May 22- Port Washington, NY

Evergreen made it out of Atlantic Highlands on Tuesday and motored up the East River to Port Washington. We took the launch in yesterday for groceries. The weather has been cold and raining so we haven’t been doing much. I commissioned the woodstove again. We still have wood left over from our fall migration. Our winter clothes have been unpacked and are back in use. Temps are in the upper 40s to 50s Fahrenheit. Not really very cold but cold for our thin blood. The nor’easter is today. We’re getting a few gusts but it’s mostly a cold rain event. We had some exceptional Wonton soup for lunch yesterday. Today is hot Shin Ramyun soup (hot and spicy Korean). This is a great area for various international foods!

… back to the narrative. We ended just south of Norfolk Virginia. 

May 2nd- Camden Bay, NC to Old Point Comfort, VA

By the log we covered 65 nautical miles over 12 1/2 hours which really isn’t bad. What the numbers don’t say are that we had multiple hurdles to jump. Early on, we had to park Evergreen to let a barge and tug get through a very tight spot. We then had three bridges that needed to open for Evergreen to pass through. Bridge one, I made on time. Bridge two, I forgot about and had to wait a long time for it to open. Bridge two threw our schedule out the window. I had to wait another hour for Bridge three. After that was the Great Bridge lock to contend with. By this time I was ready to end our day. Nope. Onward! The next bridge was a broken railroad bridge undergoing repairs (of course it was down). Right after that is the Gilmerton Highway Bridge which won’t be opening for the next 2 hours due to rush hour traffic. OK- broken train bridge and highway bridge that won’t open. Now what? My frustration level was redlining at this point. I figured if I could just get past this hurdle, maybe, we’d just anchor a little further down the Elizabeth river. Then luck dealt another hand.

“EVERGREEN we have a commercial tug with a reservation for an opening of the Gilmerton Bridge in 15 minutes. You can come through with the opening. ”

“GILMERTON, What about the railroad bridge?”

“Cap, I’m on the phone with them and it looks like they are going to open.”

YES!!!

The scheduled tug came through along with 2 more on his heels. Evergreen got through also.

So was this the end of the day? No. Luck was still helping us out. We had a favorable current down the Elizabeth River to Norfolk harbor so we just kept going. Around sundown we anchored at Old Fort Comfort in Hampton, VA.

Lots of Naval stuff going on in Norfolk.

One reason we anchored at Old Point Comfort was for protection from an upcoming weather event. Unfortunately, the wind direction wasn’t ideal for the anchorage. We decided to move Evergreen a short distance to Back River where I could tuck the boat in the lee of a bunch of trees on land. What Google maps didn’t show was 100s of crab pots everywhere.  Somehow we managed to triangulate a spot in the field. We waited out the rainy weather in our protected spot. We were the only boat anchored. This was the beginning of a trend for the month of May. We’d have a couple nice days then rain and wind. Before this, we were followed by warm, dry, weather all winter and spring.

After this we sailed further north on Chesapeake Bay. Our next stop was Deltaville. We needed diesel but unfortunately the Fishing Bay marina had none. After Deltaville we made for Solomons Island. We cut our day short and ran into a very protected anchorage at Mill Creek due to thunderstorms. 

Next stop: Solomons Island. We splurged on a mooring at  Safe Harbor Zahnisers. You pay for the mooring (or even more for a dock) BUT they really do have some of the nicest private showers on the ICW. They also have laundry (included) with big machines and a shuttle service to the various stores in the area. Besides diesel, we needed a full compliment of supplies for Evergreen.

The Captain is very happy to be having a nice downwind sail on the way to Solomons Island.

The Admiral is very happy to be having dinner at Hidden Harbor Restaurant which is one of our favorites.

Evergreen moored at Solomons Island.

From Solomons we moved further up the bay to Weems Creek in Annapolis. This was to be a big stop for us. Our main’sl has been looking very frayed. It’s old and is nearing retirement. I’ve known this for a few years and while I like new sails, they are an expensive proposition. Bacon Sails is in Annapolis and I’ve heard a lot about it from other cruisers. They are a sail loft,  so make and repair sails. Annapolis has a big sailing community. In addition to being a loft they also have a large consignment shop with a huge inventory of used sails. While sailing north along the bay I had been perusing their inventory and found a main that would work on Evergreen. One day we walked over to Bacon to see the sail. It looked good. With a few small modifications it would work on Evergreen’s mast. An hour later we were walking back to Evergreen with a new (used) sail. Making the whole thing better was my father decided to give us the sail as a gift. Thanks!

A new main’sl for Evergreen.

The next day we went back to Bacon to check out more of the consignment shop. They really have an extensive inventory. I found a few more odds and ends and decided I’d better just stay away from that place before I get more ideas! It’s definitely worth a visit if you are a sailor and happen to be anchored in Annapolis.  

Weems Creek.

