The Log of Dan & Pat aboard the S/V Weal Sea The adventures of
Dan & Pat Harrington aboard the S/V Weal Sea
| The adventures of the S/V Weal Sea with Dan & Pat Harrington - July 2005 |
May 2006
The adventures of the S/V Weal Sea with Dan & Pat Harrington
May 2006
05-01-06
(Mon), slip #12, Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, St. Georges Cay (Eleuthra Island) (25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W): 0630 - Up, BP 30.05, T 75, Clear, NE wind @ 12-15.
0900 - George, Dorine, Pat & I go to the small local museum in a restored house. 1015 - George, Dorine & Pat head to local supermarket for some finally groceries. I go to the local marine store to pick up an extra gallon of engine oil.
1300 - leave slip and motor up the channel to another marina, which has diesel. Depth sonar is acting up. I ask s/v Island Star to lead way thru the narrow channel. Clear Spanish Wells channel & head for Royal Island following Island Star. Motor sail Waypoints: Spanish Wells (25.32.21 N, 76.45.26 W) => Meeks Patch (25.31.50 N, 76.47.00 W) => Royal Island (25.30.62 N, 76.50.65 W) => Royal Island Harbour (25.30.90 N, 76.50.75 W). The last waypoint is visual- VRP (VRP = "Visual Piloting Rules" apply!) because of the narrow channel entry. It is a beautiful sail. This harbour is exceptionally well-protected 360 degrees. There are 10 other boats already anchored here including s/v Delphinus who we sail with from Georgetown to Lee Stocking Island.
1430 - Drop anchor in 15 ft water (25.30.912 N, 76.50.788 W).
George (s/v Island Star) comes over in his dinghy & helps figure out what is wrong with my depth sonar... bad electrical connection. Fix it and it works great.
Relax and enjoy the peace & quiet with clear skies in this lovely harbour. While the weather here great, winds on the channel between here and Great Abacos are reported to be out of N & seas are up. Looks like we are going to be here until Thursday or Friday.
05-02-06
(Tue), anchorage, harbor, Royal Island, west side of north end of Eleuthra Island (25.30.912 N, 76.50.788 W): 0830 - Up, Clear, BP 30.05, and T 75. Four more boats came into the harbour yesterday evening. This afternoon s/v's Non-Linear (John & Marci), Cheeta II (Dick & Jane), Barefooten (Gary & Francine), & Kumbya (Jerry & Barbara) arrived. They are also headed for the Abacos. Not much to do here... No beaches on this side of the island.
HISTORY:
This is a private island but no one currently lives on it. The previous owner had a huge estate here in the 1950s - 1060s with citrus groves, a small airfield, a railroad, & a windmill, as well as stone docks on the harbour (south) and north side of the island. There are small one-lane paved roads, now partially overgrown by jungle vegetation, connecting the ruins of the mansion with the airfield and the boat dock on the north side of the island. The mansion itself, which is in ruins along with several guest & servants homes, was built with stone from a quarry on Eleuthera, which were brought over by boats.
We have been told a developer (Paradise Island Casino?) has purchased the island for development. We have see 5-8 Haitian workers being dropped off at the mansion from a small boat from Eleuthera each morning. They spend the day clearing brush around the mansion and roads, and plant flowers on the terraces in front of the old mansion ruins on the shore facing the harbour. I suspect if you come back here in a year or two, the area will be developed.... Hope you can still use this lovely harbor.
Although the island is private, we've notice a number of cruisers going ashore at the dock in front of the ruins. Dorine, Pat, George & I decide we will dinghy ashore tomorrow.... the ladies are getting anxious to do some shelling and there is suppose to be a beach on the north side of the island.
05-03-06
(Wed), anchorage, harbour, Royal Island, west side of north end of Eleuthra Island (25.30.912 N, 76.50.788 W): 0800 - Up, Clear, BP 30.00, and T 75. 1100 hr - Pat & I dingy ashore with George & Dorine (s/v Island Star) to explore north side of the island. I take my snorkel; fins and mask as there is suppose to be a place where you can also snorkel. We do a bit of exploring around the ruins. The Haitian works do not seem to mind and keep working... most speak Creole or French. The paved road is about 20 ft wide but only a path in some places because jungle overgrowth has creped in along its sides. The Haitian are clearing this as well. It is about 1/8 - 1/4 mile from the ruins to the north beach dock. There are a few other cruisers already there when we arrive. While there is a small beach, there is no real place "to shell". However, I do a bit of snorkeling ... waters are only fair; Not as nice as in the Exumas. We have a picnic lunch on the stone dock then return to the boats.
Looks like our weather window is now Friday. A few of the other boaters are going to try to cross tomorrow.
05-04-06
(Thur), anchorage, harbour, Royal Island, west side of north end of Eleuthra Island (25.30.912 N, 76.50.788 W): 0600 - Up, Clear, BP 30.05, T 75, Wind W @ 10 kt. Several other boats including Kumbya have decide to cross the Northeast Providence Channel for Little Harbour on Great Abacos Island today and weighed anchor about 0800. Several others and we have decided to wait until tomorrow. 1000 - Ladies from Non-Linear (Marci), Barefooten (Francine), Cheeta II (Barbara), Island Star (Dorine) & Weal Sea (Pat) have decided to try shelling again today. Charts indicate there are some beaches on the S-W side of the island outside the harbor. They have room for only four ladies on a dinghy so I agreed to come along and bring Pat in our dinghy. Turned out there are 2 small beaches: one at 25.34.50 N, 76.51.45 W, and the other around a small point at 25.34.50 N, 76.51.57 W. Did not find much at the first but the ladies spent about 1.5 hr at the second. Local boaters apparently use this beach, as there is a fire pit, and an old table and benches here. Found a large number of conch shells by the beach from which the conch had been harvested. Returned to boats about 1330. (Still not sure where we will store all these shells!). 1800 - We are invited over to s/v Persuasion (Jane & Bob) along with George & Dorine (Island Star) & Nauti-Girl (Bonnie & Bob) for Happy Hour. It’s a lovely evening.
05-05-06
(Fri.), anchorage, harbour, Royal Island, west side of north end of Eleuthra Island (25.30.912 N, 76.50.788 W): 0450 - Up, Clear, BP 30.00, T 75, Wind NW @ 10 kt. Seas 1-2 ft. 0530 - weigh anchor. Lots of sparkling bioluminescence on rope segment of the rode as I pull up the anchor. This is the result of small organisms in the water that emit light when disturbed. Waypoints (WP) to Little Harbour: Royal Island (25.30.62 N, 76.47.00 W => Little Egg Island (25.29.10 N, 76.53.00 W => Egg Island (25.30.00 N, 76. 54.50 W) => Little Harbour Abacos (25.19.30 N, 76.58.80 W) => Tom Curry Point (26.20.22 N, 76.59.64 W) => Little Harbour 1 (26.19.90 N, 76.59.95 W) => Follow Buoyed Channel Markers in to Little Harbour.) 0550 - Exit the narrow inlet to Royal Island Harbour to WP Royal Island then turn W toward WP Little Egg Island. Here we turn NNW to WP Egg Island to pass thru the channel between Little Egg & Egg Island, & then NNE toward WP Little Harbour Abacos across the Northeast Providence Channel. This channel is a "ditch" in the Atlantic Ocean 3727 meters deep at the center where we are crossing... that’s 12,225 ft or about 2.3 mile straight down! Awesome when you think about it. The total distance from Royal Island Harbour in the central Bahamas to Little Harbour, Abacos in the "near" (north) Bahamas is 55.23 nm (63.5 statute miles). It is an absolutely beautiful day. The wind is mainly out of the NNW to NW so we use both our sails and motor. There are at least 10 boats crossing with us including Island Star, Non-Linear, Barefooten, Nauti-Girl, Persuasion, and Jassemen. We also pick up three other boats along the way coming from other locations. The boats are spread out over a 1 to 3 mile distance. We are buddy boating with Island Star and stay in VHF contact with them during the crossing. George has been dragging a fishing line on a Yo-Yo with an artificial squid and catches a 37-inch Mia-Mia! We spot Abacos about 12 miles out. The channel between WP Little Harbour Abacos and Tom Curry Point is not particularly
narrow. However, the are shoals and coral on both sides and we decide to let one of the other boats lead the way; we have no macho hang-up! You must carefully follow the Red & Green buoys when entering Little Harbour as the MLW (mean low water) is listed as 1 meter (3.3 ft) in the center of the channel on the Explorer Charts. However, we draw about 4.7 ft and the tide is coming in when we enter. Island Star draws 5 ft and decided to lead the way. He radios his depth reading as we move thru the channel with us following. This is a common practice among boats traveling together. We see nothing less then 8 ft. in the channel. Immediately on clearing the channel the harbour deepens to 4 meters. The harbor is very crowded... must be 30 boats here. 1535 - We elect to take a mooring ball. Its still early and some of the ladies (Pat, Dorine, Marci & Francine) decide to go shelling)..... IT’S ADDICTIVE! The guys, George (Island Star), Tom (Barefooten), John (Non-Linear) and myself (Weal Sea) decide to dinghy ashore to Little Harbors famous Pete's Pub for their Happy Hour. We have a great time, especially after a couple of Hawaiian Punches with Meyer’s floaters. WOW! The ladies join us after about an hour of shelling. Head back to the boats about 1830 for dinner.
05-06-06
(Sat), Mooring ball, Little Harbour, Abacos (26.20.078 N, 77.00.174 W): 0740 - Up. BP 30.05, T 75, clear, Wind S-SE @ 5-10 kt. Believe it or not.... Pat, Dorine, & Marci decide to go shelling AGAIN this morning. I decide to hang around on the boat, enjoy the sun and do some reading. We have decided to head north tomorrow to Elbow Cay. Because of the tide and shallowness of the Little Harbour channel, our group is moving our boats out of Little Harbour and around the Tom Curry Point just outside and west of the harbor where we can anchor. s/v Persuasion (a 47 ft sailboat with a 6 ft draft) cuts short the 1st channel buoy and runs aground. Fortunately the tide is rising & a small flotilla of dinghies with outboards go over and help push her off the sand bar.... very typically of sailors helping one another out. 1430 - We drop our mooring ball and exit the harbor following our harbour entry "bread crumb" trail on our chart plotter in reverse. We drop anchor among 10 other boats in sand in about 12 ft of water (26.20.80 N, 76.00.12 W).
1830 - Several of the group including s/v Nauti-Girl (Bob & Bonnie), s/v Persuasion (Jane & Bob) and ourselves have been invited over to Island Star for Mia-Mia dinner, the fish that George caught during our Northeast Providence Channel passage. We all bring another dish to share. Fantastic feed and another great evening talking about our various sailing adventures.
