We tested the drinks at the Harbors Edge and Capt. Jacks. I could have shown another picture of adopters but you get the idea.
Tried to get the crew in early as we needed to start for Marsh Harbor at 7:00 to make sure we got to the planes on time. That worked, Yea Right.
I am a might annoyed with the Marsh Harbor Marina. Two week ago the dock master chided me for not pulling to the end of the fuel dock so that other boats could get in. Now, a 50 footer has been tied up to the fuel dock for better than a week. It leaves about 15 feet of fuel dock. A very tricky approach in any sort of wind. And, only one boat at a time can fuel up.
But we did manage to get fuel, water, ice, dump trash and get to an anchorage with plenty of time before the plane. I had a chance to go to Out Island Internet and complain about connections on Guana Cay. Me thinks they don't know why their system sometimes does not assign me a valid IP address.
No picture. Maybe I will put in a bonus picture sometime.
In place of a picture, the real story on the duffel bag. She had checked it but US customs seized it on the way out of the country because, it had a hand written notebook in it. Yes, Sue's address book was deemed a national security threat. You have got to be kidding.
Sue now has the bag back sans address book which border protection is looking for. Probably in an evidence locker somewhere.
More on Border Protection later.
August update, Border Protection found Sue's notebook and returned it.
Following her pattern, two years now, Sue arrived early. She was already at the Conch Inn when I arrived. Apparently when all the passengers for her flight were at the airport, the plane left. Never mind it was half an hour early.
As we walked down the street for lunch, Sue said, "Hey, where is my duffle bag?" After some thought and back tracking through memory, we located it. It was safely in here car back in the states. At least we didn't have to wait for a delivery.
We did a little shopping and settled in for the night in Marsh Harbor.
Oops. Again no pictures.
Monday we moved to Hopetown and did some exploring there. Left we are at the pool bar at the Hope Town Harbor Lodge.
We also checked out the Harbors Edge and Capt. Jacks. I think we even got an ice cream cone across from Vernons.
Sue claims I made her walk 5 miles but I think it was more like 1 mile.
I received an e-mail from Pete Anderson on Synergy. He indicated that Synergy, Rainbow Chaser, and Island Time were planning to leave Royal Harbor at the crack of dawn and head for Little Harbor. I wrote back that we would try to go down and meet the fleet at Little Harbor. I also radioed Stardust and he thought he would do that also.
Tuesday morning late we started down to Little Harbor. Saw Stardust at Tahiti Beach. They decided they did not like the weather forecast and were going to Treasure Cay for a few days. We had lunch anchored at Tahiti Beach and pressed on.
About 2:30 I heard a radio call from Jack aboard Rainbow Chaser hailing anyone in the Little Harbor area. I responded and told him I would be there in an hour with a passage report. He told us that Synergy and Island Time had remained behind and planned to come on Wednesday.
Left, the crew of Rainbow Chaser arrives at Petes Pub. Rainbow Chaser and Incommunigato can be seen in the background.
Back to Hopetown and a climb of the lighthouse. I am getting way too familiar with this.
Thursday we pulled into the Settlement Harbor at Great Guana and came upon Catalyst and crew. One of their crew was Jim Boyd, an old friend of Sue McNeil. We got together and they swapped stories of the good ol' days when we were all working. What was good about that?
After a while we retired to the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill and then on to Nippers. A quiet night at Nippers with only a few folks there.
Paul on Catalyst was off early so he could stop at Man-O-War Cay and get a sail fixed. He was going to meet us in Marsh Harbor later.
Kathy and Laura arrived at the Conch Inn. We had several choices of activities but in the end decided to hang around Marsh Harbor and attend a big party on Catalyst Sunday night.
Left, Jack expounds to the assembled masses. Picture stolen from the June Telltale.
This weeks pictures courtesy of Kathy's disposable camera.