We waited out some north winds in Weems Creek and moved on when the wind subsided. Our next anchorage was Worton Creek. I always call this spot our hurricane hole. It’s completely protected. We were expecting another day of bad weather (not even close to a hurricane) so this would be where we would wait until some improvement. The plan was to stop at the marina and get diesel fuel and water but the dock had a huge boat on it and was undergoing repairs. Once again I lugged my fuel and water cans in by dinghy. We’ve only pulled into a dock at Vero Beach and Solomons Island.

From Worton we moved a short distance to the Sassafras River. This was more for a change of scenery and hopefully better internet coverage to download weather forecasts. We got the scenery but not the internet. 

Near the entrance to the Sassafras Rivers.

Fog. At least it’s not raining.

From the Sassafras we pointed into the C&D canal and anchored at Chesapeake City. Plan A was to hang around Chesapeake City for a few days but when I got internet access the weather became a concern. 

It seemed we’d have to stay in the area for possibly a week or more if we didn’t get moving.

May 16th to 17th- Chesapeake City, MD to Atlantic Highlands, NJ

At 6am we pulled Evergreen’s anchor and headed down a foggy C&D canal. With both radar and AIS we could see there were no ships currently traversing the canal. When we left Chesapeake City we didn’t have a definitive plan. We were likely to have lightning squalls moving through the area but if we split up our passage over a few days we’d be likely to encounter heavier, possibly adverse,  winds. All this would culminate with the nor’easter which you read about in the beginning of this epic.

I had several bailout options planned but we just kept on moving. We tracked one large squall on the Delaware Bay but it seemed if we just kept our pace we’d have some wind and rain but leave the worst of it behind us. We heard it was a problem in New Jersey but we avoided most of that one.

At the end of the Delaware Bay we went down the Cape May canal. This put us in Cape May harbor which was one of our bailout points. According to the weather prognosticators the night would have light winds with “scattered thunder showers”. Ok, doesn’t sound too bad. We’re expecting heavier winds in a day or so with a likely small craft advisory. Let’s just keep going. While in Cape May we siphoned more fuel into Evergreen from our deck tanks.

Around 5:45 pm we headed out Cape May Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. The wind was behind us and all seemed good. At some point I looked again at the weather radar. Big problem. Then an alert from the National Weather Service. Severe thunder storms, wind gusts over 50mph, dime size hail, lightning, all mariners should seek shelter immediately. The storm looked to be about 1/2 hour away. Cape May was hours away and upwind (which was increasing). We wouldn’t make it. The nearest inlet was Townsend Inlet which I’ve never heard of and know nothing about. I’ve heard stories of cruisers getting injured and wrecking their boats trying to escape storms by entering dangerous inlets in bad weather. This was no time to panic. I proceeded to tie everything down. We furled Evergreen’s genoa. Donned foul weather gear, life preservers, harnesses and teathered ourselves to the boat. To say we weren’t scared would be a lie. I noticed a commercial tug with barge on AIS. It was a few miles up ahead of us and had slowed down a bit. I wondered why. When I checked the weather radar I noticed an area between intense cells that seemed better. That’s where the tug was. I pushed Evergreen’s engine to flank speed and tried for that less intense area to the north of us. We smashed our way ahead and waited for the storm to hit. Eventually I had Lynne record our Latitude, Longitude, heading, and time. We put much of our electronics (and a vhf radio) in our oven. The oven would act as a Faraday Cage and protect some of our equipment should we get struck by lightning.

Luck? Maybe.

We made it to the “calmer spot” and had some wind and heavy rain. The lightning all hit at a distance. Sometimes I couldn’t even hear the thunder. I watched bolts streak across the sky but nothing seemed very close. No hail. The wind was probably 25 to 30 mph at worst. It was very dark but eventually I could see an orange spot below the black clouds to the west.The remains of the sunset and the end of the squall. Red sky at night, sailors delight. It was all over in an hour or two. The rest of the night was great. We motor sailed the whole way. Sometimes the wind would die completely and we rolled in our flopping genoa. Lynne and I both took watches and got some sleep. She watched a beautiful sunrise with unbelievably calm seas while the Captain slept soundly. We had breakfast and lunch together again while underway. At 1:00 pm on the 17th we anchored in Atlantic Highlands and slept for a few more hours before getting cleaned up for a celebratory dinner. 179 nautical miles over 31 hours. A new record for us.

NYC skyline from Atlantic Highlands. The AH breakwater is in the foreground.

May 20th- Atlantic Highlands, NJ to Port Washington, NY

It’s been a little rough in Atlantic Highlands. More sailboats have come in from the south but I’m sure things are worse out in the North Atlantic. We have a nor’easter predicted so are moving on to a more protected harbor. One of our favorites. Port Washington. 

We pulled our anchor (which seemed to be dug in half way to China) and timed the current up the East River along Manhattan. 

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

The World Trade Center. Governors Island in the foreground.

Brooklyn Bridge.

The Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc. Tragically, this vessel recently lost power and hit the Brooklyn Bridge with loss of life and many crew injuries.

I always photograph this building. I feel like I’ve watched the whole project come together. I like it.

Kinda weird but certainly stands out.

We called up Matt who runs the Port Washington Water Taxi and requested a mooring for a few day.

