The Georgetown Playground

We have discovered that life in Georgetown is exactly the Shangri La for boaters as described in all the cruising books. It is a little "over-organized" for us, but we have come to experience what this curious community offers, so we try to participate in as many of the activities we can stand and manage. It is so easy to lose track of time here - as we have found. Day one, we dinghy over to Volleyball Beach where the hangout, Chat 'n Chill, is located. The beach is full of dinghys, boaters, kids, and generally a lazy, laid back cruising mentality - maybe this is like the Margueritaville type of existence that Jimmy Buffett became famous writing and singing about. Blair and I have lunch at the Beach, and wander around talking and catching up with people we know - and talk to many we have just met. Before we know, our first full day in Georgetown is over. Dave and Joanne on Tropical Breeze join us for dinner as we finish the last of the Mahi Mahi.
We spend the next couple of days mainly wasting time, doing some small chores, visiting the St. Francis Resort - and generally just trying to stay occupied. The conditions in the Elizabeth Harbour are a little rough, so it makes it difficult to get across the Harbour to Kidd Cove and the dinghy dock to visit Georgetown. We have made it over once to replenish our fresh fruit and vegetable supply, but we managed to be completely soaking wet from the rough conditions.
The famous marine weather forecaster, Chris Parker, is visiting on Lee and Charlies's boat, WindStar IV. He is going to be presenting a number of infosessions on weather during the Georgetown Regatta. We attend a couple of them and while they are pretty basic, Blair feels they are good refresher courses that serve to strengthen his confidence in reading the weather. Chris Parker is a knowledgeable young man with a passionate interest in weather. He has created quite a niche for himself, and most of the boaters we have come across (ourselves included) listen to his forecast every morning at 6:30am. We will definitely become subscribers to his services in the future for as long as we cruise in the south. Without his forecasts, there would be a lot of confused boaters who would be forced to formulate their own forecasts - or who would be reluctant to venture very far from a safe protected haven.
Our newest boating repair requirement occurs on the afternoon that we are at the St. Francis Resort listening to Chris Parker's seminar. As we return to the dock, we notice that our dinghy is looking pretty low on air. We race back top Odissea xx with the air escaping quickly from the dinghy, safely making it before we can get into any trouble. It seems that there is a hole in the fibreglass bottom and the bolt has come up (problem #1), puncturing a hole in the rubber inflatable tube (problem #2). It never seems to end...but Blair goes to work - the thinking part of the problem, anyway. For the time being, though, we raise the dinghy out of the water, tying it to the davits in order to ensure that there is no further damage to this poor little dinghy. We have come to learn that you cannot survive down here without an operational dinghy - it becomes your lifeline.
The next day, Monday, we get a tow to Volleyball Beach where Blair goes to work to refibreglass the hard bottom of the dinghy. Once this has set (and after a couple of layers of fibreglass), Blair glues a patch on the hole in the rubber inflatable tube (with glue courtesy of Tropical Breeze). Monday is also official registration day for all Regatta activities, so we run around here on the Beach signing up for a couple of activities. Blair attends another weather session...and then: POOF! the day is gone again. We get a tow back to Odissea xx, and although it looks as though the patch didn't hold because we are losing air, the next morning everything appears to be fine and the dinghy is operational...another successful mission accomplished!

