Running from the weather

It has been a great week, but not an easy one. I know most of you think of endless cocktails and sunsets when you try to imagine what the cruising life is about, but there is another side of it that makes it quite challenging sometimes. I guess if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. It is the tougher side of cruising that we have really been focused on this week- trying to outrun the weather and finding good, protected anchorages to take shelter. I’m not complaining, but it has made our first week in the Bahamas (since we left Nassau) a bit of a challenge. So let me start where we left off- from when we left Nassau on Monday morning.

We passed on going out to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday night, so we could finish preparing to leave the marina the next morning. That meant washing down the boat one last time(that will be the last FREE water that we will see for months), filling our water tanks and jugs, doing engine maintenance chores, securing everything on deck with tie-downs, and working the cabin over, looking for anything that needs to be stowed or tied down. The best way to do this is: imagine you could pick your boat up and turn it on to both sides and give it a little shake. Anything that would fall/slide/move around must be secured. Some stuff goes into cabinets, some stowed in the forward V-berth, and some bungee corded in place. We also have “lee cloths” for most of the shelves, which are canvas fabric, cut to fit over all the items (example: the sundries behind the stove and the book shelves behind each settee), and button into place. They do a nice job of both securing the items from moving/sliding around as well as hiding the clutter! So we tucked in around 10p and got a good night’s sleep. We were up at 7, to make a last run to the internet café across the street and place a few Magic Jack calls and download weather files. We got away from the dock at 9, fueled up on the way out and headed out for Highbourne Cay, about 35 miles to the east-southeast.

It was a beautiful day. Light winds on a beam reach. The water on the Bahama Banks is magnificent. It is God’s color palette for every imaginable shade of blues and greens. The water is gin clear, so you can see the 15-20 feet to the bottom. About halfway to Highbourne, there is an area of the bank that is sparsely populated with coral formations ranging in size from that of a night stand to bigger than a train car. They are pretty easy to spot from a distance, which is good, since you must maneuver around them. While some of them are smaller and squatty, some of them rise to within 4-6 feet of the surface, so you wouldn’t want to play chicken with them- they aren’t going to budge! The upside is that they are beautiful and are home to much wildlife. So as we approached one of the larger ones, we slowed the boat and I grabbed my pole spear, donned my mask and fins and jumped in. Carryn circled the boat slowly around while I dove on the coral head taking in its beauty, and hoping to take a little bounty as well. After abouit 20 minutes (I admit I was dawdling, enjoying the scenery), I found a nice bug(spiny lobster) under a ledge. My past experience with Lobster hunting was in Florida, where you have to coax them out from under the rock with a “tickle stick” and catch them in a net- sometimes a time consuming process that conflicts with our requirement to breathe. It almost gives the lobster the advantage- hold out, and you can outlast the diver’s breath of air. But here in the Bahamas, it is legal to spear them with a pole spear or Hawaiian sling. After a quick draw and release, I had the modest-sized crawfish on the end of my spear. I surfaced with some pride, but it was mixed with the solemn respect for the sea and the bounty it provides. I paid my respect with a short, but gracious prayer (I know it may sound corny, but when you hunt and take prey for food, I have always felt humble). Shortly after dropping the bug into the dingy, our friends on Las Sirenas pulled up and the girls (Hailey and Alana) jumped in for a look at the rock. We had a nice swim around and Scott joined us as well. It was fun, but I couldn’t find any more lobster. We dove and they took pics(I left our cameral on the boat), it was awesome. We got back on the boat and sailed on.

This is a pic the lobster we found in the Exuma Park(a no hunt zone). These are all 3-4 pound bugs. I wish it was always this easy!

We pulled up to Highbourne Cay around 3pm and dropped the hook. We were in the company of several other sailboats, a few sport fishers, and a mega-yacht(about 120 footer). It was a beautiful evening, with light winds and a calm anchorage. We dingied to the beach with Champagne to celebrate, with our friends, our first “real” night in the Bahamas. The sunset was magnificent.

Morning came, and brought with it increasing winds clocking around to the south, which means the approach of a front. We were on the West side of the Cay, and with a SW, West or NW wind, we would be exposed and against a lee shore(if the anchor drags, you get pushed onto the shore). We decided to pick up and move south to another Cay a few hours south. Shroud Cay is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, a nature preserve encompassing about 200 acres of some of the most beautiful Cays and water in the Exumas. While the anchorage we were looking at was still unprotected from the SW to NW, there were mooring balls to tie up to, which would provide a level of safety. We arrived and the mooring field was empty(the first sign this may not be a coveted spot). We tied up and went ‘splorin(my Ricky Ricardo word for exploring). We did some snorkeling in shallow water and Bella swam along with us. We finally got to capture the sight of her swimming in crystal clear water.

