Sunday, February 10,
2019. Very windy overnight. Cloudy and spitting rain this morning. Wind over 30 last night. We have no waves where we are close to the
beach.
Showers off and on during the morning. Cleared off in the afternoon, but still very windy. Looking at weather forecasts, it appears that
this everlasting wind may ease up a bit on Wednesday.
We talked to John and Nora (Saber Tooth). They are
currently anchored across the channel from the new town docks at West Palm
Beach. They hope to be able to make a
plan to come across after they listen to Chris Parker’s forecast tomorrow
morning.
We have been having an issue with “Imgur” where we store the
pictures for the blog (now over 4,000 if you can believe that!). Once the pictures are uploaded, and then set
up in albums (one or more albums per post), the order of pictures can be
rearranged. They have now added
something they call a “post” and you have to create an album, then a post in
order to re-arrange the pictures. An
extra un-needed step somebody at Google decided was a good idea. A better idea (if you wanted to have a
“post”), would be to make a post and an album synonymous. Of course there is no documentation of this
“new feature” and the only help available is via email. Might be time to explore a new place to store
photos.
We did get the first five posts published – finally. Great to be caught up, at least for the time
being.
The wind has picked back up (again) to 15-20+ this
afternoon.
Dinner on board – leftovers (always better the day after).
Wind builds overnight SE@15-20+
 |
| Sunset south of Black Point |
8:00am Partly cloudy, wind ESE @15-20+.
We talked to All In
and we will accompany them south as soon as the wind calms enough so they can
get their anchor up (remember – busted bow roller and no windless).
Mary Lou (Dalmatian)
and Libby (Nightingale) walked the
beach.
4:30pm Boccie Ball on the beach with All In and Nightingale.
Lisa met the people who live in the pink house. The large area that is dug out next to the
house (that looks like a gravel pit) was supposed to be a marina. When sufficiently deep, they were going to
blast a channel through the beach to the ocean.
We saw a brochure today for yet another development on the
south side of Black Point. There are two here already (where the pink house is
and where the “castle” is). These were
model homes/offices for two development that went belly up. Doesn’t make a lot
of sense that yet another developer is trying to build a development. This is a beautiful area, but there’s not
much infrastructure on Great Guana Island, the grocery stores are small and
poorly stocked, no pharmacy, no doctor, no fuel (gas, diesel) – although
someone is building a new fuel dock, no electricity on this part of the island
(unless you have your own generator), no potable water (unless you put in your
own reverse osmosis system). Its 40 miles by boat or plane to the nearest
hospital, Nassau is 75 miles.
We heard from Reggie and Barbara on Submit. They are currently in Titusville waiting to
have repairs done – a leak around the rudder shaft. More information on their travels at www.submit.blogspot.com
Dinner on board.
Another “clean out the fridge” night.
Tuesday February 12,
2019. 1:00am. The wind has shifted
S@20-25+ and it is very rolly. In
addition, the waves hit the rock
wall around much of the anchorage and bounce the waves back in another
direction. It’s like being in a washing
machine.
5:00am The wind has shifted back to the east and it is much
more comfortable. Partly Cloudy, 75
degrees, wind SE@17.
9:00am Nightingale
and Dalmatian left heading south to
Cave Cay – 15 miles.
10:00am All In has
decided to also head to Cave Cay. We lend them an extra snubber (10 feet of
three strand rope with an eye and thimble (metal liner for the eye of the rope)
and a chain hook to help them get their anchor up. We also lent them out “marriage savers” (two
way hands free walkie talkie_ so they can more easily communicate when trying
to get the anchor on board.
12noon Wind SE@15+.
All In successfully gets their anchor up. We get our anchor on board and are heading
south at 5.5 knots.
3:00pm Anchor down at Cave Cay, close to the marina
entrance. The marina is still closed and
the whole island can be purchased for $14.5 million. Wind SE@12, PC, 80
degrees. Dalmatian and Nightingale
and 10 other boats are here. Very
popular place tonight. Piper and Bliss are three miles farther south at
Rudder Cay.
4:00pm All In
brought over chicken soup they made.
Nice.
15NM today 23°54.28”N
076°16.46’W
We sounded pretty bad when trying to blow the conch horns at
sunset (like a dying bull elk?).