Arriving in Georgetown with our Mahi catch

There is a mass exodus from Black Point at first light...and we join the group to make our way through the Dotham Cut, headed for Georgetown and Elizabeth Harbour. The Dotham Cut is quite picturesque with its white majestic cliff. We are not nearly as intimidated as many first-time cruisers, given that we had earlier made our way through the Warderick Wells Cut - now we feel a little more experienced (but we have not lost our healthy respect for the wind, weather and water!) Navigating through the Cut at slack calm seas, we are successful, and quickly set our sails to take advantage of the wind as we motorsail. We also set the fishing lines, although it seems that the smaller line was not fastened at the start, so we lose the line and the lure to the sea. There is a little cursing that ensues, but we recover and decide to use just the one line. Fortunately we are in good deep water, so we are satisfied that the weight of the lure (goodbye $30) will sink the line and not endanger the rudder or prop of other passing boats.
It is a beautiful day and there are a countless number of boats around us, bound for Georgetown - many of them cruising along with fishing lines set - all hoping for a big catch. As we approach the entrance to the new Sandals Resort at Emerald Bay close to the entrance to Elizabeth Harbour in Georgetown, we are hailed by Mike and Judy on Sea Sharp. It seems as though they are leaving Georgetown today to slowly head back north. This is a little disappointing as we had hoped to see them, but it looks as though we are destined to be "two ships passing in the night" for this cruising season. They are planning to stop for a couple of nights at the Emerald Bay docks for a bit of pampering, and Mike tries to entice us to join them. We consider it very seriously, and take the upcoming weather forecast into very careful consideration, ultimately opting to continue on to Georgetown. We have already experienced the frustration of being locked into an anchorage at Exuma Park, and given that the near future winds will be directly out of the east or southeast, we would prefer to be in Georgetown for this. There are a couple of boats hailing us at this point, and things start to get a little busy...especially when Blair realizes that there is a fish on our line! He scrambles to the back deck of the boat and begins reeling it in. I just pray that it is something worth keeping...and not a barracuda or a fish that is too big for us to handle. Fortunately, given our first Mahi experience, I am absolutely prepared with the supplies and paraphernalia necessary to reel in...AND KEEP..this fish! Blair gets really excited when he spots a MahiMahi on the end our line. He reels it in on the starboard side of the boat and reaches down with the gaff, swinging with as much power as he can muster, successfully gaffing the Mahi. He then swings it up over the life lines to the back deck. Now the Mahi is still on the line which is a little tangled up in the lifelines. I am working frantically to untangle this mess without losing our fishing road. It is clear to me that Blair doesn't care at this point about anything but the fish, but I am not going to throw our fishing rod overboard! We sort out the fishing rod fiasco and move on to dealing with the Mahi on deck. We throw the towel over its head (as we have been instructed to do by many other successful fishermen) and this calms it down - at which time Blair pours some vodka in its gills to further sedate it. Blair decides not to take any chance that this catch will escape, so he goes to work with the filet knife getting this Mahi ready for dinner! In the meantime, I have managed to snap a lot of photos, and have even managed to call everyone we know within radio range to brag about our successful Mahi Mahi catch! We are so exhilarated by the experience that Blair even resets the fishing lines. Sure enough, we spot a school of tuna leaping out of the water just off our port side. Fortunately, we don't catch one because Blair and I agree that it would just be too chaotic given that we are so close to our final destination in Elizabeth Harbour.
We drop our sails at the entrance to the Harbour, and also drop our jaws when we see the hundreds of boats anchored all the way in. We pass a number of boats we recognize along the way - we keep going and manage to find an empty spot in front of Volleyball Beach. This beach seems to be the hub of all activity for the Georgetown community of cruisers - this whole area resembles a gigantic adult daycare disneyworld. A lot of planning and organization goes into this mini floating village. I can see that it might become quite tiring here, but for the time being, we are here, and plan to get the most out of it.
We end our first day here sharing our MahiMahi with Gary and Lina - absolutely delicious, and certainly the freshest catch of the day we have ever had!

Some Interesting Facts about Georgetown:One of the greatest cruising destinbations in the Bahamas hosting between 400 to 700 boats at Regatta times (such as what we are experiencing), Georgetown has a charm that equals ShangriLa for boaters. Some people stay for months at a time to escape the northern winter and meet up with cruising friends year after year. Others stay only a few days as they stop in for provisions enroute from the Caribbean. This is a boater friendly town with good anchorages, easy access to Customs and Immigration, a convenient international airport and some of the best-stocked stores in the southern Bahamas.
Over the years, tiny, remote Georgetown has seen much development, and is no longer so tiny anymore. Stocking Island is home to friendly St. Francis Marina. Crab Cay hopes to be crawling someday with million dollar homes. February Point continues to expand, and Marina at Emerald Bay, a Sandals Resort, offers new growth on the "other" end of the island. All this means better jobs for the people of Georgetown and a little more traffic going "roun' de pond" for which you have to watch out. Despite the changes, Georgetown folks still devote themselves to the cruisers fall, winter, and spring invasion and cater to the floating visitors every need and want. The school children are still polite, the local women still devout, and the restaurants, bars and shops are still a delight.