05-07-06
(Sun), anchorage off Tom Curry Point, Little Harbour, Abacos (26.20.80 N, 76.00.12 W): 0800 - Up. BP 30.05, T 75, clear, Wind S-SE @ 5-15 kt. It’s a beautiful day and a relatively short sail to Elbow Cay. We hope to sail most of the way. Island Star and Weal Sea continue to buddy boat. 1155 - weigh anchor. Waypoints to Elbow Cay are: Tom Curry Point (26.20.22 N, 76.59.64 W) => Lyanyard Cay (26.22.65 N, 76.59.64 W) => North Bar Range (26.23.62 N, 76.59.19 W) => Pelican Cays (26.25.00 N, 76.59.19 W) => Pelican Harbour (26.25.44 N, 77.00.21 W) => Iron Cay (26.25.05 N, 77.01.40 W) => Tilloo Bank (26.25.84 N, 77.01.17 W) => Tavern Cay (26.29.04 N, 76.59.70 W) => Lubbers Quarters (26.29.95 n, 76.59.48 W) => Bakers Rock (26.30.36 N, 76.59.07 W). It’s another beautiful and short sail, about 12.8 nm, and you are never out of sight of the islands. The only segment that you need to watch because of the narrowness of the channel is between WP Tavern Cay and Lubbers Quarters. 151!
5 - arrive and drop anchor between Lubbers Quarters (Cay) and Elbow Cay in about 12 ft of crystal clear aqua green water in white sand (26.30.548 N, 76.58.938 W). George, Dorine, Pat & I dingy to "Cracker P's" pub & grill on Lubber's Quarters. This is a well know cruisers hangout with great food. Pat & I both had STEAK! It was excellent! Got back to boat about 1830.
05-08-06
(Mon): Anchorage between Lubbers Quarters (Cay) and Elbow Cay (26.30.548 N, 76.58.938 W), Abacos, Bahamas. 0800 - Up. BP 30.05, T 75 F, Clear. 1000 - Pat & Dorine want to go shelling so I dinghy them ashore and return to the boat to do some work. We have decided to go to Hope town on Elbown Cay. Its short sail of about two nm N. 1230 - I pick up the "shelling" ladies from the beach. It is a beautiful beach but almost no shells. Pat lost her wooden digging spoon somewhere on the beach. 1330 - raise anchor and head north. Waypoints: White Sound (26.31.51 N, 76.58.93 W) => "hug the shore of Elbow Cay" to => Hope Town (26.32.68 N, 76.57.76 W) => Follow channel buoys into Hope Town Harbour. You need to carefully watch the entry buoys & other boats (!) going into Hope Town. The channel is narrow and VERY BUSY with speedboats and trawlers. Entering the harbour you need to pick-up a mooring ball... it is an extremely crowded harbour with boats on mooring balls sometime with-in 20-30 ft of one another! However, it is a very beautiful spot with the famous red & white Hope Town lighthouse over looking the harbour. 1500 - pick up mooring ball. Cost $20/day. Dinghy ashore & do a bit of exploring of the town. This is a popular destination with lots of tourists and hotels / condos. s/v Persuasion is already here and s/v Non-Linear arrive in the late afternoon. Pat, Dorine & I dinghy ashore and visit the Hope Town lighthouse. Fantastic view of the Hope Town harbour from the top and you can even see the town of Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island about 7 nm away to the NE.
05-09-06
(Tues) - Mooring ball, Hope Town Harbour, Elbow Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (26.32.257 N, 76.57.655 W): 0700 - up, BP 29.95, T 75, Partly Cloudy. 1000 - Pat, Dorine, George and I walk to the beach on the Atlantic ocean side of the Elbow Cay (only about 2 blocks away) where there is a huge reef popular with snorklers. Pat & Dorine try their hand a shelling while I do some snorkeling on the reef. George decides to explore the beach. Marci & John (Non-Linear) are already here snorkeling. 1300 - Group heads up to one of the hotels on the beach to use their shower and pool. Its seems there is a regulation here in the near Bahamas that hotels must allow people to use pool even if they are not guest at the hotel! We take advantage of it and then relax with refreshments at the poolside bar. 1830 - s/v Persuasion invites Island Star and us over for Happy Hour. Return to boat about 2100 hr.
05-10-06
(Wed) - Mooring ball, Hope town Harbour, Elbow Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (26.32.257 N, 76.57.655 W): 0600 - up, BP 30.00, T 75, and Clear. 0900 - We drop the mooring ball and head for Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, ~ 7 nm west of Elbow Cay. Island Star follows us. Waypoints: Hope Town (26.32.68 N, 76.57.76 W) => Point Set (26.34.65 N, 77.00.90 W) => Marsh Harbour (26.33.40 N, 77.04.50 W) => Follow Red-Green channel buoys into Marsh Harbour. Its a beautiful day and we are able to sail most of the way. 1130 - We arrive in Marsh Harbour and take on water at Conch Inn Marina (they are out of diesel until tomorrow) then drop anchor off Marsh Harbour Marina in about 7 ft water (26.32.595 N, 77.03.350 W). Several of our past sailing companions are here including Scandia, Cheeta II, Non-Linear and Pepa II. We met Pepa II on the ICW and have not seen them since we crossed the Gulf stream in January. Bev & Arnie (Scandia) dinghy by and say hello. Their daughter flew in from the states and is spending a few weeks with them on their boat. We need to do laundry and stop by to say hello to Gordon and Jay on Peppa II when we dinghy into town. Doing laundry here is expensive: 25 cents for 2 minutes! Wow. Everyone decides to have dinner at the "Jib Room" at Marsh Harbour Marina this evening. For $25.00 each, we receive chicken and rib dinner then dancing with live Island Music as well as limbo. We have a great time and return to the boat at 2200 hr.
05-11-06
(Thur)- Anchorage, Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas (26.32.595 N, 77.03.350 W).
0630 - Up, BP 29.95, T 75, Partly Cloudy. Listened to Chris Parker's weather yesterday AM. He is predicating a front moving in from Florida with high winds which will hit West End (a town), Grand Bahama Island today then continue east toward Great Abaco tomorrow. We decide to stay put and do some shopping. Two great grocery stores here. much cheaper than Georgetown in the Exumas. Pat has her hair done and I get a haircut. Spend rest of day sight seeing.... not much here.
05-12-06
(Fri)- Anchorage, Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas (26.32.595 N, 77.03.350 W). 0630 - Up, BP 29.95, T 75, partly cloudy. 0830 - really clouding up to the NW... looks ugly. Apparently, the front Chris Parker predicted yesterday is on its way. 0930 - A storm is definitely headed this way. Most everyone is checking his or her boats in preparation. 1000 - A SQUALL comes down the channel as a wall of rain... nearly a "white-out". Boats are bouncing everywhere. We have out 80 feet of anchor rode & Weal Sea's is staying put. However, there are several boats starting to drag anchor on both sides of us... Scary! I have the engine running (just in case) and am watching out the cockpit. Suddenly I saw a 47 ft sailboat moving toward our bow sideways! Whenever you see an anchored boat moving sideways to the wind, you know she is probably dragging her anchor. It is clear she is going to hit our bow with her port side! I grab a fender & rush forward (I should have put on my life vest & put out the fenders BEFORE the squall hit at the same time that I started the engine. Several other boats had already done so... Live and Learn.) I am huddled down on the foredeck with the fender over the side when the other boat slams into our bow. She appears huge & there is NO ONE ONBOARD! She starts to slide by along our starboard side but her bow hits our stainless steel anchor roller bar that tears into her rail. Her bow is pushing against our anchor roller and I am worried she is going to tear off our roller & maybe even our head stay. Weal Sea's anchor holds but the other boat continues to push. Weal Sea starts to tip sideway to port so that our port rail begins to dip into the water, our anchor is holding BOTH Weal Sea & the other boat which continues to push against us. The wind is really howling, I can barely see, and the rain, which is pounding, feels like needles. I don’t know what has happened to Pat who is still down below but I am now worried the other boat is going to TIP US OVER! This is unbelievable! I cannot stand on the deck & have to kneel down & hang on to the lifelines. The forward hatch opens & Pat tries to hand me a life vest. I am too busy hanging on & can't take it from her. (She informed me later that most every thing below was falling off shelves & scattered over the deck.) SUDDENLY our nylon anchor rode BREAKS from the pressure of the other boat & Weal Sea comes UPRIGHT! This actually saves us from capsizing! The other boat slides by & continues to move sideways toward the docks at Marsh Harbour Marina nearly hitting a 78 ft steel ketch off our port. With our anchor gone, the wind is now pushing us toward other boats downwind. I manage to open the anchor locker & push over our 35 lb Danforth anchor that has 50 ft of 5/16 inch High Tensile G4 chain (I purchased in Ft. Lauderdale... Thank God) with 200 ft of nylon rode. The chain & rode feed out rapidly & I actually get rope burns trying to chinch the rode to the cleat. However, I manage to do so & suddenly the anchor GRABS; we come to a SUDDEN STOP with our bow facing into the wind.... what a relief! We are holding! Suddenly another boat appears off our starboard heading toward our bow & anchor. I can not believe this! It’s a steel sloop flying a Quebec Flag. She is under power but also dragging an anchor. There is a lady at the helm trying to control the boat with her husband running around the foredeck screaming something at her in FRENCH. I yell over the howling wind that their bow is going into my anchor rode, may cut it and I do not have a 3rd anchor available! (NOTE: I do carry a magnesium alloy Fortress backup anchor in the lazerette, but it is unassembled & does not have ground tackle attached). I signal to the lady at the helm that she should turn to her starboard to avoid cutting my anchor. Her husband continues to run around the deck repeating in broken English, "Accidents happen, accidents happen, accidents happen, accidents happen....". I cannot believe this guy! Finally, the lady at the helm understands my instructions & turns sharply to starboard "just before" their boat hits and cuts our rode! Wow, another close call! The squall last about 30 minutes. Suddenly the wind drops, the sky clears & the sun comes out... its over! When we survey the harbour, we see cushions, oars, fenders, gasoline tanks & miscellaneous debris floating everywhere. Pat told me she saw our dinghy flip completely over twice during the squall. In deed, our dinghy's oars & life vests were gone, the dinghy's gasoline tank was floating upside down still attached to the motor by its hose, & the dinghy’s anchor was hanging over the side. Others cruisers are going out in their dinghies to visit other boaters & collecting the life vests, oars, etc floating in the harbor. I tried to start the dinghy engine but it coughed a few times then refused to fire. George from Island Star, John from Non-Linear & Arnie from Scandia came over to help. They suggested I take off the engine cover & pour a bucket of "fresh" water over the engine to remove the salt & prevent corrosion. I do so. The engine sputtered when I pulled the starter cord but still would not run. I had a spare spark plug & George suggested we try changing it. It started immediately & ran like a charm... good old Nissan! Everyone was so helpful following the squall. People were on the VHF calling one another with information on equipment they had found floating in the harbor. We recovered our life vest as well as our oars, both of which had Weal Sea's name on them. I spoke to the fellow in the 78 ft ketch next to us. He said they watched the 47 ft boat drag down on us and thought we were in fact going to be pushed over by them. They also saw me on the foredeck & thought I had gone overboard since they estimated we were leaned over nearly 50 DEGREES & thought our port spreader was going into the water. When our anchor rode broke & we came upright, they saw, I was still on the deck. They had started their engine & managed to move out of the way of the 47 ft boat which had broken our anchor rode. I decided to track down the boat that had hit us. There was no one on board & they were responsible for the loss of my Bruce anchor, 50 ft of 5/16 inch G4 chain & nylon rode ~ $900!
