Going with the Flow



On our way to BLACK POINT SETTLEMENT- GREAT GUANA CAY, the sailing conditions were finally amenable to troll for dinner.  I am always the first one to select a lure and put out the pole and this day was no different.  Exit Strategy was moving along quite comfortably with a speed that ranged between six to seven knots.  ZZZZINNNG!  We got a hit!  Although I was closest to the rod mounted on the portside rail, I insisted that Captain Dan reel in our catch.  I did this because I had been on a losing streak since arriving in the Bahamas in late February.  I can only surmise that the game are feistier up here because I'd been unable to land the last four out of four fish we hooked.  Danny gladly took the rod in his strong arms and kept the line taut, eventually hauling in a beautiful yellow fin tuna.

 

 

This yellow fin tuna weighed 15 lbs. after being gutted and bled.







Within a few hours, we maneuvered through DOTHAM CUT and dropped the hook at Black Point Settlement.  The wind howled almost constantly at 25 knots, gusting to 30 during our entire stay.  We went ashore a few times to amble along the worn roads and see what the island was like.  Black Point Settlement is the kind of place where it is not unusual to select your own chicken parts after the grocer gives you a twenty pound frozen mass of chicken legs to take outside, so you can drop it onto the cement and bag your selection.  It is the kind of place where the islanders give you free fruit from the few producing trees they have.  Black Point Settlement is the kind of place where everyone greets you warmly and then some- like the retired police chief- invite you into his home to hear about his career and view his medals. 

This was the first time we were able to see some examples of "pothole" gardening that we had previously read about in the guidebooks.  After that experience, we began to notice these potholes all over the place on every cay we visited.  There seemed to be a great deal of half finished or abandoned building sites down every path at Black Point. It concerned us when we often found these potholes (without a garden) smack in the middle of a building's foundation. How safe is that?! 

 

Pothole gardening

There really wasn't much to keep us at Black Point Settlement, so as soon as the weather improved we continued on to STANIEL CAY.  Does that name ring a bell for you?   Staniel Cay is known to tourists for its swimming PIGS, although the pigs are actually located on the nearby cay called BIG MAJORS SPOT.  It appears that  the pigs are one of the biggest attractions in this area of the Bahamas.  However, swimming pigs were NOT on our list of things to see.  In fact, Staniel Cay wasn't even on our float plan until the starter battery on Exit Strategy began to show signs of imminent death.  The folks in Black Point Settlement assured us that we could get a new battery quicker in Staniel Cay because there was a marina there. Lucky for us- they were right.

 

How many conch can YOU find?  (There are about 20 live ones in photo.)



Bahamian houses in the Exumas were colorful and usually 2-story.

 

Staniel Cay is ten times more touristy than Black Point Settlement largely due to the swimming pigs, the marina, and THUNDERBALL GROTTO.  The James Bond movie, THUNDERBALL, was partially filmed here in 1965 and literally put Staniel Cay on the map.  Since we were "in the neighborhood" we decided to take in the site one afternoon. We could see daytripper boats coming and going to the grotto from our anchorage and tried to time our sortie to avoid the crowd, but that didn't work.  We enjoyed a brief moment alone inside the grotto and then swam out through an alternate underwater tunnel when a large group entered the main opening.  A short time later, we swam back inside and noticed a lion fish, whose spines are highly toxic, slowly swimming beneath the finned feet of people.  That looked like an accident waiting to happen to us.



We had just swam out of a tunnel to escape the Thunderball Grotto tourists.



Coral wall at main entrance to the grotto.



LION FISH (bottom to left of center) a few feet below unknowing tourists!

 

SEARCHING for the ROAD LESS TRAVELED

The First (& Last) Mate is always on the lookout for coral heads and sandbars
 when entering an unfamiliar cut in the Bahamas

After two and a half weeks in the vicinity of Georgetown, Great Exuma, we had had enough of the cruiser crowds and the constant chatter on the VHF radio, so Exit Strategy headed northward along the chain. Our first stop was at CHILDREN'S BAY CAY, a small, privately owned island.  It was one of those places that you reach eventually after entering a cut (RAT CAY CUT) a few miles before it and then slowly work your vessel through channels that are just deep enough.  As I mentioned before, a major challenge here in the Bahamas has been the shallow depths for our 6'10' draft. The tide changes four times daily and the depth also varies with season. During this visit, the tide difference averages about three feet.  It took about forty minutes to get to Children's Bay Cay and then we anchored with about three and a half feet under our keel.

We anticipated a quiet few days here, but within a half hour a parade of daytripper powerboats began to whizz by us and then return in the opposite direction until nearly dusk.

