March 25th- Hope Town/ Elbow Cay to Tiloo Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas

Time to make a break for it! We fully enjoyed our stay in Hope Town but our time in the Bahamas is limited and there is more that we’d like to see in this island chain. The morning was spent, leisurely, getting Evergreen ready. We needed water. Saturday is garbage day in Hope Town, so I delivered a bag to the commercial dock. I was going to help out with hauling the Abaco dinghies out of the water but was late to the effort. My motivations were questioned (I really did want to help), but I did get to check them out better on their racks (forgot the camera). Eventually we got underway and exited the harbor after saying our goodbyes.

Another sunny day in the Abacos. We only had a short distance to go. I had two different anchorages marked for Tiloo Cay. At the first spot I was unable to get the anchor to set after 3 tries. Each attempt requires me to crank up our anchor gear and is a workout. I wasn’t looking forward to a fourth try so we set off for my second choice, outside of Tiloo Pond. The hook set right away and we are very pleased with the spot. Tiloo Pond is absolutely loaded with sea turtles. We drifted around in an attempt to get up close to them. We saw many but so far they have been unreceptive to being photographed.

We are the only boat here and are looking forward to a quiet night amongst the stars and turtles. There are a few houses on the island but nothing else.

One more picture from Hope Town.

Some scenes from Tiloo Pond.

Sea dog.

Evergreen anchored off Tiloo Cay.

March 24th- Hope Town/ Elbow Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas

Sometimes a little networking goes a long way. Hope Town Harbor is still very full. Multiple boats drive through the harbor every day looking to pounce on the next open mooring. Since we are not the type of sailors to keep a vigilant watch for the next mooring, it seemed we’d have little chance of grabbing one. Hope Town’s moorings are owned by a few different entities in town. Lucky Strike’s moorings were rented out. The bike shop didn’t have any available. Hope Town Marina was full. That led Lynne to tracking down Captain Jack of Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant and Bar. He directed us to talk to the skipper on SV Noodin as they were having issues with immigration and might have to head over to Marsh Harbour to clear things up. We bought a six pack from Cap’n Jack and headed over to Noodin for sundowners. They were heading to Marsh and had a gift for us to drop off at SV Rhiannon when we see them. The next day we switched over to the mooring they were on and decided to spend the rest of the week in Hope Town.

We’ve had a good week. The beaches are a short walk or dinghy ride and Ollie is exhausted every evening. We had a nice lunch with Rhiannon at “On Da Beach”. Afterwards we went beach combing on da beach. I met the skipper of SV Antares. He’s been coming here for a long time and has been the voice of the Abaco Cruisers Net in the morning. He’s also an accomplished woodworker and has rebuilt two Abaco sailing dinghies that were originally built in Hope Town (photographs below). The other day there was a BYOB cruiser’s get together (for sundowners) at the Hope Town Marina near the Canadian Pool. Why is it called the Canadian Pool? It’s not heated. We met many different cruisers with a ton of Bahamas experience. We’ve already started planning Evergreen’s next Bahamas adventure.

Some scenes from Hope Town.

Lignum Vitae is the Bahamas national tree.

Abaco Sailing Dinghies.

This is a Marshall Catboat made in Dartmouth Massachusetts, our home port. Our first boat was a Marshall Cat named Iris. Small world.

Paintings at the elementary school.

March 16th to 19th – Hope Town /Elbow Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

On Thursday afternoon we sailed over to the harbor in Hope Town. We spent the morning hanging out on Tahiti Beach. The trip over to Hope Town was sort of a slow drift with occasional zephyrs helping to keep enough forward momentum so we could steer. We ghosted through all of the boats anchored outside of Hope Town. It was a fun and relaxing 3 nautical miles! We found Rhiannon’s mooring and tied up for a few days.

Hope Town is like a post card. There is very little evidence of the damage done by Dorian. It’s probably the most touristy of the islands we’ve visited. The harbor is surrounded by quaint little homes. Looking over the harbor is the Elbow Reef lighthouse.