A few minutes later Pat draws my attention to a boat coming out of the marina heading slowly out of the harbor... It’s the boat that had dragged down on us. I immediately jump into the dinghy and head toward them. There is a woman in the cockpit and a man at the helm. I come along side as they continue to head out & explain to the woman what had happened. She said she was just a guest on board & that I would need to talk to the "captain" at the helm. He explains they are leaving the harbor while the tide is favorable & that I need to talk to the lady "owner" of the boat who is back at the marina "paying her bill" (I assume for the "unscheduled" anchoring at the marina during the squall!). I immediately turn around & head back to the marine ~1/4 mile away. By the time I get there, she has left. I head back to our boat & discover the owner of the yacht is at our boat in her rented run-about. Apparently, her captain had radioed her & informed her of the situation. She was very pleasant & explained that she had told the captain that she was concerned about the scope of the anchor he had originally set it (about 4 to 1). He told her it was OK since they were just going ashore to get their dinghy's battery recharged & would be right back. However, the squall hit while they were ashore. They saw their boat dragging but could not get back. She agreed with us that they were responsible & would have a new replacement anchor & rode flown in from Florida. I explained that I had the GPS coordinates of where we were anchored & that the water was only 12-15 ft deep. Thus, it might be cheaper to hire a diver to recover our ground tackle (anchor and chain). She was pleased with the idea & contacted a local diver who cleans boat bottoms using a mask & "hookah" (air compressor on a boat with an air hose attached). He came out in his boat and spent three hours looking before he recovered the ground tackle. (Since I was driving his boat during the search, I found out he had actually found the anchor & chain & had tied a fender-float to them after 1.5 - 2 hours. However, continued to "pretend to search" so he could pad the bill for another hour!). She went ashore with him & paid him $300 ($100 / hr) before I could alert her to what had happened. When she returned, I told her I discovered he had actually found the anchor earlier in his search & that he over-charged her at least an hour. She shrugged & said that was not unusual here... there are those in the Bahamas who try to take the tourist for whatever they can. "LIVE & LEARN".
Pat & I spent the rest of the day cleaning up and reorganizing. I had lost about 30 ft of rope rode. I cut back the rope rode to an undamaged segment & splice the Bruce and anchor chain back onto the remaining rope rode.
05-13-06
(Sat) - Anchorage, Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas (26.32.595 N, 77.03.350 W).
0630 - Up. BP 30.00, T 75 F, Clear. We are heading north tomorrow to Great Guana Cay. Pat & I dingy ashore to do some grocery shopping. The internet cafe is closed so we can't take advantage of Skype VOI (Voice Over Internet) to telephone home (Only 2.5 cents/minute!). Instead, we use our phone card and get hold of Darla, our daughter-in-law, in Remington, Indiana... Mike and the boys (Ryan, Sean & Matthew) are out so we do not get a chance to talk to them. We also tried to telephone Brian & Jennifer, our son & daughter-in-law in Colorado, but there is no one home. Same applied to Susan & Eric, our daughter and her husband in Pittsburgh, PA. Oh well.... we tried.
Returned to boat after shopping and prepared for departure for tomorrow.
05-14-06
(Sun) - Anchorage, Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas (26.32.595 N, 77.03.350 W).
0700 - Up. BP 30.00, T 80 F, Clear. No wind... sea is FLAT & mirror-like. 1000 - George & Dorine on Island Star, our buddy boat, go to airport to pick up their sailing friends Chris & Debbie from Ohio. They are flying in and will be helping them sail Island Star across the Gulf Stream from the Bahamas up to the Carolinas & then on to the Chesapeake Bay where George & Dorine plan to leave the boat until next year. 1330 - George, Dorine & their friend’s return from the airport. 1430 - Island Star departs for Great Guana Cay, our next anchorage. 1500 - We weigh anchor then fuel up, take on water and finally depart Marsh Harbour for Great Guana at 1545. It’s a beautiful day and we sail most of the way. 1815 - Drop anchor in a cove off Great Guana Cay (26.40.10 N, 77.07.00 W). Island Star is already here & their group has gone ashore to see Nipper's Beach Bar & Grill, a cruisers hangout. We dinghy ashore & meet them at the pool. The group decides to return to Island Star for Happy hour. We discuss plans for the next few days. Chris Parker's weather report indicates that there is another front moving in 48-72 hrs with the possibility of squalls. After their experience at Marsh Harbour, everyone we talk to is looking for a safe harbor on a mooring ball. The weather looks good tomorrow and we agree to try to for Green Turtle Cay. We telephone Green Turtle Marina and they have two slips still available, which we reserve (cost $1.75/ft/day).
05-15-06
(Mon), Anchorage, Great Guana Cay, Abacos, The Bahamas (26.40.10 N, 77.07.00 W): 0730 - Up. BP 30.05, T 75 F, Partly cloudy, Wind 10-15 kts out of E. 0945 - Weigh anchor with Island Star and head north to Green Turtle Cay via the "Whale Cay" route. Waypoints: Guana Cay anchorage (26.40.10 N, 77.07.00 W) => Guana Cay 1 (26.40.22 N, 77.08.70 W) => Guana Cay 1 (26.41.44 N, 77.10.56 W) => Whale Cay 1 (26.42.01 N, 77.12.30 W) => Whale Cay 2 (26.42.89 N, 77.12.63 W) => Whale Cay 3 (26.43.44 N, 77.14.26 W) => Whale Cay 4 (26.42.81 W, 77.15.73 W) => Green Turtle 1 (26.45.40 N, 77.19.81 W) => Green Turtle 2 (26.46.04 N, 77.20.02 W) => Follow buoyed channel into Green Turtle Marina slip. This route is relatively simple. The only concern is passage out of the sound between Great Abacos Island and the cays east of the Island into the Atlantic Ocean around Whale Cay and then back into sound. If there are significant winds from the N or NE, waves can build and a dangerous "Rage" develops on the Atlantic side of Whale Cay. No sane sailor would attempt the passage "Around The Whale" under these conditions. We luck out and conditions are excellent with only a 1-2 ft chop on the outside. Winds are also favorably and we sail 90% of the time. 1300 - Arrive at the marina & get our slip (26.46.904 N, 77.20.202 W). Lots of other boaters are on the radio looking for either a mooring ball or slip because of the predication of a possible squall on Wednesday. This is really a first class marina with a pool, beautiful restaurant, etc. We invite George, Dorine, Chris & Debbie over to Weal Sea for Happy Hour. It’s been another great day in paradise.
05-16-06
(Tue). Slip, Green Turtle Marina, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, The Bahamas (26.46.904 N, 77.20.202 W). 0800 - Up. BP 30.00, T 75 F, Partly cloudy. 1000 - I take advantage of the pool. 1400 - Our group decides to do a bit of exploring & rent two golf carts. We drive into New Plymouth, the main town on the island about 2 miles away. It’s a historic town settled by British "Loyalist" fleeing the colonies after the American Revolution. We visit museum and a garden laid out in the shape of the British Union Jack. Returning we stop by an ice cream store then get off the beaten path where we find an outdoor pub. Naturally, we have to investigate it. Continuing our return trip, we get side tracked again and end up at the Bluff House, a first class resort a mile or so from our marina. 1800 - Invited over to Island Star for refreshment and sweets. Heavy RAIN has started and it continues to rain throughout the night... the front is moving through.
05-17-06
(Wed). Slip, Green Turtle Marina, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, The Bahamas (26.46.904 N, 77.20.202 W). 0700 - Up. BP 28.80, T 75 F, Windy with occasional showers. 0900 - We have to return the golf carts by 1300 hr. The ladies decide to take one of the golf carts into New Plymouth to do some last minute shopping since we plan to set sail tomorrow for Great Sale Cay on the north side of Grand Bahama Island. 1845 - Our group has made dinner reservations at the Green Turtle Marina & Club Restaurant for 1930 hr. We head over early for refreshments. Great meal but not cheap ($34/person). 2300 - head back to our boats... we plan to leave for Great Sale Cay at first light tomorrow morning.
05-18-06
(Thur). Slip, Green Turtle Marina, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, The Bahamas (26.46.904 N, 77.20.202 W). 0445 - Up. BP 29.90, T 78 F, No wind... dead calm. 0610 - First light; the sun is just coming up & we depart the slip with Island Star following us. We follow channel markers out to our entry waypoint at Green Turtle 2 (26.46.04 N, 77.20.02 W) then turn north for Great Sale Cay. Waypoints from Green Turtle 2: Great Sale 1 (26.46.04 N, 77.20.02 W) => Great Sale 2 (26.56.09 N, 77.36.44 W) => Great Sale 3 (27.03.24 N, 78.10.39 W) => Great Sale 4 (26.59.00 N, 78.15.50 W) => Great Sale 5 (26.58.68 N, 78.13.62 N, 78.13.62 W) => Great Sale 6 (26.59.00 N, 78.13.06 W). It’s a beautiful warm, clear, sunny day. However, there is almost no wind on the sound and we motor most of the time. 1520 - Arrive at the anchorage in a cove on the SW side of Great Sale Cay (26.59.00 N, 78.13.06 W). It has been a long day. There are at least 10 other boats already here. Great Sale Cay is a common stop-over anchorage for boats leaving as well as coming to the Bahamas. Since hurricane season is approaching, all of the boats here are returning to the States. We raft up with Island Star to spend our last evening dinner together. George & Dorine with their crew (Chris & Debbie) depart tomorrow morning for the Gulf Stream which they will follow N to North Carolina and then on to the Chesapeake Bay. They intend on doing at least two overnights offshore. We have been on the VHF and discover that another couple, Pat & Diane on s/v "Youwarkee" (a 30 catamaran), are leaving tomorrow West End (Grand Bahama) and then plan to cross the Gulf Stream the next day for Ft. Pierce, Florida where they live. They tell us they would be happy to have a buddy boat; we decide to team-up with them. Pat & I spend our last evening with Island Star. 2100 - Its time to return to Weal Sea. We have really enjoyed our times together with George and Dorine & we promise each other to stay in contact after we return to the States. We separate our raft-up with Island Star and move off about 20 yd where we anchor for the night.
