To the Exumas!
Monday, February 9th
Up at 5:45 wishing for an early start as we are making for Chub Cay. We have 100 miles ahead of us and at 8 or 9 miles an hour, we need every hour of daylight we can get. Still very much dark when I first came on deck. Sunrise is at 6:57 but nautical twilight is about an hour earlier, so I was expecting enough light to get underway. Did the engine check, turned on the nav systems, took in the shore power connection and by 6:25 we were underway.
We had waited 5 days in Bimini for the right weather. We snuck in from Key Biscayne the previous Tuesday, just before the polar outbreak and had to sit out 4 days of 20 - 30 W - NW winds, then another to let the swell die down, tied up at our slip at Bimini Big Game Marina. Not weather to be crossing Great Bahama Bank!
We followed the pilot boat out of the harbor and as we turned north along N Bimini Island saw the cruise ship the pilot was heading out to meet. "Celebrity Apex", with several thousand people aboard on an intersecting course with Navigator! What a way to wake-up! Apex was about 5 miles off our port quarter on a NE course at 12.6 mph. We were heading N at about 8 mph, on a heading taking us past the cruise ship dock he was heading to. I edged up on speed, counting on him slowing down as he came in, and hoped we would pass the dock ahead of him.
Glad to be away from Bimini. A pleasant place, but five days was more than enough. The north island, where the main population, all the business's and hotels are, is a bit tired and congested. N. Bimini is about 3.5 miles long, and only 750 ft wide and has 2,300 residents - not counting the cruise ship passengers and other visitors like us. It doesn't sound like a lot of people, but when compared to our home town of Phippsburg - population about 2,400, 11.5 miles long and 3.5 miles across - it goes a lot to explaining how crowded and compact everything seems. When you add that the island has benefited (suffered from?) proximity to Miami, it helps understand some of the character of the island. For instance, during prohibition, Bimini developed hotels and speakeasy's catering to wealthy American's looking for a drink - not to mention being a base for smuggling booze into the states. Now it is the Cruise ships. In the last 10 years a huge cruise dock was built, along with a hotel and casino to cater to cruise passengers and now there is pretty much one big cruise ship a day. Now the island is home to hundreds of golf carts, all for those passengers to dart around ashore for a few hours.
We had walked from end to end of the island, strolled the beach, took in a few shops and the tourist center, skipped the honkytonk bar's but did enjoy the restaurant at the marina. The highlight was the Dolphin House Museum built by Sir Ashely Saunders. We really had no idea what we were getting into, but our friend Molly said it was 'must see'. Expecting a booth, or someone manning the entrance, instead a man, who might have been a groundskeeper, asked for $10 each and gestured us up a set of stairs. At the top, an entrance where this older gentleman, a bit rough around the edges but polite and talkative, came out of nowhere and started guiding us around, weaving this story about how Dolphin House was inspired by 5 dolphins - Mama, Papa, Baby, Grandma and Grandpa - swimming with a man who became inspired to build…what? A house? A museum? A work of art? It is about then that we realized he was the person who he was talking about - the artist himself. It seems that not only was he the builder, he was the tour guide as well. We spent a good 40 minutes one on one with him - and yes, it is "Sir" Saunders - knighted by Queen Elizabeth - for his poetry and art. Quite an interesting character!
Anyway, we were away from Bimini now, heading for our ultimate destination of the Exumas, a beautiful island chain still 200 miles to the east. To get there, first one has to cross Great Bahama Bank, 100 miles of coral reefs, never more than 30 ft deep, including Mackie Shoals that one has to work around where depths are less than 10 ft. We had to pick the right line, and even then be ever vigilant. The one and only place for us to to stop was Chub Cay, a hundred miles distant, at the eastern edge of the bank. So at 9 mph, that means 11 hours. Hence the start before dawn.
It is always a bit exciting arriving somewhere you have never been before where the only option is anchoring - and arriving with only 1/2 hour before sunset. Many factors come into making an anchorage work: being protected from the expected wind and waves; the type of bottom you will be attempting to set the anchor in; and hopefully one not crowded with other boats; to name a few. There are resources to help identify good anchorages like Garmin Active Captain, but you never know until you see it with your own eyes. Fortunately the anchorage at Chub was open (only one other boat) and weather conditions were favorable. We had a good meal and went to sleep after a long day.