Notice how the changing tides result in mushroom shaped rocks.  At high tide this is not apparent.

WINDSOCK CAY was a short distance to the west of where Exit Strategy was anchored.  The guidebooks reported, "There is good snorkeling and spearfishing around Windsock Cay." Intrigued by that description, we dinghied over one afternoon. There was a small warm beach there, but it was disappointing to find no obvious areas to snorkel or spearfish.  We considered snorkeling out a ways from the cay, but that would have put us in the path of the daytripper highway.

Windsock Cay looked nice, but was nothing like the guide described.

A couple of days later, we left Children's Bay Cay and retraced our path back out of the cut to resume our exploration of the Exumas.  ADDERLY CUT gave us access to our next recommended uncrowded spot at LEAF CAY.  Lee Stocking Island (different from STOCKING ISLAND near Georgetown) can also be accessed from this cut and was described as being "as popular a stop as Georgetown." So we carefully maneuvered away from Lee Stocking Island and worked our way around a huge shoal to anchor at Leaf Cay, "a peaceful spot near a perfect beach."

However, as we dropped anchor at Leaf Cay, the loud buzz of an engine approached and rattled Exit Strategy with its huge wake. The powerboat slowed and turned toward Leaf Cay just around the point.  We recognized the boat as one of the daytrippers that had inadvertently antagonized us in recent days.  Ah-HA!  Now we knew where they all were going!  

M-m-m- bet he'd make a fine stew!

The next day, we took a ride around the point and discovered that "perfect beach" for ourselves.  About a dozen iguanas lumbered to the shore to welcome us.  I could have caught one easily.  We observed later that the daytrippers bring veggie scraps for the iguanas, so they are quite used to humans. They are called "pink" iguanas because of their coloration.

As annoying as the tour boat traffic was, we could not leave the area without exploring NORMAN'S POND CAY, nor could we deny the tour operators their living.  Norman's Pond Cay was literally a stone's throw across the daytripper highway. Many years ago, it served as a salt producing center, but now only a few ruins are left.  We walked along the rugged western coast and found an exquisite tide pool that led to a cave.   

Our private pool on the Northwest coast of Normans Pond.

Although, our time on board Exit Strategy was sometimes exasperating due to the tour boats, our time off the vessel in these locations was invigorating and certainly memorable.

Sunset over Normand's Pond Cay.

EXODUS . . . MOVIN' ALL DE PEOPLE

The 25+ knot winds brought a big surf.

Throngs of boaters registered their intent to leave Georgetown this morning on the daily net and afterward many sails breezed out of the bay.  What drives this exodus?  A long awaited change in the weather!  We've learned that many boats from the USA and Canada are only here from January-early March, so it was time for them to head back. To avoid the crowd,  we'll most likely head out tomorrow and slowly hop northward to explore more of the Exumas, as we plan to be here for a few more months.

Two weeks ago, a pleasant sailing wind blew us into Elizabeth Harbor and we dropped the hook off of Elizabeth Island in the first uncrowded anchorage.  Then the weather conditions calmed considerably. From there we could comfortably dinghy approximately two miles across the bay to Georgetown to clear in and get supplies.

Unbeknownst to us, the annual Cruisers' Regatta was scheduled during our first week in Georgetown.  From our chosen spot, we were also able to easily venture the mile and a half to Volleyball Beach and Chat 'n Chill Grill on Stocking Island where most of the festivities took place.

Rick and Marty climbing up one of the trails on Stocking Island. 

My brother Marty and his buddy Rick joined us on Exit Strategy for the past week, arriving just as the high winds began. We managed to have a good time despite the fact that the winds and seas prevented us (and most others) from leaving the bay.  However, we took the challenge in hand and were able to touch on five different islands by dinghy or rental car. The following photos offer a weak (not a typo) glimpse of our time with Marty and Rick.

Marty and Dan did deep maintenance on our heaviest fishing reel (and no parts were left over afterward). 

One of the beaches on the Atlantic side of Stocking Island.

 

We were invited to take a ride on a racing trimaran and sadly it was dismasted
when Captain Tom attempted the first tack!  No one was hurt badly...even though
the boom bounced on my head a couple of times and then pushed Dan's sunglasses
into his nose leaving a small gash.

The toughest part was recovering the sails from the fallen rigging,
but many hands made the job somewhat easier.

This elderly gent really put on a show when the band began jamming at the Music Fest.

Passage to the BAHAMAS: The LAST Leg

According to our plan, this was to be the third leg of four that would get us to Georgetown in the Exumas.  We were pacing ourselves to be able to rest at anchor every other night.  Our next planned stop would be Clarence Town, Long Island-Bahamas.

