Movin' On with Marty

I have five brothers who are as different as the night and day. And I dearly LOVE each one for a different reason.  Of the five, only one is crazy enough to want to sail with us annually and his name is Marty.  Not only does he enjoy sailing, but this year Marty even wanted to experience passage making on board Exit Strategy! 

Hm, I thought, if he joins us on passage then he can take a turn on night watch and I can sleep more!  Yeah, and he likes to cook, so I’ll cook less.  FANTASTIC!  He’s an avid fisherman and we’ll be feasting on his catch of the day!!!

“Come on down!” Captain Dan and I quickly responded. And so, it happened that my brother and his friend Rick flew into Montego Bay, Jamaica last month to join us on a passage to Grand Cayman. (Although Rick likes to say that HE brought Marty to sail with us.)

Rick, deep in thought 

We spent a few days showing them around Montego Bay and urging them to try some local foods spiced with jerk, as well as some ackee and salt fish- Jamaica’s national dish.  On another day we hired a driver to take us up into the Blue Mountains where the rough road snaked through fields of coffee, bananas, pineapples, mangos, and citrus.  

Feeling the need to move on to Grand Cayman, we arranged for Customs and Immigration to meet us ashore in order to complete our clearance papers. That afternoon, we experienced the full meaning of "soon come" being as it took the officials about three hours to meet us at the designated place.  It was a true exercise in character building. The crew of Exit Strategy were rather patient; only our two guests escaped to the bar to refresh themselves after the first two hours. 

The wind was predicted to be astern and it was.  It just wasn't sailable. (Is that even a word???) However, we began motoring and stayed the course hoping that more favorable winds would materialize.  They did not.

Captain Dan took his usual first watch of the night and Marty volunteered to take the second. Then, sweetheart that he is, Marty let me sleep an extra hour before I reported to relieve him of watch duty. Rick groggily joined me in the cockpit just after sunrise.  He was most appreciative of the mug of coffee I gave him.  Everything was fine on deck, so I went below to brew a second pot.

I swear- I wasn't below for more than a minute when Rick sheepishly poked his head through the companionway and said, "I think the boat is going in circles." I hurried to secure things in the salon and rushed to the helm.  The vessel was indeed turning in circles and the centrifugal force had sprayed Rick's coffee about the cockpit.  A check of the instruments showed that the autopilot had let go, so it was easy to get us back on course. BUT not before the Captain gruffly entered the cockpit to see what had stirred him from his restful slumber. Fortunately, the rest of the motor-sail was fine and Marty caught a mahi mahi for our dinner.

CRUISERS: If you travel to Grand Cayman,
do not anchor off 7-Mile Beach by the Weston Resort

We cleared into Georgetown, Grand Cayman and spent a night in the bay.  It is called Hog Sty Bay for a very good reason-  it smells like a hog pen when the wind is slight.  The next day we moved to anchor about midway along Seven Mile Beach (Grand Cayman, not Jamaica).  This spot off the Weston Resort turned out to be one of the busiest places on the coast with parasailing or tubing runabouts, jet skiers, and wayward Hobie cats.  The next day we moved again to tuck into the far corner of West Bay.  Here we found some solace and exquisite snorkeling.  

Oh, and we also walked to HELL and back. (Hell, Grand Cayman was named by a Brit
eons ago when he discovered the rugged terrain and said, "This must be what hell looks like.")

From this location, we did a self-guided walking tour to the Turtle Conservation Center (AKA the Turtle Farm where most are raised for meat and about 20% released to the wild) and Hell (strictly a tourist trap, but we succumbed). Our favorite place on Grand Cayman during previous vacations was Rum Point. Therefore, another day was spent finding our way there via the local bus routes.  Marty and I wanted to stop at the QE II Botanical Gardens, so we took different buses and planned to meet Dan at Rum Point for lunch.