Life in Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay

On Friday morning, we make a decision to make the short run south to Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay. Dave and Joanne on Tropical Breeze, and another couple of cruisers, Mike and Lu on s/v Chrisjen depart at the same time. Because it is such a short distance, we decide to tow the dinghy - we set our jib and motorsail. The wind is nice and we make really good headway, but as we approach our destination, we slow down to allow Tropical Breeze to inch in ahead of us. The anchorage here is quite good at Blackpoint and it is not too crowded. We recognize many of the boat names here as we all seem to be moving in the same general direction - my guess is that most (including us) are heading south to the Georgetown area. Blair and I head over to the Government dock once the anchor is set on Odissea xx to explore this settlement that we have head so many great things about. Before we can see too much, though, we run for cover from some passing squalls. Once it settles, we return to the boat to ready ourselves for Happy Hour at Scorpios Bar from 4-6pm today - offering two for one beer and rum punch - as well as free snacks. This Happy Hour event turns out to be a lot of fun and we are glad we took part in it. Every Friday and Tuesday night Scorpios hosts this event. We make this an early night so that we can do more exploring tomorrow.
On Saturday morning, Blair decides to make a couple of loaves of bread - it is difficult to locate fresh bread in the Bahamas. He accomplishes this completely by late morning, and they look amazing. We cover them with towels when they come out of the oven to allow them to cool, and then pack up the computer to head ashore for a little internet time. We choose to have lunch at Deshamon's - mmm..cracked conch and fries - and we can connect to the internet free of charge. It is a very good connection and I am able to do a little banking and to finally purchase a ticket to an event on May 1st that I do not want to miss. Lorraine at Lorraine's Cafe is hosting a big shindig on Saturday night - we make reservations for the buffet dinner here. We share a table with a large group of cruisers that we have met in our travels so far - turns out to be a fun evening - and we have a chance to finally meet the famous Lorraine from Black Point that we have heard so much about.
Sunday is a reasonably quiet day on the boat and at Black Point. We join up with Dave and Joanne and dinghy over close to the Dotham Cut to try some snorkelling. Dave is the first one in the water and announces a barracuda sighting. Following this report, I make a decision to remain in the dinghy as the spotter for the other three snorkellers. I am learning to trust my little inner voice - and this does not feel like a barracuda day. Dave is dreaming of finding lobster so he brings along his spear and sling - unfortunately he comes up empty-handed. The folks on board the lovely GulfStar, Peace, anchored behind us in the bay approach us in their dinghy - Larry and Jo - offering some pointers about great reefs to snorkle in the area.
On Monday, we do some light cleaning on the boat before we pack up our computers to head over to Deshamon's for some more internet time. I am trying to take advantage of the on-line availability while it is possible for us here. We plan to go back to Odissea xx for lunch, but as typically happens, we get sidetracked and end up accepting a lunch invitation to join Larry and Jo at Lorraine's. Once again, cracked conch, but this time Blair and I share the dish - one is more than enough for the two of us.
As we make our way back to the dinghy dock, we learn that there is a Happy Hour planned at the beach in the harbour. We prepare our appetizers and venture over to the beach at 5pm. The event turns out to be a "dinghy-rafting, pass the appetizers" kind of event. I snap a number of photos, but I am sure that the images I have captured could not possibly present a true picture of how this floating happy hour looks from afar. We meet a very nice couple, Scott and Donna on a lovely Island Packet - they end up offering us a spare dinghy anchor on Tuesday morning. They agree to join us on Tuesday at Scorpio's for Happy Hour (our treat) as payment for the anchor. Rum Line II and Rafiki I have arrived on Tuesday as well, so we all enjoy the event at Scorpio's tonight. I am glad that I don't drink rum as those folks around me who do claim to be numb! At the end of the day, we return to Odissea xx and once again prepare the boat for departure to Georgetown at first light. The wind at low slack is perfect for navigation through the Dotham Cut in the morning - and we don't want to miss this opportunity as the wind is predicted to shift southeast the day after tomorrow. Blair has set up the fishing lines as we will be moving out into the deeper waters of the Sound, and we fantasize about reeling in big Mahi and Wahoo on our lines!
We have enjoyed our stay at Black Point - it is a real Bahamian community with less of a "disney-like" feel to it. It has been well worth the visit and our lengthy stay.

Some Interesting Facts about Black Point, Great Guana Cay:
The Black Point community is an excellent example of a real out-island "non-touristy" settlement, the largest in the Exuma Cays, excluding Great Exuma. A walk through the community reveals a bustling school brimming with young children, three churches, two grocery stores, native straw work crafted by women along the sides of the roads, and even a driftwood and shell "Garden of Eden", two restaurants, and a bar, plus the obligatory government services of telephone office, police and clinic. A hike out to the bluff provides a fabulous view of the majestic Dotham Cut and the gorgeous ocean beaches.
This friendly settlement on Great Guana Cay has the second-largest population in the Exumas, after Georgetown. Cruisers are encouraged - as a thankyou to this lovely community for their hospitality in allowing for the use of their RO water spigots and the trash disposal trailer - to repay these folks by bringing the school some gym equipment or art supplies. As we had none of these on board our boat, we met with the principal of the school and offered some books and some tomato and herb seeds for planting.

