Bahamas 2018 part 2 & homeward

Bahamas 2018 part 2 & homeward

Our run to Spanish Wells timed the passage through Current Cut perfectly – we experienced minimal chop and even picked up a positive current to speed us on our way.  This passage can be tricky if the tides and winds are opposed since water can reach 4 knots through the narrow cut on changing tides. (Figuring tides is also a good trick in the Bahamas!) We also were lucky to get one of the two empty moorings in the harbor. While the boats looked to be closely snuggled, we trusted the owner/manager Bandit to assign us the one that would fit our boat.  The mooring saved us a much longer and wetter run from the anchorages outside the harbor as we took several days to explore this unique stop in Eleuthera. Spanish Wells is the town on St George Cay and is one of the most prosperous local communities that we have visited in the Bahamas. The harbor hosts the largest lobster fleet in the Bahamas and in spite of the hurricanes last fall, they enjoyed a good harvest. We also caught some of the stone crab harvest available here and managed to make them disappear quickly.  The homes in the village are typical Bahamian style but well maintained with cheerful gardens. There are a few automobiles, but most of the traffic is golf carts easily rented in the harbor area.  We choose to walk after several days on the boat since the big grocery store and local sights were not far from the harbor.  Steve even managed to find a barber – notice in the photo no signage.  It is a local secret that behind that door Larry cuts hair.  Our stay included the Easter Holiday weekend so most of the shops were closed for the Good Friday events, as well as Easter Sunday and Monday.  This gave us time to enjoy beach walks and a few evenings with friends in the local restaurants. OK, tough duty but someone must suffer.

low key Larry's Barber Shop

After our relaxing visit in Spanish Wells we headed out the pass for a long run north to the Abacos.  We were glad the seas gave us a reasonably good ride across this stretch of open and deep (almost 15000 feet) water.  Only a few freighters were spotted although we did not manage to lure any fish into the boat. A big bite stole the bait as we exited the harbor drop off but sadly he got away. In the deepest water we said a final farewell to our sweet Frank.

  

Along with about 13 other boats we spent the night at Lynyard Cay in an anchorage we used back in 2015. After a morning snorkel and beach walk as well as a chat with Kevin and Caroline on KK42, Redtail, we headed to a more deserted anchorage off Tilloo Pond. Again, the morning snorkel netted a few shells but zero conch. (Lobster are now out of season so it was a good thing none of those were spotted to tease Steve.) As luck would have it, fellow Krogenites on Confetti were able to save us a mooring in the crowded harbor of Hope Town on Elbow Cay.  There we reconnected with Mack and Vicki as well as Doug and Jan and met MariAnne and Rick on Renisance Woman – a Krogen Whale. Of course, a trip to Sip Sip, a local wine bar, was required to catch up and thank Confetti for the mooring service. 

Thanks Skip for the above photo of our group

Hope Town is one of the cutest – if most touristy – stops in the Abacos.  (Lots of photos from our blog entry 2015) Just wandering the streets is entertaining.  Most of the core is restricted to pedestrian and golf cart traffic and lots of bikes. 

Trash day is a challenge

The homes are mostly rentals and painted up with gingerbread trim. There are several good groceries and even a bakery so we could grab essential supplies easily.  We didn’t even have to leave our boat for the concert on Sunday afternoon. When we left on Monday there was a reserved “milk bottle” holding our mooring for an incoming Krogen. Since getting a mooring in that crowded harbor is a good trick, it was nice to pass it forward to a fellow Krogen.  We were wondering if the neighbors would even notice the boats had changed out????

another great view of Hope Town thanks to Skip

Our BAH departure was accelerated by a small dental disaster.  A tasty conch fritter destroyed one of the Admirals molars Sunday brunch.  So, grabbing the next window north became a little more urgent.  

Sunrise off Man of War

Monday we reluctantly departed Hope Town for a quiet anchorage off Man of War Cay, then Tuesday, we headed off shore to run up the Atlantic reentering the sound at Spanish Cay – we had hoped to get some Mahi but settled for a mackerel.  As we passed the Man Jack Cay area we heard White Raven on the radio and hooked up with them to anchor off Crab Cay.  The predicted squall hit us that evening a little earlier than expected – just before dessert – causing us to reset the anchor and scramble about in the wind.  Steve Strand graciously took to his dinghy in search of our BBQ cover that was in danger of sinking. After recovering my cover, they returned safely to their boat as the storm blew on through and we settled down for a more restful night.  The next day we moved on to the harbor at Great Sale Cay.  Although not especially a long trip, it was a rough and slow passage against a brisk northerly wind. (Lots of headwind makes for a choppy sea and uncomfortable ride.)   Our plan was to wait until the winds shifted around from that unfavorable northerly direction.  We were heading to Charleston for some dental intervention.   The trip would take between 50 and 60 hours (depending on how much boost we could get from the Gulf Stream) so we were looking for a long window to make this run.  With a major storm forecast to arrive on Sunday, we headed out midday on Thursday.  The travel across the banks was not ideal but definitely not the worst we had experienced.  However, as we turned northwest the winds shifted easterly as expected but remained brisk.  This left us with a nasty beam roll of at least a six-foot swell. Now, while not a huge sea, it was big enough to rearrange our salon as we rolled to port for about 14 hours. 

upside down this gives a more accurate feeling!  can you see the pot on the floor?

It also rearranged the Admirals insides although the Teddy Cat just seemed to roll with the boat.  He thought once again it was great fun to have at least one of his peeps us all night to entertain him. 

While nothing was broken, we both have a few bruises – for at least those 14 hours it was a “two hands for the boat” kind of ride.  Steve is convinced we have not endured anything rougher but as usual the boat did fine…never missing a beat of that trusty Ford Lehman diesel. Fortunately, the winds dropped – as expected and the remainder of the run into Charleston was fast and much smoother than the first chunk.  We did pick up the Gulf Stream even with the beam seas and averaged a little over 9mph which is much above our usual speed.  On arrival we were greeted by dolphin and about 250 sailboats enjoying race week in Charleston.

just a few of the boats Steve dodged on our arrival

With the help of friends – Greg Cobetto and his buddy, dental appointments were in place for a week or so of “fun” in one of our favorite stops – Charleston City Marina. Many thanks to Drs. Liptak and Chandler for double quick service!