Shroud Cay

April 8, 2007



Shroud Cay is a large, low-lying cay south of Norman’s Cay and is the northernmost cay in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. The Park is a protected area for both sea and land life. At Shroud Cay, the main attraction is the waterways that wind through the mangroves in the center of the island. We explored these canals in Ding Ding III although were a little disappointed at the lack of fish and birds that we thought we would see. On the other hand, throngs of tourists made up for the lack of wildlife once we arrived at the ocean side and provided for some interesting people-watching.


Looking east over the Exuma Sound from Shroud Cay


Looking west towards the Exuma Banks from the same location. The water snaking through the picture is the very shallow mangrove "river" that we dinghied through to get here.



A slew of tourists at OUR discovered beach! The audacity...

We had our first attempt at BBQ pizza for dinner. It came out really well, except it was rather scorched on the bottom. Next time we need to try a lower heat and perhaps a heat diffuser (aluminum foil?). We also made a small batch of cinnamon buns in the pressure cooker, which turned out great!



Pizza, Pizza!

Norman’s Cay

April 7, 2007



We spent two nights and one day in Norman’s Cay, which gained notoriety back in the early 80’s when a large cocaine smuggling operation was based there. Today, the only evidence remaining are some abandoned buildings and a plane wreck in the middle of the anchorage.




The leftover's of Carlos Lehder's drug smuggling operation: a sunken plane and abandoned buildings.

While in Norman’s we met up with the crew of Moxie, whom we had run into previously at Allen’s Cay and in Nassau. Shawn, the owner of Moxie, has some friends visiting for two weeks. We’re all around the same age which was a fun break from hanging out with the retirees. Since Kristen is out of the water to wait for her toe to heal, Hans and Shawn went diving for dinner all day Saturday with help from Katherine. Kristen, Alex and Camilla sat on the beach and caught up on some reading, sudoko and good conversation. The hunters were successful and returned with three Nassau grouper, a real delicacy. We cooked them over a fire on the beach with rice, veggie curry and salad. Yum!


Hans checking out a waterfront cave.

Allen’s Cay, Exumas

April 5, 2007



We woke up on Thursday with plans to go snorkeling for dinner and see the iguanas that live on the group of cays that comprise Allen’s Cay. Because the currents are so strong, it is important to go snorkeling as close to slack tide as possible. We first ventured out around 10 AM and although no dinner was found, we scoped out lots of potential hunting grounds and Hans saw lots of pretty (non-edible) fish. The coral formations are different here than in the Abacos. The coral in the Abacos is very dense with large structures and is usually found on the ocean side, while the coral we’ve seen so far is found in smaller clumps and scattered along the sea floor. At one point Hans was able to follow a grouper an maintain visibility beyond 50 yards. The water is so clear that it not only lets you see everything, but it acts as a magnifying glass on the coral head and the fish. It is spectacular. Later in the afternoon we went ashore and fed the iguanas. They are prehistoric looking, not very friendly and rather aggressive. While normally we wouldn’t be feeding wildlife, everyone feeds the iguanas and they probably don’t know how to hunt properly for themselves anymore. Massive tour boats from Nassua come almost daily with over 30 passengers, all bearing food for the iguanas.


A resident of Allen's Cay...the boss iguana.


The Malo 40, with the Danes aboard, leaving Allen's Cay.


Hans snorkeling.


Kristen modeling in Ding Ding III.

Our preconceived notions about the Exumas are proving to be far from reality. While the landscape and the snorkeling is exactly what we imagined, we never thought we would have to share the islands with so many people. Not only are there lots of other cruising sailboats (up to 12 right now anchored at Allen’s Cay), but there are massive mega-yachts from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale anchored just outside. The megayachts are around 150 feet long and all have 25 foot “dinghies” as well as jet skis and other water toys on which they constantly zoom around the anchorage. We talked with a crew member from one of the megayachts who gave us the inside scoop on the operations of the boat. The boat is owned solely as a charter vessel that operates at a huge loss every year to realize tax benefits for the owner. Even so, a week charter costs $120,000. And even though the guests were most likely treated like royalty, one of the girls was reputedly unhappy all the time. Maybe if she were on Whisper and not treated like royalty with no comforts from home she would be happy!


