February 5 2013 to February 16 2013
West End Bahamas to ... Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas
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| Feb 6, 2013 | Great Sale Cay, Bahamas | |
| No pictures. We got underway at 7:30 to make it through a shallow area on the bank before low tide at 10:30 am. We traveled with 4 boats. Easy transit, then made it 45 miles to Great Sale Cay, anchoring for the night. Sixteen boats anchored this evening. Great event. | ||
| Feb 7, 2013 | Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas | |
| We watched most of the 16 boats leave the anchorage before we left. About 9 am we headed out, facing 3 foot chop. It was uncomfortable, but we continued. Luckily, after 2.5 hours it settled down and we had a pleasant ride for the last 4 hours into Black Sound at Green Turtle Cay. We moored to the pier at the home rented by our friends Bru and Sandy Brubaker. We went to a local restaurant with them and, although the local cook, the owner's wife was ill, someone else cooked up some great fish and side dishes that was served "on the house." We only paid for drinks. A great evening. We're moored here a couple of days and hope to get to Guana Cay soon. In the pictures below you see sunset at Great Sale and the clear beautiful waters of the Bahamas as our stern wake pushes water out from the boat. Note the haze between sky & sea. Was almost indistinguishable. | ||
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| Feb 8, 2013 | Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas | |
| We're relaxing at Green Turtle. Winds on the Sea of Abaco are NE at 20 so we can't get thru the Whale Cut (out in the Ocean and back in) to get to Guana and Hope Town, so we'll stay put until the winds and seas are ok for passing Whale Cut. We're still at Bru and Sandy's in Black Sound. There's Bru and Sandy's rental house (that they're considering purchasing) and Bru, Sandy, and Carey enjoying the Tiki Bar at the adjacent Leeward Yacht Club. The final two pictures include one of the pool at Leeward and one of Plymouth Rock Liquors where we spent tonight visiting with boaters that arrived in Green Turtle over the last few days. All in all a great day ... including a good cleaning of the boat during the early afternoon hours. I also think we have the internet and web site update issues resolved. Some people got phone calls last night as I was trying to fix the Skype phone issue. I really was not trying to talk to anyone, just ensure I could when I wanted to. From the weather reports we will be here until Wednesday next week and that is ok. We are having a good time visiting with Bru and Sandy and their friends. They are great hosts. Also, Carey has been able to join Sandy at the pool in the mornings for rigorous rounds of water aerobics, joined by ladies from some of the docked and moored boats. She's really enjoyed that. | ||
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| Feb 9, 2013 | Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas | |
| Up at normal time we had regular boat chores, the girls went shopping, and we later took a long walk on the beach, collecting shells. Off to the Tiki Bar at Leeward, where we met up with new friends, introduced to us by Bru and Sandy. Delightful folks. Mary and Leonard Lowe of Green Turtle. Mary's originally from Wisconsin and Leonard is from an old established Green Turtle family. And, never to be forgotten....Marion and David, English expatriates now living in Cyprus. So enjoying each others' company, we continued on at Marion and David's temporary residence on into the wee morning hours. Retirement certainly is draining! |
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| Feb 10, 2013 | Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas | |
| Still at the dock on Sunday and had a brief visit by boaters from Annapolis on a 34' American Tug we traveled with from Florida for a day. More new friends. Watched our Sunday "talking heads" shows then headed, with Bru and Sandy, back to David and Marion's for afternoon gathering and a bountiful early dinner of conch chowder, fish chowder, salads and the fixings. Everyone contributed to the fare and the lively conversations. We all reluctantly parted company and retired to watch the Grammys aboard. |
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| Feb 11, 2013 | Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas | |
| Played tourist in the Settlement where the streets are narrow but everyone makes room for the walkers, bikers, few cars and many golf carts that make their way around the town. We remembered, from our last trip, McIntosh Restaurant so stopped by for lunch. Mainly though we wanted to stop there because of their homemade bread and desserts - to die for. Carey made a steak dinner this evening that we enjoyed with Bru, Sandy, Dave, and Marion. Next morning, with the weather breaking, we off to continue our travels, this time on to the lovely Big Guana Cay and the notorious Nippers. May not have internet but we'll enjoy the area for a day for two. We really thank Bru and Sandy for hosting us here in Green Turtle. It has been a fantastic visit. (Ann should note that I wore the M.R. Ducks!) | ||
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| Feb 12, 2013 | Guana Cay, Bahamas | |
| Had an hour and half boat ride from Green Turtle to Guana Cay, from 1130 am to 1 pm. We went out Whale Cay into the Atlantic Ocean and back in, the route you have to take to Guana. While only in the Atlantic for 4 miles it can be rough. Today, it was ok, just 3-4 foot swells rolling the boat gently while in the Ocean. We planned to take a mooring ball in Settlement Harbor but were literally yelled at by the Orchid Bay Marina Dock Master who offered us $0.50/foot dockage for the boat. We took it as it was about the same price as the mooring ball for the evening. We'll stay here two days and tour the island, enjoy a dinner at Nippers and relax. Tonight Carey has fixed a beef roast in the crock pot that is smelling great. We may even stay up late enough to hear the President's State of the Union Address. It's hard to leave the Potomac behind....even in the Bahamas. | ||
| Feb 13, 2013 | Guana Cay, Bahamas | |
| Up at a reasonable time, we rented a golf cart and headed out to tour Guana Cay with Ron and Kathy Price, who berthed next to us last evening. (They're in the course of moving their sailboat towards their new home in Baja . She's also a former Smithsonian staffer....worked at the Natural History Museum in the Fishes Tumor Registry Program, then for NOAA.) First stop was Baker's Bay at the top of the cay. A deluxe resort with pricey homes, so-so marina, sandy beaches and a delightful bartender at the Tiki bar. Our biggest decision - whether we could have a rum punch before noon. Not hard! Don't baby boomers now make the rules?! Our next stop was, of course, Nippers for lunch. Nippers is the go-to cool party bar and restaurant on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic. Not crowded on a weekday, but the food was tasty. After lunch we made one more stop - at Grabbers, a beachside restaurant on the Sea of Abaco Side. Finally back on board, Carey shows off the hat she bought for Oliver, our grandson. (The collection is growing.) And we watched the fuel delivery to the marina via tanker truck driven on a barge and tug. Later, a starlit drive on the cart and a quiet dinner out. | ||
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| Feb 14, 2013 | Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| Underway from Orchid Bay at 11 am, passing the occasional small cays along the way and arrived at Marsh Harbor by 12:30 pm, entering the harbor past luxury homes on shore and the typical larger boat at anchor. It was a short 8 mile trip, followed by a nice welcome to one of our favorite marinas. We'll settle in here for a few days, waiting at the predicted blow that's expected over the weekend. The weather guys and gals are predicting gale force winds. We're tied up tight to a very strong pier. | ||
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| Feb 15/16, 2013 | Harbor View Marina, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas | |
| On Friday, the 15th, the forecasters were still predicting heavy rain and gale force winds to start Saturday evening and last thru most of Sunday. Everyone got ready. Nervous folks at anchor moved into marinas so that most slips were taken. Us at the marinas added lines and cleared away the things that would fly around in the wind. Friday afternoon a strong front came thru with 35 mph winds and caught some by surprise, but the winds died down after one hour or so and preparations for Saturday continued. It is now Saturday afternoon and we're all ready for the major weather expected later this afternoon and thru the night. Carey and I visited on the docks and helped tie up those moving in to the marina, did a few chores and got the boat ready. We also had time to just relax and wonder how much wind we really will get. Pictures below show a sailboat with all this extra fuel and water jugs secured topside, a group of people helping a powerboat moor in the Friday afternoon wind event and two pictures trying to show the heaving rain. | ||
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