….and that brings us back to:

Port Washington, NY

So after 2000+ words we’re back to where this started. Today is cold and rainy. We’ve eaten. I’ve typed. Lynne has painted. The woodstove warms the boat. Most of the nor’easter has passed us. Bay scallops have been prepared and are ready to be seared along with rice pilaf.

We’ll stay here for a couple days, hopefully fill up with water and diesel fuel, and head further up Long Island Sound. Evergreen should be back on her mooring in Dartmouth soon.

View off the back porch. A gloomy day in Port Washington.

May 19th- Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey 

Our trip north has been quick. This has been helped by long offshore runs when the weather is good. This is different from our others voyages as we rarely went offshore or made overnight runs. We had exceptional weather until we reached the Chesapeake Bay. It seems to get worse as we go north. Hopefully the trend reverses itself soon.

I’m going to break away from my usual log format and try to summarize our trip but sprinkle in some flavor where I remember details. Of course, there are pictures. Currently I have good internet but Lynne and I are pinned down on Evergreen due to wind. We could launch the dinghy but would get soaked trying to get to a dock. It’s been like this since we got here. We can’t get Chinese food but we do have time for painting water colors (Lynne), baking bread (Lynne), making repairs (Brian), blog posts (Brian), and drinking beer (Brian).

  April 4th- Foxtown, Little Abaco Island, Bahamas to Vero Beach, Florida 

We had a short window to get across the Gulfstream. Conditions weren’t ideal but it looked like there wasn’t going to be another opportunity for the next week or so. The entire passage was going to be straight down wind. We’ve been carrying around a spinnaker pole for a few years but have never used it. We did,  infrequently, use one on Catalpa. We don’t use it for a spinnaker sail. We use it as a reaching pole to hold out the genoa so it doesn’t collapse when the wind is behind us. While in Foxtown I rigged fore and aft guy lines so we would be ready to set the pole. The whole thing took some figuring out but once rigged we didn’t have to touch anything for at least the next 24 hours.

Our downwind rig. That little bit of sail had us moving at 6 to 7 knots all night.

Our last sunset on the Bahama bank.

A blustery morning after crossing the Gulfstream.

The crossing was a little rough. I’m guessing we had 5 to 6 foot waves. Evergreen soared along all night with our genoa reefed and poled out. Our autopilot worked overtime trying to compensate for the wave action. It was difficult to get any sleep. Lynne and I do watches at the helm but the boat’s motion and noise volume from the wind and waves made life uncomfortable. 

We did make good time. Due to the captain making a wrong calculation and Evergreen sailing very fast we realized we’d arrive early at Fort Pierce inlet. With the wind blowing in and the tide running out there can be very big breaking  waves at the entrance. We basically had to drift and sail slow for a few hours to wait for the flood tide at the inlet. 

29 hours after leaving Foxtown we dropped the anchor near Vero Beach and passed out. I slept for 12 hours straight. The next day we pulled the hook and headed in to the Vero Beach City Marina for a mooring.

The Vero Beach city marina.

Evergreen spent about a week and a half in Velcro Beach. Captain and crew rented a car and drove across the state to visit family. We enjoyed our R&R in Florida.

We stocked up with as much food and booze as we could fit and dropped our mooring line on April 16th pointing Evergreen’s bow north. We made a few stops on the ICW and eventually made our way down to St Augustine. On the way, I looked at the weather, and started to formulate “a plan”.

April 19th- St Augustine, FL to Beaufort, SC

We were looking at the calendar and felt we needed to shave a few weeks off our northern cruise. The weather looked good so we headed out of St Augustine inlet into the ocean again. 27 hours and 164 nautical miles later we picked up a mooring in Beaufort South Carolina.

Another sunset at sea.

This was a reasonably calm trip. We had a mixture of sailing and motoring. At times we were content with just sailing along at a slow pace. This really helped with sleep for the off watch person. We both got some rest on this offshore excursion. This time the captain timed the flood tide into Port Royal Sound correctly. 

We enjoyed visiting our friends on S/V Shanks Mare and appreciated sharing a great Easter Dinner together.

On the 22nd we left Beaufort and made a couple more stops on the ICW along with Shanks Mare. 

Evergreen at sunrise anchored in Church Creek, SC. Photo courtesy of S/V Shanks Mare.

Our last stop was an anchorage at Minim Creek. We got there just as a squall hit. On our first attempt our anchor immediately started dragging. We pulled the hook and tried a different spot. It held! It was an exciting, white nuckled, affair. The storm was over within an hour.

April 24th- Minim Creek, SC to Little River, NC

This was another offshore hop. We had light winds on the nose, so motored all day. The only event of the day was coming out of the inlet at Winyah Bay. We were riding the ebb current out and a breeze was blowing in. This made things a little wet but not dangerous. Our front hatch was open but covered by the dinghy which was upside down on our foredeck. The Admiral happened to be standing under the aforementioned hatch when Evergreen’s bow plowed into a wave, pushing a bunch of ocean under the dinghy, through the hatch, and on the Admirals head! New rule: Keep forehatch closed when entering or exiting inlets. 63 nautical miles, 11 hours. We anchored off Bird Island for the night. It’s a great spot with nice beaches but we didn’t go ashore. 