Dalmatian sounded
much better. No sunset today, too many
clouds.
Wednesday, February
13, 2019. One squall came through last night. It was bouncy, but only for a couple of
hours.
8:00am Clear, 75 degrees, wind SE@12. Nightingale and Dalmatian
head south the George Town through the Cave Cay Cut at slack tide (now).
We talked to Half-Baked. They are in George Town and having battery
issues. Dave is trying to find out how to order new batteries and get them
delivered to George Town.
11:00am We went to the grotto, but the water was not clear,
probably from all the wind. We were able
to see quite a few fish. As we headed
north around the north end of the island we saw lots of the turtles in the
shallows. We also walked the beach and the salt water pond at the north end of
the island. Alison found a hamburger bean and Lisa found some nice shells.
2:00pm Lisa and
Alison head out for a snorkel at slack (high) tide.
2:30pm Clouding up,
looks like rain coming.
5:30pm Lisa made pork chops and mashed potatoes for
dinner. All In came to dinner and
brought a nice salad.
Afterwards we played Mexican Train (dominoes) and the wind
and rain let up. It was a very pleasant
evening.
10:00pm Rain and lightning to the north, but it stayed to
the north.
Thursday, February
14, 2019. Valentines Day. Up
early. Rain overnight, but clearing now.
8:00am Raised and stowed the dinghy and the motor.
8:30am Raised the anchor.
The chain somehow got wrapped around a rock while we were here. We were able to free it by driving forward
past the rock and then to starboard.
8:45am Cave Cay Cut, almost low slack tide. Wind S@10. No
issues with the cut. Heading south at
6knots into the wind with All In.
10:40am Wind S@10, mostly clear with high thin clouds. 70 degrees, very nice day on the water. Motoring @ 6 knots. 4 other boats out here heading south.
Dalmatian made it
to Georgetown yesterday. They are
anchored at the north end of Sand Dollar Beach close to Purdy Suite.
1:30pm We are tied to dock D9 at Emerald Bay Marina, which
is about 10 miles north of George Town. No wind in the marina, so it is hot and
humid. Erica is still at the Marina
office – we met her the last time we were here 2 two years ago.
2:00pm Dark rain clouds to the south.
33NM today
23°37.80’N 075°55.05’W
Since we were here two years ago, this facility (marina,
condos, golf course, homes, etc.) has become part of the Sandals Resort
(formerly the 4 Seasons) next door.
Additionally, there are more homes and condos under construction.
Lisa made steak, potatoes and peas for dinner.
We are plugged in at the dock. This is the first time since we left Wardles
that we have had shore power and the batteries are very happy. It is difficult
to keep them 100% charged with just the solar panels and occasionally use of
the generator.
 |
| Rhiannon at Emerald Bay |
Friday, February 15, 2019.
Rain showers overnight. We treated ourselves to air conditioning last
night.
7:30am Partly Cloudy, wind
N@5-10, 75 degrees and humid. I did some
research about holding tank clogs on the good old internet (All In still can’t
pump out its holding tank).
1. Make sure the vent to the holding tank is not blocked. We did this on All In by actually removing the vent hose at the tank and the hull. This hose comes out of the top of the tank. If the tank is bloated, this is a good indication that the vent hose is blocked.
2. remove the deck fitting and pour 1 cup of baking soda down the pump out fitting.
3. Pour one cup of vinegar down the same hose and replace the deck fitting screw cap.
4. Wait 1/2 hour
5. Pour boiling water down the same hose until it is full.
6. Wait 1/2 hour
7. Voila! The blockage is cleared!
This worked like a charm on All In.
8. Clean the tank with a bit of water softener and detergent (Tide) and 2-3 gallons of fresh water, then pump out. Repeat 2 - 3 times.
If you’ve ever had this problem you might want to
check out this link (or save it for future reference)
We put two jerry cans of fuel into the tank (the marina is
out of diesel). Lisa is doing laundry (it is free here (or included in the price of the dockage – depending on your point of view).
We found out The Cruiser’s Regatta started in George Town yesterday and lasts until the 27th – 2 weeks. Last time we were here it was only one week.Two potcakes came to visit – one black and one brown, both
have collars and both have been recently neutered. Both very friendly.All In came by to say the “baking soda, vinegar and hot
water” treatment cleared their clog and they were able to successfully pump out
the tank!I went with All In to the hardware store, the drug store and
two grocery stores in the car they have rented.