Monday morning we were off to Great Guana Cay and Nippers. The plan was to get Nipped and Grabbed on Great Guana Cay. But the plan was flawed. We got Nipped okay but when we arrived at The Sunset Beach Bar and Grill, we discovered that they were closed on Monday. No Grabbers.
But, the hammock was still available and Kathy tried it out.
We had a nice west wind and sailed from Guana Cay to Hopetown in record time. Decided to try out a new place for lunch that had been touted on the Cruisers Net. Tuesday was broiled chicken day. We radioed for a van but no response so we walked. Turned out to be a pretty good walk. Nice place overlooking the ocean. Chicken was $10 with two sides. Unfortunately, it came with three sides. Peas and rice, potatoes, and hundreds of flies. As soon as the chicken appeared, the flies swarmed. When the chicken was gone, the flies left. Good food, fine view, On Da Beach.
Tonight as I was trying to get a picture of the moon rise, the camera quit. I thought it was just a discharged battery but the battery has expired completely. So, no more pictures for a while. I am trying to get a replacement battery but do not know its status. As we shall see tomorrow, this is a tragic loss. (Theme from scary movie goes here). Picture is from Kathy's camera, Laura at the entrance to On Da Beach.
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Top picture. Rehanging the 2004 Art Festival Poster at Pete's Pub. The one hung last year went away in the hurricanes.
Got off an early e-mail to the next crew to find a replacement battery. Don't know what the result is as my Wi-Fi contract expired at 9:00 AM and my computer went off line.
Bob from Plain Air, who has been anchoring the Cruiser's Net about half the time, reported on the Net that the Hooters girls were at Nippers yesterday on a photo shoot. And I had just left Nippers in the morning. But I thought, it could have been worse. I could have been there and the camera could have quit.
Now I am feeling like the boy who cried wolf with my previous reports of the Norwegian Bikini Team and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. But, I am not making this up. We sailed down to Pete's Pub at little harbor and midway through my first blaster, the Hooters Girls showed up for a photo shoot. Kathy graciously let me use her camera. So, picture when I get back I hope. Yes, I have the disc from Kathy and that is me flanked by, well, Hooters. My eyes look black as my crew punched me out.
Meanwhile, the Serbians from Seattle were hitting on my crew.
We left Little Harbor and headed north. The weather was okay so we stopped at Sandy Cay for a snorkel. Left is a picture from Kathy's underwater disposable camera. That's me. Most of the pictures were completely washed out. What to do?
From Sandy we went on up to Tahiti Beach and visited Patti and Eddie on Lubber's Quarters. Then dinner at Cracker P's.
We had been trying to raise Majjak II on the radio for a couple of days. We were expecting them in the area. In fact on Thursday we got a minor message through via a relay from Pattie at the Blue Dolphin. The plan was to meet in Marsh Harbor on Friday.
On to Marsh Harbor we went and part of the new crew, Faye Bitzer, was on Majjak II. We collected Faye and part of her baggage. Turns out Faye had squirreled away beer on three different boats coming over from Florida. It took a good part of the day Saturday just to collect the booty.
By now the Melbourne Yacht Club had a major contingent of boats in the Abacos including, Rainbow Chaser, Stardust, Majjak II, Catalyst, Island Time, Synergy, Sea Owl and of course Incommunigato.
Left a bonus picture. Sails up taken sometime during this week by Kathy.
The rest of this weeks crew, Barb and Jim arrived on the early flight Saturday. We spent most of the day shopping and rounding up the supplies that Faye had stowed on various boats.
Jim brought two important items. First a digital camera so I am back in the photo business again. And second, a large cooler full of food. Only problem was his camera connector is different than mine and he did not bring the cable. These photos are from a CD he supplied once back home.
Left we are bringing a load from various stores back to the dinghy. Island Time and Incommunigato are in this picture but indistinguishable at this size.
On to Great Guana Cay and the Sunday pig roast at Nippers. Faye, Jim, and Barb went for a nice snorkel while I stayed and observed the festivities at Nippers.
