George Town, Great Exuma to Emerald Bay Marina, Great Exuma

February 10, 2020 - February 16, 2020

On Monday morning, Bob called a local refrigeration expert and made arrangements to have him come to fix the fridge on Friday while we are in Emerald Bay Marina (about 12 miles north of George Town).  Finally there was some hope! In the meantime we planned to keep the fridge cold with bags of ice purchased at the Exuma Market.  So, off we went in the dinghy to buy ice and get RO water.  The wind was strong and the tide was going out.  With the 20 foot wide opening to get into Lake Victory the opposing wind and tide created a washing machine effect and by the time we got to the dinghy dock we were soaked.  (That 15 HP engine is looking better and better.) 

We had to get through this
 narrow passage to get from
Elizabeth Harbour to Lake Victoria.

We cleaned up when we got back to the boat, had lunch and relaxed for a bit.  Since we didn’t have any repairs to work on we went into Chat ’n Chill and Volley Ball Beach where many of the cruisers hang out in the afternoon.  We watched the games going on over French Fries and Kalik Beers.  There was volley ball, dominoes, various rope swings, and swimming at the beach.  About midway through our beers some friends who lived next to us one summer at Anchorage Marina stopped by our picnic table.  It was great to see them (Bobbie and John on s/v Ambience) and talk about our adventures since we last saw them in Baltimore. We talked about meeting up for lunch on Wednesday. 

Nothing fancy about this beach bar

Inside the walls and ceiling are covered
with mementos from former visitors,
shirts, burgees, undies, etc.

In the bar the bartenders provide
the entertainment with their amusing
comments and happy smiles.

Dominoes

Rope swings
Notice there are lots of kids
 here from babies to teens.

The beach

Our friends, Bobbie and John enjoying
our conversation with a Kahlik.

Tuesday was very windy again and kept us boat bound.

Wednesday morning we had to go into George Town to get more ice to keep the fridge cold enough to prevent everything from spoiling.  What a ride!  The closer we got to the entrance to Lake Victoria the worse it got, again we were soaked.  Going back to the boat wasn’t any better.  We decided showering would be useless as we were going back into town to meet Bobbie and John for lunch.  On our way in the engine stopped when we were smack in the middle of the entrance to Lake Victoria (the worst possible place for our boat to quit). We scrambled to get out the oars and then the boat behind us offered to help us get to the dock.  First, he tried to push us, but we couldn’t get the boat facing forward.  Then he passed us and handed me a tow line.  I was stretched out flat on the dinghy sides and the seat holding on to the tow rope for dear life.  Finally, we got the boat facing forward and it was easier getting to the dock.  I was sure my arms and shoulders were going to feel the pain of this effort in the morning. 

After all of that excitement, lunch was a calm affair at Driftwood Cafe with Bobbie and John.  We walked around town a bit and then headed back to the boat. Again, it was fun meeting up with friends from the states.

Thursday morning we left our anchorage for our stay at Emerald Bay Marina (a part of the near by Sandals Resort).  It was great getting plugged into electricity allowing us to run the air conditioner and get “real” hot showers. 

This house sits above the channel
entrance to the marina.
Notice the channel is cut out of
the limestone rock that created the islands.

This is the entrance channel into the marina.

After having our fridge fixed (it turned out to be a simple easily fixed problem, phew), we had our Valentine’s Day lunch at La Fourchette the restaurant connected to the Paradise Bay resort.  Paradise Bay is a small resort on a beautiful bay off the ocean.  It has a small pool and about nine one and two bedroom cottages right on the beach.

We could see the bay, the cottages, and the beach
from our table on the porch of La Fourchette.

Here's Bob waiting for our great lunch.
The highlight was the rum cake with
vanilla and caramel ice-cream.

Since we already had the quarter berth torn apart we spent Saturday doing boat maintenance.  We changed the engine oil and filter, checked all fluid levels, replaced the engine water pump impeller (the worst of the jobs), cleaned out all of the raw water strainers, and changed the water maker filter. Quite a day! After getting the boat put back together we were exhausted and ready for nice hot showers.

Our plan (always fluid) was to leave Emerald Bay on Tuesday, but when Bob checked the weather forecast the wind would be too strong for us to leave until Thursday.  Our time table for passages is always based on weather conditions.