We found almost everything on our lists! At the meat market, someone told us a welder lived on
Queen’s Highway (the only road from the north end of the island to the south
end) just past the new yellow house on the left as we head back to the
marina. We passed a bright yellow house
and at the next driveway was a workshop and a guy outside welding. We stopped and asked if he could repair All
In’s bow roller. He said he doesn’t weld
stainless, but got on the phone and called a guy named Joseph Moxy, who
does. Alison was able to explain their
busted bow roller and they agreed to meet Monday and he would take a look. Ritchie (the welder where we stopped) told us
Joseph does great work. We asked what he
was making and he said a recycling unit for tires that will remove the oil from
old tires so it can be re-cycled. Pretty
cool.
What a neat idea!
When we returned to the marina, we were invited to a party at the marina tonight. There is going to be music, drinks and food at the marina for a group of Sandals Trainees from
Jamaica who have been here training for a new resort in Jamaica. This is their
graduation party and everyone in the marina was also invited.
Saturday, February
16, 2019. Beautiful morning, clear, 75 degrees. Almost no wind. Joy (John
and Diana) left early headed to Key WestAll In came by to say “see you later” as they head out in
the rental car for more errands and to continue to look for parts for their
boat. Erica and her two kids (Micala and Michael) came by to say
good-bye. The brown potcake also came by to say good-bye too.
11:15am We are off the dock, wind NE@5, clear skies with
puffy clouds on the horizon, 80 degrees – perfect.
2:00pm Anchor down at the south side of Sand Dollar Beach,
Stocking Island, Elizabeth Harbour, George Town, Great Exuma, Bahamas.
13NM today
23°30.72’N 075°44.52’W
Because it is Regatta Week, there are lots of boats
here. The official count this week was
289. Nightingale,
Dalmatian, Bliss, Mariposa, Providence, Cookie Monster, Piper, Purdy Suite,
Half Baked and lots of others here.
Nightingale came
by, just back from snorkeling. They
found two large beautiful conchs (with beautiful shells for making horns). The conch will be dinner for them.
 |
| Dalmation (Tom and Mary Lou) and Libby (Nightingale) |
Bill (Providence)
came by and returned the rum he had borrowed from us at Warderick Wells. He also gave us an update on the Regatta activities
this week.
Bliss is here too,
and came by to say hello.
 |
| Hamburger Beach at George Town |
Sunday February 17,
2019. Beautiful morning, wind S@10, clear.
I went into town to get diesel, gas, and a few grocery items. I did not realize that Exuma Market closes at
11:00am on Sundays. The gas station and
everything else in town was closed.
While I was gone Lisa and Mary Lou (Dalmatian)
we for a walk around the south end of the island.
I put in a new set of twelve volt outlets in the ships
electrical panel. This way we can charge
more than one device at a time (phone, iPad, iPod, etc.).
Monday, February 18,
2019. Emily (Temptress), who is
the Cruisers’ Net Controller here this season is quite good, and very
sharp. The Net is on channel 72 every
morning at 8:00am.
It is a near perfect morning, wind SE210+, 75 degrees, low
humidity, no clouds, crystal blue sky.
Lisa and I head into town.
First stop was to Top to Bottom looking for a new pump for the dinghy
and kayak. They only had a small 120v electric pump with a couple of connectors
for an air mattress.
Next stop was the new straw market. The old building burned
down last year and this is a nice new one.
The prices are a bit high. There
were a few local items, but much of the stuff is from China and is “tourist
items” and T-shirts.
Then, we went across the street to the library, where we
renewed our membership ($3/year), dropped off some books to donate and found a
couple to read including the “World Guide to Tropical Drift Seeds and Fruits”
by C. R. Gunn & J. V. Dennis. A lot
of information, more scientific information than we need, but interesting.
We made a stop at Exuma Market, not a lot there but lots of
people. The next supply boat comes on
Wednesday. The market folks said they
would have it on the shelves by 2:00pm on Wednesday.
The last stop was at Trainee’s Hair Salon for fresh
fish. Her husband fishes and lobsters
and then she sells the catch. She had
fresh Mutton Snapper today.