The Elbow Reef lighthouse is the last manned, non-electrified, lighthouse in the world. It’s lens is hand wound and is fueled by kerosene. We’ve seen the lighthouse keeper up there, with a flashlight, lighting the lamp. Along with getting diesel and water, checking out the lighthouse was a priority.

Since arriving here Lynne and I have been wandering around the little streets and checking out the town. There are a few grocery stores. Captain Jack’s is a restaurant and bar right on the water, a stones throw from the dinghy dock. It seems to be a gathering place for the cruisers in harbor. The beach is a very short walk across town. There is a cruiser’s net on the VHF radio in the morning. The broadcast covers local happenings, marine weather, and other boat related news.

We’ll be here until Tuesday when SV Rhiannon returns. We’d like to get another mooring but it doesn’t seem very likely as the harbor is full. According to someone we spoke with, March and April are the busiest months. Besides the usual migratory vessels there are a lot of big charter catamarans around here. Some larger than our house!

Some scenes from Hope Town.

View off the back porch.

Elbow Reef lighthouse.

Kerosene tanks for the light. We are climbing the tower.

View from the top. It was pretty windy up there!

Evergreen is in the back row of this shot.

Evergreen moored in Hope Town. Elbow Cay, Bahamas.

For Sunday night into Monday we are expecting rain. We’ve had some showers move through the area today. I’ve been experimenting with different awnings to keep Evergreen ventilated while keeping the rain out. I’ve also been working on rain catchment systems to fill the tanks. I built a particulate filter, before leaving home, that filters down to around 1 micron. That, plus bleach, should keep the water pure. We also have another filter on our drinking water that filters down to 1/2 micron and removes the bleach taste. Sometimes Evergreen is like a big science experiment. It keeps me entertained.

Sunset at Hope Town Harbor.

March 16th- Marsh Harbour to Tahiti Beach, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Captain and crew are living on “Island Time” which causes me to get behind on this blog.

We spent a few days in Marsh Harbour. The Abaco weather has changed a bit to a more winter pattern for the area. The definition of Winter in the Bahamas is much different than New England winter. We’ve had a few nights in the 60s F. Not quite as hot during the day. More wind has been present. We’ve had some storms blow through.

While in Marsh Harbour we had two squalls. I rigged our second anchor just in case we dragged. During the second squall we saw a boat dragging, out of control, toward docks and shallow water. All the boats were pointed to the southwest. When the squall hit all boats did a quick 180 degree turn and pointed towards the northeast. The crew were onboard but must have been sleeping. I repeatedly blew our loud airhorn to no effect. At about the time I was starting to jump in the dinghy, the boat right next to us started to drag it’s anchor. The wind was howling through the rigging. By this point I was more worried about Evergreen so decided to stay on the boat (the Admiral strongly suggested the same). Another good samaritan dinghyed out to the first boat and woke them up. Efforts were made to get the boat stopped and back in deeper water. Our dragging neighbor was also able to reanchor his vessel.

Every time I see this kind of thing it reinforces my opinion that a big, heavy, anchor and lots of chain is worth the extra effort. We also back down heavily on our gear after dropping the anchor. Sometimes I rip it out of the seabed and have to reanchor again. When the anchor is set, it’s SET (for now).

Marsh Harbour has a great grocery store (Maxwell’s) so while there we stocked up on food. We went to a liquor store (Packy) also. Beer was really expensive but rum wasn’t, so we got a bottle to offset our dwindling beer supply. When in Rome….

Some scenes from Marsh Harbour. Wally’s Restaurant is open. Looks nice. Might go for a special dinner next time.After the squall.We were ready to move on by Thursday but didn’t have a concrete plan. That seems to be a theme lately. Man O War is close but I wasn’t sure if the wind was going to switch over night. A problem if we were anchored out.