Up...

We set out early from Mayaguana and enjoyed fair winds and another comfortable, fast sail for the first 14 hours. In the late afternoon, we even captured a few shots of a lone humpback whale doing backflips.  After dinner, the ride continued to be so smooth that we watched the movie THUNDERBALL (James Bond flick partly filmed in the Bahamas) in anticipation of visiting the famed grotto located in the northern portion of the Exumas.

UP...

Shortly after I went below to sleep and left Dan on watch, the wind and waves came on strong.  To reduce distractions, I use earplugs on passages when off night watch duty.  All of a sudden, I heard the commotion of sails being reefed and felt the boat rocking hard.  It sounded and felt scary enough that I instantly suited up in my foul weather gear and PFD and climbed back into the cockpit.  We trimmed the sails a bit more and things began to feel better.  So I retired to my bunk once more.

...and AWAY!

Three hours later, it was my turn at watch.  Dan said the wind had shifted and caused us to be off course a bit. The waves were also causing Exit Strategy to veer away from our intended waypoint.  At this juncture, we made the decision to continue on toward Georgetown instead of Clarence Town because we would have arrived in Clarence Town three hours before daylight.

My task was quite clear- try to keep the boat from losing more ground. However, three hours later when Dan got up to take his second watch of the night (our routine- I take one, he gets two) we had indeed lost a few more degrees on our heading.  Now we couldn't be sure that we would make it to Georgetown in daylight!

A thorough examination of the charts ensued and resulted in selecting an alternate anchorage on the northwest coast of Long Island that we could enter in daylight if necessary. To our delight, when we rounded the northern tip of Long Island, it put us in a more favorable point of sail.  Thankfully, we arrived by mid afternoon and were able to make our way safely into our second coral head strewn bay of the Bahamas, namely Elizabeth Harbor at Georgetown in the Exumas!

Passage to the BAHAMAS: Second Leg

I cannot recall if I ever admitted that I like the BEING  in a variety of tropical paradise settings rather than the GETTING THERE part.  We have a huge, colorful chart of our chosen cruising ground on the wall in our salon.  It shows the area as far north as the Yucatan Peninsula over to Florida and the Bahamas, as far east as Barbados, as far south as Trinidad and the South American coast over to Panama,  and as far west as the countries along the coast of Central America.

When you look at THAT chart, the Bahamas don't look that far away.  But believe me- with every additional leg of this journey- they ARE really, REALLY FAR AWAY.

There was barely a breeze when we set sail in the morning after our restful night at Big Sand Cay in the southeastern Turks and Caicos. So we whisker-poled the head sail. Unfortunately,  the main sail blocked what little wind there was from filling the head sail. We changed tactics, then,  and arranged the sails to fly wing-and-wing.  For a very short time, this appeared to slightly enhance our speed...until the wind was reduced to a whisper.  Motor ON.

I don't motoring although I know that it is necessary at times.  The hum of the engine is not as loud as a speed boat, but I still dislike that it destroys the solitude for which sailboats were designed.

So we begin motoring through Whale Cut, a charted shortcut across the Caicos Bank.   This cut has much shallower water and our depth meter showed six feet or less for miles.  To complicate matters, a large dark patches on the bottom (possibly a cluster of coral heads) crossed our path repeatedly.  I held my breath every time.   The Captain continued to calmly read his book and didn’t even flinch.

WELCOME TO THE BAHAMAS!  We had studied the guide books and talked to plenty of cruisers with deep-keeled boats who had 'been there, done that.'  We were ready for a baptism by fire.

That afternoon, we finally dropped off the Caicos Bank and into thousands of feet below the keel. The wind picked up to a respectable level and we HAPPILY SAILED through the night and into BAHAMIAN waters. The next morning, we anchored in Abraham's Bay, Mayaguana -Bahamas to rest again.

PASSAGE to the BAHAMAS: First Leg

[Will post pics when connection allows.]

Some miscommunication with the local authorities delayed our departure from Puerto Bahia Marina in Samaná,  DR by two hours.  It was a Monday morning and when they finally showed up for work they were full of smiles and cordial apologies.  We kept our last necessary interaction with them curt, yet polite because we just want to get going.

With the wind and waves on Exit Strategy's nose, it took four hours to motor out of the bay and up around the point of Cabo Samaná.   Near the point we encountered one fisherman after another whose small motor boats bobbed into and out of view in the 7-9 foot ocean swells.  It is inconceivable  the conditions those men toil through on most fays of the week.  We spotted a couple of humpback whales that surfaced without acrobatics within sixty feet of our boat.