 April 25th- Little River, NC to Carolina Beach, NC

Plan A was to take the ICW to the Cape Fear River and head up to Carolina Beach. The morning was so beautiful I thought, “Why not just head out again and avoid the shallow spots and traffic?” Well, that’s what we did. This was just a short hop offshore on a perfect day. There was no wind for our sails so Evergreen’s diesel did most of the work. We read and lounged around in the sun.

The Cape Fear light.

Once again the captain was able to calculate the flood tide correctly. We caught the current up the Cape Fear River and eventually made our way to Carolina Beach for a few days of R&R and to restock on supplies. For us, no stop in CB is complete without hitting Blackburn Brothers Seafood for whatever they have that is fresh. This time it was Tile fish. Never heard of it but it was good!

The next few days we spent along the ICW. We made the usual stops along the way. Eventually we made it up to Belhaven and filled up with water and diesel. After Belhaven we made some long runs and covered alot of ground (actually water).

Along the Alligator Pungo canal.

We had a really nice sail across the Albemarl Sound which can be a cantankerous body of water. Normally we head up The Dismal Swamp Canal to cross into Virginia. The canal was closed due to a replacement of the bridge at Deep Creek. We took the Coinjock route which we were familiar with from another trip. While crossing the Albemarl was wonderful, when we reached the North River the winds picked up and Evergreen became a little unmanageable for her tired captain and crew. We wrestled in the sails and powered into a protected spot for the night.

To be continued……

Next up, the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the coast of New Jersey (and a storm).

-From Atlantic Highlands, NJ:   Tomorrow the winds look like they are going to calm down for a day. If all works out, Evergreen will head up the East River and get a mooring in Port Washington, NY. We’re expecting some horrendous weather on Wednesday and Thursday. Matt, the guy that runs the moorings and launch service in Port Washington, is a nice guy and usually hooks us up with a protected storm mooring if we call ahead. Since we are expecting lousy weather I’m sure I’ll have more time for repairs, blog posts,  and beer!

March 22nd- Spanish Wells, Eleuthera to Tiloo Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

We motor sailed over to the Abacos today. We made good time and went a little further up the chain and anchored off Tiloo pond. We checked on the turtles. They look happy. We were happy. I could live on this island. There are no roads, utilities, or access to anything. Maybe not. It’s still a pretty spot.

That’s Evergreen out there.

March 23rd- Tiloo Cay to Man-O-War Cay, Old Scoplys Rock, Abacos. 

Had a short sail today to Man-O-War. We anchored off the island for the evening. I find this area tricky to set our anchor. I tried a few spots but no luck. Lots of rocks. We then got Evergeen’s bow over a patch of sand near the beach. We dug right in. I’ve done this multiple times but Lynne pointed out this is our closest beach anchoring yet.

March 24 and 25th- Man-O-War Cay Harbour, Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

This morning we hauled up the anchor and moved Evergreen over to a mooring in the harbor. We always enjoy Man-O-War. We toured the island a bit but also got a bunch of work done. I spent a day on deisel engine stuff. The Admiral stocked up on supplies. We also filled our water and fuel tanks. The new marina is really nice. They just reopened after being wiped out in 2019.

Evergreen moored at Man-O-War Harbour.

March 26th- Man-O-War Cay to Manjack Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

Another easy day motor sailing along the islands. The infamous “Whale ” was as calm as I’ve ever seen it. There seemed to be a ton of boats at Green Turtle so we decided to anchor over in Manjack Cay. Ofcourse Manjack Cay is pronounced “Nunjack Key”.

March 27th through 29th- Manjack Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

We stayed for a few days to wait out some weather. While here we walked the art trail. We also dinghied to different parts of the island on a calm day. This was our number 1 spot for turtle watching. We drifted up an estuary and saw many. Later we went up the shallow bay and hung out at the beach. 

Some scenes from Manjack. 

March 30th- Manjack Cay to Crab Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

It has been windy out here lately but we decided to move on anyway. Evergreen soared along under sail today. The wind direction is heavily influenced by the Easterly Trades. We’re currently moving west so that makes life a little easier. 

By the time we sailed the short distance to Crab Cay the wind had increased so we decided to call it a day. The next day was also windy with lightning and squalls. So we stayed an extra day. We toured around with the dinghy during a lull in the weather. There are lots of tiny islands and shallow bays off Little Abaco Island. No pictures due to weather. 

We had this nice double rainbow after a shower.

April 1st- Crab Cay to Foxtown, Little Abaco Island, Bahamas 

Evergreen had another brisk sail today. Frequently we were sailing over 7 knots. This is quick for an old sailboat. 

Today’s anchorage is Fox Town. It’s a small fishing village. We were able to grab a few things from the grocery store. Lynne managed to find a fresh loaf of bread. Besides the grocery, there is a restaurant and fuel dock. It’s a very secluded place. 