A mega-yacht at anchor off Allen's Cay.

Nassau to Allen’s Cay, Exumas

April 4, 2007

Two nights and one day was enough time in Nassau, so on Wednesday morning we weighed anchor and set off for Allen’s Cay, 28.6 miles south east of Nassau and at the northern tip of the Exumas. The winds were light and from the south east so we knew we would have to motorsail the whole way, however this turned out to be less of an issue since we thought since the winds died down completely and we ended up motoring in flat calm. We set up the autopilot and both sat on the foredeck and marveled at the spectacularly clear water. We have been told that the water in the Exumas is even clearer than that in the Abacos but that was hard to believe at the time. Motoring across the Great Bahama Bank to Allen’s Cay, we started to believe the rumours. At one point we saw a giant turtle swim past. We arrived at Allen’s Cay around 4:45 PM and set down two anchors in anticipation of strong currents running through the anchorage. Kristen dove down to set the Fortress by hand and stepped on a buried conch shell, cutting the bottom of her left foot. After cleaning it up and putting a bandage on, we decided that Kristen is out of the water until it heals so as not to attract infections or hungry underwater animals! So for now she is the designated dinghy driver for Hans while he snorkels and hunts for dinner. We started exploring the nearby reefs, but the current was too strong and Hans was unable to keep up with any potential dinner prospects.

Some friends from Denmark we met in Marsh Harbour a couple months ago were anchored here for the night and invited us over for dinner. It was fun to see them again and we caught up on what we’ve been doing, future plans and eventually the state of the world. They are on a Malö 40 which is a dream boat for both of us. You can check it out at maloyachts.com and maybe we’ll start a collection on this website for our next boat! Speaking of new boats, our new dinghy is proving to be a very worthwhile investment. Ding Ding III is dry and comfortable and the 8hp engine zips us around from reef to reef with ease. It’s very liberating and fun to go fast!






Scenes from the transit over the Bahama Banks.

Nassau

April 3, 2007

We hadn’t planned on going to Nassau since it doesn’t exactly receive rave reviews, however we were determined to make the best of it and went ashore with a list of things to buy as well as sights to see. While the sightseeing may not have been excellent, we managed to get almost on our list for Whisper which would have been tricky elsewhere. The immediate downtown area caters solely to cruise ship passengers which disembark by the thousands daily. The waterfront area is full of souvenir shops, duty-free shopping (which consists mainly of liquor, watch and purse stores), all you can drink and eat booze cruises, party boats and general hustlers trying to sell you the shirt of their back. We wandered around here for an hour or so and then walked a few blocks south to Fort Fincastle. The Fort was erected in the late 1700s but was never used in battle and eventually served as a lighthouse. It didn’t seem to have very much historical significance but provided a great view of the harbor. We walked back down to the waterfront and pigged out on Burger King for lunch!



two cruise ships at anchor in Nassau.


The view from Fort Fincastle in Nassau. You can see the cruise ships in the background.


The cruise ship wharf/Nassau's waterfront. The tourist industry in Nassau is focused on business from cruise ships and visitors on Paradise Island where Atlantis is located. The waterfront is filled with vendors catering to (and making money from) cruise ship visitors.


Kristen chowing down on some Burger King. Health food galore!

After fortifying ourselves with junk food, we dinghied to Potter’s Cay, an open-air produce market, and stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables for the Exumas. The prices were very reasonable and it was fun to shop from local vendors as opposed to the supermarkets. We also each had a cold Kalik at one of the fish stands.

After taking in some non-touristy Bahamian culture, we went to the other extreme and dinghied over to the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. It’s hard to describe the extravagance of the resort, so hopefully the pictures can help convey the overall impression. It was like a few hotels at Las Vegas put together and instead of the luxury cars cruising the strip, the docks at the marina were filled with multi-million dollar mega-yachts complete with 5+ person crew, underwater lighting and the requisite 60” flat screen TVs. The resort has enough attractions to keep someone busy and entertained for weeks: waterslides, multiple restaurants, a movie theater. The highlight of the resort was the expansive, walk-through aquarium which contained many different types of fish, almost all of which can be found in the waters of the Bahamas. We recognized many of them and our stomachs growled as we looked at the massive groupers swimming around. However, instead of grouper for dinner we treated ourselves to a pizza at the Atlantis Marina Pizzeria.