From Nippers we went on down to the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill. There was a big collection of Melbourne area folks there. Events included a series of Bimini Ring Toss games and horse shoes! Hint, do not play Jim in the Bimini Ring Game.
Left, after we retired to Incommunigato, Jim Grills up some of the free range chicken he brought. Apron is courtesy of me. I am unable to cook on the boat without the apron on.
Went down the coast to Hopetown on Elbow Cay. Left is the channel entrance into the harbor.
We did the usual Hopetown tour with stops at the Hopetown Harbor Lodge and Capt. Jacks.
I took two tanks into Froggies for a fill. What a shock. Air fills were $8.00 each. But, I wanted two tanks for a possible blue hole dive later in the week.
The next morning featured another climb to the top of the light house. This time I passed.
After noon, we headed down to Tahiti Beach. A bunch of MYC boats had decided to anchor there and have a get together on the beach. The mob included, Sea Owl, Stardust, Skimmer, Rainbow Chaser, Dreadnought, Majjak II, and others I can't remember. Ray and Alix Gogan stayed in Hopetown but rented bikes to come down and join in.
When we arrived, the weather was looking a might shaky, so we decided to stay on the boat until it cleared. It kept threatening and the fleet finally called Chris on Dreadnought for a radar projection of the storm. It looked at first as if it would pass to the north. Then Chris broadcast a warning to close the hatches as a second storm was forming and heading right for the fleet. We did a 270 degree turn in up to 33 kts of wind before it was through. Amazingly, everyone held. I suggested an anchor kissing party in the morning.
Early in the morning, Skimmer and Majjak II headed down toward Little Harbor and the Bight of Old Robinson. There plan was to explore for Blue Holes in the back waters. We arrived a little after noon and hooked up with them by radio. Sure enough, they had located two blue holes in addition to the one I had found two years ago. One of the holes featured a swim through arch at about the 30 foot level. All of them featured a strong thermocline about 10 feet down. The hole with the arch had numerous lobsters and big snappers. A plan was hatched.
Later the group met at Petes Pub, go figure. Jackie noted that it was the first Wednesday of the month and called for the monthly meeting of the MYC as she figured we had a quorum. Fortunately, the first motion was to adjourn and it carried without a nay. Back to Blasters.
Before we got going in the morning, we fed the ducks in Little Harbor.
The plan for today was put into action. We went back to the blue holes with a fishing pole. Faye stayed in the dinghy with the pole. Jim and I swam out over the hole with the line and dangled the bait right in front of the snappers. No interest what so ever. The only fish that went for the bait were some minnows and a cuda that called this hole home.
After the fruitless afternoon "fishing", we anchored at Lynyard Cay for the night. Caught a couple of small snappers that made a lunch later in the week. Go figure.
The plan was to stop at Sandy Cay for a snorkel and then proceed up to Tahiti Beach. Several boats were to meet at Sandy. But, the weather did not cooperate and we went on past Sandy toward Tahiti Beach. Left, Jim relaxes on the trams.
By now we were low on ice and critical on garbage. We decided to go into the Sea Spray Resort and pick up ice and unload our trash. As we started in the channel, a big Moorings Cat came screaming in ahead of me. Despite warning on the radio that they did not have a good tie up for him, he went up the narrow channel to the Sea Spray Marina. There he couldn't do anything but continued to clog the channel. I finally decided to wait out where there was more water and exited the channel. The Moorings Cat followed me out but ran aground near a turn in the channel. We then turned around and came back in. He was moaning. We radioed the Sea Spray to send him a tow.
Finally anchored at Tahiti Beach and had dinner at Cracker P's. Saw Pattie and Eddie from Summerview Cottage and Gary Calloway who came down late.
What a good day. The breeze came up out of the east. We were able to sail down to Sandy Cay and have a nice snorkel and then sail back north again.
