Marsh Harbour to Green Turtle Cay

 March 17, 2018 to March 24, 2018

We got busy with our chores on Saturday morning and took the garbage into the Union Jack Dock for disposal.  Two young boys carried the bags for me and deposited them in the dumpster.  I gave them both a generous tip.  I continued on to Bristol, the liquor store, to replenish our supply of rum, vodka and beer.  As I was returning I noticed Bob was the center of attention for several island boys who had shed their clothes (except for underwear) and were wet from swimming.  Bob had been taking them out in the dinghy where they jumped out and swam back to the dock.  The boys were loving it!

We stowed our purchases and rode over to the Jib Room to make our reservation for Steak Out that night and to have lunch.  While we were finishing our lunch a man on the deck called out, “That boat is on fire!”  I heard several “Oh shits” and watched as the employees and the owner ran to put out the fire with extinguishers.  Bob went over to investigate.  The fire started on the bimini (a cockpit covering) caused by faulty wiring of flexible solar panels. The controller for the panels was probably undersized for the 400 watts of power production by the panels and the wiring was sloppily done.

The bimini was completely destroyed and there was damage to the teak
and the fiberglass in the cockpit. Thank goodness the
 nearby propane tanks didn’t blow.

Here you can see the damage from astern.

Steak Out that night was delicious as always and we made it back to the boat just as the sun was setting.

 A lovely ending to an eventful day

Sunday was taken up by two walking trips to Maxwell’s Grocery Store (1/2 mile each way) and stowing our $300+ worth of purchases.  We like to repackage meats to eliminate the styrofoam containers so we can fit more into the fridge.  All cardboard has to be removed from items and discarded quickly to prevent roach infestation of the boat. Yuck!

We got up before the sun on Monday, hauled anchor, and were on our way back to Green Turtle Cay by 6:45. The light winds and calm seas made for an easy passage out into the ocean and around Whale Cay.

One of the rewards of getting up so early is a beautiful sunrise.

This large schooner was anchored in the
Sea of Abaco near  Whale Cay.

We were tied onto our mooring and thinking about lunch by 10:45. That afternoon the temperature was in the 80’s and I decided on a swim.  Bob needed me to check the propeller for growth or vines wrapped around the shaft.  I dove down and brushed away the growth and used a razor scrapper to remove the barnacles from the shaft.  I was on a roll and decided to start cleaning the bottom of the boat of the growth I could reach without going under.  I made it about 1/4 of the way around before I was tired out.  Cleaning tasks take a lot of energy!  I was done with work for the day.  After a hot shower and a lobster dinner I was ready to turn in early.

Tuesday morning I defrosted and cleaned the refrigerator thoroughly. I’m excited about getting back to work on my quilt now that I have all of the Androsia fabric I need.  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Maine coon cat. Lizzy, passed away on Thursday morning of congestive heart failure while at a vet’s office in Marsh Harbour. Bob was holding her while the vet and his assistant did everything they could to save her. We took her to the vet because of labored breathing and refusal to eat. Unknown to us these can be signs of congestive heart problems of which Maine coon cats are predisposed. We are heart broken over her loss. This tragedy has sucked the joy out of our Bahamas adventure so we are taking advantage of a weather window to get back to the states. We left Green Turtle on Friday morning and will be in Ft. Pierce late Sunday afternoon. We will continue on to Vero Beach where we will spend 2-3 weeks.

This is the last picture I took of Lizzy (she is in the forefront)
while she and Jack were enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the cockpit. 

Here’s to fair winds and following seas. 

Thanks for reading my blog.

Green Turtle Cay to Man-O-War Cay to Marsh Harbour

March 12, 2018 - March 16, 2018

We’ve had some good weather and some not so good weather lately.  On Monday it rained during the early hours and into the morning but cleared up after lunch.  We left the boat to go into the grocery store with the sun shining, but by the time we got back to the boat we were hearing thunder.  Once we were inside the storm broke and we had rain off and on for the rest of the day.  There is something about rainy days that make Bob and I both want to cook.  He used some left over grouper he had grilled the night before to make a delicious creamy soup for lunch with mushrooms and a little sautéed onion.  For dinner that night I made an enchilada stove top casserole using some cooked chicken breasts we had in the fridge.  That also was quite good.  The problem with these “use what we have on hand” meals is that we can never duplicate them.