05-19-06
(Fri), Anchorage, Great Sale Cay, Near Bahamas (26.59.00 N, 78.13.06 W): 0515 - Up & breakfast (cheese, bagel & coffee), BP 29.98, T 78 F, Clear, wind NW @ 8 kt. Looks like it will be a motor-sail day. Check in with s/v Youwarkee. We plan to depart @ first light. Also, check in with Island Star. We will be together at least for the 1st few miles. Their course from Great Sale Cay is WWN, 291 deg True for 52.8 nm to Mantinilla Shoal (27.18.00 N, 79.09.00 W) where they will enter the Gulf Stream & turn N. They have hooked up with 2 other boats. 0545 - Up anchor and head 251 deg True toward Mangrove Cay, 23.3 nm WWS. Way points from Great Sale Cay to West End harbour on Grand Bahama Island (total dist - 49.5 nm): Great Sale (25.58.60 N 78.13.80 N) => Mangrove Cay (26.56.25 N, 78.37.75 W) => Barracuda Shoal (26.45.94 N, 78.57.90 W) => Church Bank (26.44.80 N, 78.57.90 W) => Goodwill (26.43.80 N, 78.59.80 W) => Indian Rock (26.43.17 N, 79.00.24 W) => West End (26.42.25 N, 79.00.20 W) => West End harbor entrance (26.42.25 N, 25.78.34 W). s/v Youwarkee starts a bit later & is about 3 miles behind but we stay in contact via VHF. s/v (catamaran) Nauti Girl (Bob & Bonnie), who we had met earlier in the Exumas and in Little Harbour, were also head for West End & sailed with us. It was a beautiful day. The most trying portion of the route is the segment between waypoints Barracuda Shoal & Indian Rock where the channel is narrow with "thin" (shallow) water on both sides. You must watch your cross-track error (side drift off course). Nauti Girl is concerned about her draft & elects to detour N to Memory Rock (26.55.00 N, 79.03.00 W) then turn S to West End. We have decided to follow another boat through the channel. All goes well and we enter West End Harbour @ 1530 hr. We had radioed ahead & arrange for a slip with Nauti Girl. The marina (26.42.09 N, 78.59.09 N) at West End is new & very nice. However, its NOT cheap - $100/night for a 34 ft boat - includes water & electricity. s/v Youwarkee arrives about 1615 & decides to anchor in the shallow just N of the marina harbor. We have dinner with Bob & Bonnie at the marina restaurant. They are headed home for Miami & plan on staying here another day. Weather forecast for tomorrow is good with S-SW winds at 8-10 kts and 2-4 ft seas. Hit the sac about 2000 hr. We will be up at 0300 tomorrow morning & plan to depart before sunrise with s/v Youwarkee @ 0400.
05-20-06
(Sat), Slip, West End Marina, West End, Grand Bahama Island (26.42.09 N, 78.59.09 W). 0300 - Up, breakfast (cheese, bagel, coffee), BP 30.00, T 75, clear, W-WNW @ 5 kt. 0345 - Contact s/v Youwarkee (Pat & Diane) via VHF to verify departure. 0400 - exit slip into harbor. Its dark with no moon and we as well as several other boats including trawlers leaving to cross the Gulf Stream have our running lights on. Although our destination is Ft. Pierce (82 nm from West End), Pat & Diane (s/v Youwarkee) live just N of Stuart, Florida. Therefore, we will be heading Stuart via Florida's St. Lucie Inlet where Pat & I will continue N on the ICW to Ft. Pierce, FL. Waypoints: West End Harbour (26.42.25 N, 78.59.34 W) => West End (26.42.25 N, 78.00.34 W) => St. Lucie Inlet (27.10.00 N, 79.00.34 W). Total distance: 66 nm. Seas are not bad, 2-4 ft, but winds are mainly W. We want to cross the Gulf Stream ASAP so we decide to motor-sail. The sun comes up & its a beautiful day. We enter St. Lucie Inlet at 1445 hr. Travel time 12 hr 45 min; Ave. speed ~5.2 kts. The inlet is VERY busy. We are told you do not want to enter the inlet at night if you are unfamiliar with it. Its day light but we follow s/v Youwarkee. After entering the inlet Pat & Diane follow the channel up the St. Lucie River to their home on. We need to check-in at US Customs & Immigration within 24 hrs of arrival. Since we are continuing up the ICW to Ft. Pierce, Pat & Diane who also have to check-in, have volunteered to pick us up in their auto and take us to US Customs-Immigration @ the Ft. Pierce Airport tomorrow. Pat & I continue N on the ICW 21 miles to Ft. Pierce. 1630 - Anchor in Faber Cove, a small very quiet cul-sac off the E side of the ICW (mile marker 966) surrounded by older homes and new condominiums under construction (27.27.952 N, 80.17.739 W). There are 2 other sailboats already here when we arrive. This is an excellent and very protected anchorage (we highly recommend it). We telephone Pat & Diane and tell them where we are anchored so they know where to pick us up tomorrow.
05-21-06
(Sun), Anchorage, Faber Cove, Ft. Pierce, FL, ICW mile 966 (27.27.952 N, 80.17.739 W). 0800 - Up, breakfast (cheese, bagel, coffee). BP 30.01, T 80 F (HOT & Humid), clear.
1130 - Pat & Diane arrive and we drive to the Ft. Pierce Municipal Airport. Checking in at US customs & immigration is speedy & efficient. We have lunch with Pat & Diane at the municipal marina then go back to the boat.... make LOTS of phone calls touching base with family & friends. We will be heading north tomorrow.
We will continue to update this site as long as Dan gets us the information. Below is a quick update of what is going on with them and where they are.
07-22-06
(Sat),Slip, Dozier's Regatta Point Marina, Broad Creek, (off Rappahannock River), Chesapeake Bay, Deltaville, VA.
QUICK UPDATE--- Detailed Journal later. Yes... we are still sailing north! However, we've been very busy the last several weeks & so exhausted at the end of each day that I've been too tired to write up the email journal. Reason: our autohelm stopped working and I have had to stand at the helm for 8-12 hr straight moving up the "BIG DITCH" (ICW). It’s very tense & nerve racking because of the narrowness of the ICW in many places, shoaling, and inaccurate charts! (We have run aground 2x and had to use our tow insurance... more on that in later journal entries). We also got caught in 2 bad storms. Now for some more bad news. We have been in slip in Deltaville, VA off the Rappahannock River since July 8. Reason: We have had to "repower" (i.e. replace our engine) because a piston bearing went out and damaged the crank shaft (details later). Finally fixed on Friday & getting ready to move on!
Now for the trip: Here is where we been since crossing back to Florida: Last emailed journal entry you received was Ft. Pierce, FL, 05-21-06.
05-22-06: Ft. Pierce, FL to Vero Beach, FL (ICW 952) - took mooring ball - very nice, stayed 2 days
05-24-06: Vero Beach, FL to Melborne, FL (Indian Hbr., Dragon Point, ICW 914) - nice spot
05-25-06: Melborne, FL to New Smyrna, FL (ICW 849) - ran aground, needed tow
05-26-06: New Smyrna, FL to ICW Mile Maker 809 (FL) - anchored ICW in channel near a cement plant - narrow & deep, use 2 anchors.
05-27-06: ICW Mile 809 to St. Agustine, FL (ICW 77) - anchored off Castillo (Fort) de San Marcos in same spot as when going S. Crowded
05-28-06: St. Augustine, FL to Fernadia Beach , FL (Alligator Creek, ICW 725) - ok
05-29-06: Fernandia Beach (Alligator Creek) to Jeckyll Island, GA (ICW 685) - Anchor right off side of ICW within sight of amusement park. Nice spot & can dinghy to dock.
05-30-06: Jeckyll Island, GA to Brunswick, GA (ICW 579)- 2 days took slip, nice marina
06-01-06: Brunswick, GA to ICW mile 646 (New Kettle Creek, GA) - very good anchorage
06-02-06: ICW 646, GA to ICW mile 586 (Herb River, GA) - anchored here on way S
06-03-06: ICW 646, GA to Port Royal Landing, SC / Beaufort, SC (ICW 541) - took slip, nice marina
06-04-06: Port Royal Landing / Beaufort, GA to ICW 487 (Church Creek, SC) - very nice spot
Note - 2 boats, including us ran aground at S entrance to the Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff @ ICW 517.5. Channel is narrow & shallow with shoaling; use caution. We lucked out - a passing motor boat towed us off.
06-05-06: ICW 487, SC to ICW 439, SC (Graham Creek) - nice spot
06-06-06: ICW 439, SC to Georgetown, SC (ICW 402.5) - got bad diesel
06-07-06: Georgetown, SC to ICW 383 (Cow House Island, SC) - nice spot
06-08-06: ICW 383, SC to North Myrtle Beach, SC (ICW 354) - took slip dock along ICW @ Barefoor Landing Marina next to Barefoot Landing Outlet Mall - very nice dock but not free any more.
06-09-06: ICW 354 to Carolina Beach, SC (ICW 295.5) - very nice spot
06-10-09: ICW 295.5 to ICW Mile 244.5 Hammock Bay, Camp Lajune, SC) - very good spot, same as on trip S
06-11-06: ICW 244.5 to Beaufort, NC (ICW 204) - in town; NOT a good anchorage; crowded, narrow & only fair holding, several boats dragged; would NOT use again.
06-12-06: ICW 204 to New Bern, NC- off ICW up Neuse River from ICW mile 185. Took slip at Sheraton Hotel Marina. VERY nice & cheap; spent 4 days here. Coming in had plugged fuel line, then got caught in a squall with lightning & hail on Neuse River. Dropped anchored & HELD ON to ride it out ~ 20 min.
06-16-06: New Bern, NC to ICW 161.5 (Long Creek off Bonner Bay, NC) - open but good anchorage
06-17-06: ICW 161.5 to ICW 100, NC (S end of Alligator River) - anchored same spot as on trip S. Very nice
06-18-06: ICW 100 to ICW 61, NC (Broad Creek off North River) - good.
Ran aground again at ICW 81 just N of Alligator River Bridge at the "kink" in the dredged channel & had use Towboat US. Warning: Chart & Chart Plotter data are WRONG! They indicated I was in 7-9 ft water when infact there is shoaling with only 3 ft! Crab pots place right at the "kink" in the channel confuse everyone. Two other sailboats ran aground after us the same day! Towboat US said they call the place "The Honey Pot" since they make all kinds of $$$ towing boats off the shoals. Avoid the Red & favor the Green day marks.
06-19-06: ICW 61 to Norfolk / Portmouth, VA - "ICW Mile #0", Hospital Point anchorage, Elizabeth River. - Very nice. Dinghy to city dock and use ferry to Norfolk on other side of river.
06-22-06: ICW 0 (Norfolk) to Ft. Monroe, Hampton, VA - very nice anchorage
06-23-06: Hampton, VA to Shara Creek, VA BACK to Hamptom, VA - Attempted to go to Sarah Creek off York River but got caught in a STORM - 50-60+ Mph winds! Frightening. Worse than Marsh Harbor. Turned around and ran with wind back to Hampton.
06-24-06: Hampton, VA to Sarah Creek, VA (off York River) - Slip in marina - decide to leave boat here while we visited Susan, Erice & the triplets in Pittsburg over the 4th of July Holidays. Rented auto toured area then went to Pittsburg. Can believe how big the triplets are! Exciting. Returned to Sarah Creek, VA 07-05-06
07-07-06: Sarah Creek,VA to Fleet Bay, VA. - Pat noticed "clicking" sound in motor. Got to Fleet Bay & anchored in same spot where we anchored on the trip S - very nice spot.
07-08-06: Fleet Bay, VA to Broad Creek of Rappahannock River, VA. Stared N but motor really began to make noise. Decided to turn around & go to Doizer's Regatta Point Marina on Broad Creek, Deltaville, VA off the Rappahannock River. Sailed all the & used motor just to get into the harbor. - VERY nice marina. Spent weekend & next few days locating a diesel mechanic, everyone said best one in the area is Henry Lackey, Deltaville Diesel.
07-12-06: Slip, Broad Creek, Deltaville, VA. Got Henry Lackey - He's great "country boy" type, but very professional. Diagnosis: VERY BAD NEWS - burned out bearing on piston rod with damaged to crank shaft. Cost nearly as much to over- haul as a new engine. Decide to "bite the bullet" & repower.