Swimming Pigs, James Bond, and Staniel Cay

We are one of four boats preparing to make an exit from Hog Cay at Exuma Park this morning. The wind is expected to subside sufficiently to allow us all to leave this beautiful secluded anchorage/mooring. The northeast wind has penned us in here for these past three nights. We listen to Chris Parker's weather broadcast at 6:30am and then begin planning the departure, ensuring that there is a back-up plan if the engine fails as we pound into the waves against the wind. We plan to leave with our sails set as we motor out of the Cay. We all leave at about 10am which provides sufficient time to exit into the Sound and make it through the Cut at Warderick Wells to the Exuma Banks at slack water. Good old Odissea xx makes it through without incident and as we make the turn past the north anchorage of the Park entrance, the water is calm and lovely. As it turns out, the wind is finally perfect for us to set the sails and turn off the engine. For the first time since we have set out, we are actually sailing without the engine! It is so quiet - an unusual noise for us while we are underway, but certainly one we would like to become accustomed to. The plan for today is to make our way to Big Major's Spot near Staniel Cay. We arrive in good time with plenty of overhead sunlight and find that there is a lot of room to anchor. We choose a spot in the west part of the anchorage across from the beach with the famous swimming pigs. We have been without cell phone service and internet during the time we were at Exuma Park, but it is back now and I am relieved. I miss my kids and waste no time sending them messages with an update as to our whereabouts.
As we have arrived here on Valentine's Day, Blair makes reservations for dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for 7 pm - this will be a nice change from cooking and eating on the boat everyday. Once the reservations for dinner are made, we launch the dinghy and venture over to take a closer look at the swimming pigs who actually come out to greet us - obviously looking for handouts. We took carrots from the fridge which had passed their "best before" date. We took a lot of photos and had the kids at home laughing (via text message) at our descriptions of this sight. Carmen suggested that maybe we had already had too many margaritas!- cheeky girl!
We head over to Staniel Cay Yacht Club for dinner just before dark - it is quite a long ride so we do our best to get our bearings as it will be very dark when we return. There is a large crowd at the Yacht Club and at first we are a little confused as to who to contact for seating for our dinner reservation. Within the next few minutes, a Bahamian woman wanders out of the kitchen ringing a huge dinner bell - and announces that we all need to line up for our dinner seating assignments. How funny - it is like kindergarten at recess time. Dinner is good - I have Mahi and Blair has lambchops - but quite pricey. We head out to the dinghy beach, turn on our portable light and make our way back to the boat, grateful that we have spent a little time reviewing our position in the daylight hours.
Tropical Breeze arrives on Tuesday and as they come into the area under full sail, we are able to capture lots of photos of their lovely catamaran which we share with them later. We offer to take Dave and Joanne to the Yacht Club for a tour of the Staniel Cary area - so we venture over to the dinghy beach in our tender. Staniel Cay is a very quaint area with absolutely breathtaking views of the water and the boats docked and anchored all around. The settlement is small, but colourful and quite magical. There are two grocery stores - one is a pink cottage, and the other is blue. Neither has an awful lot of supplies, but we enjoy visiting both of them. The biggest shock of all here is that the cost for a case of Bahamian Kalik beer is $68 US. We decide that our beer supply is more than adequate for the present time. The four of us stop in at the Yacht Club for some conch fritters and a beer - and we purchase a $10 internet card. The connection is painfully slow, and finally we give up, deciding that our next destination at Black Point settlement will provide us with far better internet access - at least this is the rumour in the cruising community.
As we have been unsuccessful at the internet attempt, we all decide to head back to our boats, so we pile in to our dinghy. We don't get far before Blair turns back with our damaged prop on the outboard. He is certain we will not make it back with the wind direction, so we return to the dinghy beach to avoid possible disaster. Blair races into the Yacht Club hoping that there is some small chance that there is a Yamaha 15hp prop available. That was not to be...so, Plan B: Dave hitches a ride back to his boat to pick up his tool kit, a drill, and most importantly, his dinghy. He arrives just before 5pm, and Blair goes to work with the drill and some screws to make some kind of temporary repair. I am not sure of the details of the repair, but suffice to say that it doesn't hold, and Dave and Joanne end up towing us back to Odissea xx. So...another repair.
Around sundown, Blair makes a general announcement/request on the radio for anyone with a spare Yamaha prop. We get a couple of responses - the most helpful from a boater who suggests we contact "Chubby" at Staniel Cay. Apparently he is the guy to know as he is able to get parts from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale through Watermaker Airlines that lands at Staniel Cay.
On Wednesday morning, we have trouble trying to track Chubby down, so Blair does some more extensive work on the prop and manages a fairly decent repair - this prop will now work and serve as a good back-up once we secure a new replacement. We decide to visit Thunderball Grotto just around the corner from our anchorage, to snorkle in the cave where the James Bond movie, Thunderball, was filmed. It is easiest to dive into the Grotto at low slack tide, so we head over at about 11am to secure the dinghy to the small mooring off of the entrance to the cave. The fish surrounding the cave are brilliant and colourful. There is a rather strong current at the entrance to the cave, and although I manage to find my way into the centre of the grotto, I lose my nerve and Blair helps me out. I don't usually panic, but for some reason I am not able to breathe slowly and calm myself down. I did manage to see the inside of the cave with the overhead sunlight cascading in. This is probably one of the prettiest underwater caverns/caves I have ever seen, so I am glad that I saw the inside of it before I developed the jitters! Once outside the Grotto, we find a beautiful coral that is a fluorescent blue colour - it is spectacular in colour and shimmers brilliantly - what a sight!
Once we are back aboard Odissea xx, we are visited by two local fishermen who are selling freshly caught lobster. Although they are a little expensive - $30 for two - we buy a large and a medium sized lobster tail for tomorrow night's dinner. We go below following the sunset and the melodic symphony of the conch horns closing out the day.
First thing Thursday morning we contact Chubby on the radio at Staniel Cay and ask him if he is able to get a new Yamaha propeller for us. He gets to work on this problem, and as the day goes on, he confirms that there is a new prop on its way from Nassau, expected by midafternoon. This is unbelievable service and we are overwhelmed by how efficiently and promptly Chubby has dealt with our problem. Our dinghy is back in business and we are thrilled. Chubby is a saviour - and we will sing his praises for the rest of our cruising season - and beyond!
While we have enjoyed our stay here at Big Major's Spot, it is time to venture further south, so we enjoy a lobster dinner and homemade apple pie as we get ourselves, and Odissea xx, ready for a departure to Black Point Settlement tomorrow.