The gardens were quite impressive and artistically arranged with just enough splashes of rich colors for the dry and rainy season. But once Rick, Marty, and I got there, we couldn't leave...literally.  That stop is not on the bus route, so the woman at the gardens called to have a bus swing by.  She called several drivers and no one was available.  Finally, one man said he'd come by.  About two hours later he did and the woman was happy because she said there was only one other driver to call, but she was reluctant to because that driver was a "Crazy Lady."

Couldn't resist snapping a picture of this rooster.

Our bus swung out onto the main road and shortly was flagged down- lights flashing- by a bus heading in the opposite direction. The other bus driver was a large lady wearing huge floppy bunny ears and she was insisting that our driver let US get into her bus.  It was very confusing until I looked more closely at the person in window behind the bunny eared driver and realized it was DANNY!  He seemed to be trying to escape, but the door would not open.  I got out of our bus to talk to him through his small window.  He did not look pleased when I said we would meet him back in Georgetown AFTER we had lunch in Rum Point.

Rum Point was a big disappointment and in retrospect, Dan and I really should have known that it wouldn't remain the quaint, laid back beach that we knew and loved.  Throngs of tourists were on the beach or standing in cues at the multiple bar and grill stands.  It was sad.

To complete our adventure with Marty and Rick, we moved a bit along the north coast of the island for a few days to take refuge from an ocean swell that was coming into Seven Mile Beach area. It was a nice quiet end to their stay and they easily arranged a taxi to the airport from there.  

Grand Cayman was GRAND

        The Cayman Islands lie south of central Cuba and a day's sail northwest of Jamaica.  The island group is comprised of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman.  During this cruising season, we only had time to explore Grand Cayman, the largest and most populated of the group, where the capital city of Georgetown is located.  We had flown there twice before to vacation and although we saw a remarkable increase in hotels and restaurants along its white sand beaches, were were not quite prepared to realize that even more had been erected since we last visited to satisfy their thirst for tourism dollars.  

        

     Our interest, of course, was to explore Grand Cayman's many dive sites.  There are 234 well marked and maintained buoyed dive sites.  Some popular sites along 7-Mile Beach have more than one buoy to accommodate more than one boat at a time.

      While diving you see the usual fish, sponges, and corals found in Caribbean waters, but the reef formations vary greatly from the sites we've dived in Bonaire and St. Croix.  There are tall reefs, tunnels, and a number of wrecks easily accessible in depths of 45-70 feet.  

        There is a Turtle Farm on Grand Cayman where green sea turtles are raised for food, and you will find at least one turtle dish offered on each menu.  However, the farm also releases a good percentage of the turtles into the sea when they are big enough to be more likely to survive predators.

       The only challenge to diving in Grand Cayman on your own was finding a dive shop that was accessible by dinghy and willing to refill your air tanks.  Luckily, after asking a lot of questions along the beach, we found one shop in Georgetown and another on the north coast of the island.

     

      Conch were plentiful and in season while we were on Grand Cayman.  They seemed more active, also, as we often saw them on the move and leaving a trail in the sand.

Jamaica Shares Its Healing Herb

Our last visit to Jamaica was in the spring of 2014. During that trip and all previous Jamaican vacations, we smelled marijuana smoke or saw someone toking up in the distance on pretty much a daily basis.  Occasionally, a local would approach us quietly to see if we had an interest in buying some, but it was seldom out in the open.

That was then. This is now.

This box was full every morning in full site on 7-Mile Beach in Bloody Bay.

Yes, during this visit, we were surprised to find that ‘Mary Jane’ had been let out of the closet. Just about every time we sortied ashore we met someone who was openly selling grass or rolling up a fatty...on the beach, in outdoor restaurants.

We soon learned that in 2015, Jamaica changed their laws concerning the herb. Jamaicans are now allowed to grow up to five plants for personal use.  They are also allowed to carry up to two ounces or less on them at any time. And use of cannabis in public places was made legal for all residents of the island.