It was announced on the radio today that there are currently
289 boats in the harbor. Last year there were 299 and two years ago, there were
338.
2:00pm I dropped Lisa at the Peace and Plenty Beach
Club. She made arrangements to meet
Bliss, Sea Change and other there to work on crafts. I went next door to Chat
and Chill to meet Nefrateri, who has
a couple of air pump connectors which might fit our dinghy. A special connector
is required to lock the valve open while putting air into the dinghy. Yea!,
both of the ones we received are the right shape and diameter. However, even though many dinghy/valves are
similar, the connectors also come in different lengths, depending on the depth
of the valve. You would think there
would not be that many different valves/fittings, but there are. If the fitting is too short, it will not open
the valve enough. If it is too long, air
will leak out around the connector. If
the fitting does not have a cross-member inside to push the valve open, it will
not work – at least on our valves. Not much industry standardization here. At least the inflatable boats made in
Venezuela use the same valves (Caribe and AB)!
We are able to find an o-ring and a washer so that one of the connectors
works for us. Usually, when buying one
of the connectors new, they come with some rubber washers so you can adjust the
depth the connector pushes the valve open.
We will make sure we have extras from now on. Saber
Tooth is bringing us a new pump and set of connectors when they come
across. Who would have ever though blowing up an inflatable dinghy (or anything
else) could get so complicated!
While at Chat and Chill, I saw Dave and Michelle (Half-Baked), Bill (Providence) and Alisa, Paul, Heather and Katie on Mariposa (the catamaran – these were the
first kids Benny made a conch horn for).
We met Evon on Options III,
who weaves baskets from palmetto fronds (Lisa has been wanting to this).
Back to Peace and Plenty to meet Lisa and have a
hamburger. Bliss (DarLynne, Eden and Celeste) was there and Marilyn (Sea Change).
4:30pm Jazz on the beach near us. This was the same folks who played at the
sun downer at Warderick Wells. About 80 people
showed up including Larry and Sandy on Sandy
Sea. We have seen their boat a few
times on this trip, but this is the first time we actually got to see
them. Very nice end to the day.
Dinner on board. Clear and cool overnight, not so much wind.
Tuesday, February 19,
2019. Partly cloudy, wind ESE@15+, 80 degrees.
10:00am Rain showers. We went to Chat and Chill for today’s
regatta event, the small boat races. These races included “the blind boat
race”, where one person rows the dinghy and another person gives directions;
kayak and paddle board races; a dinghy sailing race; a kids race in sailing
dinghys, a “down wind race” where any kind of small boat and “sail” (beach
umbrella, kite, sheet, etc.) can be used (in the past, there have been rafts,
bath tubs, inner tubes). A fun time was
had by all.
We had lunch at Chat and Chill with Marilyn (Sea Change). Lisa had conch salad and I
had a burger.
2:00pm Back to the boat.
Just in time as there a dark clouds looming on the horizon. Once is passed, Lisa took the dinghy to the
beach and gathered palmetto fronds.
Wednesday, February
20, 2019. Partly cloudy, wind SE@15-20, 77 degrees.
We went to Chat and Chill to find Evon (Options III) to find out when we might be able to get together for
some basket making. She was keeping the
tally sheet and ladder for the Regulation Volley Ball Tournament. She did tell us she was there every day at
2:00pm weaving, while her husband plays volley ball.
Lisa got a palm frond and was able to weave a fan from it.
We had lunch at Chat and Chill and then headed back to the
boat. It is a long and wet dinghy ride
with the wind and the waves.
Lisa went for a beach walk with Nightingale and I worked on conch horns. Van and Lauren’s (Gratitude) grandson J.J. (9) is going home tomorrow, so I would
like to finish at least one for him before he goes.
 |
| Gratitude (JJ with the conch horn) |
Lisa made spaghetti for dinner. Libby and Grant (Nightingale) stopped by at just the right time and had dinner with
us.
Another very nice day.
Thursday February 21, 2019. The wind rebuilds
SE overnight. The wind and the full moon tides are in a battle, and result is
it is a rough, wet trip anywhere you go in the dinghy.