We broke out our anchor, and found a nice breeze blowing in the Sea of Abaco. There are a lot more opportunities to sail out here than the usual ICW stuff we are doing. We decided on Elbow Cay and tacked our way into the south breeze.

Hope Town has a nice harbor but all the moorings were full and there is no room to anchor. We moved on a little further to Tahiti Beach which is on the southern tip of Elbow Cay.

The anchorage at Tahiti Beach is pretty well protected with Elbow on one side, Lubbers Quarter on the other, and various shoals blocking the wave action. There is even a Tiki boat that shows up during the day to serve drinks to the folks on the beach. Ollie loves the beach and seems to anticipate the amount of fun he is going to have as soon as he sees one.

Some scenes from Tahiti Beach and the community near by.Evergreen anchored at Tahiti Beach.

We have some friends (SV Rhiannon) on a mooring in Hope Town. We got in touch with them to see if any moorings had opened up. Turns out, they are going to Marsh Harbour for a few days and we can use their mooring until they return. They’ll be leaving around high tide tomorrow and we’ll check out Hope Town for a few days.

March 12th- Green Turtle Cay to Marsh Harbor, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Last night we got out for one last evening walk around New Plymouth. Being a Saturday night, it was lively in town. Many kids were playing around the basketball courts. A group of older, screaming, laughing, kids broke off from the group and ran up the road toward the Turtle Crawl Cafe. The TCC is a small cafe on Crown street that is only open at night on certain days. It’s been closed the whole time we’ve been here. They are the sole purveyor of ice cream on the island. They’ve been closed because the boat hadn’t brought any ice cream over.

I intercepted one of the running, screaming, laughing, kids.

“They have any ice cream tonight?”

“YEAH! They got ice cream.”

Lynne and I split a cup of fudge ripple. It was very good! It was also fun to watch this big group of local kids having a blast. Some were very curious about Oliver.

On our walk back to the marina Donny and his assistant, Mark, pulled up to us in a golf cart. He informed us that he had spoken to someone who was near Whale Passage today and it was bad. He told me to get on the VHF radio when I wake up and try to find out what is going on out there.

“Daaaahlings, YOU do not want to go through the Whaaale on a baaad day. You stay here till it’s safe.”

On one side of the Abaco Islands is the Atlantic Ocean. The other side is the shallow Sea of Abaco. There are also reefs around all the islands. Next to Green Turtle Cay is Whale Cay. There are openings on each side of Whale Cay where the water rushes in and out of the Sea of Abaco into the Atlantic. Behind Whale Cay is Middle Bar which has shallow, sandy, shoals that extend most of the way to Treasure Cay. There is a route through the shallow area but it’s difficult and if you get stuck you have big problems. Not really an option if the water is rough. As far as going around The Whale, through Whale Cay Passage, I was told to be very careful. It sinks ships. Disney tried bringing cruise ships through it but gave up on the venture due to the unpredictable nature of the sea there. So while it’s only a mile or two, we needed to take it seriously.

In the morning, I had heard a couple boats had made it through and it was OK. Good. Later, when we were preparing to leave, I got a phone call from a boat I had been in contact with the day before. He turned his trawler around and was going to wait and see if things calmed down. He said there seemed to be breakers across the whole passage. Indecision. Donny already had reservations for the slip but was willing to let us stay.

He said, ” Go out and look at it. If it looks baaad, come back.”

Good enough. We had a plan. We said our goodbyes to our new friends. We had homemade date squares for breakfast (a gift). Lynne also got this beautifully hand made doll from a cruiser on SV Sabbatical before shoving off.

Mascot 2. Ollie is still Mascot 1.

We made our way out of the marina and out of the harbor. Later we got another call from the captain of the trawler (Almost Heaven). He made it through and there were no breaking waves in the cut. We saw other boats going through. No problem. There were 5 to 6 foot seas but there was a long distance between each wave. Evergreen handled it well. We enjoyed the trip. Lynne took some nice pictures.

