Leaving George Town

The Last Hurrah

Last month we hosted our last set of visitors – Michael and Lisa, from the Bay Area.  Being experienced sailors, they were game for just about anything.  After a couple of down days due to yet another cold front (something all of our visitors experienced!), we set the spinnaker and enjoyed a fast downwind run up to Rudder Cut Cay.  The currents there are very strong, and the moment we entered the cut, we were swept along between the numerous cays and rocks dotting the area.  

 

Swirling Currents at Rudder Cut

Entering Rudder Cut

Cave at Rudder Cut Cay

We spent a couple of days exploring caves, snorkeling, and diving on the mermaid (a stainless steel sculpture of a mermaid playing the piano).  David Copperfield, who owns Musha Cay, reportedly commissioned the sculpture and had it placed in about 15 feet of water.  The current was running so strong when we were there that, even with the dinghy anchored right beside it, I could barely swim hard enough to get a good look!  The next day we backtracked to Lee Stocking Island and explored the abandoned Caribbean Marine Research Center.   It was windy all week and not ideal for diving, especially for we “locals.”  It doesn’t take long for 70 degrees to start feeling chilly and we have become spoiled enough by the “good weather days” to feel more than a little reluctant to get in the water when it’s “cold” (i.e., < 79).   Nonetheless, our guests made the most of their time in the islands and we sent them home happy and tanned.

Mermaid and Piano

Michael discovers that Lisa will put up with him for another year

Saying Goodbye

Michael and Lisa left us in Emerald Bay, where we had ducked into the marina to catch our breath and do about 12 loads of laundry.  After a season of hand washing, it was nice to have sheets, towels, and clothing get a good cleaning in a real washing machine!  One more trip into George Town for provisioning and we were ready to go.  Nearly three months to the day after our arrival, we weighed anchor and began our return journey.  

Many of our newfound friends and cruising buddies had already departed and were drawing our thoughts north as we followed their progress.  How quickly time has flown!  When we first arrived, I was antsy and irritable, wondering why we’d worked so hard to come to this place and what in the world we were going to do here for months on end.  It took time for me to settle in – to myself, to the uncertainties cruising life, and, above all, to island time.  

Bit by bit, the constant need to be doing something gave way to the simplicity of waking up and allowing the day to unfold.  What a gift!  I began to understand the magic of the Exumas and why people are drawn here, year after year, like moths to a flame.  The clarity of the water, spectacular underwater beauty, rich marine life, protected anchorages, and reliable breezes make these islands a cruiser’s paradise.  The people who frequent this place create a warm and friendly community, always ready to pitch in and provide aid, or mentor and guide the inexperienced.  Although we were not part of the sundowner cocktails and Texas Hold ‘Em crowd, we relished our encounters with the homeschooling group and forged friendships with other cruising families.  We hope that our paths cross again and again up and down the coast and, perhaps, in George Town again next year.

Retracing our Steps

Transiting the Exuma island chain is planned according to sites on our wish list and provisioning opportunities.  Even after months of cruising, we haven’t warmed up to canned food.  We are fresh produce people, through and through.  In fact, I’m pretty sure that, left to their own devices, my Pimentels could easily be fruitarians.  There’s just no way that I can provision sufficiently to assure their daily rations of fresh fruit.  As for me, my fantasy is a small cabin-top kale garden to satisfy my greens’ cravings.  Leafy greens just take up too much space in our tiny refrigerator and by the time they reach market, they are usually just a day or two away from of a state of complete wilt.  

But, enough about food…  We sailed out of Elizabeth Harbor just before a front was to move through the area and anchored off Little Farmers Cay.  It was a small community, but the weather was really too unsettled for us to enjoy any time diving or snorkeling.  We left as soon as we could for Blackpoint Settlement on Great Guana Cay.  Blackpoint is a fairly large settlement with a school, post office, restaurants, and grocery stores.  We spent the better part of a Friday afternoon waiting for the postmistress to return from lunch (she showed up at 4:00) so that we could meet the postmark deadline for our taxes.  We stopped by the grocery store, just for fun, and were able to scrounge up a couple of items, but no eggs.  Finally, we moved on to Staniel Cay and better weather. 

 

Over Yonder Cut (Makai ahead)

Staniel Cay

The water at Staniel Cay was flat calm and clear.  We spent the morning doing a drift dive tied to our dinghy as we sped past beautiful corals, basket sponges, and sea fans.  Ken gamely held onto a pole spear but there really was no way that he would have been able to catch anything in such a strong current.  As we were swept out toward the cut, we climbed back into the dinghy and found a calmer place to snorkel and fish, closer to the boat and out of the ebb.  

Diving at the edge of a small rocky islet, we saw our first moray eel in these islands.  Ken speared a couple of snapper and we called our morning’s work complete.  That afternoon, we joined our friends from Makai and snorkeled in Thunderball Grotto.  The tourist boats had cleared out hours before and we had the place all to ourselves.  I took dozens of pictures, but the lighting just isn’t conducive to capturing the brilliant colors of the reef fish and corals, and far exceeds the limitations of our GoPro camera.   

Thunderball Grotto above and below

Anchorage near Staniel Cay

The Grotto is a “no take” zone and the fish are big and tame, eagerly approaching us in hopes of a handout.  At the Staniel Cay Yacht Club that evening, we saw a different sort of mooching as several nurse sharks patrolled under the docks for fish scraps.  The yacht club is an institution here; its walls lined with pictures dating back to the early days of the cay’s history and the family that settled on the island and established the club.  Over the years, the yacht club has expanded to include a small marina and a half dozen or so colorful cottages perched on the water’s edge.  There’s no shortage of rustic charm and character here. 

Top of the Majors to Norman’s Cay

The next few days we meandered from cay to cay and anchorage to anchorage, from Top of the Majors to Norman’s Cay.  We played and basked on vast expanses of sandbars, snorkeled a wonderland of reefs, dove on wrecked planes, and filled our bellies and freezer with fresh fish (thanks to Roy and Ken).  Norman’s Cay was of particular interest to Ken as he had recently read the story about the drug lord, Carlos, who created his own kingdom there in the ‘80’s.   In April, Hammerhead sharks congregate in the “pond” (actually a lagoon) there to mate.  We drove the dinghy into the lagoon in hopes of spotting Carlos’ mansion (we didn’t) and at least one Hammerhead (none), but settled for a lovely ride and a long walk on the beach.  As Makai set off for Nassau to drop off/pick up guests, we moved on, too, taking advantage of northwest winds to head for Eleuthera.

 

Jeanette and Marie play with the fish

Beth checks out the upside down plane

Can you spot the lobster - unfortunately we were in a marine preserve - or else!

Beth capturing dreamscapes

Small Lemon Shark and fish carcass

Points North

Easter Sunday found us sailing across Exuma Sound to Rock Sound Harbor on the southern end of Eleuthera.  We’ll spend the next few days traveling along the coast to Spanish Wells, and by the end of next week we’ll be in the Abacos, waiting for a weather window to take us north.  Our destination is still a little nebulous, but to comply with our boat insurance terms, we must be north of Cape Hatteras, NC by June 1^st.  The Chesapeake Bay is our most likely summer home, as it meets our criteria for easy and inexpensive boat yard access.  While our projects during this trip have been performed on the water, it’s time to haul this baby onto “the hard” and give her a good going over.  Our season in the Exumas over, we are already looking forward to coming back!

Exumas - End of the Rainbow