One Tuesday, the last day of Bob’s week long birthday celebration we went out to lunch at The Lizard Restaurant at the Leward Yacht Club.  We had excellent meals, but the deconstructed key lime pie was exceptional…probably the best we’ve ever had.

Like most Abaco restaurants the seating is outside
 with some protective shades that can be
let down or rolled up depending on the wind.

The biggest decision of the day...what to have for lunch.

The pool by the restaurant can be used by marina and restaurant guests.
I’ve yet to see anyone in the pool. 

After lunch the wind tapered off and I sunned on the bow waiting to get hot enough to go in the water.  At about 3:30 I swam around the boat several times and then used the deck brush (Bob always has a chore for me) to clean the growth off the rudder.  This is my first time in the water since we were in Man-O-War Cay…those pesky cold fronts.

I’ve been making progress on my quilt and was able to calculate the number of squares I need to complete it and found I need two more yards of Androsia fabric.  A shop in Green Turtle sells Androsia but they don’t have the colors I need.  We will have to visit Man-O-War again.  I love fabric shopping!!!!

I am always drawn to the beautiful flowers that grow on these cays - some are planted by home owners, but many grow wild.  On one of our daily walks I took photos of the flowers we encountered.

I think this pink flower may be a type of frangipani.

This may be another type of frangipani.

Could this be a morning glory?

I think this is a hibiscus.

This seems to be another type of morning glory.

Our outing on Thursday included a walk to
the beach in the central part of the cay.

Everywhere you look on this cay is
a great opportunity for a photograph.

The shelling was great at this beach.

Bob harvested a couple more coconuts and cracked them open on Wednesday while I was walking to the grocery store and then completed the process while I was doing laundry.  I made another batch of yummy coconut muffins.

Friday morning we left our mooring at 7:30 to make it to Man-O-War by mid tide.  The Whale channel was calm and we made record time to Man-O-War.  While Bob was topping off the fuel tank and filling our water tanks I hurried down to Sally’s Boutique to get the Androsia fabric.  They had all of the colors I needed and I was back at the boat before the water tanks were full.  It was still before mid-tide so we elected to continue on to Marsh Harbor and get a head start on all we needed to accomplish there.  We anchored near our friends Jonathan and Marion and invited them over for happy hour that night.  No sense getting too busy with tasks.  

Thank you for reading my blog.

Cracking a Coconut

March 10, 2018

On one of our walks to the beach at Gillam Bay Bob found a coconut that had fallen from one of the palm trees.  After shaking it to make sure there was liquid inside he carried it back to the boat.  He researched how to crack a coconut and armed with a machete, a large hammer, a container for the liquid, and a plastic bag for the coconut we went to the public dock to try our hand at harvesting a coconut.

Step one - Remove the green shell.

More of step one.

Step two - Remove the coconut coir (that’s the hairy brown stuff).

Step three - Puncture the nut and drain the milk.

Step four - crack the nut and remove the hard shell.

Step five - remove the brown skin of the nut.

This whole process took us about an hour and a half, but Bob has done further research  into the process and our next coconut cracking experience should be easier.

 Step six - Grate or chop the white meat of the nut.

Step seven - Use the coconut meat in your favorite recipe. 
I  made low carb coconut muffins.
Yum!

Our next trip to the beach will definitely include a search for another ripe coconut. Bob really liked the coconut muffins especially with the low carb cream cheese icing I added to them.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Green Turtle Cay #2

March 7, 2018 - March 11, 2018

March 7, 2018 was Bob’s 71st birthday.  We plan to celebrate it all week.  After breakfast we walked to the southeastern portion of the cay to Gillam Bay which has a beautiful beach.

A very creative sign guided us down the correct path to the beach
It says, "Beach dat way."

We got our first glimpse of the bay from the pathway.

Lovely cottages lined one portion of the bay.

 Any beach in its natural state will have debris from the trees that die along its edge.

Some friends we met last year here at Green Turtle Cay, Jonathan and Marion on s/v Eleuthera II, invited us to their boat for happy hour to help Bob celebrate.  The cruiser protocol for these get togethers is that everyone brings their own drinks and a snack to share.  We were tired from our long walk on the beach in the morning and decided to create an appetizer from what we had on hand so we wouldn’t have to make the journey into the grocery store.  I made cucumber slices topped with cheddar cheese, one half of a grape tomato, and a jalapeño slice.  They were colorful and tasty.  Spending time with other cruisers is always fun.