I had been looking ahead at the conditions in the coming days and the water we would have to cross next. Our next stop would be in the Nassau vicinity after crossing the Northeast Channel - 50 miles over deep, open water. More than 5000 ft deep in places. The forecast was suggesting 5 foot swells, not something we were interested in tackling, and while Chub had been fine, it wasn't really the place to hang out for another 24 hrs.
Bill had suggested Bonds Cay, just 15 miles away, as a more scenic place to spend the day, so off we went, arriving right at noon after an easy run. At Bonds we found 5 or 6 boats spread out over a couple mile anchorage, and were able to settle in. Bonds turned out to be a nice spot. Turquoise water, no houses in sight, just a nice quiet anchorage. It became our opportunity launch the kayaks!
Later that evening a nice couple puttered by in thier dingy and introduced themselves. Grant and Wendy. They were aboard Vindaloo, a power cat anchored about 1/2 mile from us. We chatted a bit and exchanged contract information, then they went off to enjoy some snorkeling. That evening, I was talking to Bill (in Maine) and mentioned meeting a couple: Grant and Wendy. "Do you mean Grant and Wendy W.?" Small world indeed. Cruising friends Bill and Molly had cross paths before in the Bahamas before.
On Wednesday February 11th the forecast for waves had improved but the outlook was still a bit murky. Wave height had dropped from 4 1/2 ft to more like 3 ft with nice long period but our new friends Grant and Wendy called us shortly after departing and suggested that conditions were "4 footers, confused, not for the faint hearted". We lingered over breakfast.
Of course I kept thinking about crossing to Nassau - only 45 miles - and assessing the conditions. It was calm and sunny - and Vindaloo had not returned to the anchorage. About 11 we decided to give it a try. We encountered nothing worse than 2 footers, dropping to 1 footers as the day progressed. All I can guess is that Grant and Wendy, who departed on the outgoing tide, hit waves accentuated by the ebb current.
The passage across the Northeast Providence Channel was largely uneventful other than Christina, a 60 ft sport fishing boat, who keep reversing course right on our heading as we came up to them. I tried calling Christina on the radio to see if they would rather we pass south or north of them, but they were too engrossed in their pursuit to worry about us.
We had elected to stay clear of Nassau harbor and instead aimed one of the outer islands near by, Rose Island. We were at anchor by 5 and treated to an incredible sunset.
On Thursday, February 11th we were underway by 8:30, for a short passage of 35 miles across Exuma Bank to Allen's Cay - our first stop in the Exuma's. Good weather and calm seas with the only challenge of dodging the occasional coral head.
The Exumas are truly some of the most beautiful islands in the Bahamas. The chain stretches 130 miles from Ship Channel Cay to Georgetown on Great Exuma Island. Allens Cay, being adjacent to Ship Channel and blessed with a delightful anchorage is frequently the first stop for cruisers like us. We were not disappointed.
Arriving before 1 pm allowed us the entire afternoon to explore and enjoy. Launching the inflatable (for the first time since grocery shopping) we went ashore on Leaf Cay, renowned for it's iguanas (we were duly greeted by them). We also visited Southwest Allens Cay where we swung on the "Tree of Lost Soles" and had a swim off the beach.
That evening we were entertained by a crew on a charter catamaran who 1) had no idea how to read a chart, and 2) had no idea how to set an anchor. The general practice is first to circle around, find a spot that is deep enough to allow your vessel to swing. Next you approach the midpoint of that circle with the bow into the wind and let the vessel come to a stop over the spot you wish to drop anchor. Then, when the boat first starts to drift backward (pushed by the wind), you drop the anchor, paying out chain as you drift astern. Once you have let out enough chain, you apply the snubber, and then reverse engine for a moment to set the anchor.
These guys gave a great demonstration that they were unaware of any of these principals! They puttered around the harbor dropping anchor first here, then there. At one point they dropped the anchor heading the wrong way and promptly ran right over it! At another, they started heading toward a spot that the chart showed to be very shallow (look at the chart perhaps??). I managed to wave them off that before they ran aground. Even that provided a bit of comedy as they did not appear to speak English and I had to convey my concerns using hand signals. A bit like Charades! How do you communicate: "its too shallow idiot!"?
In they end they found a spot that worked for them. It is possible they were appreciative of my intervention...
Wow, what a navigating adventure! Was on the gulf side of FL that first week of Feb, so have some idea of the cold you were facing, though not the same as being on water. Bet you were delighted to have warmer days again!
ReplyDeleteMeeting some interesting folks for sure, part of the fun! Happy Valentine’s weekend to you. Continued good weather and landing spots in the travels ahead. Burl/Rick B