FORWARD...NEUTRAL... REVERSE...

What would you do if you were driving down the highway and suddenly realized that your transmission wasn't functioning properly?

? ? ?

Something like that happened on board Exit Strategy last week during the last eight hours of a sixty hour trip to Bonaire. They had been sailing slightly southwestward for over two days from Boquerón,  PR.  During the second night out, while the First & Last Mate was on watch, an unusually large wave smacked Exit Strategy on the port beam and she shifted somewhat violently to the right.  The Mate was standing and looking at the  chart plotter at the time and the force made her momentarily lose her balance throwing the Mate, in slow motion, to the right.   Although she was not injured, the Mate landed on the throttle as she groped for a handhold to stop her momentum.

[Fret not, dear readers, we always wear a PFD that is securely tethered to sturdy jacklines especially on night watch to greatly reduce our chance of being accidentally catapulted off the boat.]

The vessel was sailing, so the engine was not running. The First & Last Mate thought nothing of her hand hitting the throttle because it is always in the reverse position when undersail to keep the propellor from spinning.

By mid morning the next day, the crew could finally see Bonaire through the hazey horizon in the distance.  In order to be able to reach their destination of Kralendijk's mooring field in daylight, they decided to fire up the engine and motorsail which would effectively enhance their speed.

The motor started right up, but the crew soon discovered that it would not shift into any gears.

Oh.   My.   Goodness!

 After sailing for fifty-three hours straight - sans hot meals and a normal nights sleep - the Captain's pent up emotions boiled over.  Within a fraction of an hour, the pot calmed down to a simmer and the Captain did what he does best. He began trouble shooting the problem.

Exit Strategy sailed on effortlessly while her crew focused on the fix.  The Captain partially dismantled the throttle and then went below to make some adjustments on the engine.  Finally,  he called for the motor to be started and instructed the Mate to shift the ďismantled throttle using two hands.

"FORWARD!

NEUTRAL!

REVERSE!

NEUTRAL!" He commanded- over and over and over.

It wasn't working well.  Sometimes it would shift and then it wouldn't.  The crew had no confidence in their ability to pick up a mooring in the busy town of  Kralendijk with vessels moored and swaying right and left and a seawall ahead!

So the Captain devised Plan B. Exit Strategy would sail around the tip of the island and then attempt to pick up one of its 100 dive sight moorings and sort the problem out.  They aimed for a site just north of the salt pier that the crew had visited two years ago remembering that the depth would suit the boat.

In the absence of other vessels and unforgiving seawalls, the obviously new pendant at the dive site called "Jeanie's Glory" was easily had.  It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon and the Captain immediately commenced working on a fix.

The First & Last Mate crawled through the starboard side aft cabin and into the storage compartment under the stern to remove a sundry of parcels containing extra equipment and parts.  Lo and behold!  This freed up the cables that connected the transmission to the throttle and the Captain was finally able to pinpoint the problem.  A tiny black plastic clip was missing from a cable connection.

You might expect that there would be one of those tiny black plastic clips somewhere in the multiple bags of parts that the Mate had just hauled out of the way. . .

                               But NO!

So the Captain sorted through his supplies and fabricated one from a remnant of plastic pipe.  He is such a resourceful and brilliant man!

Volvimos a Boquerón, PR

       Upon exiting the Turks and Caicos, the plan was to sail toward the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic and then down through the Mona Passage to rest and reprovision at Boquerón,  Puerto Rico. The proposed trip was an estimated 300 nautical miles.
(1 nm = 1.151 miles)  However, the first half of the trip was quite an intense sail, so we "pulled over" to rest for a few days at Puerto Bahia Marina,  Samaná in the DR.  Then a nice forecast set us packing and we arrived at Boquerón where our friends on sv Windhover welcomed us with open arms.

Sunset on Boquerón's beach

          We met Windhover's crew  back in early February on  our first visit to Boquerón. Susi, Henk, and Teddy are a simply beautiful family inside and out.  They quickly filled us in on what was new and what was not in the area. Susi and Henk have been helping their son Teddy get settled in his new apartment and his new job in Boquerón. This is Teddy's first "bachelor pad" so you can imagine the learning curve all three are experiencing!

Always time for Dominoes with Susi, Henk, and Teddy.

        Since leaving the PR nearly four months ago, we have been reading about this commonwealth's effort to shore up its struggling economy with great interest. Things are changing in the PR and also in Boquerón. In February,  a small portion of the town's waterfront was being redone. Now more construction was disturbing the waterfront, as well as major portions of the streets in the heart of the tourist strip.

Took many exhilarating walks to the bakery.