We met Rainbow Chaser (left) and Majjak II for appetizers near Matt Lowe Cay. I had never anchored there before and it is not on my top ten list. However, we spent a nice night and it was close to Marsh Harbor where I needed to drop crew the next day.
Off to Marsh Harbor early. First a snorkel at Mermaid Reef. This was the first time I was at Mermaid since the hurricanes. It was nice but not as good as last year.
After we got organized, we had lunch at the Conch Inn. Jim transferred over to Majjak II for their return crossing. Barb was scheduled on the late VPJ flight for Melbourne. But, just before we left, Jerry Ross got an emergency message that he needed to leave immediately. So, Barb, Jerry, et. al. left for the airport with one more passenger than they had seats. The plan was to try to get an extra seat or trade a seat and leave someone behind. About an hour later we got a radio call from a cab driver. All had gotten on board.
Monday was a morning of chores. We did the laundry, went shopping, etc. Around noon we were off to an East Coast Sailing Association (ECSA) picnic at Baker's Bay.
We arrived and found most of the boats anchored near the south end of Baker's Bay. Made sense to me to get the best protection from the prevailing wind. And, there was a make shift picnic area on the beach right there. But, somehow, the powers at be wanted to have the picnic at the extreme north end and around the corner because, "The place here will be buggy."
So, we made the long dinghy ride to the north. Arriving at the beach, Faye fell out of the dinghy. The beach was beautiful but it was really buggy. The food was covered with flies. I was covered with biting insects. Faye says I was a grouch. Probably true. Then a long dinghy ride back to Incommunigato into the wind.
But, perhaps this was a good thing to do. I fear that next year that beautiful beach will be part of the Baker's Bay development and off limits to cruisers.
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I needed to make one last internet connection to pay a bill before we left for the north and headed home. That was the plan.
We anchored in Fishers Bay and walked up to use the free Wi-Fi connection at Nippers. Did some last minute shopping. Then we pulled up the anchor and hoisted sail in a gentle wind. As soon as the sail went up I noticed it was not shaped properly. We quickly saw a big tear in the sail and dropped it. I was thinking another repair, but, I had used all the sail tape on the previous tear. We got on the radio and talked to Harvey on Stardust. He said he had some tape. So, we changed course to Treasure Cay to meet Stardust and fix the sail. About 20 minutes into this course, Harvey called and said he had found his supply and it was all of a few inches. We decided to go to Treasure Cay anyhow while I pondered what to do about the sail. Maybe we could find some sail tape at Treasure Cay.
No place at Treasure had tape. I called the sail maker on Man-O-War cay. He had tape but would not sell it. I finally decided to head back with no main sail. The forecast was for winds from the SE and we could sail on the jib and/or reacher.
I had not been to Treasure Cay since the late 60's. I have to admit the anchorage was nice and the facilities are good except for the dinghy access. We met for drinks on Stardust (photo top left) and watched the newly-weds on the boat next to us skinny dip. No photos as it might have damaged RL's camera. (note, picture from yesterday and all the rest courtesy of RL on Stardust). There was a big fishing contest in progress and a stream of sport fishing boats came in as we had sat on Stardust. Fortunately, the swimmers were not in the water at this time. Return of the fishermen bottom left.
After drinks, we went for a nice dinner at A Touch of Class. Of interest to the ladies, we saw Richard Gere there. No pictures.
Today we went on north to Green Turtle Cay. My plan was one night at Green Turtle but the forecast was deteriorating and I decided to take a mooring in Black Sound. Stardust and Rainbow Chaser arrived later and anchored outside.
At the Other Shore Club on Green Turtle We found Royce and Carol Hall on Escargot. I had worked with Royce about 15 years ago but had not seen him since. By strange coincidence, Faye knew them from I'm not sure what and we had talked to them on the VHF.
We had lunch on Escargot and dinner on Incommunigato with Royce and Carol.