We were told we could get water from a faucet by the fish house. We lugged some water back to Evergreen. Unfortunately after testing with a TDS meter we found it was not potable. We still used it for dishes and bathing. There might be other water options but we have enough. 

April 2nd and 3rd- Foxtown, Little Abaco Island, Bahamas 

Today we spent some time prepping Evergreen for ocean passage. Many things get tied down. I also rigged a downwind pole for our Genoa. Tomorrow’s sailing looks like it will be mostly downwind, hence the pole. This is the first time I’ve rigged Evergreen like this but tomorrow will be around 22 hours. Mostly downwind. If all is well, we will head out of Foxtown Friday morning. We expect to be in Fort Pierce, Florida, Saturday morning. 

Some scenes from Foxtown. 

A few pigs wandering around. Most were small.

One of several large piles of conch shells.

Evergreen anchored at Foxtown.

One more pig for the road.

March 9th to13th- Rock Sound, Eleuthera Bahamas. 

The crossing from the Exuma Cays to Eleuthera was pleasant. On our way around the point we joined up with S/V Luckiest, S/V Clara, and S/V Cana. They were coming from Cat Island to Eleuthera. We all anchored together in the Sound and celebrated with sundowners.

The first day or so we had some weather and stayed aboard. Eventually things calmed down and we moved Evergreen near the town. We stocked up on all the necessities in Rock Sound. We visited the caves again with our cruising friends. We also went over to Wild Orchids for dinner with the crew of Clara.

The Cathedral Caves.

Rock Sound anchorage.

Last year I helped Warren mount a Bahamian flag in the harbor. This year he deputized me as assistant mayor and I performed the task again. I am told the Bahamian government will look on me favorably,  should I need to seek political asylum. 

He took a stop motion film with my phone. Here is the abbreviated version. 

I really do enjoy this kind of thing!

Warren- artist/ cinematographer.

Bye Rock Sound. We’ll be back.

March 14th- Rock Sound to Glass Window Bridge, Eleuthera, Bahamas 

We planned on slowly heading north along Eleuthera but due to another weather event we found ourselves pushing along and bypassing some of our favorite spots. 

Our sailing quartet met up again at the bridge for a bonfire on the beach. This was just an over night stop as this anchorage is wide open and preferable for settled weather. 

March 15th- Glass Window Bridge to Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas 

We all left in the morning and timed our passage through Current Cut. 

The ferry at Current Cut, sporting a new paint job.

We poked around Spanish Wells but couldn’t find the right place to put Evergreen. Our other cruising friends had booked docks in the harbor. We decided to head over to the harbor at Royal Island. This is a great place to anchor when the weather gets rough. 

We managed to tuck Evergreen way up the harbor in a very protected spot.

March 16th to 18th- Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas 

Our stay at Royal was very relaxing. It’s a private island (resort) so landing is discouraged. After a few days we couldn’t resist the urge to check out the uninhabited portion of the island. Unfortunately we both weren’t dressed for jungle bushwacking. This resulted in numerous injuries. We found the ruins of an estate. I’m not sure of the history. They were largely intact. We found the kitchen, bar, bathrooms with wood heated hot water, sleeping quarters, etc.

View off the back porch.

Royal ruins.

This is the basin of a sink attached to a fire place for heating water. This little building appeared to be a sauna.

The kitchen. Looks like a big bread oven.

We’ve seen a lot of starfish and turtles this year.

March 19th- Royal Island to Spanish Wells Eleuthera, Bahamas 

We got a message that S/V Maherio was giving up her mooring and heading south. Our friends on S/V Voilà would tie a surfboard to the mooring and save it for us. We dragged up the hook and headed over to Spanish Wells for a few days. 

We stocked up on supplies and and met up with our boat friends. After a few days the weather was right for crossing to the Abacos. 

Some scenes from Spanish Wells. 

Finally, we’re about 1/4 mile from a cell tower with nothing to do. Evergreen is currently in the Abacos. The weather has been difficult the past few days. Had a salty sail yesterday and pulled into this anchorage at Crab Cay. We were anchored near another Crab Cay yesterday. Wind picked up. Much lightning and rain last night. Getting ahead of myself here and behind on the blog so, back to the Exumas and The Pirate’s Lair. 

March 5th- Black Point to Bell Island Exumas, Bahamas 

Time to start heading back. We are more than half way through our cruising permit. We have another wind event coming tomorrow and need to hide out from westerlies. This time we went to Bell Island. Other anchorages seemed to be filling up but we were only the 2nd vessel at Bell. 

Bell Island is privately owned so we stayed on Evergreen for our time here. 

Rocky Dundas.

Saw this launch around sunset.

Didn’t work out apparently. No one was on board.

By the day of the westerly blow we had 25 boats in the anchorage. If someone had asked me before, I’d have estimated that there was room for 10 (maybe). The last boat that came in was practically anchored on top of us. I was aggravated at first but realized the guy was nervous and had a family. He stopped over to ask if it was OK. I told him he was on top of our anchor gear but should stay there if he felt he was securely hooked. We’d work it out if a problem arose (none did).