07-21-06: Slip, marina, Deltaville, VA - Finished engine installation & runs great! - ready to move on!
Pat & Dan Harrington
s/v Weal Sea
April 2006
The adventures of the S/V Weal Sea with Dan & Pat Harrington
April 2006
04-10-06
(Mon) - RETURN to Bahamas. 1030 hr - Depart Grenada airport for return flight: Grenada => San Juan => Miami (=> George Town, Exuma, Bahamas). Delayed flights due to weather in Miami. We take a volunteer "bump" to stay overnight in Miami (receive $700 airline voucher).
04-11-04
(Tue) - Fly Miami => George Town, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Arrive1930hrs & take taxi back to George Town Marina & stay on boat, on the hard.
04-12-06 & 04-13-06
(Wed & Thur) - Work on boat bottom & relaunch. Anchor out overnight in Master's Harbour (23.28.25 N, 75.43.70 W) just off the marina.
04-14-06
(Fri) - Move ~ 1.5 nm back to Red Shank anchorage behind Crab Cay (23.28.90 N, 75.44.12 W). Great spot. Met some great fellow sailors here: Rainer & Renata on s/v Laloubi, a 45 ft steel ketch. He owned an advertising agency in Germany, sold it and retired. Now live in Florida but spend several months each yr in the Bahamas anchored near George Town. Also met Claudia & Marcel, s/v Elf, a 34 ft Nonsuch. Marcel (about 67 yr old) is originally from France & lived in Canada. Picked up a small wooden 30 sloop in Montreal & sailed it to NYC. He knew nothing about sailing before the trip & "learned" along the way. Met Claudia (late 50s), who lived on a boat in NYC harbour & they teamed up. Bought on a 34 ft Nonsuch on Ebay, which had hit a reef in the Bahamas & was being auctioned off by the insurance company? They won the bid and came to the Bahamas to repair the boat (sight UNSEEN!). They are still working on it and fly back and forth to the States to get parts.
04-15-06
(Sat) - Red Shank anchorage behind Crab Cay about 1.5 miles SW of George Town (23.28.90 N, 75.44.12 W). Raised anchor and sailed back to George Town to pick up water and re-supply. Temporarily anchor in Kidd Cove (pirate Captain Kidd's hangout) then move to anchorage on east side of Elizabeth Harbour off Stocking Island (23.31.60 N, 75.45.90 W). Met Fred & Diane on s/v Delphinus here. Like ourselves, they are headed north for Lee Stocking tomorrow. Decide to sail together.
04-16-06
(Sun) - Sail with s/v Dephinus from George Town north to Lee Stocking Island. Waypoints (in Exuma Sound) after exiting Elizabeth Harbour: Conch Cay Cut (23.34.30 N, 75.48.50 W) => Square Rock Cut (23.43.35 N, 76.01.00 W) => Adderly Cut (23.47.50 N, 76.06.30 W) and Lee Stocking Island (Caribbean Marine Research Station run by Bahamian Government and US Universities). Anchor in the bight between Leaf Cay, Normans Pond Cay & Lee Stocking Island (23.47.05 N, 76.70.70 W). Absolutely beautiful anchorage with clear blue-green water. So clean its difficult to judge depth. Can see Sting Rays and Barracuda on the bottom. Went ashore to get a tour of the Research Station but discovered they had just closed down the facility the previous week because they lost their funding. They hope to get new funding later.
04-17-06
(Mon)- Sail to Big Major / Staniel Cay anchorage (on the Exuma Banks): waypoints - Adderly Cut (23.47.50 N, 76.06.30 W) => Galloit Cut (23.55.60 N, 76.16.60 N) => Galloit Cut-1 (23.55.10 N, 76.17.05 W) => Galloit Cay (23.55.55 N, 76.17.80 W) => Big Farmers (23.55.30 N, 76.19.60 W) => Harvey Cay (24.09.15 N, 76.29.40 W) => Big Major anchorage (24.11.20 N, 76.27.45 W) just N of Staniel Cay. Dinghy into Staniel Cay ~1.5 nm to pick-up diesel in jerry cans. We stopped here on the way down and therefore decided to move on.
04-18-06
(Tue) - Sail to Exuma Land & Sea Park. Waypoints from Big Major anchorage => Sandy Cay (24.11.00 N, &6.29.50 W) => Rocky Dunda Bore (24.15.00 N, 76.35.00 W) => Bell Island Bore (24.17.75 N, 76.37.50 W) => Emerald Rock 1 (24.19.50 N, 76.38.55 N) = Emerald Rock 2 (24.21.80 N, 76.38.50 W) => Emerald Rock 3 (24.22.70 N, 76.38.10 W) = Emerald Rock 4 (anchor) (24.23.00 N, 76.37.00 W). This is free anchorage for Exuma Land & Sea Park on west side of Warderick Wells Cay with excellent holding in sand in 6 ft water. However, we radio Exuma Park & ask to be put on list for a mooring ball in the north anchorage tomorrow.
04-19-06
(Wed)- Warderick Wells, Emerald Rock anchorage (24.23.00 N, 76.37.00 W). 1000 hr - Radio Exuma Park on Warderick Wells Cay. We luck out and get a mooring ball. Move to mooring ball #14 near park HQ just off the beach (24.23.67 N, 76.37.97 W). Happy hr with other cruisers at 1830 hr on the beach. This is a GREAT PLACE to visit. Its a MUST on every Exuma cruisers itinerary.
04-20-06 thru 04-22-06
(Thur through Sat) - Plan to sail across Exuma Sound to Eleuthra Island on our way north to the Abacos. However, weather not favorable & we stayed in Warderick Wells until Sunday when have good weather window. Spent time volunteering work in the Park on footpaths and wardens' apartments with other volunteer cruisers (Ken & Kathy, and 3 single-handers: Bruce, Andre & Howard). The Park compensates you for work with free mooring ball. Met up with Dennis & Pat (s/v Air Born, Island Packet 44) from Manhattan, NY. They are also crossing to Rock Sound on Eleuthera Island tomorrow. We decide to buddy-boat & cross together.
04-21-06 thru 04-22-06
(Fri - Sat)- Mooring Field, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Lans & Sea Park, Bahamas (24.23.67 N, 76.37.97 W): Appears to be no weather window to cross over to Eleuthra until Sunday. We decide to stay and Dan continues to do volunteer work at the park. If we are going to have to wait, this is a good place.
04-23-06
(Sun) - Mooring Field, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Lans & Sea Park, Bahamas (24.23.67 N, 76.37.97 W): 0630 - Up. BP 30.05, Temp 75, clear. Wind E @ 8-15 kts. It is a go. 0715 - release mooring ball. We head out to channel leading to Exuma sound with s/v Air Born following. Way points: Exuma Park (24.24.10 N, 76.38.30 W) => Warderick Cut (24.24.70 N, 76.38.30 W) => Powell Point, Eleuthra (24.50.25 N, 76.21.10 W) => Davis Channel (24.51.60 N, 76.20.50 W) => Kemps Point (24.52.80 N, 76.16.00 W) => Sound Point (24.51.30 N, 76.11.50 W => Rock Sound (24.51.30 N, 76.09.90 W) => Rock Sound Anchorage (24.51.80 N, 76.09.70 W). Total distance ~ 45 nm. Exiting Warderick Cut was rough due to current. However, 0.5 nm out current was nil and we raised sails, s/v Air Born was faster than us & move out. Motor-sailed for about 5 nm then sailed only. Great! Arrive 1515 and drop anchor in sand in 12 ft water, s/v Non-Linear (John & Marci) are here. Have not see them since George Town before we went to Grenada. We Dinghy ashore to Rock Sound Settlement. This is a VERY clean town and people here clearly take great pride in it. Pat and I walk to small local restaurant, Sammy's. Very clean, well kept-up with excellent food at very reasonable prices. We highly recommend it. Pat has shrimp & I have grouper (fish). We could use some water but local water is very brackish. We'll wait.
04-24-06
(Mon) - Anchorage, Rock Sound Harbour, Eleuthra (24.51.80 N, 76.09.70 W): 0630 - up, 30.05, clear, T 75. I dinghy ashore to pick up some diesel & gasoline. 1015 - weigh anchor. We have decided to head for Governors Harbour, ~25 nm directly north, s/v Air Born is going further on to Pelican Bay. Our waypoints: Rock Sound (24.50.40 N, 76.11.50 W) => Sound Point (24.50.40 N, 76.09.90W ) => Kemps Point (24.52.80 N, 76.16.00 W) => Governors Harbour (25.11.90 N, 76.15.70 W) => Governors Harbour-1 (25.11.90 N, 76.14.90 W) => mooring ball (25.11.70 N, 76.15.70 W). Wind out of N-NE and we are forced to motor sail much of the way. However, it a beautiful clear day but very hot in the sun. Arrive 1415 and pick a mooring ball. Charts and books warn cruisers that the mooring balls here are poorly maintained & should not be used. However, they have recently been up-graded by the government and are now usable. We dingy ashore into the Town of Colebrooke to check out grocery stores & to find a laundry for tomorrow. Two good grocery stores. This town was the first capitol of the Bahamas. Very clean and well maintained. A lot of pride here as well.
04-25-06
(Tue) - Mooring field, Colebrooke Town, Governors Harbour, Eleuthra Island, Bahamas (25.11.70 N, 76.15.70 W): 0600 - up, BP 30.05, T 75, Clear. 0800 Dinghy into town. Pat plans to do laundry. I need to pick up water and dinghy it back to the boat in jerry cans. Bottle water at grocery store cost $1.10 / gal. I buy 25 gal. 1045 s/v Non-Linear & s/v Bare Footen (from George Town, Exumas) arrive. They are also headed toward the Abacos. 1100 - pick up Pat and dinghy back to boat. We were going to head north for Spanish Wells today but decide to wait until tomorrow. We spend afternoon exploring the Cupid Cay and the beaches. 1800 - return to boat & dinner.
04-26-06
(Wed): Mooring field, Colebrooke Town, Governors Harbour, Eleuthra Island, Bahamas (25.11.70 N, 76.15.70 W): 0530 - up; Our destination today is the town of Spanish Well on St. Georges Cay just off the north end of Ekeuthra Island. We need to get started early in order to get to Current Cut while the tide is ebbing since current runs 5-6 kts. We want it with us and need to arrive at Current Island at the north end of Eleuthera before 1300 hr. Looks like another beautiful day in paradise: BP 30.05, T 75, Clear. 0620 - Release mooring ball and head out.
Waypoints: Governors Harbor (25.11.90 N, 76.15.70 W) => Current Island (25.23.00 N, 76.47.40 W) => Current Isl 1 (25.23.50 N, 76.47.20 W) => Current Isl 2 (25.23.80 N, 76.47.35 W) => Current Isl 3 (25.24.00 N, 76.47.20 W) => Current Isl 4 (25.24.15 N, 76.47.10 W) => Current Isl 5 (25.24.175 N, 76.47.50 W) => Current Cut (25.24.30 N 76.47.80 N) => Meeks Patch 1 (25.27.50 N, 76.49.00 W) => Meeks Patch (25.31.50 N, 76.47.00 W) => Spanish Wells (25.32.21 N, 76.45.26 W).