Atlantis


an aquarium full of jellyfish. yikes!


Whisper at anchor with Atlantis in the background.

Lynyard Cay, the Abacos to Nassau, New Providence

April 2, 2007

After rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, we weighed anchor from Lynyard Cay and proceeded out the cut into the Northeast Providence Channel. Most boats sail via Eleuthera to the Exumas, which was our initial plan, however the southeast winds, paired with Snowday’s story of hitting a coral head between the Exumas and Eleuthera, encouraged us to change our minds and sail for Nassau. The trip was approximately 80 miles and took us 16.5 hours. We were able to sail for the first 2/3 of the trip, however the wind slowly died towards the end and we turned on our trusty engine, Boris, to power us the last 20 miles to Nassau. It was a beautiful day for a sail on the open water and we passed the time by reading, fishing (no luck) and tinkering with the sails and the windvane steering system. Kristen did not get sick so it has renewed her spirit for long passages. Kit kat was a real ship’s cat and spent time sitting in our laps in the cockpit and sleeping down below. All in all, Whisper had a happy crew.

The entrance into Nassau harbor was a little tricky since it was dark out and difficult to distinguish the navigational beacons from lights on land. We both focused our eyes on the channel and the GPS and made it in without a hitch. We anchored near the BASRA (Bahamas Air and Sea Rescue Assoc.) like Snowday recommended and both fell asleep within minutes.


Hans eating dinner: vegetable curry.


onward to Nassau!


the sun goes down...


and the moon comes up.

Ahoy there Snowday!

March 30 to April 1, 2007

Most mornings we eat breakfast and listen to the cruisers’ net on VHF 68 at 0815. It is a good resource for weather, news and acts like a bulletin board for cruisers to share information. It also includes a section at the end of the broadcast for arrivals and departures into the Abacos. What a surprise when we heard Snowday announce their arrival on Friday morning! Kristen was so excited that she temporarily forgot that she was on a boat with 5’7” headroom and jumped straight in the air, promptly hitting her head on the cabin ceiling! Ouch! Snowday had raced up to the Abacos from the Exumas to spend a couple days with us before we leave for the Exumas. We met them at the Southern end of Elbow Cay and decided to pick up moorings in Hope Town harbor since the wind was rather strong out of the North East. Hans made Dominican Chicken (Jorge’s famous recipe) and we all stayed up past midnight catching up on the past couple months. On Saturday morning we all sailed down to Lynyard Cay and found a great deserted beach—exactly what we were dreaming of in Florida! Rob brought the bbq ashore and we cooked up hot dogs, sausages and baked beans. Then it was back to Whisper for a game of Quiddler.


Fearsome Pirate Matthew with Abbey lurking in the background. aaaaarrgh!


Checking out the waves on the Atlantic side of Lynyard Cay.

By Saturday morning the winds had switched more to the southeast so we dinghied over to Sandy Cay and snorkeled in the Land and Sea Park. The reef was huge and varied, although we were all surprised at the small numbers of fish. We did, of course, see some huge groupers which we couldn’t spear for dinner since the waters there are protected. We dinghied over to a nearby beach and flew the kite for a couple hours. Matthew and Abbey became real pros.

Back to the boats for lunch and then an evening bonfire on the beach. We sang some songs and eventually, after another sad goodbye, Kristen and Hans went back to Whisper for an early night in anticipation of Monday morning’s crossing to Nassau. It was fantastic to see everyone on Snowday again and trade stories and advice for the Exumas and the Abacos. We had a great time catching up and hanging out on our eagerly awaited Bahamian beach. Now it is north-bound for Snowday and south-bound for Whisper. We’ll miss them again and will conspire to meet again in the Caribbean or perhaps in the canals of Europe!


Getting the fire started.


Playing some guitar and enjoying the beach bonfire.


The crew of Snowday hanging out at the bonfire.




Whisper and Snowday at anchor together again.