        MANGO SEASON was fully on during this visit and their sweetness filled the air.  It was not unusual to see a bag or box of mangos set out on the sidewalk that was free for the taking.   I turned some of my free mangos into jam.

Mass at San José en español, supuesto.

        One Sunday as we returned from Mass, we found ourselves literally in the middle of a youth sailing regatta and the officials would not let us dinghy back to our vessel.  We made the best of the situation by climbing aboard Windhover to chat awhile. After that, on some days of the week, we suspected that the sailing instructors designated both Exit Strategy and Windhover as course "buoys" for the youngsters to practice tacking.   We enjoyed having "ring side seats" to watch their maneuvers and, thankfully, not a one hit us!

The TURKS and CAICOS

        The Turks and Caicos lie east of the southeastern-most Bahamas and serve as a good staging area for cruisers to head elsewhere.  On our way to the Bahamas, we rested in the Turks and Caicos for one night at Big Sand Cay, then passed through the Caicos Bank to continue on to Mayaguana of the Bahamas.

        This island group is British, like the Bahamas, but not an independent nation.  Their make up is quite similar, though, as they also are pretty much flat as pancakes, made up of coral and limestone, have scant vegetation, and are surrounded by shallow depths. 

Sapodilla Bay Beach, Providenciales (Google Image)

        Sapodilla Bay was our first anchorage at the island of Providenciales.  As your vessel crosses the boundary waters of this port, you are hailed by PROVO RADIO not by boat name, but by your lat-long position.  Then, via VHF radio communication, an officer takes all the information on the vessel and crew.  Upon anchoring, we proceeded to the offices of Customs and Immigration to complete the process.  However, only the Customs agent was available.  We returned early the next morning to see the Immigration officer who still hadn't arrived so we were told to return in the afternoon. However, he wasn't there either later in the day.  Therefore, we dutifully returned early the next morning and finally got the paperwork done.

Lunched at Las Brisas on Mother's Day 

        All of the Turks and Caicos are a marine reserve with many buoyed dive sites.  Providenciales is geared toward posh resort goers and our time there made us well aware of this fact. There were no dingy docks here, nor were there any grocers, or fuel docks in the vicinity. Considering this information,  most cruisers would deem Providenciales as being "not cruiser friendly".  This island did, however, have the most beautiful, wide paved roads we'd seen since leaving the DR two and a half months ago.

        Eventually, we crossed the shallow Caicos Bank and stopped at South Caicos to clear out.  That island, though much smaller, had far more of what the typical cruiser requires to be content.  We secured the dinghy at the fishermen's dock where we found a convenient fuel dock and a well-stocked grocer.  We had a leisurely lunch across the street at the SUNSET & CAFE BAR & GRILL.  It had to be leisurely because it appeared they had only one cook and didn't expect all their tables to be filled.  I even left to check out the grocer while we waited for our lunch.  The food didn't disappoint us, as it was spiced just right and plenty! 

        After the lunch crowd dispersed, the restaurant owner insisted on driving us to the Customs office to complete our paperwork.  We had been in the Turks and Caicos for less than a week, but the weather window was upon us to move on.  I regret not being able to spend more time in South Caicos.

Just LOVED this BLUE!

        The next day we sailed down to Big Sand Cay and rested for the night. The water there was the most magnificent shade of blue I've ever seen! We swam ashore and had the expansive beach to ourselves.  

        The next morning brought brisk winds and we left the Turks and Caicos to head southward toward the DR and the Mona Passage.

Big Sand Cay

OUR ANSWER to the QUESTION

Google image

       In our opinion, it is NOT better in the Bahamas.  YES, as everyone says- the water is clear and pretty, just as it is in many places down island (to name a few) such as: Frederiksted, St. Croix, St. John and Water Island, USVI; Mustique in the Grenadines, Pigeon Island off Guadeloupe; Pan de Sucre of Isle de Saintes; and Barbados.
     
      The Bahamian Islands DO have some pluses, but I calculate way more minuses.   Bear with me as I try to explain this point of view-

+ + +ENGLISH IS SPOKEN by most people.  Oh, you run into folks from the DR or Haiti every so often, but they make a great effort to communicate in ENGLISH to meet your needs.

Lighthouse at Bird Rock just off  NW point of Crooked Island

+ + +THERE WERE NO BOAT BOYS...
- - - which means there is NO CHANCE OF WARM BAGUETTE DELIVERIES BOATSIDE AT 7AM.

+ + + FISHING LICENSE IS INCLUDED WITH CRUISING PERMIT FEE ($300 USD for 12 months).
- - - But INSURED VESSELS, such as Exit Strategy can only be there for a maximum of 6 months outside of hurricane season.