Whale Cay.

Tip of Great Guana Cay. Just after the passage. Pretty calm.

Other than some morning nervousness, we had a good passage to Marsh Harbour. We had a little sailing but mostly the diesel engine did the work due to a head wind.

March 13th- Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands Bahamas

We’ve been to the public dock a few times but haven’t ventured far due to wind. I’m going to reserve my opinion until I get to know the place better.

Marsh Harbour is the third largest city in the Bahamas. According to my intel, it’s got a big grocery store with better prices than the out islands. Water and diesel fuel is available. There is a parts store. If you needed something shipped, this place is your best bet. There is a clinic should a medical issue happen. I believe there is an airport. I’ve seen taxis.

On the other hand it’s a city so there is some poverty and then there was the hurricane. I wish I could have seen Marsh before Hurricane Dorian, but it wasn’t to be. Many boats spent their entire winter here. There were many restaurants, stores, marinas, and houses along the waterfront. Marsh Harbour grew over a long time so it had the feel of an old place, which I can relate to. Hurricane Dorian wiped the slate clean. Marsh Harbour was hit very hard.

As a result of Dorian three tidal waves hit Marsh Harbour. Wave heights were 25 feet. After each wave, the water receded from the harbor leaving it dry. Winds were clocked as high as 280 mph. The sustained winds were 180mph for 52 hours. Not only were there hurricane winds, but Dorian generated tornadoes. 3 1/2 years later Marsh still has a “bombed out” feel to it. Green Turtle Cay and Hope Town had a lot of foreign money and aid coming in, Marsh Harbor – less. It still has a long road of rebuilding ahead. Some of the marinas and restaurants have come back. Others have not. There is still a lot of damage and ruins along the waterfront.

We are here to wait out some confused weather and get some groceries. Marsh Harbour is a little rough but so is New Bedford and I like that city. We acquired a “boat boy” today who helped me tie up the dinghy. His name is BJ. His tip covers services and dinghy protection. Ollie gave him a kiss on the dock, so I guess that is a good sign. I still owe him for today’s services.

This memorial was on the foundation of a house. The house was blown 1/2 mile inland. The 4 occupants were never found.

I got the Dorian information from this panel.

I’ll get some nicer (positive) photos soon.

March 10th- Green Turtle Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Evergreen is still tied to the dock at Donny’s Marina. We’ve been enjoying the warm, sunny, days. I think we’ve shopped at every store on this side of the island. We also found a hydroponic greens farmer. We had fresh salads and basil for a few days. We’ve made some friends who have showed us around. We found the Goombay Smash at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar to be a delicious, if somewhat dangerous, drink. We each had only one. Two Goombay Smashes might cause vision problems – Three and you can’t find the boat. We were back at Two Shortys today for the BBQ chicken special. Lynne bought a cook book and we have integrated “peas and rice” into our evening repertoire. The important ingredient is canned brown pigeon peas.

Last Sunday Donny threw a pot luck party. A staggering amount of food was brought by all the cruisers in Black Sound. The Admiral acquired a bunch of potatoes and made a big batch of potato salad. While we enjoy solitude we also enjoy the camaraderie of like minded individuals. The band was a collection of boat gypsies (The Scupper Brothers). A good time was had by all. Ollie spent some of the evening on Evergreen but we brought him down to the party later on and he had a good time romping around with Mocha whom lives one dock down from us.

The Big Party.

Donny talked about some of the hardship of hurricane Dorian but also about the determination of the local populace to bring this island back to life. Donny had to have 180 truckloads of debris removed from his property. His family sheltered in the basement of his house which is on a hill. The family home was obliterated. His destroyed docks (and house) were rebuilt 10′ at a time. It was so overwhelming that the larger picture couldn’t be focused on. Everyone out here has a heartwrenching story. Over 200mph hurricane force winds for 48 hours with embedded tornadoes. I find it impossible to imagine. Everything was destroyed. Donny’s house. The whole town. Every dock. The police station. The post office. The churches. Every tree. What a horrible thing to have happened. They are still rebuilding. Some communities have rebounded better than others. Green Turtle Cay has done well.

