OUT OF THE STREAM AND OUTTA STEAM!

The time came when we had to call an end to our visit to Cat Island.  Kind seas and a beautiful Southeast breeze made for a wonderful run downwind to Little San Salvador.  We used the whisker pole for the first but not the last time.  The anchorage at Little San was the rolliest, most uncomfortable anchorages ever.  We got up and got out as soon as possible and headed for Davis Harbor on Eleuthera.  We had been without it for over a week and needed ice badly.

The morning after arriving at the marina, we woke to find one of our tomatoes on the cabin sole, nibbles taken from it.  What kind of critter would nibble at a tomato?  A mystery not unlike the one in January when we embarked on this journey!  We never solved that one.  We set out a sticky trap left over from the previous mystery, placed a bit of tomato on it and hoped for the best.  The next morning, the trap was upside down but empty.  Afterwards, like the incident in January, there was no further sign of a stowaway.

We loaded up with ice at Davis Harbor and set sail for West Bay and Bimini.  On the way, all the ice melted and we discovered that the fridge had stopped working.  Another mystery.  We later learned that this mystery was related to the nibbled tomato incident.  It seems that something had nibbled more than a tomato, it had also nibbled at the wires going to the fridge compressor!  Oh well, we’d been without ice before and at one time didn’t even have a fridge.  Besides, we’d be in Bimini soon. When we arrived at Bimini, by American standards a backwater for sure, we felt like we were back in civilization.  There were grocery stores where common things like milk, butter and cheese were available.  Frozen meats could be found, etc.  Restaurants when you don’t feel like cooking.  On the other hand, water is a scarce commodity.  Blue Water Maruna has a desalinization plant and many of the islanders buy water from them.  I am reminded of the public wells in Senegal.  The water spigot at Blue Water and the wells provide central points for socializing.

The weather provided us with an excellent opportunity to head to Ft Pierce 117 nautical miles away.  We planned on a 20-24 hour passage and timed our departure so we’d arrive there in the daylight on an incoming tide.  Again, we were headed downwind and were making good time under sail.  Of course, we also had a nice boost from the 1 ½ to 3knot northbound current in the Gulf Stream.  Instead of the 20-24 hours we allotted for the trip, it looked like we would do it in 15 hours or so—5 AM arrival and an outgoing tide.  Not the best but . . .

At about 2 AM, 18 miles from Ft Pierce, we were finally out of the Stream and about 3 miles offshore.  The wind, still behind us had died to a whisper and we had slowed way down.  Not bad since it would put us into Ft Pierce when we wanted to get there.  Then, inexplicably, the wind turned to the Northwest and picked up a bit.  Nothing to do but roll up the jib and turn on the motor.  Alas, no cooling water.  So now, can’t sail, can’t motor.  Out of the stream and outta steam.  Thank goodness for Towboat US.  By the time the tow was on its way, the wind had turned back around to the Southeast, but the ball was already in motion.  We got towed into the St Lucie Inlet where we anchored until morning, 3 hours later.  Then we were towed up the ICW and finally Harbortown at Ft Pierce.  Our journey from Bimini actually took a little over 26 hours, just a couple of hours longer than originally planned.

When I got around to investigating the problem, I found that the belt that drives the cooling water pump was loose.  An easy fix except for the fact that it involved removing everything including the batteries from both access lockers and nearly standing on my head in order to remove the pump and the belt.

Then it was time to investigate the problem with the refrigeration.  Product support at the manufacturer walked me through the trouble shooting and we determined that I had a bad power supply.  We drove down to Jupiter to get a replacement.  The technician there showed me exactly how to replace the unit.  It was easy enough when everything was on a work bench, another thing entirely in the confines of the locker.  At any rate, when I finally got the unit out far enough to remove the power supply, I discovered that the control wire had been nibbled through.  So, whatever the critter was, his diet was not limited to tomatoes.  I spliced the wire and everything worked again.  We returned the power supply and took advantage of being at the dealership and bought a small fridge/freezer.  Now we can keep frozen foods on the boat!

 

The Bahamians certainly have a sense of humor.  Rolls royce golf carts?  A sports bar named 1, 2, 3, Floor?

CAT ISLAND'S NOT ABOUT CATS!

           

 When we left Blackpoint for Emerald Bay, we had no clear plan for the future.  Maybe we’d head down to Georgetown for a day or two and then head for Long Island.  Plans are always written in sand at low tide!  When we got to Emerald Bay and saw that Cat Island was only 37 miles to the East, everything gelled.  We tried to get to Cat two years ago but the weather wouldn’t cooperate.

 Along with s/v Panacea and s/v Tekla Bramble (who was at Georgetown) we set sail for Cat Island.  The gang was reunited at Hawk’s Nest anchorage where we stayed for a couple of nights and then sought shelter at the marina when a blow was forecast.