9:00am We went to Chat and Chill for the Boccie Ball
tournament. Lisa and I are both
alternates, but several people did not show up, so we both got to play. My team
did not make it past the first round and Lisa’s did not make it past the
second. We all had a great time. There were 32 teams of 2 each, so it took a
while to finally come up with a winner.
As expected, some of the “regulars” who stay here all winter were the
winners.
Afterwards, we went back to the boat for lunch, then Lisa went
for a beach walk on the “artist trail” with Nightingale.
The “artist trail” is one that has been cleaned up, cleared and many “pieces of
art” have been hung on the trail to the other side of the island.
I worked on conch horns.
Mike and Eric came by (Seal). They had an engine fire caused
by old corroded wiring. I gave them some
#10 wire, connectors and crimpers so they could replace the bad wiring.
Van and J.J. (Gratitude) came by and we presented J.J. with
his very own conch horn. Both need
practice!
Lisa made South Carolina Smoked Sausage and eggs for
dinner. Always a treat, and it reminds
us of my Dad, who used to ship us the same kind of sausage from Louisiana.
Even though the dinghy rides are rough and usually wet, this
was another nice day.
9:00pm There is a squall coming and the wind and rain are
building. Lisa and I are out on the
stern swim platform securing the dinghy and the kayak when we hear someone
yelling “Rhiannon”. When we look, we are
going backwards past a boat that was anchored behind us. It took a moment to
realize we are dragging our anchor! After
a scramble, and everyone on both boats fending us off, we managed to not hit
the boat yelling our name (GaYa), get
the engine started, get the anchor up without hooking it on someone else’s
anchor or chain, and motor a couple of hundred ahead to clear water and re-set
the anchor. The wind has built to over
40 knots and the nice full moon is covered by clouds and it is pitch black in
the anchorage. Once Rhiannon is resettled, we are up most of the night making
sure it does not happen again. At
midnight, the wind finally dies off completely We hear someone outside
whistling loudly. It is GaYa checking
to see if we are ok. Nice. Finally, we
both get some sleep.
This is only the second time in 7 years of cruising that we
have had the anchor break loose once it has been “set”. It’s scary when it
happens, because you get no indication of it unless your anchor alarm goes off
or you notice you are moving. We have been sitting here anchored securely since
Saturday in some pretty strong winds.
Friday, February 22,
2019. Partly cloudy, wind SE@15-20+, 78 degrees. GaYa
(Steve and Lise) come over to check on us. We are still a bit shaken, but ok.
We moved Rhiannon closer to shore (we are pretty far out now) for more
protection from these winds. While doing
it, we seem to have an issue with the boat going into gear. Lisa dove on the anchor to make sure it is
set, and then checked our prop. The ½
inch rope we were using to secure the dinghy when the boat broke loose last
night is wrapped around the prop shaft.
There is a “cutter” in the shaft and it has shredded the rope. If not for that, the rope would have caused
the prop to seize up and probably ruined the transmission. Last night would
have been even more fun with no power!
We spent the morning resting.
2:00pm Lisa went for a beach walk and met Moon Pie (Greg and
Jodi) who were doing the “roving reporter” for the commentary of the “round the
island race” still underway. They would
up in Moon Pie’s dinghy out on the race course at the cut at the south end of
the island giving color commentary and speaking to the skippers as the came in
to the harbor. I believe some “beverages
of choice” were involved, but everyone had a good time. There were 33 boats entered in the race and
they all made it to the finish line.
I made fresh snapper, potatoes and fresh asparagus for
dinner.
The anchor stayed put overnight.
Saturday, February
23, 2019. Very windy overnight. Lovely this morning. The wind is calming some, skies are clear, 75
degrees.
Today is “Kid’s Day” of Regatta Week. At 9:00am there is the
“home made model boat race” at the “fruit bowl” a pond behind Chat and
Chill. There are 33 kids entered. You
have to see the pictures. The kids had a
great time, as did the adults.
10:00am The Sand Castle competition.
There are (by latest count) 37 kids here under the age of 12
and another dozen over 12. Everyone
thinks this is probably a record number of children on boats here in George
Town
Sunday, February 24,
2019. Very windy overnight. Clear
and less wind this morning. We spent the day working on conch horns, me
cutting, trimming, cleaning, filling holes with epoxy, Lisa painting the epoxy
so the repairs are not so visible, then a quick coat of spray varnish and
voila!