Beach combing has brought some new treasures to Evergreen. With the help of the Admiral on SV Sabbatical, Admiral Lynne has acquired many colorful shells, sand dollars, coral, sea biscuits, glass, and other sea mysteries which I can’t remember the name of. They’ve also got a few “sea beans” which are actually big seeds that have traveled across the ocean from Africa. Even rarer, they found a “sea hamburger ” which is also an African seed. We are taking great care to preserve our treasurers in coffee cans that we have saved along the way.

On the other hand, the Captain has managed to find a big old bronze and aluminum windlass. I spent the better part of a day clearing out an area next to Evergreen’s diesel engine to store the piece of heavy equipment. I intend to bring this big hunk of metal home and restore it for use on Evergreen’s fore deck. A windlass is a winch for raising the anchor chain. Our boat gets lower in the water with each pound of cargo we add.

We are docked next to the crew of SV Modaki who have cruised the Bahamas for several years. They’ve helped us to upgrade our Abaco charts with many “Xs”, marking interesting anchorages. We have enjoyed our time at Green Turtle but are feeling the urge to press on and explore. The weather has been great but we still need to watch the winter patterns and pick the right days for transit. Sunday looks like the day and Marsh Harbor looks like the destination. We then plan on spending a few weeks poking around the southern Abacos.

Some scenes from Green Turtle Cay.

February 27th to March 4th- Green Turtle Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas

On the 27th we hauled the anchor and pointed toward Green Turtle Cay. Winds were light but we raised the sails, shut down the deisel, and had a nice, quiet, morning sail. Green Turtle Cay ( GTC ) came highly recommended. We were also informed by a few cruisers to get in touch with Donny on the VHF radio and he’ll take care of you.

We found out that Donny’s Marina was very busy and had no moorings available but could squeeze us onto his T dock if I could handle it. The first thing you can hear upon approach to the marina is Donny’s clear, commanding, voice directing traffic onto his docks. He’s like a cross between a preacher and an air traffic controller. I followed his directions and he skillfully had us secured to the end of the pier in no time. Evergreen was kind of hanging off the end of the dock due to a big catamaran filling most of the slip but he said we’d probably relocate the boat tomorrow. We finally filled our water tanks, took real showers, and generally celebrated our arrival. Both Admiral and Oliver are always happy to be on a dock (me to).

The next day we began to explore GTC and headed into the town of New Plymouth. New Plymouth was a Loyalist community settled by people who were loyal to the British government during the Revolutionary War. There are about 450 year round residents. The streets are very narrow and most people drive golf carts and other small vehicles. The marina is close to town but first you have to climb a hill and then you are looking down on the water front community. Just standing on the hill and looking down the narrow streets, we knew we loved this place already!

This is a firehouse where locals eventually sheltered during the devastation of hurricane Dorian. The mural was painted by artists to bring some cheer to the community.

First on the agenda- fresh Bahamian bread. There are a few different places that bake breads, pastries, and desserts in New Plymouth. What great choices for such a small community! We got warm bread, straight from the oven, at McIntosh Restaurant and Bakery. It was soooo good! We’ve since also acquired bread and baguette from Daily Bread Bakery which is also fantastic! If I had to give up bread and cheese it would be the end of me. There are at least 4 small groceries in town with another across the harbor. Since all have different supplies coming in (by boat) we pop into one or two a day to see what they have available.

Donny tracked us down in his golf cart and let us know that if I could wedge our 11′ wide (actual beam of 10’9″) into a 14′ wide slip space we could have it. Most modern boats are wider than ours and he wanted to fill the spot. Unfortunately, it was so narrow due two a very big (expensive and unoccupied) catamaran already in place. That leaves about 3′ of space to maneuver. Ouch.