Some Interesting Facts about Big Major's Spot and Staniel Cay:
The large anchorage to the west of Big Major's Spot rivals any in the Exumas for popularity for many reasons: the holding is excellent; the protection is fine; the airport, marina facilities and settlement of Staniel Cay are an easy dinghy ride away; the snorkelling and diving are as good as they get, especially with Thunderball Cave just around the corner; the beach is clear, white and wide; and, of course, there are the freckled pigs that swim out to your boat to beg for handouts.
Staniel Cay is a bustling little settlement with a lot more to offer than its size suggests. Mailboat day is Wednesday, and it is unbelievable how busy such a tiny place can be with all of the big pick-up trucks. Staniel Cay is populated by entrepreneurial and industrious natives and is second home to a good-sized community of folks from all over the globe.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the hub of boating activity. Like many of the "yacht clubs" in the Bahamas, it is not an elitist club, nor does it cater only to yachts. On the contrary, Chubby greets every single boat with the same welcoming smile and offer of assistance. The Yacht Club's hospitality at its bar and restaurant is legendary, from posting printouts of Chris Parker's latest weather forecast, to providing dozens of places for cruisers to sip, sit and access the internet.
Thunderball Grotto (from the cave scene in the James Bond movie, Thunderball) is not a Universal Studio pseudo-cave constructed of plaster and stucco. It is the real thing, sans the came rs and Sean Connery. Inside the cave, one is dazzled by the overhead dome pierced with dramatic shafts of sunlight slicing down into the water. You will see the ledge where James Bond took cover in the movie. Looking below with a snorkel mask on, the live show begins. The shafts of sunlight illuminate the depths, creating a blaze of neon blue that contrasts the outer blackness of the surrounding walls. This fearless lot of multi-hued fish will bump your mask and nibble at your gloves as they demand handouts.