[BTW- Our electronic charts indicate that there is a MARINA at Cabo Samaná.  We saw an extraordinarily rough, rocky coast with huge breaking waves there- NOT a likely spot for a marina facility. But we could imagine a boat GRAVEYARD at that location.]

Since the motor was running, Danny turned on the water maker to replenish our fresh water supply.  Sailing conditions were perfect once we clear the turbulent seas around Cabo Samaná,  so the engine and water maker were shut down.  We cruised comfortably averaging around seven knots with a single reef in the main. That night we sailed under a full moon making our watches quite pleasant.

The next morning I woke to that magnificent aroma of freshly brewed coffee and another sunny day in paradise. In hopes of offering the "Catch of the Day" on our dinner menu, I set out a fishing rod.  An hour or so later after no action (from fish) it was time to change the lure.  When I attempted to rinse the salt water from the  first lure at the sink, no water came out of the tap.  I checked the water tank monitor and it read "0%" full.  Regretfully,  I informed the Captain.

He went straight to the hot water tank locker and found a broken whale fitting.  (Yes, that's what the Captain says those plumbing connections are called.) To make a long rant short and socially acceptable, he said, " I was waiting for one of those to wear out!"

My immediate thought was, Why don't you just schedule  changes on those connections to avoid flooding the bilge with 55 gallons of good water!!!

Fortunately,  the Captain keeps a huge supply of whale fittings in all shapes that are suitable for Exit Strategy's needs. He set about the repair task and, as luck would have it, a short while later the wind died.  The engine and the water maker were fired up again.

That afternoon we anchored off of Big Sand Cay (aptly named as there is nothing else there) in the Turks and Caicos to rest for the night.   We ate supper- without any "Catch of the Day"- AFTER thoroughly sopping and sucking up most of the water from the bilge.  I timidly made the suggestion to put this plumbing item on the maintenance schedule.  (Time will tell. )

We're SO glad this didn't happen when guests were on board.  It doesn't bode well when landlubbers see water under the floor boards.

HOLA, SAMANÁ !

Becky, Jeff, Maya, and Genna, Cayo Levantado; Exit Strategy in background.

    The crew of Exit Strategy just completed a week long tour in the Dominican Republic with four guest crewmen, namely our daughter Becky's family. They traveled all day from Kalamazoo, MI and arrived in time for a late supper of Creamy Conch Chowder and Shrimp Spring Rolls on board the vessel.  Afterward, we snuck into the hotel's second floor infinity pool so our grand daughters, Maya and Genna, could have a swim before bed.

Seaside infinity pool at Puerto Bahia Marina.

Examining a sea star 

Day One- We used a slip at Puerto Bahia Marina as a base for our exploration. The first morning was spent lazing around at the seaside infinity pool and snorkeling off the wall.  Sea stars in a variety of shades were scattered along the sea bottom and a few were attached to the wall. While snorkeling, I pointed out a cluster of empty shells to Maya and explained that the spent shells usually indicate that an octopus lives nearby. She immediately screamed and said one had touched her foot.  Oh MY!

Hiking the trail to El Salto de Limon.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

        After lunch we drove northward up and over the mountain ridge to hike to El Salto de Limón, a waterfall and popular tourist attraction of Samaná.  Everyone except Becky and Maya swam in the pool there, but Jeff was the only one of us that was a strong enough to swim behind and under the falls.
        We drove into Santa Barbara de Samaná for dinner and enjoyed the local specialty of Arroz y Pescado Con Coco (Rice and Fish in Coconut Sauce).

Purposeful graffiti in the tourist section of Santa Barbara.

Day Two- The authorities advised us that we couldn't take our boat to go whale watching without a permit, so we took the long way to Caya Levantado and craned our necks for awhile.  Just as we were about to give up, we began seeing a few whales jump out of the water near a tourist boat (that probably had a permit, ha-ha!). I can't include any pictures to prove our sightings because it was difficult to time it right to get a shot. 
        Next we anchored off the sandy shore of Cayo Levantado, a small cay that is also known by the locals as Bacardi Island because a rum commercial was filmed there.
        During the two hour motor-sail to Los Haitises National Park, the Captain was the sole person on duty, as the rest of the crew napped or relaxed watching a movie below deck.  Another cruiser was anchored in the bay when we arrived and radioed us with kind info on the area.  For dinner that night, we gobbled down the Burgers on Excessively Seedy Buns and Becky's Grilled Potato Wedges.