The Jamaican government didn’t want to discriminate against tourists, though, especially when more and more states in the USA were allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The new laws say that visitors can also purchase and use ganja on island if they have permission from a doctor. You don’t have a permit from your doctor for medical marijuana use? 

 No problem, Mon.

Jamaica’s Tourism Board and Government put their heads together and set up a business complex on the island’s north shore in the previously quaint town of St. Ann’s*.  Kaya Farms** is a full service center with doctors available to issue you a permit for medical use.  Other offerings include tours of the herb house, a café, a wellness spa, and smoking rooms.  

*The crew of Exit Strategy did not visit St. Ann’s during this cruise.

**Kaya is yet another slang term for cannabis.

BLOODY BAY- Not Just Another Divers Paradise

Baby Yellow Stingray

Bloody Bay is just north of the town of Negril on Jamaica’s west coast.  Bloody Bay is called so because it was where whalers of the early 19^th century towed their catch to clean and rend the blubber to be used for oil.  Today it is another “7 Mile Beach” of the Caribbean lined with posh resorts and vendors to suit all budgets.

Do you see the leggy shrimp?

Today Bloody Bay is also a DIVERS PARADISE, but we could find no dive buoys! So, we resorted to signing up for some trips with one of the beachside dive shops. On the way to the first site, I asked the Captain if he used GPS to locate the sites.  He slowly turned his smiling face toward me and said, “I doin’ dis fa tirty yehs.  I know where day be.”  

Peek-a-Boo Lobster

A short time later, he stopped the boat and we descended to follow our guide, Kirk, to “The Gallery”.  This spot was aptly named, as it had so many interesting things and places to explore.  There were lengthy ledges to swim under with huge stands of black coral growing above. There was an abundance of familiar reef fish and critters, as well as a healthy dose of sponges in hues a tad different than we’d ever seen.

My favorite type of sponge with another shrimp.

Our second dive was to see “Arches” during which we swam through naturally occurring arches in the reef.  We spied tiny shrimp, a crab, lion fish, and a huge puffer fish in the multicolored corals below. Our guide, Wayne, was intent on entertaining our group of four along the way by blowing bubble rings, letting us touch a sea cucumber and a leggy shrimp.

We had time for one last dive while in Bloody Bay and we opted to go to “The Caves”. Here our guide, Lloyd, lead us into and out of small caves beneath the reef and where we saw some larger types of fish. The reef was also home to some lobster, a spotted eel, more lion fish. The sandy bottom along the caves was full of conch.

Fuzzy little guy, isn't he?

Needless to say, we were glad to have taken in at least a few dives while in Jamaica.  Maybe the next time we'll venture to the other 80 or so that are left to explore!

Back to JAMAICA...AGAIN!

Exit Strategy arrived in Jamaica at the beginning of ACKEE season!

It was good to be anchored and finally relaxing for an extended period and GREAT to be doing it back in Jamaica.  This was our fifth trip to this piece of paradise, the second via sv Exit Strategy. When we cleared in, the Customs and Immigration people gave us a “Coastwide Transpire” indicating that we wouldn’t have to check in with officials until we reached Montego Bay.

We stayed in Port Morant-Bowden Bay where just one other vessel entered and departed during our visit.  On an afternoon walk along the nearby less traveled roads that were graced with all sorts of tropical fruits, we met some locals and one Rastafarian who sold us some fruit and a bottle of his homemade hard cider. Another day we dinghied ashore near the village on the far side of the bay and caught a Route Taxi to Morant Bay, the nearest large town where we could buy a SIM card for communication purposes.  The taxi was similar in size to a Corolla.  When we hailed it, we didn’t see that there were already three passengers in it- one in front and two in the back seat. I suspect that the driver didn’t want to “dis” us white folks, so he nodded us in. Then we didn’t want to “dis” him, so we “skinnied-up” ourselves. I tried to balance lightly on one of Dan’s knees for what we thought might be a short ride. It was not.  For the next thirty minutes or more, the taxi sped along a winding coastal road, veering around people on foot and passing traffic.  I tried to focus on the landscape as it whizzed by because my life flashed before me every time I peered forward.  The return trip in a different Route Taxi was less stressful and I had a comfortable ride ON a seat.  (RT cost was 300 JD/person = approx.$2.23 USD)

Absolutely loved the Bob Marley Museum tour given by a guide who had us singing Marley's Reggae hits.