Trapped by a Cold Front in Exuma Park

As soon as the sun rises, we pull up the anchor and head out of the Allen's Cay anchorage, unsure as to our final destination today. We think we may head to Norman's Cay, but our plans are fairly loose at the outset. Shortly after our departure, while we are motorsailing, the engine begins to sputter and choke - groan...not another problem. Also, the weather reports are predicting strong winds for tomorrow...so we now have two things to worry about. Just before 9am the broadcast for Exuma Land and Sea Park begins. Apparently moorings in the park are assigned at 9am each morning. We make a decision to add our boat name to the waiting list, although we are almost sure we have no hope of successfully being assigned a mooring today given the weather forecast - and the urgency everyone in the water on their boats seems to feel today.
Much to our surprise we are offered a mooring in the south anchorage which we think about for just a few seconds before jumping at the change to accept the mooring assignment. We will have to cross the Exuma cut to the Sound from the Bank side. For us, this is a huge endeavour...and just a little scary as the cuts are affected by tide, current, and wind - and they all have to be working together to effectively navigate through the cut. Add that to our engine woes, and we are once again in the land of uncertainty.
We make it safely through the cut to the Exuma Sound. It is actually so beautiful. It is on this side that the fishing is supposed to be the best. We navigate south and tuck into Hog Cay in the south mooring field at Exuma Park. Blair and I have been using our "marriage saver" headsets to anchor and manage the moorings this season. This was to be the final day for their use, though, as Blair's "stepped-on, taped-up_ headset disappears overboard, floating out of the Cay into the Exuma Sound. Oh well, at least we still have one - maybe we will call it a back-up for a future new set!
The mooring field here is breathtaking. There are only five mooring balls, and no anchoring is allowed. It is unbelievable - the deepest turquoise and clear water we have seen yet. I know I keep saying this, but truly this protected park is absolutely stunning! We launch the dinghy and make our way through the reef on the Bank side over past Emerald Rock and the north anchorage to the Exuma Park office to sign in - and to stretch our legs. Even the other mooring fields are beautiful and a sight not to be missed. We are relieved to be on a mooring here in anticipation of the cold front and the strong northeast wind due tomorrow.
What we did not realize until Saturday arrived is that we are, in fact, so protected that we are trapped here. The northeast wind is pounding the bank to the east of us, and sending huge waters breaking into the opening to Hog Cay. We spend all day Saturday on the boat, feeling a little like Gilligan - unable to escape. By Sunday, we throw caution to the wind and get in the dinghy to maneuver our way over to the east bank in our mooring field. We climb up and stare breathlessly at the huge waves breaking on the limestone rocks at our feet. Water is spewing out of the blow hole close to where we are standing. Here is nature in all its glory with us standing right in the middle of it - quite an exhilarating feeling!
Now that we have braved the ravages of the ocean at our feet, we are less intimidated and make our way in the dinghy over to Emerald Rock to do some exploring. It is like entering a different world - so calm and serene - it is mind boggling that we are seeing such contradiction in the same day on two different sides of the same park!
We do a little exploring and hiking around the park - although we do not make it over to the famous Boo Boo Hill. The wind is just too strong to take full advantage of the sights and the snorkeling available here. Perhaps we will see more another time. We get back to the boat and prepare for an escape tomorrow morning. We hope that the water will lay down enough for us to make our way out of this Cay and its protection so that we can make it through the Exuma Cut on slack tide over to the Bank side. Blair has changed the main filter in the fuel tank so we also hope that our engine troubles are over as we don't want to find ourselves adrift with no engine in fierce seas. Anyway, we retire on Sunday night with visions of potential disaster dancing in our heads...isn't boating fun?

Some Interesting Facts about Exuma Land and Sea Park:
In 1959, the Bahamian Parliament set aside the 176 square mile area known as the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, overseen by the Bahamas National Trust. The Park, stretching from Wax Cay Cut to Conch Cut, is 22 miles long and 8 miles wide. It includes 15 large islands and many more tiny ones, preserved in pristine natural state. Its stated purpose is to provide a safe haven and replenishment area for the wildlife native to the Bahamas and to educate the public in saving this beautiful environment. Warderick Wells is home to Park headquarters as well as the famous cairn on Boo Boo Hill with mementos from cruising boats and a spectacular blow hole nearby. There are very specific rules in the Park: no taking or destruction of any marina mammals, fish, birds, plants, coral reefs or beach sand; and no trash disposal.
Visiting boaters have been caught taking fish, lobster, and souvenirs from the Park. Apart from the $500 per person on board per incident fine, your boat can be confiscated. The rules here are absolute: Enjoy everything that is here, but leave it as you found it.