March 7th- Bell Island to Hog Cay/ Pirate’s Lair Exumas, Bahamas 

We missed a lot of the Exumas but I wanted to do something different before heading back to Eleuthera. Hog Cay is an odd anchorage that most cruisers seem to bypass. It’s part of the Exumas Land and Sea park. There is no anchoring allowed but it has two moorings. It is accessible from the ocean side of the Exumas. We radioed the park office at Warderick Wells and got a mooring for a couple of days.

What a perfect spot! 360 degree protection. At least three beaches to choose from. Easy snorkeling spots.

It’s called Pirate’s Lair because pirates used to stop in here to hide and most importantly, there is a natural fresh water well. We hiked on Warderick Wells and saw the well. Apparently there are plants that grow on the island that aren’t native to the Bahamas. This would be from the sailors that camped on the island. 

Rough trails in the Pirate’s Lair.

This was a great last stop in the Exumas. We hope to go back someday and explore other anchorages in the park. On our second day we met the park warden who stopped over to the boat. His wife ran the vhf radio announcements at 9:00am each day. This included park rules and mooring assignments. Unique about her delivery, was that she almost sang the park rules. 

Some scenes from Hog Cay.

Basking on our own private beach.

We found this fruit. We didn’t have any internet so couldn’t look up what it was. We probably should have tried one anyway. There was a lot.

Lynne at the top of the hill.

View from the top.

We had these large fish swimming off the back of the boat. No fishing in the park. I think they just hang around for scraps of food.

Evergreen moored in The Pirate’s Lair- Hog Cay, Exumas.

February 23rd- Rock Sound, Eleuthera to Shroud Cay, Exumas, Bahamas 

Today we crossed over to the Exuma Cays. This was a first for us as we haven’t gone this far south in prior years. This was mostly a down wind sail. The day had winds heavier than predicted. We made good time getting over to the islands but I was starting to worry about the large following seas and how that was going to effect the cuts between the islands. After consulting the charts I decided to pass through Highborn Cut. I spent some time, the night before, figuring out tides and current for the area. It was time well spent. We caught the incoming tide and made it between the islands. The navigation was tricky.

We anchored off Shroud Cay for the night. Shroud is supposed to be a beautiful island but we didn’t make it to shore. Maybe next time. 

February 24th- Shroud Cay to Rat Cay, Exumas, Bahamas 

We were unable to stay at Shroud due to an approaching weather system. This is a problem in the Exumas and the main reason I didn’t come here last year. There are not many anchorages with wind protection from the west. To compound the problem, the whole chain is densely packed with boats. There are more boats in the Exumas than we’ve seen on the entire Bahamas trip. Everyone races to the anchorages with westerly protection when a front rolls through. The Exumas are beautiful but I find all of the boat traffic a little disturbing. In addition to that,  there are the super yachts, and the helicopters, and the yacht toys. It’s odd to be on some remote island and have all this stuff going on.

We worked our way down to Rat Cay. This was also a tricky (shallow) entrance. The chart says to only attempt entrance with good visibility. Well, we had a squall right about the time I got there. I had boats following me in so I decided to go for it. There were already boats in the Pipe Creek area and a few large catamarans anchored near Rat. Eventually we put Evergreen in a spot that I was happy with. We stayed through the storm. The protection was good. Evergreen swung around a lot due to the current but the anchor held and we didn’t hit any rocks.

The following day was calm and many of the boats left. We stayed. It’s a beautiful spot with lots of wildlife and nice beaches. Many of the cays are privately owned but there are a few that can be landed on. 

Sometimes these little islands (The Mice) seemed very close.

Happy to be in the Exumas with some nice weather.

February 27th- Rat Cay to Little Bay, Great Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas 

The settlement on Great Guana is Black Point. We anchored in a nearby bay to check the beach (excellent) and walk some of the island. We did some extra dinghy exploring around here but didn’t find any living coral. The landscape on the ocean side was dramatic. 

Evergreen anchored in Little Bay.

March 1st- Little Bay to Black Point, Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas 

We moved Evergreen over to the other Bay and Black Point settlement. We saw S/V Clara anchored in the Bay. We exchanged sea tales for while and they were off to their next anchorage. We needed a few things so decided to stay at Black Point for a few days. They have a very nice laundry and free water. Lynne also asked around and found a woman that bakes bread in her kitchen. She bought a loaf of bread right out of a bread pan on the bakers kitchen counter. That’s fresh. Everything is closed on Sunday so we wandered around to check out the cliffs and see the blow hole.

Evergreen is out there. Somewhere.

Black Point Settlement.

March 4th- Black Point, Guana Cay, Exumas, Bahamas 

We are going to have some Westerly component winds again on Thursday so the plan was to move out today (Tuesday). The wind started howling through the rigging around 2am. I’m pretty sure we were getting wind in excess of 30knots due to the little breaking waves in the harbor. No moving today for us! The harbor was rough so we stayed onboard all day. I’m glad we got all of our shore projects done yesterday, and we have fresh bread.