 We rented a car and followed the only road North, stopping along the way to view gorgeous seascapes, wild, rocky shores, and ruins from days long past. 

 The landscape is littered with abandoned homes and new ones in various stages of construction.  Sometimes one comes across whimsical sculptures on the side of the road.  Maybe this one represents Father Time?

            Near New Bight is the highest point in the Bahamas, a mighty 206 feet above sea level.  Atop this hill sits the Hermitage, final resting place of Father Jerome.  Father Jerome was educated as an architect, then became an Anglican priest and finally a Catholic priest.  He was responsible for the construction of several churches in the Bahamas.  The Hermitage can be approached by way of an easy path or the more arduous climb up a rough stone stairway that takes you past the Stations of the Cross cast in concrete.

            Father Jerome revered St Francis of Assisi and named the hill Mount Alvernia after the mount where St Francis received the wounds of the cross.  Father Jerome sought to live a humble and simple life.  The Lilliputian size of his impressive structure reflects his humility and smallness before God.  It took him seven years to complete the structure while living in a spacious cave, nearby.

           

 The Hermitage may be the most visited site on Cat Island, but it shares its fame with a Cat Island creation, Rake ‘n’ Scrape music.  Rake ’n’ Scrape features a squeezebox, a drum and a saw.  A screwdriver is “raked and scraped” across the teeth of the saw to create a rousing rhythm .  By flexing the saw, its pitch can be controlled and at times can nearly sound like the human voice.  Julian, Frank and James treated us to a late night concert at Da Smoke Pot in Arthur’s Town.  Wonderful!

            A small group of middle school children from Colorado was in Arthur’s Town where they lived with local families for two weeks.  In exchange, the children of those families went to live with the Americans for two weeks.  Julian and his group gave a demonstration of Rake ‘n’ Scrape and showed the kids how to rake  and scrape da saw.

            In the past, boatbuilding was big business throughout most of the Bahamas.  It is still done in many places. 

 Since regattas are very popular everywhere you go, racing boats are what they build most.  They still build them the old fashioned way, using branches that conform to the shapes needed for the ribs and bow of the boat.  The wood of choice is wild tamarind.

            Oh, and if Cat Island is not about cats, where did it get the name?  It was named after Arthur Cat, the British Pirate.  Arthur’s Town was named after him.  Prior to being know as Cat Island, it was known as San Salvador.  As such it is a contender for the site of Columbus’ first landfall.  Today, a Bahamian island named San Salvador claims that distinction.

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND AT BLACKPOINT

            After six straight days of blowing like stink, the wind has finally settled down.  We made our escape from Bimini after waiting three weeks for an opportunity.  Two nights and three days later, we were in the Exumas.  We met Irene and Perry (s/v Tekla Bramble) at Norman’s Cay and along with them worked our way down to Blackpoint.  More about that part of the trip in another post.

            Black Point is a laid back place.  In some respects it’s a look back at the way things were in all the Bahamas not so many years ago.  The settlement is fairly large but there are few services.  Oh sure, there is telephone and internet but the connection is very slow, certainly not the 4G you get elsewhere in the Bahamas.  The mailboat comes once a week and a good part of town comes out to meet it.  It reminds me of the riverboat on the Niger.

 The grocery store carries only the most common items and sells out of produce within a few days of receiving it on the mailboat.  There is no butter or cream and they don’t have that wonderful cheddar available most other places.  There is no liquor store although you can buy ice and a limited selection of alcohol at Scorpio’s, the local bar and grill and place for 2 for 1 happy hour.  Amazingly, and to our great disappointment, there is no gasoline even though there are many gas hungry cars and trucks and outboard motors.  All gas is brought in jerry jugs from Staniel where they were out of gas for 10 days. 

            At any rate, Blackpoint is a friendly place and a favorite among cruisers.  We anchored along with more than 60 other boats who ducked in to escape the blow.   

And blow it did, 20-30 knots all week long.  We rented a golf cart along with Irene and Perry and toured the island.  We encountered an amazing blow hole on the East, Exuma Sound side of the island.  It sprays water into the air almost with the regularity of “Old Faithful.” 

 It’s a hole through the rock down to the sea.  When the surf comes in, seawater is forced up through the hole   The island is covered by low scrub, small palmettos and shrubs with leathery leaves.  Some of the growth assumes tortured shapes in the wind that sweeps the island.  

Their skeletons take on many shapes often resembling animals or faces or parts of the body.  The stoney soil is filled with sculptures.

