You need to be flexible, April 27, 2013

After our friends, Kaye and Leo left, we stayed another night in Salt Pond before heading north to Cape Santa Maria (again). On the way, we took this picture. After all this time in the Bahamas, we continue to be amazed by the beauty of the water and the sky.

We anchored just south of the Cape, near the Columbus Monument (again) with a plan to head to Rum Cay in the morning. After we left the protection of the anchorage and got out into the Atlantic, we realized that getting to Rum Cay was not going to be easy. The wind was just off the bow and the seas were running 7-8 feet. After some discussion, chart work and more discussion, Laurie said, "We need to be flexible. Let's go with what the wind is giving us and head for Cat Island. Rum will be there for another time." We turned to the north and enjoyed a wonderful close reach to the south tip of Cat Island.

After the sails were set, Dan deployed the fishing lines and we trolled the entire way. We hooked four Mahi Mahi. There are no pictures to post because we lost all four. We were very disappointed not to have fish for dinner and to put in the freezer, but the excitement of hooking and fighting four fish made the time fly by.

We continued up the west coast of Cat Island and dropped anchor at the settlement of New Bight.




New Bight is the site of Father Jerome's (John Cecil Hawes) Hermitage. Father Jerome was first an architect and later an Anglican Priest. He came to the Bahamas in 1908 following a hurricane which devastated the islands. He designed and built many hurricane proof churches which are still standing today.




Father Jerome built the Hermitage atop Comer Hill in 1937. At 206 feet, this is the highest spot in the Bahamas.




As we climbed the stone staircase, we passed Fathers Jerome's "Stations of Christ."

Father Jerome lived here in solitude until his death in 1956.


He apparently didn't have a lot of dinner guests, because there is only one chair in the place.




Walking from the boat to the grocery store we passed many ruins of Loyalist plantations. The Loyalists came to the islands at the time of the American Revolution, bringing with them slaves to work the plantations. When slavery was abolished, the plantations were no longer sustainable and the Loyalists left the island, leaving behind the newly freed slaves.



In the afternoon, we stopped by Duke's Deck for cold beer and Rum Punch. As Duke made conch salads, the bartender entertained us with stories and then showed us how to play the saw. The saw is part of a musical style called Rake and Scrape, which is very popular in the Bahamas.




We each took a turn, but were not invited back to play with the band that night.

After two nights at New Bight, we moved a few miles up the coast to Fernandez Bay.

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Location:Fernandez Bay, Cat Island, Bahamas

Livin' Large on Long Island. April 23, 2013

We have been enjoying our stay on Long Island since we arrived here on April 6th. After hanging around Salt Pond for several days, we sailed up the west side of the island to Cape Santa Maria and anchored in front of the CSM Resort.



The resort is very nice and is at least tolerant of cruisers that anchor in front and dingy ashore to use the restaurant and fill water jugs for the boat. They also have a car rental service which we used to drive down to the southern part of the island to pick up our friends, Kaye and Leo, who flew in on April 16th. Since we had the car for the day, we decided to do some sight seeing.




This is the airport terminal at Deadman's Cay where Kaye and Leo arrived.


From here we drove to see Deans Blue Hole. At 663 feet, this is the deepest blue hole in the world, and is the sight of the annual free diving world championship.



This is the raft, anchored in the blue hole where the divers descend to depths of over 250 feet, without the aid of scuba tanks. This of course falls in the category of, "why would anyone want to do that?" There were two memorial sites on shore, dedicated to people who have lost their lives in the blue hole.


After more driving around, taking pictures of the beautiful vistas, it was time to head back to the north end of the island and settle in on Glory Days. Having guests on a 37 foot sailboat presents some unique challenges, but ours was even more challenging because on the second trip ferrying people, luggage and supplies to the boat, the impeller in the dingy motor gave out and the motor over-heated.




This is Dan trying to figure out what was wrong with the motor. We actually got very lucky, and found a local, Big Deuce, who was willing to bring his boat out to Glory Days and take the motor back to his garage for repairs. The part we needed could not be located on Long Island, but was available from Nassau. Big Deuce's son was flying to Nassau "to take a test" and would be able to pick up the part and return with it, "in a couple of days."

Although it was frustrating to be without a motor for most of the week we had company, it turned out better than it would have if we had not connected with Big Deuce. He came through and returned the repaired motor at a very reasonable price.




In the meantime, we anchored close to shore so we could paddle in for beach walks and snorkeling excursions. Dan and Leo also booked a bonefishing trip with a guide.


This is Burt (the guide) and Leo walking the flats in search of fish. Dan's perfect record of never catching a bonefish is still intact.




One day we sailed out into the Atlantic and trolled for big fish. Leo landed this dandy Mahi Mahi after a long battle.



On our way back in we sailed past the white cliffs of the Cape. At the top is the Columbus monument. This commemorates his landing here on October 17, 1492. This is said to be his third landing in the new world. Of course he thought he was in India, which reminds us of the immortal words of Jimmy Buffet. "The best navigators are not always certain where they are, but they are always aware of their uncertainty."




After our time at the cape, we sailed south to Salt Pond to resupply and see Kaye and Leo off to the airport. From here, it is on to Rum Cay and points north.

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Location:Salt Pond, Long Island

Goodbye Georgetown, Hello Tropics, April 9, 2013

We spent twelve nights in and around the Georgetown area. The highlight of our stay was the visit by our daughter Hayley and her husband, Dan.


While they were with us we had almost too much fun. We hiked, walked the beaches, played volleyball at Volleyball Beach, played Texas Hold'em at St. Francis Yacht Club, snorkeled on the reefs, rented scooters and toured the island and ate and drank too much.




It was great fun for us to introduce Dan and Hayley to our cruising lifestyle and for them to experience the Bahamas. They got to eat cracked conch, conch fritters, conch stew, fried hogfish, grouper fingers, peas and rice, and Bahamian style macaroni and cheese.

All too soon it was time for them to fly back to snowy Michigan and for us to continue moving south. We left Georgetown on April 8th and headed to Long Island. On the way here we crossed the Tropic of Cancer. This line of latitude marks the northern limit of the sun's summer migration in the Northern Hemisphere. According to our guidebook, "south of this line, you are in the real tropics." So far it has not seemed much different. It appears that the Tropic of Cancer will also mark the southern limit of Glory Days' winter migration, as we will now begin a slow trek north toward the states.

We are anchored near the town of Salt Pond in Thompson Bay, Long Island. This is a large bay that is considered by some cruisers as a more peaceful alternative to the crowds and congestion of Georgetown. The main attraction in town is the Long Island Breezes resort. The owner, Michael, seems to do everything in his power to make cruisers feel welcome, including opening the bar on his night off so we could watch the NCAA men's basketball finals.


Hiking the Atlantic beach in search of shells and sea beans.




Planning our next move.

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Location:Thompson Bay, Long Island