Hope Town to Marsh Harbour to collect Ding Ding III

March 29, 2007



After returning to Hope Town to sell Ding Ding II, we met Mary from London who was in the Bahamas with her employer. Mary works as the private teacher for an English girl while her family is in Miami every year for three months. She wasn’t teaching the week she was in the Bahamas so she hitchhiked aboard Whisper to Marsh Harbour and caught the ferry back to Hope Town. As Hans says: “I didn’t complain.” Maybe we’ll make the cover of the sailing magazine, “Latitudes and Attitudes.”

Kit Kat's favorite game

Kit Kat's favorite game is "attack the bilge pump." She loves it when there is water in the bilge and she is continually trying to attack the water!

See you in the Exumas!

An update on our travel plans:
we're leaving Hope Town today to go to Marsh Harbour to pick up the new dinghy.
Friday: sail to Little Harbour which is at the southern end of the Abacos.
Saturday or Sunday: sail to Eleuthera
Sunday to April 13: make our way to Staniel Cay starting in the Northern Exumas and heading south.

We'll be out of communication for at least a week since we'll be stopping at small, uninhabited cays (islands) until we get to Staniel Cay. So in the meantime, don't worry about not hearing from us, we're okay and when we get to Staniel Cay we'll post some fantastic pictures of the Northern Exumas. How's that for optimism!

Hope Town's lighthouse

March 29, 2007

We realized this morning that we've never posted a good picture of the Hope Town lighthouse. We've really gotten to love Hope Town because it is a neat little town with a good bakery/grocery store, great beaches, easy day sails, of course the fun people, but none of that would be the same without the lighthouse. It adds a certain amount of character to the place.

Reaching the finish line

March 29, 2007

Today is Thursday, March 29, an ordinary day for a lot of people, but a very special day for the crew of Whisper. We’re meeting a distinguished individual at the airport this afternoon to join our adventures. His name is Ding Ding III and he is a 10’4” inflatable dinghy all the way from Connecticut. We’ve already picked up his means of propulsion, an 8hp outboard, and we can’t wait to meet him and zoom around the anchorages and to the reefs! Our dear friend Ding Ding II is leaving us today to join the crew of another sailboat, Goosebumps. We’ll miss Ding Ding II, but hope that he will be happy and well looked after in his new home. Farewell Ding Ding II!

We’ve been working out the intricacies of customs in the Bahamas in order to import our new dinghy without paying the 40% duty the Bahamas requires on all imports. We spent some time at the efficient and friendly customs office in Marsh Harbour where we paid the duty on Ding Ding II which allowed us to legally sell him and import Ding Ding III duty free. We’ve been hankering after a longer dinghy for a long time, not only to take us out to the reefs where we can’t get in Ding Ding II, but also to provide a more dry, stable and quick ride in the harbors. In Ding Ding II we’ve been getting soaked almost every time we go anywhere and have taken to wearing full length rain coats on hot sunny days! Well, as Kristen’s dad would say: We’re glad we’re able to provide so much humour to the anchorage!

Sunday night was meant to be our last night in Hope Town, so our friend Dave treated us and the crew of Gray Fox to dinner at the Harbor Lodge. The food and wine were excellent. It was a real treat to go out to dinner and it was nice to spend some time with good friends that we’ve met here in Hope Town before leaving.

We sailed to Marsh Harbour on Monday to take care of the customs’ paperwork and pick up a few supplies. On Tuesday morning we sailed over to the Southern end of Guana Cay and of course unsuccessfully looked for lobster. The season ends in a couple days so we’re starting to get desperate! Pass me the dynamite honey!

Yesterday, in the spirit of harvesting dinner from the sea, we sailed Whisper north and out into the ocean to do some deep sea fishing. It was a bit of a roller coaster, however, and after an hour or so Kristen started to feel really quesy so we turned around and sailed to Hope Town on the Sea of Abaco (the protected, shallow waters of the Bahamas).


Dragging the lures behind Whisper whilst deep-sea fishing.


let's check the first lure....seaweed.


anything on the second lure? seaweed again.


As a wise Mexican once said: When there's no fish for dinner, make tortillas! Dinner in the cockpit anchored off of Guana Cay on Tuesday night: homemade tortillas, black beans, tomatoes, green peppers, scrambled eggs. Yum!

