Navigator Adventures

After making the double crossing (Exuma to Spanish Wells to the Abaco's) we had thought to enter Little Harbour.   Little Harbour was not only the first good protection after the long open water crossing; it was also reputed to be one of the most quaint towns in all the Bahamas.  But as we approached the end of the crossing, along with the 15 other boats we had been in company with, we heard on the radio that all the mooring were taken.  So instead we anchored about 2 miles to the north at Lynyard Cay.   We ended up spending 4 nights there.   The first couple days were pleasant and we relaxed and enjoyed some good weather after having pushed hard the previous 3 days.  We took the dinghy over into Little Harbour twice to explore.   It is a really beautiful spot.  A very small village, very laid back and very quaint - living up to the billing "One Particular Harbour".   We walked around, saw the Johnson Foundry (establi...

60 days aboard Navigator.  Not a single night ashore.  Most nights at anchor, a few at moorings.  Our bodies have forgotten what it is like to sleep without some motion rocking us to sleep.  Sometimes a lot of motion. Departing Highbourne Cay at dawn After leaving Big Major and Pig Beach, we returned north along the Exuma's to Highbourne Cay.   We need to be in Hope Town in the Abaco's, 120 miles north, by March 31st, to meet our friends, Fran and Bob.  Getting there involves 2 crossings:  one 65 miles across the Exuma bank to Spanish Wells; and one from Spanish Wells to the Abaco's - another 65 miles.  But first we need to wait out another Norther.   Liz foaming the milk for coffee By now our routines are set.   On most days, we anticipate traveling 25 miles or less - just a few hours of moving - from one island to the next.   On those days we are making coffee by 8:00 and underway by 9:00 or 9:30.  At anch...

March 13th,  Day 47 of voyage, Day 37 in the Bahamas Pig Beach, Big Major Cay Never been to Disney World.   Don't really like cruise ships.  Never been to Santa's Village.  Not a fan of tourist attractions in general but yesterday we visited Big Major Island where people "Swim With The Pigs".    This is a uniquely Bahamian thing.   It started with unruly pigs that folks were raising on nearby Stanley Cay - a populated island.  In the 90's those pigs just got too much to handle and they were banished to Big Major Cay.   The farmer continued raising them and tended to them every day.   The pigs quickly learned that the boat meant food and as soon as they heard the boat coming, they would swim out to meet it.   It didn't take long for others to notice, and finding it amusing,  they would tag along to see the show.   Eventually, someone (probably the farmer) figured out this was a way to make mone...

On Friday afternoon, February 27th, just hours after tying up at the slip, my good friend Miles sent me the following email:   "The Atlantis Marina looks pretty upscale. I'm wondering if this is a re-supply or whether you've had a system failure you can't fix.  Hope it's a re-supply." Miles is a close friend from college who, like me, studied geology, and geography.  He is an experienced boatman, with years of experience running whitewater river rafting trips on the Green & Colorado Rivers.   And although he eschews mobile phones, he is pretty dialed in - in particular he follows Navigator on the Marine Traffic app.   He detected our U turn and bee line from Cambridge Cay to Nassau and sent that message within hours of us arriving in Nassau, at the Atlantis marina.    The day before we had departed Cambridge Cay with the intention of heading further south extending our stay in the Exuma's for another few weeks.   But we did...