February 4th- Spanish Wells to Alabaster Bay, Eleuthera, Bahamas 

We were able to sail down to Current Cut. At the cut we caught the swift current into the Bight Of Eleuthera . The rest of the afternoon was spent motoring into a light easterly breeze. We anchored in Alabaster Bay. This stretched into a few days so we could absorb the beach and sea for a while. 

February 6th Alabaster Bay to Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera Bahamas 

Perfect sailing weather. The Easterly Trades have been dominating the wind direction.

Governors Harbour was once the seat of government for the Bahamas. It’s an old settlement. We toured the architecture. The anchorage is often characterized as having bad holding but it worked out well for us.

February 8th- Governor’s Harbour to Pau Pau Bay, Eleuthera, Bahamas 

We sailed the short way down to Pau Pau Bay which is nestled in the Pineapple Keys. The Pineapples are a group of small islands off of Eleuthera and near the settlement of Palmetto. 

This was a great stop! The beach was nice and I was able to snorkel around one of the small islands. There was an active reef and some pretty big fish down there. 

We also found an excellent produce market, Eleuthera Island Farm. We hope to be back there for Bread Day!

February 11th- Pau Pau Bay to 10 Bay, Eleuthera Bahamas 

Here we moved down to another beautiful beach. It gave us a little extra protection from the wind which was veering more southerly. The snorkeling was less interesting but I kept up with the swimming and got some exercise. 

February 14th to 22nd- Rock Sound, Eleuthera Bahamas 

Back in Rock Sound. We like this town a lot. It’s a good provisioning spot for us. When we arrived we had about 20 boats in harbor. There were over 50 anchored before we left. It’s a big harbor so there were no problems. Everyone was well spaced. 

There are two large grocery stores. A liquor store and deisel fuel. Good restaurants. Various small shops. And Warren. 

While wandering around town we noticed many areas had been cleaned up and there seemed to be less dogs. We did see small puppies around which is heart wrenching as these dogs don’t have a good life on the streets. After talking to a few locals we found that Warren had spearheaded the cleanup before the boat migration. We met Warren last year while in Rock Sound. He is a powerhouse of Bahamian pride, an anti-litter activist, an artist, a former nurse, and a general positive force on this planet.

When we ran into Warren this year he was particularly happy to see Lynne because he thought she had died! Turns out he had heard of another American boat which, tragically, the wife onboard had passed away and the husband went back to the US. Sad story. He thought it was our boat. Not us. Anyway it was good to see him again. Last year he had all big paintings and charcoal drawings. This year he was producing smaller paintings for “you boaters”. We resolved to purchase one. He wouldn’t allow it! He was depressed about Lynne and was now happy having found she was alive and well. He gave us the painting as a gift. The generosity of the Bahamians is astounding. Rock Sound is not a wealthy town.

Warren’s (aka Grandma) studio.

He wanted me to make sure I got his phone number in for advertising.

Warren and the crew of Evergreen.

Our new Rock Sound painting.

I wrote most of this post in Rock Sound but didn’t get it uploaded. On the 23rd we jumped off for the Exumas but I don’t want to get ahead of myself as that’s the next part of the story.

Evergreen anchored in Rock Sound.

January 27th- Green Turtle Cay to Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, Bahamas 

We were tied for a week to Outward Bound’s mooring in White Sound. Our time was spent wandering the roads and beaches. We had a few breezy days. We filled up with water and deisel at the Green Turtle Club before departure. 

We motored through Whale Passage without incident. The rest of the afternoon,  we had a nice,  quiet, sail to Marsh Harbour. The wind was light but we didn’t have far to travel. 

We spent an extra day in Marsh Harbour and stocked up with groceries at Maxwells. In the evening we met up with the Captain of S/V Outward Bound for dinner at the Jib Room. The food and conversation was great. The next morning we all met up for a 3 mile walk along a scenic road that I didn’t know about. 

Captains of Outward Bound and Evergreen, living the good life.

January 29th- Marsh Harbour to Tilloo Cay Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

Today we made the short trip over to Tilloo. We love the pond. There are many turtles and a great assortment of other sea life. There are only a few houses on the island and I suspect the pond acts as a nursery for sea creatures. Coincidentally, this was our first time swimming this year. The night was calm and absolutely perfect!

Clear water at Tilloo Cay.

January 30th- Tilloo Cay to Little Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas 

We moved further south along the Abaco chain to prepare for our departure to Eleuthera. Evergreen ended her day on a mooring in Little Harbour. Little Harbour is one of those places that feels like it’s on the edge of the world. It’s not, but it feels that way. The budget was a little tight for Pete’s Pub so maybe we’ll drop in there on our return trip. We stayed an extra day to wait out some wind.

Evergreen moored in Little Harbour.

February 1st- Little Harbour to Lynyard Cay Abaco Islands, Bahamas 

The entrance to Little Harbour is very shallow. Even though we have a shallow draft vessel it would be unwise for us to go through this entrance near low tide. I’ve pushed through there before. We decided to exit LH at high tide and head over to Lynyard Cay for our early morning departure to Eleuthera. 