It is an absolutely beautiful day in paradise. Winds are light out of the W and seas nearly flat with bight hot sun. Could sail only but need to make Current Cut in time for the ebbing tides. (Note: "Cuts" refers to passages between the cays / keys. Strong currants may develop in the passages especially when the tide is ebbing (going out) or flowing (coming in). The ideal time to pass thru is during a "slack" tide, the period when the tide is changing between ebbing or flowing or vice versa. However, this is not always possible so you try to time your passage thru a cut with the tide in your favor, NOT against you). The cut is between Current Island on the west and Eleuthra Island on the east. This can be a dangerous cut if the tides are against you.. usually 5-6 but sometimes-greater knots! We motor-sail. 1135 - arrive Current Island waypoint. Drop our sail & motor CAREFULLY thru the cut following our preset waypoints on the chart plotter. The current is moderate & ebbing (with us! Great). However there are still lots of whorl pools as we move thru the narrowest portion of the cut (only 75-100 yds across at one point). We actually have to speed up our engine to exceed the current so as to maintain steerage. I am a bit apprehensive at first but we clear the cut @ 1205. Entering the Sound north of the cut, the water is nearly flat and we continue to motor NNW then NNE to Meeks Patch, an island just south of St. Georges Cay. We decided to take a slip in Spanish Wells on St. Georges Cay & radio ahead to Spanish Wells Yacht Haven / marina located in the narrow channel between St. Georges Cay on the North and Russell Island on the South. You enter a VERY narrow channel from the S @ waypoint 25.32.21 N, 76.45.26 W for about 0.45 nm then make a sharp port / W turn to follow the channel 0.25 nm to the marina. 1330 - Arrive and tie up @ slip #12 (25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W). Disembark & check-in. Two other sail boaters are already here; John & Betty from s/v Jasseman, a old 47 ft Gulf Star, and George & Dorine on s/v Island Star, a 35 ft Island Packet. Spend rest of day organizing boat and checking out the locations of re-supply stores. It has been GREAT DAY!
04-27-06
(Sat) slip #12, Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, St. Georges Cay (Eleuthra Island)(25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W): 0830 - Up, BP 30.05, T 75,
HISTORY & BACKGROUND:
Spanish Wells was once called "Sigatoo" when the region was occupied by the Lucayan Indians in pre-Columbian times. The Spanish slavers named it Spanish Wells because of its abundance of good water.
The island is unique in the Bahamas. Of the total population of about 1500, about 1480 are white vs. black, the opposite of most of the Bahamas. Also, most of the settlements in the Bahamas are Anglican, but Spanish Wells is mainly Methodist. This is because John & Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism, stopped here for several months on their way to Georgia in the American colonies.
Most of the whites can trace their ancestry to the "Eleutheran Adventures", Puritans, who left England for religious reasons & arrived off the northern coast of Eleuthra in 1648. Here about 150 came ashore after piling-up their boat on the "Devil's Backbone", a coral reef just off the north tip of Eleuthra (location: 25.34.00 N lat., & extends E-W 76.38.50 to 76.42.50 W long.). Here they lived in caves. Two years later, 57 went to Spanish Wells on St Georges Cay, about one mile to the west. The remainder went to Harbour Island, about two miles to the east. Evidence of the ancestry of the island residents is seen in their names. About five names dominate the island. Many individuals also seem to have a resemblance; lots of "inbreeding" here? I also saw several cases of a number of chondrodystrophic dwarf siblings belonging to normal parents. However, there were some additional settlers who provided new blood. These English Loyalist who left colonies after the American Revolution and immigrated to Spanish Wells as well as other islands of the Bahamas. The book "Winds of Carolina" is a fictional book about one such family. It provides great insight into the Loyalist who immigrated here is popular recommended reading for cruisers considering a trip to the Bahamas. Another is "Out Island Doctor", an autobiography of a teacher from Indiana who came to the Bahamas in the 1930s and became an "unlicensed" doctor for the islanders. Both books are great readings.
Spanish Wells, like other places, does have a checkered history. At one time, many of the settlers were ship-wreckers. Eventually they became fishermen and boat builders. However, the island has another dark side. Keep in mind that most of the population here is black. Except for the recent influx of "illegal" Haitians, the majority of these individuals trace their ancestry to slaves brought here by the English Loyalist from plantations in the colonies. Spanish Wells, at one time, required all black workers on the island to leave before sundown under pain of SERIOUS injury, even death! In deed, one of the cruisers we met here, who had lived on Harbour Island as a youth, told us that there are stories of blacks who were caught on the island at night being found decapitated in the channel the next morning. This is now changed & we did see a few blacks in small homes on the island. However, most black Bahamian & Haitian workers still live on Eluthera and commute to the island by ferry each day.
Despite the above comments, Spanish Wells is a very well worth visit. Its is very safe, as are most of the Bahamian island we visited. You get the impression is that this is a "well-off" or even "wealthy" island, & it is when compared to the other "out islands" we visited. There are electric golf carts and numerous automobiles everywhere (speed limit is 25 mph!). The homes remind me of England or Ireland. Many are very colorfully painted. All are well kept up & many have beautiful walled gardens typical of England. The people are very proud of their island and resent being considered part of Eleuthra. In deed, other Bahamians say they are self-centered: "Spanish Wells people care about & think only of Spanish Wells". The people here speak with an unusual accent, a mixture of English, Bahamian & American. Interestingly, although the island has excellent schools, 90% of the boys leave school at 14 to become fishermen or boat builders. Those that earn enough will eventually purchase their own lobster boat and can become wealthy. In deed, Spanish Wells supplies over 50% of the Bahamas commercial lobster, conch and fish. Another interesting fact is that women outnumber men on the island & tend to marry young, between 15 and 20 yrs of age. You are an old maid if you are not married by the time you are 25. Weddings are big here & tradition dictates that you invite the entire island.
BACK TO THE CRUISERS:
Pat & Dorine (s/v Island Star) have discovered they have a common interest... collecting seashells. They spent the entire morning roaming the beach on the north side of the island looking for shells. I checked out the local marine stores, filled the propane tank & water tank.
1800 - George & Dorine (s/v Island Star) invited ourselves & John & Betty (s/v Jasseman) over for a Happy Hour. A great evening and we learned a lot about the history of Spanish Wells from John who had lived on Harbour Island as a youth.
04-28-06
(Fri), slip #12, Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, St. Georges Cay (Eleuthra Island) (25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W): 0830 - Up, BP 30.00, T 75, Clear, NE wind. Lightning last night but no rain. We are anxious to move over to the Royal Island anchorage in preparation for our crossing of the Northeast Providence Channel separating Great Abacos Island (to the north) from Eleuthera Island, a distance of about 55 nm. George & Dorine (s/v Island Star) are also heading north and we have agreed to buddy boat (Pat & Dorine and their common interest in shelling may have had something to do with this decision?). However, we've listened to Chris Parker's weather on single side band & it looks like winds will be out of the north until next week: waves on ocean are currently 9-12 ft. There will be no weather window until next Tue, Wed. or Thur. Although Royal Island has a 360-degree protect harbour, its isolated & there is not much to do there. Thus, we have decided to stay here in a slip until at least Sunday.
Met new arrivals Gill & Carol (s/v Koyukon, a old 44 ft Gulf Star). They are live-aboards.
1800 - Island Star invited the group over for Happy Hour again. Everyone brings a dish to pass at these get-togethers. Another great evening.
04-29-06
(Sat), slip #12, Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, St. Georges Cay (Eleuthra Island) (25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W): 0830 - Up, BP 30.00, T 75, partly cloudy.
Pat & Dorine do more shelling... WHERE are we going to keep all these shells! George is having the same questions. We will have to use them as ballast. Oh well... the ladies enjoy it, it keeps them both out trouble & the "shops" (most of the time anyway), & it could be worse (I am rationalizing).
I spent the afternoon working on the boat and changing the engine oil... I HATE THAT JOB!.. MESSY, MESSY, MESSY!
1800 - We invite the group over to Weal Sea for Happy Hour.... Again, a great evening.
04-30-06
(Sun), slip #12, Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, St. Georges Cay (Eleuthra Island) (25.32.45 N, 76.45.38 W): 0830 - Up, BP 30.00, T 75, partly cloudy.
We have definitely decided to go to Royal Island tomorrow. s/v Jasseman was planning to stay in Spanish Wells to have some work done on their rudder, which allows water to leak into the bilge in rough seas. However, the marine here cannot get to their boat for several days & they have decided to take it to the Abacos for the work. They will be joining s/v Island Star and us crossing to the Abacos.
I decide to walk the beach with Pat shelling.... actually its great fun! We find a number of "Sea Eggs" (sea urchin skeletons) as well as some "Sea Biskets" (another type of sea urchin?). Dorine shows up shelling. She, Pat and I shell together for a while before returning to our boats.
We are all tired and decide to hit the sac early. Our group plans to visit a local museum tomorrow before sailing over to Royal Island.
March 2006
The adventures of the S/V Weal Sea with Dan & Pat Harrington
March 2006
March 26
We finally heard from Dan. They are in Grenada again for two weeks will Dan is teaching. They have left the boat in George Town, Great Exumas, The Bahamas.
So I expect to start receiving emails to up date us soon.
04/10/06
Emails have come in from Dan & Pat today.
We have updated the last 2 days of Januaray, we are also updating Feburary.
As of May 24th we have added a little update to February and have some for this month.
03-15-06
(Tue) - Moved to Red Shank anchorage behind Crab Cay about 1.5 miles SW of George Town. Very nice quiet anchorage (23.28.90 N, 75.44.12 W). (Met several cruisers here; SEE 4-14-06 below)
03-23-06
(Thur)- Will be flying to Grenada on Saturday for 2 wks teaching at St. Georges University & decide to have Weal pulled & put "on the hard" at George Town Marina while we are gone. Plan to clean & check bottom paint, etc.
03-25-06
(Sat.) - 0530 hr - up & get taxi to airport (about 15 miles north of George Town) for our 0730 flight: George Town, Great Exuma => Miami, FL => San Juan, PR => St. Georges, Grenada. Arrive Grenada @ 2230 hr.