The forecast is grim, 20 to 25 kts and not looking better. Worse yet an early season storm has formed and the Gulfstream crossing forecast is, "Don't even think about it." We decided to stay on the mooring for another night.
Stardust and Rainbow Chaser heard the same forecast and decided a mooring was good. They came in on the tide and took moorings near us.
This afternoon we all got together at Pineapples.
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Weather was not 20 to 25 yesterday but they promise it again today. We decided to stay another night. Gulf Stream Forecast is bad and Florida is getting torrential rains.
To pass the time, we arranged to rent two golf carts and explore Green Turtle Cay by land. T&A Rentals (I did not make that up) had two carts available for the afternoon, a big one and a small one. Both were alleged to hold 4 people. Tip for cruisers - - Do not let Harvey drive a golf cart.
Harvey took the big cart and I had the small one. We hid two folks around the corner as we needed five on each cart to take our mob. The big cart was much faster than the small one and Harvey typically surged ahead and hid in a side road. Then he would come out from behind and pass us at high speed. Top left, Harvey prepares for the trip back to New Plymouth at the Green Turtle Club.
On the way back, the big cart went ahead and lost control. Or, at least that is what they wanted us to think. We topped a hill and saw this staged scene. I repeat. Do not let Harvey drive a golf cart.
Faye is catching fish again tonight. At 8:30 one edible in the bucket.
We topped off the fuel tank and left Green Turtle Cay for Manjack Cay. There we snorkeled the wrecks along the shore and tried to catch some of the fish we could see while in the water. No luck.
Onward to Allens Pensacola Cay. On the way we caught what I thought was the biggest Spanish Mackerel I had ever seen. He weighed in at 5 pounds. We had another larger one right up to the steps in the stern and lost him. We had Harvey and Nancy for Mackerel dinner.
We later discovered that the fish was a Cera Mackerel. Also good to eat.
From Allens Pensacola Cay we headed for Great Sale Cay. We had good wind all the way and were able to easily sail on the jib and reacher. I think I have used the motors for less than an hour since leaving Green Turtle Cay.
Caught another Cera Mackerel on the way to Great Sale Cay.
Stardust was also at Great Sale Cay. They prepared the boat for the crossing and headed out about 7:00 PM. We anchored for the night.
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We started across the banks toward the edge of the Gulf Stream. We stopped at the little patch of coral that Jeff McGinn and I discovered two years ago. Again, it did not disappoint. A really nice red snapper agreed to join us for dinner.
Listening to the radio chatter, it seems these structures are known as doughnuts. We heard another boat announce he was stopping briefly at a doughnut in search of dinner.
We anchored out on the bank and enjoyed the snapper. Despite a good forecast, it was a rough night.
As we left the banks for the Gulf Stream crossing, it was still a little choppy. But once in the stream, it turned glassy without a trace of wind. Looking at the porthole in the head, it looked like a blue mirror between the hulls. You could look up through the trampolines looking down.
About 2 hours out of Ft. Pierce, we caught a small dolphin. Once we were through the inlet at Ft. Pierce we called Bob Sowden in Vero Beach and invited him to dinner. With the tide in our favor, we continued on to the Vero Beach Marina and took a mooring. Bob Sowden met us at the marina and joined us for dinner.
Allow me a rant. We pulled out of Vero early and headed to Melbourne. We had cleared customs by phone on Wednesday night and gotten our 18 digit clearance number. (yes that is enough numbers for better than a million numbers for every man, woman, and child on the planet). But that is easy. The problem is that you are next required to check in with immigration in Ft. Pierce (place closest to your entry point).
So, as soon as we got home, we had to get into the car, drive to Ft. Pierce, and check in through immigration. This amounted to passing our passports and 18 digit number through a chain link fence to the immigration official. He was back in 2 minutes and ten seconds and said we were okay. Then another hours drive back to Melbourne.
None of this process left me feeling any safer from terrorists. It seems the system is designed for maximum hassle and minimum effectiveness (only volunteers call in and show up).