The Northeaster that plagued the east coast of the US with snow and frigid temperatures brought a cold front to the Bahamas with cooler (65-75) temperatures and strong winds which kept us close to the boat for a couple of days.  We even had a couple of quick rain showers.  It’s amazing how your perception of cold weather changes when you are in a warm climate all winter.  Yes, we were complaining of the cold.

We took a second walk to Gillam Bay on Friday and explored further south this time.

The beach on this portion of the bay was cleared of any natural debris,
 unlike the section of the beach we explored on Wednesday.

Many grand homes looked over this section of the bay.

Another beautiful home

After our walk we took a dinghy ride over to White Sound to explore and decided to stay for lunch at The Green Turtle Club.  This is the first time we ate out in over a week and the crunchy grouper wraps we had were delicious. Since it was still Bob’s birthday week we celebrated with a slice of chocolate cake with coconut ice cream. Yum!

On Saturday we took a walk to the hydroponic farm that was started by a local resident using the technology developed by the space program to grow food on the International Space station.  I picked a bag of fresh greens for our dinner tonight.

Since the Bahamas have very little tillable soil
this is a great way to grow fresh produce here.

The salad I made from the fresh greens was outstanding!  We are still waiting for a weather window to make it through the Whale Passage and on to Marsh Harbor for some provisions and some cash.  

Thank you for reading my blog.

Green Turtle Cay

March 1, 2018 - March 5, 2018

The wind was so calm this morning that there wasn’t a ripple on the water around us.  

The sun mirrored the shore line on the flat water
surface creating this perfect reflection.

After moving the boat over to black sound at high tide this morning we wanted to go into New Plymouth (the settlement on Green Turtle Cay) to reacquaint ourselves with the town.  We walked to the edge of the marina property and weren’t sure where to go.  A resident was on her porch and asked if she could help us.  We asked how to get into town and she said even though it was private property the owners allowed boaters to walk on the path along the wall of their properties to save steps in getting to town.  That’s just how Bahamians are…friendly and accommodating if you treat them and their property respectfully.

This is a picture of New Plymouth from the top of the hill on our way into town. 
The Sea of Abaco is in the distance

Many houses in town have a profusion of flowering plants decorating their walls.

 Most homes in the settlement are modest, colorful and well kept.

Bob is checking out the menu for this take away restaurant we visited last year.

We decided to try out this new restaurant for lunch.  
The original owners granddaughter returned
to the island recently to renovate the cafe
and the house next door.

 On our way back to the boat we saw this catamaran aground.
 Someone wasn’t paying attention to the tides!

We had hoped to get cash at the bank in Green Turtle like we did last year, but the bank has been closed since last summer.  We weren’t too happy with the fact that we would have to go back to Marsh Harbour to get cash early in the week.  Fortunately, Donny let us pay for the mooring through paypal.  We went to a grocery store for some supplies and they had difficulty running our card because of telephone problems so the clerk allowed us to take the items on credit and stop in the next day to run our card again.  Maybe with these accommodations we won’t have to go back to Marsh Harbour.

We walked into town each day to try and pay our grocery bill (still couldn't run our card) and take some photos. 

This boat was anchored on the beach. 
In the background those black dots are fishermen.

 In the Abacos telephone poles serve as billboards.

Feral chickens roam the settlement freely.

There are still working fishermen in the community.

The beauty of palm trees lining the the beach of a
turquoise sea never loses its appeal to me.

On Tuesday morning Bob assessed the weather predictions and thought that we could get through the Whale Cay Passage and make it to Marsh Harbour today and then return on Wednesday.  With the trouble the settlement has been having running credit cards we thought it best to get some more cash.  Just before we took off Bob mentioned that the winds may still be strong on the ocean side of Whale Cay.  The Sea of Abaco was calm, but when we got past the protection of the cays the waves became unmanageable.  We weren’t crashing into the waves but the 10-12 foot swells were rocking the boat much more than was comfortable or safe so we turned around and headed back to our mooring in Green Turtle.  