03-26-06
(Sun) - 04-09-06, St. Georges University, St. Georges, Grenada: Spend 2 wks teaching pathology @ Univ. Staying at the University Club overlooking Prickly Bay. Beautiful accommodations & fantastic food. Dr. John Van Vleet (Purdue University) & his wife Nancy were also here thru Tuesday. He brought some items for us from the States. (Thanks again John)
February 2006
The adventures of the S/V Weal Sea with Dan & Pat Harrington
February 2006
02-01-06
(Wed.), Anchorage, Allens Cay, Exumas, The Bahamas (N24.44.890, W76.50.320): 0600 - Up, usual breakfast (Pat managed to find more bagels before we left Nassau!). BP 30.01, Temp 78, partly cloudy. It was very windy last night in the anchorage. I got up twice to check the ketch anchored behind us. He was 30 ft off my stern. I decided to take in 10 ft of anchor line about 0100 hr giving us 80 ft and a scope of 6 to 1; a bit less than I normally like but I'd rather not "kiss" his bow during the night. Found out later that both Tranquility and Scandia were up most of the night because of the closeness of the boats. Arne (Scandia) said he was "rafted up" with the boat beside him that came in late. I wonder if they "had words" during the night? 0930 - added 6 gal diesel to the tank. 0945 - weigh anchor. Destination: Warderick Wells Cay (Exuma Land & Sea Park). This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cays in the Exuma chain. Bev (Scandia) had radioed ahead yesterday to see if they had room in the mooring field for us. You must have reservations for a mooring ball; no "anchoring" is allowed to prevent damage to the coral. Each boat is assigned a ball based on its length and draft. We were very lucky. They radioed back and they could handle us. We heard many boats on the radio this morning trying unsuccessfully to get reservations. Once you are given a mooring, it’s yours as long as you want to stay. Because a cold front is suppose to be moving through the area this weekend, most boats will stay through Sunday. Waypoints we will follow from Allens Cay to Warderick Wells are as follows: Allens Cay (N24.44.80, W76.51.00) => Allens Bank (N24.44.00, W76.52.00) => Normans Strake (N24.35.70, W76.52.00) => Elbow Cay (N24.30.90, W76.49.30) => Cistern Bore (N24.25.40, W76.47.00) => Lightning Bore (N24.22.50, W76.44.00) => Long Rock Bore (N24.21.30, W76.42.10) => Alligator Cay (N24.23.30, W76.38.80) => Warderick Wells / Exuma Park turn point (N24.24.10, W76.38.30). Great sailing with wind out of the SW. We have both our main and 150 % genoa out but keep our engine running as well. 1145 - Tranquility radios group that they have serious engine over-heating and their engine has seized! The group all turns off their engines and will sail only. Tranquility's engine is so hot Lee can't investigate possible problems. Jim, s/v Chapulin, suggests they put up their cruising spinnaker. They do and make 6.5-7 knots! 1300 - Lee radios that his engine has cooled down and found he is out of fresh water coolant. Not sure, what happened. Tried engine again. It started! Ran for 20 minutes and it gauge read 190 F; it’s running hot. He has infrared sensor on board and checks various part of engine. Highest reading is 180 F. Decides to turn off engine and continue under sail. Will save engine to get into harbour at Warderick Wells. 1545 - Arrive at Long Rock Bore waypoint. We've been sailing S up to this point. This is the waypoint where we turn NE about 3.6 nm going to the Alligator Cay waypoint just off Warderick Wells Cay. Its decide that Scandia and Non-Linear will motor ahead and get their moorings, then launch their dinghies and be prepared to come out and help Tranquility into the harbour if her engine shuts down again. The channel from Long Rock Bore waypoint to Alligator Cay Waypoint is narrow and has at least one shallow area (its also low tide). Weal Sea and Chapulin will hang back with Tranquility. Chapulin draws ~6.5 ft and will go first. Weal Sea follows about 0.25 nm behind with Tranquility directly behind her about 50 yards. If Chapulin has problems, Weal Sea will take the lead and find another channel. All goes well. Lowest spot is 10 ft. Approach harbour entrance waypoint where Scandia's dinghy is waiting to guide us to our mooring balls. The channel is narrow and curved like a "C" with all the boats lined up bow- to-stern about 50 yards from one another. Chapulin takes lead with Tranquility directly behind with Weal Sea following her. Chapulin is moving very slowly and has trouble with steerage. She goes off to port side of the channel because of very swift currant and runs aground! Tranquility, who is right on her stern, veers sharply to starboard and stays in deep water followed by Weal Sea. We all know our mooring ball assignments and make for our moorings. Scandia's dinghy acts like a tug and pushes bow of Chapulin back toward center of channel and she manages to motor off the sand. Scandia then come to us and helps Weal Sea pick up her mooring ball, #6. (Note - Pat's right hand is extremely painful so we try to have her minimize using it; thus Scandia gave us some assistance.) 1715 - We are on our mooring ball (N24.23.89, W76.38.99). There are about 21 mooring balls here in the North Anchorage with an additional 10 or so in the South Anchorage about two nm away. 1800 - eat dinner. 1845 - put air in dinghy and row to Park HQ (about 0.5 nm away) to attend the boaters BYO Happy Hour. Current is so strong we must be making 3 knots rowing. Meet many of the other boaters in the anchorage at the Happy Hour including the veterinarian, Keith (s/v "After You") who we met in Nassau. We had heard the Park HQ talking to him on the VHF earlier in the day. It appears a boater had fallen off his boat's swim ladder and severely cut his leg exposing the muscle. There was no physician in the area and they asked Keith to come in and help. He had his surgical equipment and medicine on board. He took care of the fellow N/C. 2030 - Scandia's dinghy gives us a tow back to Weal Sea after the Happy Hour. 2130 - Hit the sack. This is truly a beautiful spot! Can't wait to explore it tomorrow.
02-02-06
(Thur), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0600 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.05, Temp 72 F, partly cloudy, wind 5-15 out of N-NW. 0915 - add air to dinghy and motor ashore to see if I can find the leak. Pats stays onboard to clean boat. On shore, take off motor and turn dinghy over. Find leak on bottom near bow. It’s a "worn spot" corresponding to where the swim ladder hinge is on the swim platform. I now know the cause of the leak. It resulted from constant rubbing during the night in Nassau Harbour when I tied the dinghy on the swim platform to prevent it being stolen during the night. Since we need the dinghy while we are here, I will wait until we are ready to sail again and patch it the night before we leave on the bow of the boat. The patches require at least 24 hr to cure. One of the other sailors at Allens Cay told me he and others use 3M 5200 to patch their dinghies. John on Non-Linear said the same thing. I have two tubes on board. Walk up to Park HQ and sign in. There are Mocking birds as well as numerous small yellow and black birds about the size of a canary around the porch called "Banana quits" (AKA - Bahama Honey Creeper). Banaquits love sugar and the park keeps a bag on the porch so visiting sailors can place some in the palm of their hand. The birds will land on your hand and eat the sugar. I feed several. 1200 - return to boat. 1330 - Our group has decided to hike some of the trails on the Cay and visit Boo Boo Hill, the highest point on the cay above the anchorage, 120 ft above sea level. It’s a tradition for visiting boaters to leave a small piece of drift wood, stone, etc on the hill with their boat's name on it and the date they visited. The view is spectacular. We all have a great time and take lots of pictures. 1500 - return to boat and eat. 1700 - Happy Hour for the boaters again. I return to boat early. I need to check the zincs on the propeller shaft. Pat stays and will come back with Scandia or Tranquility. 1800 - go for a swim. Zincs (3) are still there but starting to pit. I'll need to recheck them in George Town. 1730 - Pat returns. 2030 - Hit the sack.
02-03-06
(Fri.), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0600 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.00, Temp 75 F, partly cloudy, wind 5-15 out of S-SW. 0845 - Pat and I dinghy into Park HQ to volunteer to work in the park. Boaters traditionally spend several mornings (0900-1200 hr) working around the park & its HQ. They give you a free days mooring for each morning you work. (Note - cost for mooring is normally $15/day). You save $ but actually its fun to work here. Also you get to know and strike up friendships with the other boaters. At least 90% participate. Everyone does whatever they feel they can do best - painting, carpentry, running electrical wire, doing plumbing, planting flowers, working on trails, painting signs, repairing park boats, etc. Its great fun. Pat worked with a group of ladies planting palm trees, cacti and ground cover that grows in sand. I worked with some other fellows on one of the Parks boats, help on a trail and then did some work on a sign on the Park HQ's porch listing the names of some of the Park's "Special Friends", e.g. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Buffet, etc. 1230 - hung around Park HQ porch with other sailors and talked. 1330 - Return to boat. 1530 - ate late lunch. 1700 - another Happy Hour at Park HQ! 1830 - return to boat for late dinner. 2245 - hit the sack.
02-04-06
(Sat.), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0615 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.00, Temp 72, Clear & calm. 0730 - Tried to listen to Chris Parker (Bahamas WX guru) on short wave (SW) freq. 4045 @0730 using the
Yacht Boy 400PE Worldband radio that Lee (Tranquility) loaned us. However, having trouble using his radio. I have ordered one for ourselves to be delivered by a friend of John (s/v Non-Linear) who is to arrive in George Town in a week or two. I really need a reliable SW receiver for WX (weather) reports. 0845 - dinghy to park HQ to work. Larry, a park volunteer, asked me to paint some signs including a "lizard" on one of the buildings. Also, help with various other projects. 1700 - group had Happy Hr. on Tranquility then returned to our individual boats. 2100 - hit the sack.
02-05-06
(Sun), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0630 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.05, Temp 70, Clear & calm. Spent most of day relaxing on the boat. 1700 - Had discussed patching dinghy with other boaters at Allans Cay and here. It still has a slow leak and we need to re-inflate it each day before we can use it. I tried patching the original leak with poor success and had to pay $150 to have it patched at a Zodiac dealer (Airflow) in Annapolis; pretty stiff. Several boaters showed me their dinghies which they patched using 3M 5200! Cheap and it really works. I decided to give it a try, so spent about an hour patching it. Got some acetone from the Park HQ to clean the PVC. Put on the 5200 and patch, then placed a piece of wood over it with Seran Wrap between the wood and patch. (Don't want to glue the wood to the dinghy!) The put a 5 Gal water Jerry can on top for pressure. Should be tacky by tomorrow AM or PM and step-up in 48 hr. "Full" cure requires 5-7 days. While working on the foredeck, we saw a huge barracuda about 4 ft long and 6-8 inches wide under the bow of the boat just hanging around. This is "Bubba", a well know barracuda in the harbour at Warderick Wells who hangs around the moorings looking for morsels of food tossed overboard by the boaters. There were also a couple of other barracuda with Bubba, including Boo Boo and his brother The Harbormaster. They stayed under our boat for at least 45 minutes then moved off. Got a few pictures of Bubba before he left. 2130 - Hit the sack.
02-5-06
We received a phone call from Dan stating all is well
02-06-06
(Mon.), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0600 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.00, Temp 70 F, partly cloudy. 0730 - Checked patch on the dinghy, still soft. 0830 - Radioed Scandia and asked if Pat & I could hitch a dinghy ride to Park HQ to work. 0930 - Park warden assigned jobs. Another boater and I spent morning assembling an engine hoist, which the park intends to use to move heavy equipment, e.g. the water-maker pump. 1245 - Hitch ride to return to boat. Eat dinner then spend rest of day reorganizing the boats food storage containers. Group has decided to head south to Big Major Spot Cay tomorrow. 1800 - Dinner then relax reading the "Wind from the Carolinas", by Robert Wilder. It’s a book about a "loyalist" ("Tory") plantation family from South Carolina, which moves to the Bahamas (Exuma) after the American Revolution to escape the "rebels" displeasure. Actually gives you a real insight into the mind-set of the people of the Bahamas and the Southern slave origins of many of its people. Pat is reading "Out-Island-Doctor", a biographically account of Evans W. Cottman, a school teacher from Madison, Indiana who settles in the Bahamas in the after WW II where he becomes a "Unqualified" Medical Practitioner (obviously a "British" title!). Because of the shortage of trained medical doctors, the Bahamian government developed a policy of granting a limited license to persons having certain scientific educational qualification. These were known as "Unqualified Medical Practitioners" who were allowed to engage in general practice except for major surgery. It’s very interesting, especially since he talks about many of the placed we have visited or plan to visit. In addition, it gives you another insight into the Bahamas and its people. (NOTE: The cays / island outside of New Providence where Nassau is located are referred to as the "Out-Islands", thus the name of the book.) 1945 - hit the sack.
