26 April 2015

Sailing North to Blackpoint, Exuma

We went to the Carnival the other night, live music, and everyone having fun. A Bahamian came up to me while I was listening to the music and drinking my beer. He announced to me that the Prime Minister of the Bahamas was here (kind of like the President). This guy wrapped his arm around me and drug me to the Prime Minister to meet him, as he did he’s pouring the beer in his hand down my chest. I did meet the guy and shook his hand.

We chased the race boats yesterday then went to the Regatta 

Park for a parade, food, drink and the awards ceremony. “Tida Wave”, one of the boats we crewed on in the pre race race, was the overall winner. We are about partied out.

We left Georgetown this morning beginning our trip back to the Chesapeake. It is with mixed feelings. Though we are anxious to see old friends, we will miss the many new ones we have made in the Bahamas. We have promised them we will return.

We will sail to Staniel Cay today, then to Highbourne Cay tomorrow, then probably to Nassau. We will make our way to Bimini and prepare to cross over to Florida when wind and weather allow. We are 890 miles (as the crow flies) from Baltimore. It will probably take us about 6 weeks to get there.

Anxious to see you all…

Member of the Royal Bahamian Police Band

Site of the Straw Market that burned to the ground the day before the Regatta began

One of the 3 Bahamian beers

George Town School Band

Re Chard local dancing star

This is Luke, a very mature young gentleman, great Dominos player and excellent Volleyball athlete 

These are booth's selling beer and food

I really liked this hat

Race boats on they way home

24 April 2015

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas

Still here! They say that Georgetown has a “sticky bottom”, you can get stuck here!

I had posted on Facebook that we sailed on the A class race boats in a pre race race. We had a ball. The boats are 30’ long, carry a huge loose footed mainsail and a small jib or headsail. The boom extends 15’ beyond the transom. They are shallow draft boats and rely on hiking boards to maintain balance with the large sails. There are 2 boards, they call them a pry, they pry the boat over, and crew slide out them as the boat heals. The boats are similar to what we call log canoes in the Chesapeake. The boats are at anchor at the start line with the sails down. When the gun goes off crew haul the anchor line to gain momentum as others haul up the sails. As the boats begin to heal crew climb out the boards as the skipper hollers get out, farther out (you are hanging on for dear life). When they tack, you scurry back in the boards, slide the boards to the other side and scramble out again. We raced three races, I can’t describe how much fun we had.

The Regatta started 2 days ago with a carnival type atmosphere, local music blasts from huge speakers starting around noon till 2 AM or later. There is a brightly colored plywood city that popped up overnight at the government dock. Most of the booths are bars and some offer food. The menu’s are mostly the same at all, Jerk or barbecue Chicken, pork, conch fritters, with fried rice and peas and macoroni and cheese. Beers are 2 for $5, mixed drinks, mostly rum and “Gully Wash” also known as “Sky Juice”, a combination of coconut water, condensed sweet milk and gin. I’ll have a beer thank you!

They have had 3 races per day, A class, B class, and C class. The schedule is not followed and the preparation for a start is haphazard. The adage of “trying to herd cats” is appropriate. The boats rarely arrive at the starting line on time. They anchor at the starting line, with some trying to take advantage, with sails down. At the starting gun most of the crew haul the anchor getting up momentum as the anchor comes aboard the sails are raised and “it’s a race”. Races are frequently won at the start. The A class boats have a crew of twelve to fourteen depending on the wind. The good boats are somewhat well organized but many are a Chinese fire drill with everyone hollering and jumping on the pries, sails sometimes in the water and much excitement. The spectators are in their dinks sometimes following, leading or in the middle of the pack then rushing to the marks to watch the fun as the boats tack around, there are many near misses. Very entertaining. I have to say we are doing the same. Dinks will raft up at the marks, have cocktails and wait for the fun as the racers approach, then scurry off to the next mark.

Tonight there will be live music starting at 10 PM, then there will be a “Rushout” staring at midnight that apparently lasts until 4 AM or so. The Rushout is like Junkanoo with revelers in  costume dancing in the streets to music and drums.

The regatta ends Saturday and we will start heading north depending on the wind and weather. 

 

Note the date, we are now in Nassau...

Tida Wave, one of the boats we crewed on

Ready for the start

Close racing

One of the "B" class boats

"A" class boats rounding a mark, note the guy in the water with a Gopro camera

Does it look like fun?

Waiting for the racers to round a mark

Some old guy having fun

land based spectators

Resting between races

Smaller Class "C"

15 April 2015

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas

We are still in Georgetown. We are enjoying the beach and the weather. 82º daytime, 75º at night, wind always, usually 15 - 20.