Military boot camp in the Blue Mountains above Kingston

Our next port of call was Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. We had not intended to stop here because of its reputation; however, Kingston had the boat services needed to help us remedy the few things on the “fix-it” list. It was late afternoon when we entered the seventh largest harbor in the world and the wind kicked up fiercely, gusting at times to 33 knots- right on our nose.  After motoring through wicked winds and chop for about six miles-taking nearly 3 hours, we dropped anchor near the Royal Jamaican Yacht Club.  The folks there were quite helpful in recommending a chandlery and arranging a reputable driver.  We were so pleased with the driver that we also booked a full day tour to some of the sites in the city and up into the Blue Mountains.  

93% of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is shipped to Japan

The sailing conditions upon exiting Kingston Harbor were much calmer, so our sails flew full and happy. Unfortunately, about two miles out of the harbor a Coast Guard boat came alongside and ordered us back into the bay to talk with a Customs official.  We regretfully turned around and reported to the designated dock. As it turned out, the official misinterpreted our paperwork, made a written notation on it, and sent us on our way.

Exit Strategy as seen from beach on Half Moon Cay near Portland Point

The Portland Cays are sprinkled off of Portland Point about midway on Jamaica’s southern coast.  The cays are quite small and not more than spits of sand-covered reef with good holding in sparse turtle grass. They are uninhabited, but frequented by fishermen.  We spent a few nights anchored there in very pleasurable solitary confinement.     

Lots of sea stars strewn along Jamaica's southern coast

Alligator Reef was the next planned stop where we also spent a few nights.  There was no sandy shore here, just enough reef at the surface during low tide to quell the seas in the anchorage. Fishermen gathered in the shallows nearby to net bait fish.

After Alligator Reef, we dropped the hook in Great Pedro Bay.  The remote bay is home to a small fishing co-op and it was memorable for many reasons. Here we met a group of friendly locals whose main jobs appeared to be keeping the barstools warm at the Lobster Pot, a small seaside restaurant.  One morning we took a walk in search of fresh fruit and vegetables and were directed to take the “shortcut” instead of the main road. The recommended trek lead through so many deserted back roads and cow-lined lanes that we considered turning around more than once.  We finally located the Rastafarian fruit vender on the main road in the town of Treasure Island that was about 4 miles away via the shortcut.  On our return trip, we were truly blessed when a man we had talked to on the way offered us a ride back to Great Pedro Bay in his car! 

The fishermen pull their boats ashore daily.

Black River is Jamaica’s longest river and is populated by crocodiles that have seen so many tour boats that they respond to calls from operators. Here we were surprised to meet a Dutch cruising couple we had last seen in Bonaire and shared a day of land touring with them.  While climbing around the Y S Falls that afternoon, we encountered yet another cruising couple from Switzerland whom we also knew from a previous season in Bonaire.  Upon returning to town, we learned that, in our absence, the coastguard had saved our dinghy from drifting off when its painter wore through. (We had not secured it with our cable lock at the coastguard’s request.)

Y S Falls is located on a cattle farm and appeared to be one of the most visited sites on the island.

If I remember correctly, this croc was named Patricia.

Bluefields was another peaceful anchorage- at night.  During the day, many large trucks traversed the narrow coastal road moving what mainly appeared to be building supplies.  While talking with Jamaicans in every town we visited, they voiced their concerns about the amount of highway projects that the Chinese have been hired to complete.  The Chinese ship in most of their own supplies and laborers and the Jamaican companies cannot compete with their bids.    

From Bluefields, we rounded up toward Jamaica's west coast which is the focus of the next blog entry.