Cayo Levantado Beach

Day Three- Off we dinghied toward the clearing in the mangroves that lead to the larger caves in Los Haitises National Park.  Thankfully, the cruisers we met reminded us to take flashlights, so we were able to observe many paintings done by the Taino Indians hundreds of years ago and watch our step more carefully as we wandered through the various parts of the caves. (Photos were not allowed to be taken inside the caves.) 
        That afternoon, Becky spied a beach across the bay at the point of entry. Being off the tourist track, it was somewhat littered, but our family still ventured along the shore.  We found more sea stars, lots of shell fish, some crabs, coconuts, and JELLYFISH!  But the no-see-ums found Jeff big time, so he stayed in the water up to his neck for the most part.  Genna played with quite a few beached jellyfish blobs without ill effect.  And Maya discovered a note in a bottle on the shore that read, "Whoever finds my treasure will have good luck.  A.B. "  About thirty feet away, the girls found driftwood in the shape of an X and began digging.  The treasure box had over 1,000 pesos and some candy.  What good luck!
        Maya and Genna played "Restaurant" during dinner and acted as waitresses for their Momma and Papa who dined in the cockpit.  The menu included Tropical Juice, Yellow Rice, Cucumber Salad, and Captain Dan's Secret Pan Fried Fish Recipe.


          

 Day Four- We pulled up anchor and again motor-sailed out across the bay.  Along the way, the girls sat on the foredeck with me and tried to teach me some hand clapping games/songs.  We laughed a lot, but I couldn't remember half the lyrics and my hand movements always seemed to be one beat off. Soon we were pulling back into the slip at Puerto Bahia Marina. 
        After lunch, we drove northeastward up and over the mountain to Las Terrenas, a recommended beach area.  The girls were thrilled with the surf and sand, while Papa and Grandpa loved the French pastry shop.  Back on the boat for dinner we savored a new recipe of One Pot Cajun Pasta.

I had no intention of getting all wet, but the surf was powerful.

Day Five- Everyone packed up to leave Samaná in the morning. Then we drove the two and a half hours to Santo Domingo, the capitol city of the Dominican Republic. Once we entered the city limits the traffic got heavier and there appeared to be frequent forks in the road. Thank goodness for GPS! 
         We checked into El Dona Elvira Hotel, a lovely old inn in the historic section of the city. We wandered through El Conde tourist shopping area that was a few blocks away. Then the girls and I had to try out the pool that was just outside their room under a huge mango tree.  In fact, a couple of nearly ripe mangos fell into the courtyard while we were there which we happily retrieved. 
         A few years ago, Jeff became well-acquainted with a Dominican named Jose in Kalamazoo, so Jose insisted that we meet his parents who live in Santo Domingo during the trip.  That evening, Rafael and Fior picked us up and took us to one of their favorite restaurants. BIG SURPRISE!  It was ITALIAN with superbly seasoned dishes that were priced quite affordably.  

One gate to the city near the grand plaza; vendor in foreground.

Twins in the hotel courtyard; pool in background.

Day Six-  Santo Domingo has a rich history, so we decided to hire a guide, Roberto, to take us on a walking tour.  The most interesting tidbits that I gleaned from the tour were: 1. It is said that the local police earn 'onion wages' because when they see their pay, they cry. 2. Historically, the bodies of Dominican heroes were cut in half to safeguard against loosing the hero when shipped back to Spain. 3. An early Spanish missionary priest is credited with starting the first lottery! 

       We had a scant breakfast before leaving and the girls were in favor of the tour only because it promised a stop for something more to eat.  Alas, there were no food stands along the route, but an ice cream vendor caught our eye near the grand plaza, so Becky let us have ICE CREAM for breakfast! 

          Raphael was due to pick us up at 1 AM and take us to his casa for a lunch of REAL DOMINICAN FOOD.  Fior met us at the door and they showed us around their spacious, brightly decorated place.  The table was filled with tureens hot soup laden with chicken, smoked pork, green bananas, plantain dumplings, and squash.  There also were avocados, rice, and flat breads.  We ate our fill and then Fior dished out more!  WOW!
         Later that evening Becky and Jeff were once again whisked away to party with Rafael and Fior while Dan and I were very happy to tuck the girls into bed at the hotel at a reasonable hour. Rafael and Fior were gracious hosts and we wished we knew more Spanish to adequately express our sincere gratitude.

Ice cream for breakfast

Genna just had to buy these hoops.

Day Seven- We said our "good-byes" at the bus terminal and Dan and I road back to Samaná in relative comfort for 2.5 hours.   Meanwhile, Becky's family took in two more attractions near Santo Domingo- Los Tres Ojos and the Aquarium- before heading to the airport.

Our luncheon at Rafael and Fior's