             Blackpoint is populated by a very industrious people.  There are several biusinesses that are based on visits from the boating community and tourism.  The citizens know this and provide many services to boaters not available elsewhere--free trash disposal, free drinking water, a wonderful laundromat and help with just about any problem.  Like everywhere else in the Bahamas, school kids wear uniforms and they never fail to say "good morning" or "good afternoon."

Most of the houses and streets are well kept and neat though not at the same level as , say, Spanish Wells.  As elsewhere, there are abandoned buildings which are quaint in their own way.

             We were stuck at Blackpoint for 12 days.  Not that we couldn't leave or that "being stuck" is a bad thing.  In fact, some people make it the base of operations during the boating season.  However, when we crossed from West Bay on New Providence Island, the autopilot died.  Our frined Al took care of getting a replacement for us and sent it from Ft Lauderdale.  We had to wait for it.  It was worth the wait.  What a beauty!  It took less than two hours to install.  And completely silent. 

THE GREAT ESCAPE

            After Weeks of waiting we finally got the weather window we needed to escape the “hustle and bustle” of Bimini and sail eastward.  I use “sail” figuratively, the light wind was too close and we motored all day. 

 We left Bimini in dense fog, we could only see a couple of hundred feet ahead and we couldn’t see the channel markers until we were right on them.  Thank goodness for GPS breadcrumbs! 

 We caught a couple of nice jacks on the Bank but didn’t feel like cooking them for supper after we anchored. 

We got up at 3 AM and headed for the Northwest Channel, the Tongue of the Ocean and West Bay on New Providence Island.  By sun-up the wind freshened and we unrolled the jib and made good time.  We anchored at West Bay early and relaxed over a good dinner of jack meunière. 

 E-mail from Irene and Perry (s/v Tekla Bramble) informed us that they were headed for Normans Cay the next day.

            Shortly after leaving the anchorage, we hooked something huge!  At least it felt huge.  Please be a mackerel!  Alas, it was a three foot barracuda with a mouthful of ugly teeth.  Shortly after that, Otto died!  Without an autopilot, we would have to hand steer for the rest of the trip.

            We joined Irene and Perry at Normans and headed for Shroud Cay.  Shroud is one of the most beautiful cays in the chain.  There are several nice beaches but the real attraction is the creeks. 

Shroud is cut by many creeks that meander through huge flats surrounded by low hills.  Motoring up the creeks is reminiscent of scenes from “The African Queen.  Floating along, one feels that he is discovering virgin territory.

            After leaving Shroud, we headed for Warderick Wells, headquarters for the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  The park is well maintained park and has  a beautiful mooring field. 

 There are several trails, hacked out of the low scrub that covers most of the Exuma Cays.  Hiking these trails is very strenuous.  

 Some are quite steep and often pass over sections of weathered bedrock.  Wind and water erosion has pockmarked the surface with holes and razor sharp edges making walking very difficult.  We had planned to hike down to the Loyalist ruins.  These are the remains of houses built by Loyalists who left the newly formed USA after the Revolution.  When you see the pitiful structures and look at the hostile, bleak surroundings, you have to ask yourself, “What were these people thinking?”  At any rate, after hours of walking, we still hadn’t reached the ruins and decided to turn back.  Kathleen said she couldn't go back and sent me for the dinghy while she waited on a beautiful beach.  I walked back, taking as many shortcuts as possible and hoping that I wouldn’t end up being found sprawled on a lonely path, an emaciated corpse! While at the park, we received an e-mail from Al expressing an interest in joining us for a few days.  Certainly as long as he is accompanied by an autopilot!

            Our next landfall was Big Majors Spot at Staniel Cay.  This is a very popular anchorage, mainly because of its proximity to the “Thunderball Grotto,” the underwater grotto where scenes from the James Bond movie, “Thunderball” were filmed.  It is also famous for the wild pigs that swim out to your dinghy in search of scraps of food.  Kathleen and I have both seen plenty of pigs and plenty of photos of the pigs at Big Majors so we had no interest in taking the dinghy to their beach.

            We did need a few groceries and gasoline for the dinghy.  Staniel is the only place for miles where you can buy fuel.  I took the 2 ½ mile dinghy ride into Staniel where I bought a few atrociously expensive groceries.  I bought a bottle of rum for which we paid $9 on Bimini and $24 on Staniel.  After burning most of our remaining gas on the trip in, I learned that Staniel was out of gas!  I have always had a bad taste in my mouth about Staniel and this visit did nothing to change my mind.  We resolved that we would not stop there again.  By this time, it became clear that Al was not going to be able to join us.  However, he did take care of getting us a new auto-pilot.  He put it on a plane from FtLauderdale to Staniel.  They brought it over to us at Blackpoint.  Within two hours we became acquainted with Homer, Homer the helmsman.  He steered for us all the way down to Emerald Bay on Great Exuma where we waited for a window to cross over to Cat Island.