Being at Lynyard was like a day at the beach. We anchored off our own private beach and did some swimming, walking, and exploring. The weather has been really good. Much better than last year. So far. Tomorrow we’ll get through Little Harbour Cut and head out into the Atlantic. Destination Eleuthera. 

When I read the News I feel like there is a segment of the population that doesn’t believe in science. I have news for you. THERE IS TOO MUCH PLASTIC IN THE ENVIRONMENT. Every place I go, I see plastic. I try not to photograph it but you can see some in this photo. Sometimes there are piles. We see it when there is no land in sight. It bothers me. Rant over.

February 2nd Lynyard Cay Abacos to Royal Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas. 

We were awake at first light and under way around Sunrise. We had a 55nm day ahead of us and a crossing of the deep blue sea. I felt Eleuthera might go easier if we could avoid burning too much diesel. The weather prognosticators determined that we would have a beam reach for sailing (wind directly across the side of the boat). For much of the voyage the wind was more south east than east (predicted) so we were sailing up wind. Well we still had a good day! We lowered our center board (a rare event), cranked in our big genoa, tied a reef in the main, and blasted upwind most of the day. Evergreen was very heeled over (sideways) so it was a little difficult to move around. Still, we made good time. Later in the day the wind switched to the predicted east. Evergreen soared along at over seven knots. I started to depower the sails a little as I worried that some 40 year old piece of rigging hardware, would break.

We stopped for the night at Royal Island. It’s a good harbor with a tight entrance but 360 degree wind protection. The island is privately owned so there is no land access. The shore is mostly steep coral/ rock so there is no good place to land anyway. 

Sailing to Eleuthera.

February 3rd- Royal Island to Spanish Wells Eleuthera, Bahamas 

After a VERY leisurely morning we pulled up the hook and headed over to Spanish Wells. Sometimes this area is packed with vessels but there are not many around here right now. We pulled into the harbor and picked up one of the moorings that Pinder’s handles. The dinghy was launched and we filled a can with diesel and purchased a some groceries at the market. Spanish Wells has a very quaint feel to it.

Further clarification.

Evergreen moored in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera.

January 21st- Green Turtle Cay/ White Sound, Abaco Islands,  Bahamas 

We stayed an extra day anchored off Great Abaco Island to rest up. On the 19th we hauled up the hook and set sail for Green Turtle Cay. It was only 14nm to our destination so no need to leave early. For the first time in a while we had a real sail. The wind was gusting to around 25kts. We were able to make 6 to 7 knots under genoa alone. Even though it was breezy the sea state was pretty good. We made it in to White Sound, without mishap, and picked up S/V Outward Bound’s mooring for a few days. Since I have an aversion to government paperwork, Lynne becomes the Captain for the checkin process. Ivy the GTC customs agent remembered Lynne from last year and 20 minutes later we were flying the Bahamian courtesy flag and officially on vacation in the Bahamas. 

We’ve been relaxing and walking various beaches. Temperatures have been ranging from the upper 70s during the day, to upper 60s at night. It feels great to be back on GTC!

Coco Bay

We saw Turtles, Snapper, Barracuda, Needle Fish, Shark, and Stingrays. Much better than going to an aquarium. 

Evergreen moored at GTC.

January 18th- Great Abaco Island, Bahamas 

We hauled in the anchor at Lake Worth and exited the inlet around 5:00pm. We pointed Evergreen roughly south east to make some distance before the Gulf Stream would start to push us north. This put us directly into the SE wind so we motored. The Gulf Stream was choppy with around 4 to 5 foot seas. Eventually things flattened out a bit and we were able to roll the genoa out when we changed course. This stabilized Evergreen enough that the Admiral was able to cook up some chicken/ vegetable ramen soup. The moon rose and was a bright 3/4 so visibility was pretty good. We crossed onto the Bahama bank (near Memory Rock) around 2:30am. It was a good crossing and we were very pleased to be back in the Bahamas. During the calmer part of the voyage we traded off watches in the cockpit and the off watch person got some sleep. We did this every hour or two. This was a first for us and we felt much better. It took 17 hours to transit from Lake Worth to Great Sale Cay (21 hours if you count the ICW passage from Hobe Sound). 

Sunrise in the Bahamas.

Raising the quarantine flag.

As we were approaching Great Sale Cay I downloaded a weather forecast from our Garmin satellite device. Great Sale has a couple of different anchoring spots that provide good protection from various wind directions. Unfortunately, South West is not one of them. The wind was predicted to turn south west Saturday morning. These things happen. We had a brief meeting. We both felt pretty good and weren’t exhausted so we pointed Evergreen toward a safer anchorage.

Eventually, we dropped the hook in the lee of Great Abaco Island, not far from Cooperstown, around 5pm. In two days we traveled 161 nautical miles over 28 hours. Not bad for a couple of day-sailors in a 46 year old boat.

Today is cloudy, breezy, but a warm 75 degrees. Bahamas!!!