We deployed all fenders on the catamaran side and figured we’d rather hit the dock than the big cat. There was some question of how I was going to maintain control and come in really slow with the wind off Evergreen’s stern. I rigged long lines everywhere. Several other cruisers came out to help with the maneuver. Donny calls this his Dock Dynasty. Donny jumped in his Boston Whaler and tied to our stern to keep control. We passed a 100′ bow line over the cat to another dock. This was for controlling the bow. I eventually lobbed another 50′ stern line over also. Donny towed us from our stern. The other boaters on the dock heaved away. Donny fired up the Boston Whaler and pulled the stern where it needed to be. He was the conductor in this orchestration. I started Evergreen’s diesel. Donny told me to shut it down (I did). I ran around, tossing lines, then prepared to fend off the catamaran. Lynne was in charge of the spring line (the brake). A few minutes later we were safely tied to the dock without touching dock or big cat. I thanked everyone for their efforts. What a friendly, welcoming, place to spend some time! The rest of the day was busy with boats coming and going. I helped tie up several boats in the afternoon. I think that maybe I am part of the “Dock Dynasty” now. We have made several friends since docking at Donny’s.

We’re still enjoying GTC. We either go in to town or head over to Gilliam Bay Beach for a swim. Ollie has a Bahamian girlfriend who lives near the beach named Lady. They play chase and follow each other around. He enjoys the swimming as much as we do. It’s been hot and sunny every day.

We’ve been to Sundowner’s for a sundowner and music. The other day we were invited to Two Shortys for lunch. Barbeque chicken, peas and rice, coleslaw at $7 a plate. Can’t beat that! It’s one of those little places the locals go to. Delicious food. Can’t wait to go back. Today Lynne went beach combing. She found a sea bean and some of the most colorful shells I’ve ever seen. Did I mention that we are really enjoying ourselves?

Some scenes from Green Turtle Cay.

Loyalist Park.

Gilliam Bay.

One of those dots is Lynne. The water is shallow far out into the bay.

February 25th, 26th- Allans-Pensacola Cay to Manjack Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

We had originally planned on going to Green Turtle Cay but changed plans and headed to Manjack. We can fill our water tanks at a marina on Green Turtle. We hadn’t filled up with water since we were on the St Lucie River in Florida. We have been trying to conserve fresh water in the Bahamas. Lynne has been washing the dishes in sea water and giving them a quick rinse with fresh water from the tanks. We’ve been doing the same thing with showers. We checked our tanks and were surprised to see enough in the tanks for a few more days. I have gear to catch and filter rain water but we’ve had no rain (I’m definitely not wishing for rain). So, enough about water. Manjack Cay looked like another great place to visit and we had enough water and supplies.

Manjack Cay is a privately owned island but the residents allow the use of their harbor, beaches, and trails. We had read about an art trail so that was on the agenda (along with swimming,exploring, and lounging on the beach). For our first day and night the water was even calmer and clearer than before.

We had two different beaches near to Evergreen’s anchorage. We ferried Ollie back and forth and saw many more sea turtles. The water is so clear that you can see the different colors on their shells. We also saw another shark and a yellowish fish that I believed to be an amberjack. I accidentally jumped in the water on top of a school of fish which startled me (and the fish). I’ve seen stingrays before but oddly haven’t seen one yet.

Day two brought us to the art trail. The sculptures are all made out of found objects and scattered around the trail. We had planned more trail hiking but the art trail was rugged terrain. By the time we were done, it was back to swimming and relaxation on Evergreen.

Some scenes from Manjack Cay.

The art trail.

Time to relax.

The water clarity is amazing. This is sand and grass, about 8′ down (and the Admiral’s feet).

The anchor chain on the bottom.

View off the back porch.

Sunset at Manjack Cay.