We went to Immigration Monday to extend our visa. When we arrived in West End in November we were given 5 months which ends April 17th. The process took all of 15 minutes and included a cruising and fishing permit and customs. Monday it took an hour to get a 2 month extension, bureaucracy, there where three officials in the office and no other customers but us. We keep trying to tell ourselves to be patient, we are in their country.

Yesterday we took the dinghy to a cove where there are friendly turtles. They will come up to the dinghy looking for a handout. We took some under water video and some stills.

As I mentioned before there is a Regatta next week, they were looking for cruisers to crew on the boats for a prerace race. Robin and I have signed up. We will race on Saturday. These boats have 2 x 8 hiking boards to counteract the wind, we will probably be ballast, hanging on to the boards for dear life. If the boat loses a crew member overboard they have to come back to get you, we will try not to be the cause of a lost race.

The Regatta is boat races, music food and parties till dawn, looking forward to it.

We listen to the “Cruisers Net” every morning to find out what is happening. Yesterday we were informed that there is an outbreak of distemper in Nassau. We are concerned about Bella. There will be a clinic in town to give dogs a booster shot, Bella will be there. We haven’t been to Nassau but we may go there on our way north and other cruising dogs have been there so there is a chance of spread.

Still going to Chat & Chill beach most afternoons, we play volleyball and have learned how to play Mexican Train Dominos.

Bellatrix at anchor

Renaldo, the Conch Salad Dude

The cool people arrive at Chat & Chill by dinghy, the REALLY cool arrive by seaplane

Baby got too much sun

This guy comes every Sunday to give talks on the Bahamas

Main Street, Georgetown

The grocery store

Entering Lake Victoria

Leaving Lake Victoria, you go under a small bridge large enough for a dinghy

A guy who sells roasted peanuts on the main street, also sells ghanga, if you are in the market and would buy from a guy with a Jamaica hat, dred locks, on Main Street near police headquarters

8 April 2015

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas

After a week in the Jumentos we are back in Georgetown. We had to sail 10 miles east to Long Island, then west, then south, to navigate around shallow water. The Jumentos are a group of mostly uninhabited islands. You need to be totally self sufficient there, food water, fuel, there are no settlements and few other sailors. No radio, no cell service, nobody. The beaches are pretty and secluded, no need to “dress to impress” here. We snorkeled the reefs, explored the islands, and enjoyed the beaches. One of the islands, Flamingo Cay, we are told that Flamingos come there during a migration but none while we were there. There is a cave that you can dinghy into during low tide, a sunk fishing trawler, and a plane wreck. As you walk around the island there are paths marked by other travelers with flip flops to show the way. It is amazing how many shoes and sandals wash up on the beach.

Robin spotted a monster lobster under the hull of the trawler but by the time she got her spear it had disappeared.

On Easter Sunday as we returned we decided to attempt to take a short cut through Hog Cay Cut, bad decision. We were told that there was enough water during a high tide. We started hitting bottom about 2 miles out and literally scraped bottom at about 2 knots for another mile or so. Finally we had to give it up and sailed back over to Long Island Cay at night arriving around midnight. 

On Monday we had a great sail back to Georgetown, Robin at the helm and I with a good novel. Nothing is open on Easter Monday so we anchored and spent Tuesday collecting water, fuel, doing laundry, groceries, and wine, oh and a 3 beer lunch in the middle. There is only one marina here, water there is 50 cents a gallon, so we chose to carry jerry cans of water and fuel. Water is free at the dinghy dock in Georgetown. We needed 20 gallons of diesel, 5 gallons of gasoline and about 65 gallons of water. We have 4 - 5 gallon water cans, 2 - 5 gallon diesel cans and 1 - 5 gallon gas can = lots of trips then dumping the contents into the tanks of the boat, a lot of work. We rewarded ourselves with 2 store bought lobster tails, $10 at the beauty salon, a nice wine and Skip’s home made bread for dinner.

Today, back to the Georgetown routine. Robin will go to Water Aerobics then later we’ll go to the Cat & Chill Beach for volleyball, beer and stories, tales and new crusiers to meet, beer and Conch Salad. Tonight is dancing to the DJ at Chat & Chill, and tomorrow night maybe Texas Hold ‘em at the St. Francis Marina & Restaurant.

We will spend a few days here then maybe a trip and back for the Family Regatta here the end of the month.

Bellatrix at anchor

Flip Flops marking the way

Sunk Fishing Trawler