When they get the animal out of the shell, the break a hole
in the shell to do it. Sometimes there
is a second hole where they tie several together before the actually “clean
out” the shell. This way they can
capture them, tie them together so they can’t run off until they are ready to
make food out of them (conch salad, cracked (fried) conch, conch fritters,
etc.). Repairing the holes makes the shell look “original”.
While we usually only make horns for boats with kids aboard,
three of the ones we made today are for adults (All In, Moon Pie and Sea
Change).
Lisa went to an abstract painting class at chat and chill in the afternoon.
 |
| Abstract artists |
Monday, February 25,
2019. Clear, wind E@10. We moved over to the east side of the harbor to
Kidd Cove (close to town). We went to
the grocery, gas station for gasoline for the outboard, Top to Bottom for epoxy
and to look for rubber washers for the connector for the dinghy pump hose,
dropped books at the library, Trainees Salon for fish, but they had none,
lobster only today so we bought some.
All In showed up today from Emerald Bay, unclogged holding
tank, new macerator (compliments of us) and repaired bow roller.
The wind is supposed to build from the east, so at dusk we
moved back to the west side of the harbor just north of the channel by Chat and
Chill.
2NM 023.31.22'N 075.45.57'W
2NM 023.31.22'N 075.45.57'W
Tuesday, February 26,
2019. Clear, wind E@15+ but fairly calm where we are anchored.
Today is the closing ceremonies for the Cruisers’
Regatta. This was done with all the
flair and silliness one has come to expect of this event, including a
make-shift “Rake and Scrape” band (which was terrible by anyone’s standards)
and a flourish of trumpets at every announcement.
Afterward, Lisa was able to get with Evon (Options III) to refresh her (Lisa’s)
basket making skills).
We saw Winsome
(Gary and Janet). We haven’t seen them
in a while and met them in Bimini in 2015.
We talked to Ron and new friend Shirley. His former boat was Aftagley. His wife Eileen originally taught Lisa basket
making when we were here two years ago. Eileen died of lung cancer shortly
after that winter. Ron is back with
Shirley staying in one of the cottages,
We met another potcake puppy (about 3 months) that is being
fostered. The humane society here
sponsors this program until they can find permanent homes.
We had dinner on All
In, presented them with their conch horn, then played Mexican Train
(dominoes).
When we headed back to Rhiannon,
it was very calm, no wind, like a pond. At about midnight, the wind picked up
again out of the S@15-20+. That is a bad
direction for this harbor (no protection from that direction), so the night was
rough and rolly.
Wednesday, February
27, 2019. Clear, wind SE@15-25, very rough in George Town this morning. I
spent too much time working online with HP to resolve an issue with the
laptop. The sound volume is very low,
even with the sound turned to max. I did this once last summer and the tech was
able to get it to work correctly, but this time (over a “chat”) the tech kept
getting me to load and install software updates, none of which solved the
problem. The final solution was to
“recover” the machine, which means take all user files and software off and
reset the machine to the way it came from the factory. No thanks, at least not long distance from
the Bahamas over a “chat” connection.
This can wait until we get home.
A great way to waste almost an entire day.
We put the finishing touches on 4 more conch horns, and Lisa
took one to the kids on Mojo.
1:00pm Lisa is holding a class at Chat and Chill for kids to
do rock (or sea bean, or shell, or ?) painting.
Lot of folks show up, not just kids.
A fun time.
 |
| Lisa's painting class |
Seal’s anchor
broke loose. They were anchored by the beach at Chat and Chill. No one was aboard, and a navy of dinghies
showed up to keep it from hitting other boats.
Sometimes putting the inflatables between Seal and other boats (acting as a fender). Someone finally got aboard, got the engine
started and then got Seal re-anchored
with more scope (anchor line). Everyone was looking for the owner or the
captain, but never found them. Luckily,
no one was hurt and no boats were damaged. Sometime later, the owner was on the
VHF thanking all who helped out. You may
remember that Seal (Erik and Dave) is
the boat that had an engine fire caused by bad wiring and we lent them wire,
connectors, fuses and a crimper to rewire the starting circuit on the boat.
Dinner on board tonight.
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