Iguanas, Exumas, and Allens Cay

Before the final words of Chris Parker's forecast are spoken, most of the boats anchored here at Rose Island are setting their sails and heading south. We do the same, joining the conga line towards the Exumas - first stop: Allens Cay. We have some wind, although it is a very close reach, so we do motorsail, managing to move ahead of Dave and Joanne on Tropical Breeze. This is a first for us, so we are just a little amazed that we are able to push ahead of any boat at all. We set a course direct from Rose Island to Allens Cay and arrive with little fuss, enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the thrill of almost transparent water all around us. As I write this entry and review the guidebooks for the Bahamas, I am amazed that we manage to arrive at Allens Cay without incident. As it turns out, there are numerous warnings to avoid the Yellow Bank as there are many coral heads in this area - the shallowest of which lie 0.9 meters/3 feet below surface at mean low water - with the average depth of the Yellow Bank at mean low water at 1.8 meters/6 feet. The warning about the Yellow Bank is pretty specific: Do not run the Yellow Bank on autopilot!
I suppose it was just pure dumb luck that saved us from disaster - and maybe the grace of god. Whichever way you want to look at it, we escaped unscathed from a potentially disastrous situation. In any event, we arrive in good time, anchor with reasonably good holding, launch the dinghy and go ashore to visit the iguanas. There are so many of them, and they come straight out from their hiding spots to greet the visitors from their piece of paradise. Of course, they are looking for handouts despite the fact that boaters are asked not to feed them. They are spectacular nonetheless and I snap tons of pictures of them. We decide to spend two nights here as it appears to offer reasonably good wind protection.
On Thursday, we unpack our wet suits and spend the afternoon snorkeling the reefs close by and searching for conch. Joanne on Tropical Breeze is keen to try this Bahamian treat, and I would like to do the same again, but the conch are small here so I choose to pass for today. We do have fun looking for the conch - and I manage to come up with two for the Tropical Breeze dinner table. By the time we get back to the boat, our anchor alarm is going off and it is clear that the boat has dragged on its anchor. This causes a little bit of stress for us - we decide to pull up the anchor and reset it. This is easier said than done as Odissea xx has a 6 1/2 foot draft, and there is only fair and shallow holding for the most part, and the anchorage is quite full now with more boats that have arrived. We circle around a few times in the deeper water with the boat, and then choose a spot beside Bill and Sue on Hocus Pocus. Bill invites us to snuggle up pretty close to him as he is leaving within the hour. We waste no time accepting that invitation, quickly dropping the anchor - and resetting the anchor alarm just for added security. We spend a restless night worrying about dragging the anchor again and are grateful when the sun finally rises allowing us to make our escape from Allens Cay. The wind is supposed to be quite strong with an approaching cold front in the next couple of days, so we begin planning for a destination to hide out from the worst of the wind.

Some Interesting Facts about the Exumas and Allens Cay:
The Exuma chain has been described as an emerald necklace bedecking the periwinkle and turquoise waters of the Bahamas. Ancient Spanish maps show the Indian names Yumey and Suma for what we now call Exuma - no Spanish names here as Columbus' track did not take him nearby. The first evidence of English settlers goes back to the days of the Proprietors in the early 1700's with both Hog Cay and Exuma being granted to individuals by the Crown Government.
Later, Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution brought their plantation system with its attendant slaves to the Bahamas in the late 1700's, tripling the population and reviving a languid economy. John Forbes, Acting Governor after Lord Dunmore, had an extensive estate on Exuma, as did John Rolle, who owned twice as many slaves as anyone in the country. Adapting to the Exumian environment, the plantation economy as transferred from the American colonies was quite different - fewer slaves, small cottages rather than mansions, pothole-style farming in the often thin-layered infertile soil.
The British government's declaration of emancipation for over 10,000 slaves in 1834, coupled with the blight caused by the chenille bug, and the depleted soil, decimated the plantation system. Lord Rolle's huge estate was deeded in common to the freed slaves and their descendants as "generation land". These freed slaves became farmers and fishermen with half the people of the Exumas still bearing the surname Rolle.
Allens Cay area: the grouping of cays and rocks generally referred to as Allens Cay includes Leaf Cay and Southwest Allens Cay as well as Allens Cay and numerous unnamed rocks. For many, it is the first experience of the inviting clear waters of the Exumas with the carnival of coral and dramatic diving all around. In settled weather, it is a good place to stay and decompress, getting into the swing of leisurely cruising before going any further.