Fortunately, when we made another trip to the settlement and Lowe’s Grocery Store the credit card machine was working and we were able to settle our tab.  Maybe we won’t need more cash after all.  We’ll see.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Hope Town, Elbow Cay to Green Turtle Cay

February 25, 2018 - February 28, 2018

We left our mooring in Hope Town at around 11:30 am and stopped by the fuel dock for water.  After filling our tanks we headed out to the Sea of Abaco (the protected waters between the barrier cays and Great Abaco Island) and motored to Marsh Harbour and anchored time to get to Maxwell’s Grocery store before it closed at 4:00.  After unloading and stowing our provisions I made some blueberry muffins for breakfasts and cooked a frozen pizza for dinner. 

Low carb muffins are a nice change from our usual quiche.

We spent Monday morning doing chores and errands one of which was to have our LPG canister refilled.  We couldn’t pick up the canister until after lunch so we decided to have our final Marsh Harbour meal of the season at Da Blue Hole restaurant which we think has the best hamburgers around.

You can see by the view from the restaurant why it is so popular.

I never get tired of seeing palm trees.

After lunch we hauled anchor and headed to Man-O-War Cay.  It is sad to think we 

won’t see Marsh Harbour for at least another year, but continuing our adventure is exciting.  We are stopping at Man-O-War Cay mainly to purchase Androsia batik fabric for the quilt I have started.  Androsia fabric is an 100% cotton fabric batiked and died at a factory on the island of Andros in the Bahamas.  The motifs batiked on the fabric have an island theme - turtles, palm trees, pineapples, hibiscus, fish, etc. I purchased two bags of Androsia scraps in December to start work on the quilt.  Once I figured out how many three inch squares I would need to complete the project (at least 650) I realized I needed lots more fabric.  After grabbing one of David Albury’s moorings in the harbour we started out for Sally’s Seaside Boutique to purchase the Androsia.  Her boutique sells clothing, pillows, napkins, placemats, accessories, and bags all created by her and her staff out of Androsia fabric.  She sits in one corner of the shop sewing while minding the store.  She helped me with my selection and even threw in a couple of extra scraps for my quilt and asked if I would send her a photo of the completed quilt.  I was so excited about my purchase I kept looking in the bag at the beautiful colors (only a quilter would understand this I’m sure).

Beautiful, right? 

After my shopping I was tasked, as the First Mate, to clean the bottom of the dinghy.  I don’t mind these jobs since being in the water is my favorite place to be.  However we had seen some fishermen cleaning their fish on our way back to the dinghy.  After I finished my cleaning job and swam around for awhile Bob informed me that the fishermen had told him they had seen a seven foot shark around their fish cleaning station just the other day.  AHHHHHHH!

Early the next morning we left Man-O-War and motored out to the Whale Cay passage.  This passage is a channel that takes you out of the Sea of Abaco into the Atlantic Ocean, around the Whale Cay, and back into the Sea of Abaco.  Bob had read and listened to the various weather reports and planned this passage on a day with light and variable winds making our transit an easy calm one.  

This is my view from the cockpit while motoring.
The seas and wind were both calm.

We arrived in White Sound Harbour in Green Turtle Cay late that morning.  After securing a mooring we went to the marina to explore this section of Green Turtle and have some lunch at The Tranquil Turtle Beach Bar.  A sudden rain shower came up while we were having lunch and we scurried back to the boat to close the hatches and clean up the watery mess.  We both decided that White Sound was a little too like South Florida with “islandy” resorts, shops, marinas, and restaurants.  We much prefer the authenticity of the settlement and Black Sound Harbour.

Kind of a fake looking tiki hut vibe.

As always there are beautiful views from the restaurant.

On Wednesday we checked out the moorings in Black Sound and reserved one of Donny’s Marina moorings.  We took a little trip into the settlement and stopped at Emily’s Blue Bee Bar to sample the original Goombay Smash said to be created at this bar/restaurant.  The drinks were delicious and we enjoyed the atmosphere and Bahamian music.  At the Tranquil Turtle they were playing country western music…strange.

Nothing fancy, it's just clean and colorful with great food and drinks!

No ostentatious decorations here, just what customers have added.

We have decided to keep our mooring here in Black Sound Harbour in Green Turtle Cay for a month and take excursions to the out islands when the weather permits.

Thank you for reading my blog.