March 7-13

Enough excuses about weather, tides ...

We left Green Turtle Cay just after noon, at hgh tide, and traveled four miles north to anchor at Manjack Cay with Jim and Danette. They will be returning to Florida while we plan to head south around Whale Cay which will put us in the southern Abacos. The 'Whale' is an almost legendary passage in the ocean to get around the shallow water on the Sea of Abaco.

Once around the Whale, which featured very kind six to eight foot waves, we headed for Marsh Harbour. This is the largest city in the Abacos and a very good place for restocking. It may not be the prettiest spot in the Bahamas, though, and so the next morning we headed over to Hopetown on Elbow Cay.

Hopetown is a very popular cruising and vacation destination. The Hopetown lighthouse is the signature landmark that overlooks the harbour and provides a measure of warning to mariners about the dangerous reefs on the ocean side. It is still in use and open to the public. There are spectacular panoramic views from the walkway around the top, basically unobstructed by the protective netting.

February 27 – March 6

We have been making a number of excuses for why we are finding it hard to leave Green Turtle Cay. We have milked the weather concerns pretty well, and have also complained that it is difficult to get out of the sound because the tide is always low. Perhaps closer to the truth, though, is that it is actually a fun place to be. More than once we have commented that it is our Hotel California.

When the whim strikes him, Donny will announce a 'party in the backyard'. These impromptu events gather the 'penguins' together for food, music and fun. Conch salad was on the menu and I was more than happy for the cooking lesson.

Rake 'n scrape is a very colourful style of Bahamian music. Along with his other talents, Matt is an accomplished rake 'n scrape musician. The playing involves dragging and scraping a knife along the teeth of a saw which he bends to form different sounds, all the while dancing furiously. It is great fun, and while the stereo is accompanying loudly, quite a show.

We have been hoping to get to Nippers on Great Guana Cay in time for the Barefoot Man concert. Getting there involves a short passage on the ocean around Whale Cay. By far the most difficult part of this is the movement from shallow to deep water and back again on either side of the cay.

To no one's surprise, the weather has not co-operated and so we rented a boat that can make the trip through the shallower water inside the cay. Twelve of us have pooled our resources for the trip – Jim and Danette from mv/Peace, seven lovely ladies from Villa Pascia, Corinne and me and Matt, the driver. Unfortunately, the lovely ladies did not enjoy the trip quite as much as the cruisers.

The Barefoot Man concert is an annual event at Nippers and a real hoot. The drinks are plentiful, the music very good and we have heard that the inhibitions disappear as the day turns to evening.

February 22-26

The Canadian Olympic team lost!

Hearing that news, not getting into Green Turtle Cay last night does not seem so bad, but we have heard a lot about it and are anxious to give it another try. We took our time getting started in the morning as we wanted to make sure we arrived at high tide. It is so easy when the timing is right.

We called Donny’s Boat Rentals as we approached Black Sound and were lucky enough to get one of the last mooring balls. After getting tied up we went in to register and have a look around. At the small marina dock a friendly group of cruisers told us Donny had just gone into town. They didn’t know when he would be back, but not to worry.

New Plymouth was the original settlement on Green Turtle Cay and remains a thriving community to this day. It is about a ten minute walk from the boat to town and it is impossible to pass anyone or any vehicle without waving hello. The transportation of choice is the golf cart, which works well because the streets are narrow and the pace is relaxed.

After a first walk through town, we came back to the boat thinking ‘H’mm, that was interesting, but is that all there is?’ With each successive visit, though, it has become more engaging. We have talked to so many people who came for a week and have stayed much longer

These two characters were sitting outside the post office trying to get their juice boxes open. I stopped to ask how they were doing. No answer. I asked what they were drinking. With a sparkle in their eyes, both answered simultaneously, ‘Beer’. The ice was broken and they chatted away.

When we first came to the Bahamas I bought a Bahamian sling. This is a spear with a rubber band that you use to spear fish and lobster. All you have to do is find what you are looking for, get within two to three feet of it, impale it on the spear and get it into the dinghy. How hard can that be? I have taken the spear snorkeling with me often and actually saw a lobster once, but have had no luck catching anything. Matt, Donny’s assistant, is an excellent diver and often goes out for lobster. We were quite excited to get some from him, along with a complementary lesson in cleaning them.

Feb 12-21

We finally found that elusive window to leave Ocean Reef Yacht Club. As part of the final preparations, I thought that it would be a good idea to adjust the ting-em.

A precious few might know it by its other name – the stuffing box. Either way, it sounds a little ominous, doesn’t it? The ting-em is supposed to drip at approximately 3 to 5 drops per minute. The reason for the drip is to keep the prop shaft cool. If it heats up, it will score the shaft, and that apparently may be the least of one’s worries.

Since it hadn’t been looked at in three years, it really did seem a good idea, and I had time on my hands. There is a very fine line between three drops, no drops and a full-on pisser. I actually spent two days adjusting and readjusting the stuffing nut and lock nut and then running the engine to check that the ting-emit wasn’t getting too hot. In spite of dripping water it inevitably heated up.

Totally frustrated, I asked around about a reliable mechanic. After checking with Tom, our neighbour at Ocean Reef, I caught a bus to consult with Charleston. When he could free up a couple of minutes I began to explain the problem and he said, ‘You thought you’d adjust it, didn’t you?’ I had the distinct impression that my reputation had preceded me. In the end he reassured me that as long as it was dripping it must not be too hot and would be ok. After yet another readjustment we were ready to go.

We got a very early start Friday morning and it was a gorgeous day. After an hour, I checked the ting-em and it was pretty warm again. With telephone assistance from Tom, we were able to get in touch with Charleston and make arrangements to take the boat into his yard and have him look at it. After some discussion, he said he could haul the boat and fix it like I wanted, but wouldn’t be able to get at it until tomorrow. We thought that would be ok and asked what it would cost. He said he would have to do some figuring but somewhere around $1500. Ouch.

‘Do you think we should be really worried about it?’

‘No. Like I told you, if it’s dripping and not smoking, you’ll be just fine.’

At some point I need to learn – If it ain’t broke; don’t try to fix it.

We were back on the water by 10:30 and pulled into the marina at West End later in the afternoon. The Bahamas Wahoo fishing tournament was taking place and boats were just coming back to the marina to weigh-in. Wahoo are great sport fish and fantastic eating. We are not likely to catch one from the sailboat though, as you need to troll at depth of 200 to 600 feet at a speed of 17 knots per hour. But the fishing was really good with the largest for the day coming in at 102 pounds.

Tides

Saturday morning was a gorgeous calm morning but we had to wait at the dock until 9:30 am in order to ensure enough water through Indian Cay cut and onto the banks. Once through the cut the wind died completely and we had an eerily beautiful ride to Great Sale Cay. Through much of the day it was almost impossible to distinguish water from sky.

We got an early start Sunday morning, another wonderfully calm morning, and headed for Crab Cay. We made very good time and began to think we might make it all the way to Green Turtle Cay. In an ideal world, we would anchor in Black Sound and find a spot at the bar where we could watch the Canada/US hockey game. We passed by Crab Cay and then, perhaps against the admiral’s better judgment, Manjack Cay and approached the entrance to the sound at Green Turtle. It carries four feet at mean low water and we were not yet at low tide. As we inched our way forward, first Corinne turned her back on the depth sounder, and shortly after I too gave up. We turned around and headed back to Manjack, a delightful spot to spend the night.