We even shot video with the camera of her spindly legs paddling along! After that, we took the dingy through the mangroves that lead into the island. It was “a-maze-ing”. The “water trail” weaved all the way across the island(about 2 miles) and terminated in a big shallow pool. Just across the 20’ high berm of sand and trees, was the one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The strong winds pushed big waves in shore, and several large rock pillars off shore broke the waves and agitated the water into a frenzy. It all looked quite powerful and menacing. We walked the beach and marveled at the raw beauty of it all.

With sunset approaching, we loaded up to get back to the boat, where we arrived to find our anchorage had also gotten worked up as the wind came around to the SW and blew into the cove. We got soaked, scurrying the quarter-mile back to the boat. Once aboard, we got cleaned up, had dinner (tacos and spanish rice) and turned in for the night. What we didn’t see coming was the 25-30 knot winds blowing in that night. Around midnight things got ugly. What we failed to recognize about the cove we were in, was that it was faced with steep, vertical rock walls, instead of smooth, sloping beaches- so all the wave action that was getting pushed into the cove, was getting bounced right back by the rock walls. The anchorage truly turned into a “washing machine”. I have known that term, but until that night had never experienced it. It was horrible. The boat bounced and bucked like a bronco. There was no rhythm to the motion. She pitched, rolled and yawed with violence. While we were “safe”(mooring ball vs anchor) we were definitely not “comfortable”(protected anchorage vs exposed mooring). By morning we were brutalized and knew we needed to get out of there. It was difficult to get going, though. We were both feeling green and had gotten little sleep(Bella was pretty frightened). Still, we pulled ourselves up and prepared to slip the mooring and head west out of the cove, and then south to a more favored location. Leaving the ball was a challenge, as the boat pitched wildly. Carryn went up to release the lines(getting knocked down several times), and I powered the boat into the wind and waves, clearing the ball and motoring out of the anchorage. When we cleared the bars extending SW from the Cay, we turned south to head to Warderick Wells Cay.

Unfortunately, we weren’t the only boat seeking shelter. Warderick Wells is the base of operations for the Exuma Park, and has 2 mooring fields. The North field is well protected, situated along a channel that cuts north to south, but has been waitlisted for days. It is a known sweet spot and many boats have holed up there for days and even weeks, waiting out front after front and of course, enjoying the park. The second is the Emarald Rock field which has many more balls, but is not very well protected from SW to NW winds. While the winds today and tonight would not be nearly as strong as Tues night, we would again be in for a bumpy day and night. We called ahead and got an assignment and after a few hours in very rolly seas, we pulled in and tied up. In the same winds, it was apparent that the Emarald Rock field was at least shielded from very large rollers by extensive shoals and sand bars to the West. It still built up significant chop, but at least we weren’t riding the bucking bronc again. We took Bella to the beach and enjoyed the feel of terra firma after 24 hours of living in a moonwalk. That night, the wind blew from the NW, so we didn’t have a terrible night. But we didn’t want to test fate and stay there for the “big blow” that was coming Friday night.

So, again, we picked up in the morning to move and find a protected anchorage. It was clear we weren’t going to get into the North field(we were # 12 on the list and there were only 10 balls), so I got on the radio, seeking out buddy boats that were in some of the better anchorages. By 930am, we struck gold. Our friends David and Marge on Winfield Lash reported back that they were in the Cambridge Cay anchorage and there was one ball available. We sprang into action, slipping the lines and heading south to Cambridge. It was only about an hour and a half, but we were on pins and needles the whole time, just praying that another boat wouldn’t beat us to the spot. We were blessed again, making it cleanly through some coral reef strewn and very skinny waters to get into the anchorage. We found the empty ball at the south end, right next to the beautiful schooner Winfield Lash. We exhaled a big breath, we would be safe AND comfortable for the big low pressure system that was barreling towards us from the Gulf of Mexico.

For the first time, we really felt like we could begin to enjoy ourselves and explore the park. We settled in and caught up on boat chores and cleaning. It is amazing how quick the boat becomes disheveled and dirty, but at least it is fairly easy to get back to order. We were visited by the “park hosts”, similar to the way state parks have the “resident” camper that keeps watch on the place. They dropped off some brochures, shared some info about the area and checked us in. A few other folks dingied over to meet and greet us and welcome us to the mooring field. I think everyone here feels very lucky to be tucked in to such a great spot to sit out the weather. Once we were settled in and recovered, we dingied over to the beach with Bella for some splorin’. It is hard to put into words how pristine this area is. It is truly unique in that it hasn’t been marred by development or over use. It is a no-take, no-hunt park and it is evident that cruisers respect those rules, as we found some of the best shells ever. We admired them, then put them back for others to enjoy. We retired back to the boat for sundowners and a great dinner(beef tips on white rice and brussel sprouts). We had our first truly good night’s sleep in several days, with light breeze and smooth water under the hull.