Mahi Mahi on the Way to Nassau

As we suspected with the weather forecast from Chris Parker, the wind has shifted to the north and our beautiful anchorage has become very lumpy. But we are ready for this, so we pull up the anchor, set our sails and motorsail through the cays, bound for Rose Island via Nassau on New Providence Island. We have great wind direction, although it is too light for us to make any significant headway today, so once again we are motorsailing. We do manage to set the sails wing on wing with all the preventers in place. It turns out to be a pleasant day in the cockpit, reading and writing as we move along. As we get closer to Nassau, I nudge Blair into setting the fishing lines off the back of the boat. We really don't know what we are doing with the whole fishing thing, and we are quite certain that we are too inexperienced to catch anything, but we put some line in the water anyway. After a very short time, I look out at the fishing line on the rear port side, and comment to Blair that it looks as though we may have a fish on the hook. Initially, he looks skeptical, but the next thing you know, all hell breaks loose as he tears out of the cockpit toward the line, shouting for me to grab my camera to get some shots of the Mahi Mahi on the line - WOW! I practically break my neck as I lunge forward in the v-berth trying to uncover my new camera from its protected spot under a load of stowed-away materials. My heart racing and adrenaline pumping, I locate the camera and race back up the companionway, through the cockpit and along the side deck of the boat to where Blair is shouting excitedly to: "hurry, hurry...grab the gaff!!!" I snap as many photos as I can, then race back to the cockpit, through the companionway to search for the gaff...locate it and retrace my steps to the site where Blair is wrestling with the Mahi. He gaffs the Mahi and is now shouting for me to run for the vodka to sedate the Mahi (we've heard that this is the only way to get the Mahi safely on board). This is starting to resemble a Chinese firedrill as I race back down below to grab the vodka bottle. By now, things are getting very crazy on the back deck. By the time I scramble back up with the vodka bottle, Blair has a beautiful Mahi hanging by the gaff over the swim platform. Within seconds, the fierce fish wriggles off the hook and the gaff, and swims off to safety. We are both dumbstruck and almost ready to cry. Blair moves right on to some ferocious cursing. The only trophies left of this fishing adventure are the photos captured on my camera...and the blood on Blair's khaki shorts - a souvenir courtesy of the gaffed Mahi.
We finally recover from the disappointment of losing our first fish and decide to venture through Nassau Harbour enroute to Rose Island rather than bypassing it. It should be worth the experience - so we put away our trepidation at navigating through the Harbour and radio ahead to the Harbour Master for permission to enter. As we start our way through, we are glad that we had made the decision as it is a sight to behold, and the cruise ships make it look like we are entering a boating disneyworld. Just as we pass the cruise ships, we look off to the starboard and see Ekotopia anchored in the Harbour. Carl hails us on the radio and suggests that we anchor in beside him as he claims that there is plenty of deep water all around him. We make a snap decision to explore the area and anchor here overnight. After circling around Ekotopia, we become a little alarmed at how shallow the water actually is, even given that we are quickly approaching low tide. Suddenly...THUD, we are firmly aground off of Ekotopia's port side. DAMN! The worst part of this is that the current is beginning to change and while there is no danger of our boat moving, there is a catamaran that is anchored right behind our stern and they are beginning to swing with the current. I am about ready to be sick to my stomach. Carl maneuvers his dinghy over to the bow of our boat, trying to push us off the sandbar - no luck. We wave at a couple of ferry boat operators to give us some wake as they pass - which they do - no luck. As a last resort, with the tide continuing to go down, Blair calls the BASRA office - which we happen to be right in front of. I believe the BASRA man's name is Chester Darville - he actually comes out to the boat. He initially offers to loan us an anchor - which seems comical given our present situation - until the tide begins to rise. We suggest that he try to tow us off - and although he is reluctant at first to do so, he throws us a line which we tie off to our bow, and he goes to work. Slowly, slowly, slowly, he manages to ease us off the sandbar - yay! He then leads us safely out of the shallow area. It seems that part of the Harbour had been dredged to allow the cruise ships to pass through more easily. The only problem was that the dredged sand was piled up on the side of the Harbour where we found ourselves aground. Only in the Bahamas would they forget to post a sign or warn passing transient boats about a new manmade sand bar in Nassau Harbour. Now that we are free, we waste no time leaving the Harbour. We say our goodbyes to Carl and Laura, making our way to Rose Island as originally planned. Along the way we pass some stately mansions and incredible properties past the Atlantis Hotel and Resort.
We find our way around Porgee Rocks and Athol Island to Rose Island. On our approach we are hailed by Dave and Joanne on Tropical Breeze who have left Stuart, Florida and are tucked away at this anchorage - what a surprise. We find a spot with good holding and drop our anchor just as the sun is setting - and we hear the distant sound of the conch horns from the surrounding boats.
All in all, an eventful day with a valuable lesson to us at the end - stick to your original plan!

Some Interesting Facts about Nassau, New Providence:
New Providence is one of the smaller of the inhabited islands. Though it measures only 7 x 21 miles, it has two-thirds of the country's population centred int he capital city of Nassau. Nassau has a very long and active history in the New World. The city was originally a haven for pirates such as Henry Morgan, Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard), Charles Vane, and Calico jack Rackham. Originally called Charles Town, Nassau has also served as home to blockade runners during the American Civil War years, rum runners during the American Prohibition years, and was quite often a stopover for drug runners from the more recent drug running years. Nassau is now touted world wide as a prime vacation destination with its beautiful beaches, near perfect weather, casinos, and nightlife.
Nassau Harbour lies between the northeastern shore of the mainland of New Providence and the extremely touristy Paradise Island, once known as Hog Island. In 1961, Hog Island was purchased by American millionaire, Huntington Hartford and renamed Paradise island. In a few short years the island was transformed from a quiet Bahamian cay into one of the world's prime tourist destinations complete with major hotels, restaurants, an airport, a golf course, marinas, and the new huge Atlantis resort with its walk-through aquarium. An 11th century cloister was transported to the island and rebuilt in the Versailles Gardens. The cloister was originally from a 14th century French monastery and was brought to the United States by William Randolph Hearst. Hartford acquired the cloister and brought it to Paradise Island in the 1960's. Celebrities who at one time or another sought refuge on Paradise Island include Howard Hughes and the Shah of Iran.