- - - - BAHAMIAN WATERS WERE COLD during our visit (late February- early May). Even the snowbirds that spend two to three months in Georgetown annually weren't getting in the water.  Perhaps if we ventured there during July-September when the water temps warm up (as my dear bro and his wife have done for years) it may have been more comfortable.

- - - DINGHY DOCKS WERE SCARCE, as are places or trees/shrubs along shores to secure dinghies.  Hence, we did lots of dragging and its bottom has multiple scars to prove it.
+ + + The BAHAMAS ARE REPORTEDLY SAFE and most other cruisers did NOT lock their dinghy.

- - - TIDES AND CURRENTS WERE CHALLENGING, so jumping off the boat at anchor had to be done with care to avoid drifting away uncontrollably fast.

- - - HIKING TRAILS WERE HOT and LARGELY UNSHADED and with rough footing.
+ + + Walking on low grades was easier.

- - - There were NOT MANY CATHOLIC CHURCHES where we could attend Sunday Mass.
+ + + The few churches found were not perched high up on a mountainside as they often are down island.

On altar in Fr. Jerome's Hermitage, Cat Island

- - - TERRAIN WAS BLEAK WITH POOR VEGETATION; finding local produce was a rarity and only Georgetown had dependable, scheduled mail boat deliveries of goods from Florida and Nassau.

- - - NO LOCAL BUSES.

- - - HIGHEST TRASH FEES experienced at Staniel Cay ($6.45 US/bag).  Every now and then we've read about cruisers disposing of trash off shore in the deep, but that practice is totally unacceptable to us.

+ + + The CRACKED CONCH WAS GREAT!

  

Google image, and mine looked just as luscious!

PS:  I expect some of you will totally disagree with our take on the Bahamas and that is your prerogative.  As for the crew of Exit Strategy, if we ever return to the Bahamas, it'll be by air.

MAYAGUANA

                Rising up ever so slightly out of the Atlantic in the southeastern most part of the Bahamas is the island of Mayaguana.  The highest point reaches to 21 meters, putting Mayaguana among the lowest Bahamian shores we have cruised.  Its relatively flat terrain makes for easy wandering for a couple of sixty-somethings,  while its reef lined coast limits the number of safe anchorages.  Abraham’s Bay- the main anchorage- is fantastically H U G E  and  S H A L L O W !!  We made our way in as far as possible, reducing our commute by dinghy to the settlement to a mere 3 miles.  In flat calm conditions, it was a pleasant ride…unfortunately, it was pretty windy and then somewhat stormy the week we visited, so we got soaked more than once, even though the Captain tried to avoid the bigger whitecaps.

         

       According to Reggie-  owner, chief cook, waiter, and bottle washer of the only restaurant in the settlement- there are only about 400 residents on Mayaguana.  It is a quiet place where few boats stay for long and its people feel especially blessed that they were bypassed by Hurricane Joachim. We stopped to speak with a few others while walking and they extended the usual Bahamian welcome.  One man introduced himself as he sat on the wall at the dock with his toddler grandson.  The boy had a bad cold and was going to get dunked in the sea water to help clear his head.  Another resident, a strong looking young woman, was out preparing a garden spot so that cruisers could get fresh vegetables when they came ashore.

       When we entered Reggie’s place to have our preordered lunch, a man jumped up from his table and insisted we sit there under the only fan.  We arranged for two lunches to eat-in and two chicken dinners to take-away.  The amount of food we got was more than enough for five meals and our bill was only $49.  (1 USD = 1 Bahamian)  Before we left, Reggie was kind enough to trade some USD for some of our excess Bahamian dollars.  I inquired about a stand of papayas that I were behind his place and he told me to take as many leaves as I needed to use for making a tonic for chikungunya.

   

        One day near the dock at the settlement, we encountered a family of three in their stallled dinghy.  The tide was very low and their engine cut out when it hit the bottom.  We towed them in and chatted  on the short walk into town.  They were a Polish family of four from Krakow sailing with one crewman and a nanny who helped with the two boys aged one and two and a half. ( I couldn’t imagine cruising full time with two little ones!)  Later, we towed them out to their vessel since they couldn’t find anyone who had the required wrench to fix the outboard.

       Finally, when the weather was in our favor to move on, we said “Good bye” to Mayaguana, the very last island of the Bahamas that we had time to see.

Love Lyla!

     

        Keeping the lines of communication open with our dear family and friends while cruising the Caribbean has been a challenge for us since day one. About a year ago, we began using T-Mobile SIM cards and that has made life so much simpler communication wise.  These days, it is rare that we don't get a signal even when no cell tower is apparent.
        Thankfully, no one in our family or circle of close friends feels the need to touch base daily with us and we're quite comfortable with that.  However,  recently one of our three adorable grand daughters  seems to have turned the tides on that matter. 
       