February 22nd- West End GB to Great Sale Cay, Bahamas

Still having some sleep deprivation but we are feeling good. We were up to watch the sun rise this morning. We brought Ollie to shore at the beach resort. The sand was raked with lounge chairs scattered around. We made sure Olliver left nothing but paw prints in the sand. I was able to pick up WiFi from the resort and downloaded some weather files for the next few days.

After returning to Evergreen we were thinking about moving on when the decision was made for us. Another sailboat was trying to anchor near us in the swift tidal current. The skipper was single handed and on the bow of the boat trying to set the anchor with no results. By the time he was able to raise his anchor he had drifted down on us and hit Evergreen. No damage was done and he was soon able to reanchor the vessel. We decided to move on and were off the hook within 20 minutes.

We went through Indian Rock passage and were soon sailing in the Bahamas. Today was one of the best days sailing that we’ve had in a while. Lynne bought me a book, The Sail Trim Users Guide by Don Guillette. It’s a good book and takes the guesswork out of sail trimming. I spent the day adjusting sails and trying to squeeze every extra ounce of speed out of Evergreen’s old sails.

We anchored off the coast of Great Sale Cay, near a nice beach, for the night. There were a few other boats anchored around Great Sale but none near us. Another experience in the Bahamas is the utter lack of background noise. No cars, planes, trains, or boats. Just silence and the quiet sounds of water lapping the hull.

February 23- Great Sale Cay, Bahamas

I had read about some ruins of a NASA rocket tracking site on island so that was on my mind this morning. Ollie’s morning commando raid included the search for the NASA ruins. We found them. They were very ruined. The beach was nice and lined with pine trees. We eventually moved Evergreen into a protected harbor on Great Sale called West Harbor. Again we could see other vessels anchored in the distance but enjoyed our seclusion.

February 24th- Great Sale Cay to Allans-Pensacola Cay, Abaco Islands Bahamas

Today we moved on to Allans-Pensacola Cay. Allans-Pensacola were two different islands at one time but were joined together by sand (and a hyphen) as the result of a hurricane. It’s a well protected harbor that you can get pretty far into with a shallow draft vessel. We dinghyed around and explored some of the beaches. In my life I’ve seen one sea turtle in Lake Tashmoo MV and another being released from rehabilitation on Marathon FL. Today I saw 6 more. They are surprisingly fast under water.

In the morning we had eggs and bacon. After pouring the bacon grease in the water a shark showed up and circled Evergreen. Everyone likes bacon! While there are sharks in New England, this was the first shark Lynne and I had ever seen.

Some scenes from Allans-Pensacola Cay.

Shark.

Evergreen anchored at Allans-Pensacola Cay.

February 21st- West Palm FL to West End/ Grand Bahama BS

We attempted to get some sleep before my wakeup alarm went off at 3:15am. Not much sleep was had due to our extremely elevated excitement level. Two years! This was the culmination of two years of planning and work. So yes, we were very excited! We have been sailing together for 20 years but today was going to provide us with some firsts. First time crossing the Gulf Stream. First time leaving a port at night. For me, it was also the first time leaving the US (I went to Montreal once but am not sure that counts). We have a lot of experience bashing our way through the bays and sounds around New England but not much time on blue water.

We started hauling up our ground tackle at 4am. While it was quiet when we first woke, around a dozen (or more) boats lit their running lights, hauled anchors, and headed toward the Lake Worth Inlet. There were many calls over the VHF radio, back and forth, from various boats. Shortly after piloting Evergreen into the channel, I realised one of our running lights was out. I grabbed a headlamp and screw driver, went up to the bow, and fixed the light while Lynne idled around the channel. With lights now working we were back on track.

Most of the boats headed out but there were two others waiting around (with us?). We had seen and heard about the huge dredging operation blocking much of the entrance to Lake Worth Inlet. Over the VHF, we had heard cruisers communicating with the barge. A lot of confusion over North and South, port and starboard, seemed to be a large part of the chatter. Apparently, one boat almost ran into a rock jetty and two other vessels almost collided. We approached the barge with our followers relying on my never ending well of expertise and experience (none). The main problem was that the lights on the dredge were blinding. I kept my north/ south, port/ starboard straight and we made it out without issue.