Friday was forecast to be a mild day, with light winds before the front was to arrive around midnight. So we took the opportunity to go splorin’ some more. We invited David and Marge to go snorkeling to a few of the good sites nearby. We packed a lunch and set out for the reefs. We found the water clear, coral abundant, and the fish life prolific. It was Marge and David’s first time to snorkel, and unfortunately we picked a site that was geared more for an intermediate level diver. They handled it well, though just being brave so we loaded back into the dingy and scooted over to a nearby beach for lunch.

By the time we had finished lunch and chatting, the wind was starting to pipe up, so we headed back to the boats. Heading into the stiff wind and chop, we got soaked and a little chilled but made it back OK. That evening we had dinner and retired early, exhausted from the day’s activity and anxious about the storm that was approaching. The wind howled all night, but at around 1am, it clocked around to the west, then northwest and really hit hard. I was up, watching the instruments and peering out into the darkness at the other boats’ anchor lights. The anchorage provided the desired protection from any big rollers, so we were both comfortable and safe. Dawn broke with continued high winds, NW 20-25 knots. We weathered the storm but would be pinned down in the boat all day Saturday. We slept in and loafed most of the morning. We decided to focus on cleaning up the boat, which always makes us feel better. We lounged and watched kiteboarders ripping it up in the shallow sand bars just SW of the mooring field. We have seen these guys several times, about 7 guys on a nice catamaran, that roam from cay to cay, looking for good wind to play in. It reminds me of the move Endless Summer, where surf bums roam the coast, looking for the perfect waves. Not a bad way to spend the day.

Sunday morning, there was a mass exodus from the mooring field. The weather was predicted to be nice, N winds 10-15, so nearly every boat in the harbor bailed out. We decided to do so as well, and head back up to Warderick Wells Cay, where we had spent the one night on Wednesday. There is much to see and do there, and we didn’t want to miss it before we would continue south. Also, our buddies on Las Sirenas, who had been in the marina at Compass Cay the last 3 days, would also be heading there as well. We looked forward to hooking up with them again.

We slipped the lines off the ball at around 11am and headed out of the harbor. It is only a couple hours sail from Cambridge to Warderick Wells, so we had time for a diversion. Shortly after pulling out of the mooring field and clearing the cut, we dodged in behind Bell Island just west of O’Briens Cay. We dropped the hook near a couple of good dive sites for some top-notch skin diving. The “Seaquarium” site was pretty amazing- prolific coral and great sea life. Poking around the coral and looking under the ledges can be rewarding and this site yielded the goods. A four foot nurse shark and lobster the size of my calf were but a few of the highlights. Carryn was ready to get back to the boat, so I dropped her off and headed back over to the plane wreck site that we had visited with David and Marge two days earlier. The site was fairly large and we didn’t get to even scratch the surface that day, so I had another shot at digging in. It was worth the visit, but due to the tide reversing the current, visibility dropped from the normal 50-100 feet down to about 20 feet. I decided to cut the dive short, and as I was heading back to the dingy, I saw several fish darting past me. It is unusual for reef fish to be out away from the reef and moving like that, so I knew something had them on the run. I turned back to be greeted by a 3 foot barracuda. It was as if he was letting me know this was his reef and I needed to respect that. I turned to approach him and get a photo, so he turned broad side to me and hung there. He was clearly not intimidated by my presence, and with years of diving around them and other reef predators, I wasn’t worried about him either. I got my pic and boarded the dingy to make the short run to the boat. We lifted the outboard back onto the boat, weighed anchor and headed out. A pretty cool feeling to be able to make such a great pit stop without undue effort. This is what cruising is supposed to be like.

We made it to the mooring in Warderick Wells in less than two hours. Carryn maneuvered the boat down the channel where the mooring balls are lined up and the boats are “parallel parked” all in a nice tight line. She threaded SolMate through the channel, with shoal water (less than a foot deep) to starboard and moored boats to port, with less than 100’ in between. We found our ball and Carryn swung the boat around 180 degrees(into the wind and current) and nosed up to the ball like a seasoned captain. I picked up the pendant with the boat hook, threaded our painter through the loop and cleated off. It looked like ball-room dancing and made me proud of her developing boat handling skills. We’ll call this home for a few days. Within minutes, we had a neighbor dingy up to make sure we knew about the cocktail hour on the beach at 5pm. Ain’t it great?

PS Happy Birthday to our niece Emily who turns 17 on Feb 16^th!!!! Stay sweet Emily,

Love Aunt C. and Uncle B.