       Eight year old Lyla has taken to "chatting" with her Babçia (me) via FB Messenger.  It all began rather innocently when I sent Lyla and Aslan notes via their Momma's (Joy's) FB account.  Lyla was in the middle of her Homeschooling Written Language Lesson for the day, so Joy let her respond to me via FB instead of doing a creative piece on paper.  And VOILÀ!  Practice with purpose turned Lyla into an avid writer!

     

Spider Lyla spotted on a recent hike. 

     This exchange with Lyla has been going on for just over a week now and her Grandpa ( Dan) and I have really been tickled by her enthusiasm.  Every time we hear the "ping" of Messenger,  one or both of us sigh and say, "Love, Lyla" because she sweetly signs off on most messages in that way no mater how long or short they are.  Via Messeger, Lyla and I have discussed mundane things, such as: finger polish, pizzas, Mothers' Day surprises,  my fear of spiders, Math skills, snorkeling and so much more.

 

     Then on the other hand we've delved into some pretty important stuff, like: 

Did  daddy   used to   have   long   hair   in  a   ponytail? Love   Lyla!

I  really  want  to  right  a story  about  you  and  me!  Love  Lyla!

I    miss   you   so   much! xoxo Xoxooxo   Love  Lyla!

Grandpa and I sure MISS and LOVE you, too.

CROOKED ISLAND

       From a distance, the approach into the anchorage at Crooked Island in the Southeastern Bahamas is a wide open expanse  along a gently curving white sand shore.   About two dozen houses stand scattered here and there along this coast.  When close enough to anchor, though, you get a clearer picture of the condition of the buildings and realize that many are missing roofs, a wall or two, and some windows.  These were, no doubt, picturesque structures designed with island paradise dreams in mind, but last fall Hurricane Joachim changed all that and more.
                                                                                    
          Up close, it is evident that most of the sand at the shoreline here was blown up onto the land, over and through the residences and beyond to cover the road from town that leads to the small airstrip at the northwestern point of the island.  We were awestruck by much of what we viewed, yet we didn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of the hurricane’s power until we interacted with the local people who lived through Joachim’s assault.

       One of the grocers in Landrail Point Settlement recalled his experience during Joachim.  The worst of the hurricane came during the night and brought chest deep water into the village and his store.  He said that the water came from the south out of the shallows of the Bight of Acklins.  When his home flooded, his family tethered their boat to a strong beam of the house and sixteen people- a mix of children and adults- climbed into the small vessel to weather the storm as best they could.  Thankfully, no lives were lost on Crooked Island during the hurricane.
      
         Two seasonal residents described the damage incurred along the beach.  One man from Florida said his garage, that faces the sea, was filled with sand after Joachim blew off the doors.  Another man from New Orleans said that sand and sea water destroyed most of his furnishings, so they had to replace everything.  Other houses along the shore wound up with huge pieces of limestone inside necessitating removal with heavy duty equipment.  Surprisingly, a few residents have not yet come down to assess the damage to their property.
         On another afternoon, we stopped to have lunch at GIBSON’S RESTAURANT #2.  There, we were pleasantly surprised and privileged to meet the founder of GIBSON’S RESTAURANT # 1, that was a fine business for fifty years.  Now very elderly and wheelchair bound, Mrs. Gibson related her recollection of the night Hurricane Joachim made landfall in the settlement.  At that time, living alone and in bed,  she was suddenly awakened by the fierceness of the storm. Then she saw the water begin to flood into the room.  Being that she had limited use of her legs, the only thing Mrs. Gibson could do was pull herself up to be higher on the bed and begin to pray.  Hours later when the force of the hurricane subsided, her son found her still in bed, praying, and soaked with sea water.  Parts of her home had crumbled down around her and a portion of the roof had blown off.  In order to get Mrs. Gibson out safely, they used a crane to lift her out though the roof.  She now lives with her son and we were fortunate to chat with her on a day he brought her to her daughter’s restaurant.
        
        Certainly, our stay at Crooked Island was not all doom and gloom.  Actually it was quite the opposite.  We found the people to be kind and giving despite their struggles and they exuded a rare resilient attitude that was most admirable.  Near the jetty, we noticed scads of these lovely flowers thriving in the rocks that Joachim piled on the coast.  Mrs. Gibson of Restaurant #2 told us that they are weeds, but they seemed symbolic to me of Crooked Island- the warm, beautiful people have a thorny path ahead as they recover.
        PS:  If you have a youngster from sv Honu Kai approach your boat to sell you a homemade HOT pizza, BUY 2!  They are GREAT!