About half of the pack was still outside the harbor entrance. I think people might have been disoriented by the darkness as there was no moon tonight. It also seemed to me that the Gulf Stream was very strong near to Florida’s coast. Two things eventually occurred to us. We wanted to get some distance between us and these other boats. Second, we were fighting the current too much and needed more speed. I pointed away from the pack and let the current pull Evergreen North. Our speed went up and we got away from the other vessels. In all, I let the Gulf Stream push Evergreen about 5nm off course but knew we’d be able to make it up when we got further East.

That was it. Everything just calmed down. The sea was pretty flat. I rolled out the genoa for a little extra speed and to make us more visible. We could see mast lights off in the distance. Crazy Ivan (the auto pilot) did the steering and was very cooperative. Twilight came then the sunrise. Another beautiful day. Lynne made breakfast. I raised the mains’l for some additional speed. With full sail up and the diesel running we pushed on toward the Bahamas.

Sunrise on the Gulf Stream.

I have used the term “blue water” to describe the ocean. After watching the sun rise we learned something new. The deep sea in the Gulf Stream is Navy Blue. We couldn’t believe it! Really deep blue. Eventually the navy blue turned turned to turquoise and we were on the Bahama Bank. Our transit time was around 10 hours. I had figured 10 1/2 To 12+ hours for our passage so we made good time.

There were many boats checking in at West End. The Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina controls the basin. We lingered around on the ocean for a while to tidy up our sails and get a good look at the entrance. We entered the marina and tied up to the diesel pier for fuel and to check in with customs. The actual docking was more of a controlled collision (to quote one of the cruisers that helped tie us up). I guess I was a little over enthusiastic about our arrival. We made It!

Entrance into West End, Bahamas.

First funny Bahamas problem- Since it was a new moon there was a really low tide which was around when we arrived at the marina. The deck of our boat was about 6 feet lower than the height of the pier. No ladders. After fueling up the woman told me to pay at the office and then I could head over to customs and immigration. She then walked off. It’s been a very long time since I’ve tried to climb a tree (or anything else). Somehow, I channeled some Spider-Man skills and made it onto the pier. Diesel was payed for, then onto customs. I had to fill out a few forms. Everyone was super nice. The Admiral did a great job emailing copies of all the paperwork. One of the customs agents had actually processed all the online paperwork and was familiar with our papers and boat. We were no longer under quarantine and could hoist our Bahamas courtesy flag. I jumped back on Evergreen and boosted Lynne and Ollie onto the pier so they could step foot on Bahamas soil.

For various reasons I opted to anchor off of West End and not stay at the marina. There is a very strong current running through the anchorage area. I would call it an advanced anchorage. Our big anchor grabbed the bottom and we were done for the day. The water was absolutely clear. We could see a large Barricuda swimming right under Evergreen (another 1st).

Second funny Bahamas problem- it’s an advanced anchorage and people are tired when they arrive. Just after watching a stunning sundown another sailboat came in. They lost control in the current and only through the heroic effort of the boat’s skipper did he manage not to slam into Evergreen. Using, not fenders, but his body to cushion the blow. They then almost drifted into a shallow grassy area with us yelling, “DON’T GO THATWAY!” They managed to get control and avoided further calamity. The next day we had a little less luck but I’ll save that for the next post.

That night was dream like and we were further deprived of sleep. The stars came out. It was mesmerizing. The sky is dark without city lights. We could see the Milky Way, Jupiter, Saturn, and a million other stars. Eventually we looked down. I have seen bioluminesence before but nothing like this. It ranged from flashes in the water to little sparkly things zooming by. I’m not sure how long we stared at the sky and water. We were lost in the beauty of it.

This place is amazing!

Old Bahama Bay Resort.

Sunset #1 from the Bahamas.