Erben Renewal: Bahamas 2018 part 1

Bahamas 2018 part 1

We took a short window to cross from Lake Worth into Great Harbor in the Berries rather than wait another week or so for “possibly” better weather. Although the gulf stream crossing was manageable, the squalls we encountered overnight were larger and arrived sooner than forecast. There was also a lot of big boy traffic in the Providence channel – at one time four inbound and three outbound with a couple more “anchored” (drifting) waiting to enter the Freeport harbor. Fortunately, the traffic thinned about the time the big storm caught us so we weren’t dodging freighters and cruise ships in blinding rain for a couple of hours in the dark. Our radar, AIS and chart plotters all worked fine as well as the boat, but it was not the most restful overnight trip of our travels. We were glad to relax a couple days in the friendly marina at Great Harbor Cay and enjoy the company of other cruisers waiting for better weather.

The next couple of weeks found us hanging about in the Berries exploring anchorages that we had previously had to bypass on other trips in and out of the Bahamas. We finally managed to get to the famous Blue Hole on Hofmans Cay. Not as impressive as the one on Long Island further east, but worth a few photos. Steve was no even tempted to jump in and swim with the turtles. Although that might have had more to do with the cool water temp!

Several lobsters were found as well as good fishing off the boat – Steve lured them in with lobster heads and then speared them from the boat! Although weather was an issue as we hid from unfavorable winds, we did manage to have lunch at the famous Flo’s Restaurant on Little Harbor Cay. Flo’s son Chester is now the man in charge and he provided a fine meal at this remote hot spot decorated with signed dollar bills, pennants and T-shirts.

A few walks on deserted cays at low tide yielded a haul of beach glass – an advantage of visiting these lesser known cays.

Surprisingly, we were rarely alone in our anchorages. Perhaps it was the weather, but we often had one or two or even three masts nearby. Sean and Louise on MV Vector greeted us as we hid behind the cruise ships at Stirrup Cay. They passed on greetings from our friends on Changing Course who had alerted them we might be in the Berries. We especially enjoyed meeting them because they have traveled down the Mississippi River – I have been reading Sean’s posts on AC (Active Captain). His were the only ones whose author and boat I did not know. Now having seen their boat which is larger than ours with a deeper draft, his entries are even more valuable to us. Besides all that, they are very interesting folks who have travelled widely on their boat. It was great to spend a few days over docktails with them.

When the weather finally calmed for a couple days we headed for Eleuthera about 80+ miles east. Our goal was to find a protected spot for the next forecast storm. We landed in Hatchet Bay – a keyhole entry to a deep basin with all around protection. It did take a few tries to get the anchor set but then we settled in for five days snug in our harbor. However, we were not alone! While we were told there were 30+ boats for the last storm, this time there were less than a dozen. All nice folks from the couples we met over docktails and lunches at the local restaurants. It was a bonus to being marooned to cross paths with new folks like Pat and Steve on White Raven – a couple with vast travel and boating experience.

tiny entrance opening behind Steve

White Raven and Erben Renewal

Their current new to them boat is a beautiful floating condo where they hosted a group for dinner on a windy night. It was a treat to pick their experience as west coast boaters to plan possible future travels. Kevin and Barbara on No Plan also took shelter in Hatchet Bay and although it took us a few minutes we realized we both had spent part of the winter in Ortega Landing – just on different docks. Their travels in the Caribbean have also been inspiring our planning as well. One lunch we were joined by Peter and Captain Nanci from SV Journey at the Front Porch – the pink house on the hill restaurant run by Francis. Nanci single handed her sailboat for years before convincing Peter to join her and together their stories entertained and inspired us for hours… a classic 4-hour lunch! (We deserved that treat since we had spent the morning in the local cave. – see below)

The little town of Hatchet Bay is very welcoming to cruisers with a dinghy dock and several well stocked grocery stores.

We also walked across to the Atlantic Ocean shore but found little sea glass on this well picked beach.

The caves were another adventure to fill our days. We caught a ride up to the entrance with a friendly Taxi driver – on his way to pick up a customer but giving us hitch hikers a lift on the way. The walk through the cave was amazing. It is hard to believe the cave is open with no restrictions. A sign “try me” is the only clue to the entrance. A tiny string guides visitors from the opening to the rope ladder exit a short mile away. The walls are covered with new and not so new graffiti. Impressive cave formations came to life in the beam from our spot light. The walls sparkled in our headlamps as water dripped in this very active limestone cavern. Definitely an off-boat experience!

the Admiral does not like caves!

Exit tube and ladder - she made it

following the trail back to the road.....

Another crew in our hideaway was from Sag Harbor. Michelle and Chris are a “young” couple in their 30s with a beautiful lab, Muddy Waters. We enjoyed meeting a couple who are not waiting for retirement to get in some serious cruising. Finally, toward the end of our stay we re-met Phyllis and Buddy who were among the group we crossed the Gulf of Mexico with back in January 2013. Since then they have changed out their boat – upgrading to a beautiful American Tug named Moxie so we did not immediately realize we had previously met. It is nice to know that we are not the only loopers from 2013 who are still on the water.

Pete's cat - a longtime visitor to Hatchet Bay

With a few calm days in the forecast we have headed north to spend some time in Spanish Wells – one of the stops we had to miss on our last trip through Eleuthera.

P.S. Teddy continues to be a perfectly adjusted boat cat!