02-07-06
(Tues.), Anchorage, Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Land & Sea Park, The Bahamas (N24.23.89, W76.38.99): 0630 - Up & breakfast. BP 30.15, Temp 70 F, partly cloudy, wind 10-15 out of north. 0700 - Check dinghy. Patch is now tacky, but decide to not inflate the dinghy until tonight when we get to Big Major Spot. 0730 - Try to listen to Chris Parker's WX report on SW but no luck again. 0900 - hitch a ride to Park HQ to checkout. We had worked 3 days and joined the Exuma Land & Sea Park Association ($50 donation), which includes 2 days free anchoring. Paid only $15 for one additional day. 1000 - Group weighs anchor and departs. It’s all down wind and great sailing (wing-on-wing). We use the motor for an hour only just to leave and enter the harbour at Big Major Spot cay that is immediately adjacent to Staniel Cay. 1300 - arrive at Big Major Spot Cay and drop anchor in white sand in 10 ft of clear water! (N 24.11.35, W 76.27.45). I have never seen water like this. The colors and shades of blue and green are unbelievable. You soon become accustom to reading the water depths based on their color. 1500 - inflate dinghy. NO LEAK! The 3M 5200 really works. Dinghy to Staniel Cay about 1.5 miles away around the point on Big Major Spot where we tie up to the dock. There is a nurse shark in the shallow water next to our dinghy and there are swimmers only 15 ft away. The swimmers & shark ignore each other... unbelievable. Meet Casey & Edyth Kerkstra (s/v Bookworm) from Muskegon, MI. They know Paul & Mary Slotegraaf (s/v Cool Change), our sailing friends who had to return to Michigan because of illness. Casey had wondered what had happened to them. We visited Staniel Cay Yacht Club. This is NOT a "real" yacht club in the traditional sense. Its actually a bar, restaurant and very small marina where boaters gather. No membership fee but you can buy a burgee with an SC on it for $35. We pass on joining! Walk around the village. There are several very small brightly painted one and two bedroom cottages (some on stilts) next to the beach for rent. This is really a tiny place and it is "island time" here; pretty laid back. Return to boat but cruised by "Thunder Ball Cave" cay about 1/4 mile from the dock in the harbour. This is where the James Bond movie "Thunderball" was made. Its slack tide and there are a number of dinghies on the 3 free mooring balls next to the cave entrance just below the water line. Several people with snorkels are going in and out of the cave, which has numerous fish inside. We did not bring our snorkel gear and didn't go in. I didn’t bring my gear and will try to come back tomorrow if we get a chance to check it out. 1830 - return to boat. Dinner. 2000 - Decide to take a swim off the swim platform, then a freshwater shower in the cockpit. Do a bit of reading. 2145 - Hit the sack.
02-08-06
(Wed.), Anchorage, Big Major Spot / Staniel Cay (N 24.11.35, W 76.27.45); 0600 - Up & Breakfast. BP 30.05, temp 70, partly cloudy (PC), windy 5-10 N. 1000 - Pat & I dingy to Staniel Cay to shop. Visit both the "Blue" & the "Pink" (so-called "super market") grocery stores. The Blue store had a nice selection of fresh vegetable, which had just arrived on the Mail Boat, which was still at the dock (the "mail boats" run supplies between the islands). However, no fresh red meats, just frozen. Pat was able to buy some great POTATOS 1300 - Walked around the village and along the "beach front". This is NOT Miami Beach folks! (This is really a second world country; we are NOT being disrespectful - The people here are wonderful and friendly.) Pat had brought some candy along and we decided to visit the local one-room school. The school had a total of 15 children ranging in age from kindergarden through high school. They had two young teachers, a husband & wife team from Guana. He was the "principal" and taught the older children. His wife taught the younger ones. The teachers invited us in to meet the children were so excited to see us. They were all dressed neatly in very clean uniforms: white shirts or blouses and black pants or skirts. I spoke to the class briefly and told them where we were from and what our backgrounds were. The principal told us in confidence that he some trouble getting the parents excited about the need for educating their children. Therefore, when we spoke to them we emphasized the importance of their education. Pat gave the candy to the teacher who planned to use it as a reward for good behavior and special accomplishments. It’s the "islands" here and people have a different mind-set. We saw the same thing among the locals in Grenada. In many cases, the women run the household. 1430 - Returned to dock to dinghy back to anchorage. A fisherman was cleaning fish at the dock and tossing the viscera into the water (2 ft deep) next to the dock and our dinghy. There were numerous 4-5 ft long nurse sharks and small 2-4 ft rays (stingrays / devil fish) swarming around eating the viscera. At the 1600 - The boaters in the Big Major Spot Cay anchorage organized a Happy Hour on the beach that we attended. 1830 - Head back to Weal Sea. Chris Parker (Bahamas WX expert) has predicted a cold front with heavy winds moving in next weekend. Therefore, group has decided to start south toward George Town tomorrow and get to Galliot Cay where we will leave the shallow Exuma Bank and enter the deeper Exuma Sound the next day. 1900 -
Hit the sack.
02-09-06
(Thur), Anchorage, Big Major Spot / Staniel Cay (N 24.11.35, W 76.27.45). 0700 - Up. BP 30.10, temp 70, clear, winds N @ 10-15 kts. Group will be leaving about 1100. I want to check out Thunderball Cave before we leave. Pat and I dingy over to the cave. It is much too windy and the tide is in. I do not want to dive by myself and we decide to return to Weal Sea. 1100 - Group pulls anchor and heads out - Waypoints: Harvey Cay (N 24.09.15, W 76.29.40) => Big Farmers Cay (N 23.55.30, W 76.19.60) => Galliot Cay (N 23.55.55, W76.17.80). We have a great "Wing & Wing" sail with winds from N-NE 10-15 kts in clear skies and bright warm. The water is so clear you watch the bottom move by. 1530 - Arrive at Big Galliot Cay and drop anchor in 9 ft of water just off the beach on the west side of the cay (N 23.55.45, W 76.17.35). This is a great little anchorage. 1645 - Group has Happy Hour on Scandia. Since its about 40 miles to George Town, the group decides to weigh anchor at 0600 tomorrow. 2000 - Hit the sack.
02-10-06
(Fri.), Anchorage, Big Galliot Cay (N 23.55.45, W 76.17.35): 0545 - Up & Breakfast. BP 30.20, Temp 70, clear. Add 5 gal diesel to tank from Jerry Can (EHR 1921.12). 0630 - Weigh anchor and head for Galliot Cut ("Cuts" in the Bahamas are channels between the cays. This cut allows passage between the shallow Exuma Bank on the west side of the Exuma chain of cays and very deep Exuma Sound on the east side of the chain. Our waypoints to Elizabeth Harbour entrance are: west side Galliot Cut (N 25.55.10, W 76.17.10) => east side Galliot Cut (N 23.55.60, W 76.16.60) => Conch Cay Cut (N 23.34.30, W75.48.50) (entrance to Elizabeth Harbour) at the north end of Stocking Island (forms the east side of Elizabeth Harbour) across from George Town on Great Exuma Island (west side of Elizabeth Harbour). The tide is coming in from Great Exuma sound as we go through the Galliot Cut single file under power. We elect to bring up the tail end. The winds are out of the N-Ne at 12 knots with white caps. It gets pretty rough going through the cut with 3-5 ft waves. Anything not secured below is on the deck in the cabin! We clear the west side Galliot Cay waypoint about 0845 and turn south toward Conch Cay Cut waypoint nearly 40 miles SSE. Once clearing the cut, and with the wind off our stern port quarter, it smoothes out a bit. Everyone puts out their head sail and most keep their engine going at low RPM. Tranquility, however, puts up her main as well and turns off her engine (still has a problem with over heating). We are all doing 5-6 knots with occasional burst to 7 knots. Tranquility, a 50 footer, has no trouble keeping up. Scandia has decide to go ahead and goes for deeper water about five miles out. Weal Sea and Non-Linear, both shallow drafted vessels (~4.5 ft), stay closer to shore in 70 to 120 ft of water. Non-Linear has two lines out trolling for fish (didn't catch any). 1015 - Scandia is out of sight and Tranquility and Chapuline fall behind. They are out in deep water following the same route as Scandia. We past Non-Linear about 1145 and arrive at Conch Cay Cut waypoint at 1225 ready to enter Elizabeth Harbour. Scandia radios the group that she is already anchored off Hamburger Beach north of Monument Beach on the west side of Stocking Island (east side of Elizabeth Harbour). The entrance to Elizabeth Harbour and the approach to the anchorage along the west side of Stocking Island can be tricky and you must follow the waypoints carefully because of shallow bores (shifting sand bars) and coral reefs. The waypoints we followed were: Conch Cay Cut (N 23.34.30, W 75.48.50) => Smith Cays (N 23.33.65, W 75.48.65) => Conch Cay (N 23.33.27, N 75.48.17) => Simons Point (N 23.32.75, N 75.48.10) => Goat Cay (N 23.32.20, W 75.47.50) => Monument (N 23.31.96, W 75.46.54) waypoint adjacent to the beach on the east side of Stocking Island. From here you simply parallel the beach dodging the 200 or so boats anchored along the several beaches on the island's west side: Hamburger, Monument, Volley Ball / Black Rock, Rocky Point and Sand Dollar Beach. 1330 - We drop anchor in about 13 ft absolutely clear water over white sand about 100 yds off Hamburger Beach at the edge of the Mail Boat channel (N 23.55.45, W 75.46.05). Scandia is anchored about 1/4 miles SE of us. About 2.5 miles SW of us across Elizabeth Harbour, we can see George Town. We will dinghy there tomorrow. Today we just decide to relax and straighten up the boat after our rough initial start through Galliot Cut. The rest of our group arrives over the next 2 hours. 2000 - Hit the sack.
02-15-06
(WED), George Town, Great Exumas, The Bahamas - Short Update - Assume all received short update from Warderick Wells, Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. Departed there Feb 7 and went to Staniel Cay / Big Major Spot Cay, then to Galliot Cay on Feb 9 and finally George Town, Great Exuma Cay on Feb 10. Must be 200 boats here anchored off Stocking Cay. Will be here for at least another week. Will send full detailed update ASAP.
We are adding some updates we received today May 24th 2006
02-11-06 thru 03-14-06
Stocking Island Anchorage, Elizabeth Harbour, George Town, Great Exuma Island, Bahamas (23.31.00 N, 75.45.50 W). We have spent 4 weeks here in George Town for the cruising regatta. 400-500 boats (its like a trailer park!). Must admit, we remained here WAY TOO LONG. However, our airline flight to Grenada was scheduled out of George Town so we have no choice stay here. However, have moved up & down Shore of Stocking Island to different anchorages just for a change in scenery.
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