What, Hope Town? You thought we left? No, the lighthouse in Hope Town always pulls you back. Actually, it turns out the guy who bought Ding Ding II is anchored in Hope Town so we sailed back to make the sale. We met up with Toby from the catamaran Lickety Split and spent a rousing few hours at Cap’n Jacks with, gasp, people our own age! It was very exhilarating, but we didn’t get back to Whisper until after 1AM and are feeling the effects this morning.


A schooner underway between Marsh Harbour and Man-o-War Cay.

Springfield VT in the Bahamas!

March 21, 2007

Talk about a small world. Yesterday I met two guys on vacation here in Hope Town that grew up in Springfield and N. Springfield, VT, my hometown! Dick Merrick grew up in N. Springfield and Phil Jasinski grew up on Wall Street, just across town from me. Of course, they graduated in '61 and I graduated just a few years later, in '97. We had a great time talking about the town and how it has changed over the years. Their graduation class had 250 kids, while mine was around 100.


I still can't get over that I bumped into fellow Springfielders--my dad would be proud!

Kristen

Time to say adios

March 21, 2007

We listened to the weather forecasted by Chris Parker this morning on our SSB and it looks like we’ll have a decent window to cross to Eleuthera sometime early next week, either on Tuesday or Wednesday. The winds are still strong today (25-30 knots), but they will be moderating throughout the week and into the weekend and are forecast to be around 10 knots on Tuesday. The seas should settle down as well, so we’ll keep a close eye on the weather and pick our best day. Another cruiser in the harbor, who is also planning on spending hurricane season in the DR, is also crossing to Eleuthera at the beginning of next week, so we’ll try to coordinate if feasible and perhaps cross together.

Last Friday there was a small party in honor of Don’s 76th birthday, the arrival of Dave’s girlfriend from Florida, and our anticipated departure to points south. It was a great time with good food and conversation.



Linda & Don on Don's 76th birthday.


Our Hope Town Gang assembled. This is the group of friends we have been hanging out with in Hope Town. The men in the back: l-r Gordon, Dave, Don, Hans, Brad; the women in the front: l-r April, Carla, Kristen, Linda


Hans, Kristen, Carla & Gordon.

The Hope Town Sailing Club hosted dinghy races on Sunday from Optimists, Sunfish and traditional Abaco dinghies. We went out on Gray Fox with Carla and Gordon to watch the races. Of course, today’s race for cruising sailboats has been postponed because the winds are too strong for the race committee. We’re going out anyway to practice using our storm jib.



Abaco dinghies underway.

Hope Town

March 20, 2007

We’re in Hope Town, still…
Last week we sailed up to Man-o-War Cay to drop off our genoa (the larger, older sail that flies from the front of the boat) with a sailmaker to restitch the UV protective cover which was fraying. We then sailed over to Marsh Harbour for some final food and supplies provisioning before heading south to Eleuthera and then the Exumas. After sailing through Man-O-War to pick up the genoa, we returned to Hope Town on Friday to wait out a cold front. The cold front passed and we’re ready to go, but a series of strong HI pressures are causing high winds and seas in the entire Bahamas, all the way through Saturday. The forecast for almost every day is: 20-30 knot winds with 7-11 foot seas at 6-10 second intervals. Whisper could easily sail to the Exumas in these conditions, however it would be hard work for us and quite uncomfortable. We’ll stay put for the time being, but Hope Town fever is setting in!

Hans parents, Roger & Karin, are arriving at Staniel Cay in the Exumas on April 13 for a two week vacation. We’re very excited to see them and to spend time together in the Bahamas. We would like to leave the Abacos by April 1 in order to arrive at Staniel Cay ahead of the 13th, so hopefully the winds will calm down in the next two weeks!

In the meantime, we have a new list of small projects we would like to complete so we’ll stay occupied while waiting for the weather. Yesterday we worked on stopping the leak in the rudder post. We think we were successful, but, as with all boat projects, it usually takes a third try for a good solution! One of the next projects we’ll tackle is permanently installing the SSB antenna. It’s a very simple job, but it requires one of the cockpit lockers to be emptied in order to fit a human (usually Kristen since she is smaller) inside.

Sorry there are no pictures to accompany this update. We’ve been a little lazy with the camera lately. We look the same, except Hans has a new haircut and a shave!