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George Town, Great Exuma

February 6, 2020 - February 10,2020

After breakfast we moved the boat closer to George Town.  Since our 6 hp engine is out of commission and we are using a small 2 hp Honda engine we thought being closer to George Town would be better.  Let me explain the geography of this harbour.  The Elizabeth Harbour is formed between Stocking Island (the barrier island) and Great Exuma creating a large protected area for anchoring.  All along Stocking Island and Great Exuma there are beautiful beaches and reefs for snorkeling.  George Town its self surrounds Lake Victoria which has a small entrance from Elizabeth Harbour.  The big cruiser gathering places, Chat and Chill Restaurant and Volley Ball Beach, are both on Stocking Island, but provisions and services are all in George Town.  Right now there are close to 300 boats (mostly sailboats) anchored in Elizabeth harbour off the many beaches, but there is so much room to anchor it doesn’t seem crowded.  

We took the dinghy into Town, after getting settled in our new anchorage.  We had lunch again at the Driftwood Cafe and then bought a few provisions, ice, and filled our water jug ( we hadn’t been making much water because of overcast conditions which lowered our power production).  The trip back to the boat was horrible since we were riding straight into 16 knot winds.  We were both soaked and grumpy by the time we reached the boat.  Salt water can be a big problem on a boat and this water is very salty.  When cloth gets wet with salt water it never seems to dry out.  The same thing happens when salt water gets inside the cabin. We have to be vigilant about keeping salt water out of the cabin and only in the cockpit or else everything winds up damp and sticky. UGH!

This is the George Town Primary School.
At lunch time the children come out side to play.

I took this picture because of the colors.
The pink administration building compliments
the turquoise water wonderfully.

This is an open air crafts market featuring
local crafts (straw baskets, etc.) and souvenirs.

The George Town Anglican church sits upon a hill.

Local flowers

After a windy day which kept us boat bound the wind calmed down.  We weren’t really happy with this new anchorage and decided to go back to the Stocking Island side and anchor off one of the beautiful beaches again.  We went into town  to the Farmer’s Market and for ice, water and lunch at the Peace and Plenty Hotel and Beach Club.  Beach Clubs in the Exumas usually have umbrellas, a wide beach, and a pool that cruisers can access for a small use charge for the day.  It was quite hot and I wished I had my bathing suit and could take a dip in the pool.  Instead after we moved the boat I swam into the beach to cool off, explore, and swim back to the boat.  It was actually comfortable on the boat with the nice breeze, but when we were in Town the buildings were blocking the breeze and the sun is very hot.  

Looking north from our deck you can
see the numerous boats anchored off
Monument Beach.  This is just one
of the many anchorage spots in the harbour.

We are now anchored off South Monument Beach.
We call it our beach!

That evening Bob noticed that the refrigerator was running constantly, using too much power, and not staying as cool as it should.  The next couple of days were taken up with solving the problem.  First, we cleaned the refrigeration unit coils and added some freon from some canisters we had on board (probably 5 or 6 years old).  The fridge cooled down to the appropriate temperature by night fall.  After communication with the company that we had purchased the unit from, Bob decided we needed to add more freon.  We took a long dinghy ride to the beach just south of the Napa Auto Store. We walked up to the highway and to the store and purchased fresh freon.  We were just thankful we could find the freon. Next morning we added more freon, but kept getting a fault signal that too much freon was in the system.  Anyway, after bleeding the system a few times and doing more problem solving, we realized that we were not going to be able to fix the refrigeration system ourselves ): which of course led to a very pessimistic night.  Some of Bob’s medication has to be refrigerated so we can’t survive here without a working refrigerator.  Thoughts of heading home (at least to Florida) ASAP came to the surface. We knew we could get the refrigerator fixed there.  

Monday morning brought some better news.  We were able to obtain a small cooler from a fellow cruiser to keep Bob's medication in if we only had a small amount of ice, and Bob was able to contact the refrigeration company in George Town and make an appointment to have the fridge fixed on Friday.  Until then we will purchase ice to keep things cold in the fridge.  Minn's Water Sports was recommended to us to fix our 6 hp outboard, but unfortunately they did not have the parts we needed, however, we were charmed by a 15 hp  outboard they have in stock and may buy that if our fridge gets fixed.  Maybe all of our problems can be solved right here in George Town.  I'll keep you posted!

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George Town, Great Exuma Island

January 30, 2020 - February 4, 2020

The wind picked up during the night and by Thursday morning we were rocking and rolling from a westerly wind.  We moved the boat in behind Galliot Cay to give us some protection from the wind.  Since we didn’t want to be crashing into waves for 39 miles, our planned trip to George Town had to be delayed.  It was a lazy day, but I did some cooking to provide meals for a couple of days.  We are getting very low on fresh produce and bread.

Some past photos that I haven’t used in my blogs:

I never expected to see a sign like this in the Exumas.

I took this picture in Lorain’s Restaurant in Black Point.

A great example of the beautiful flora of the area

When is the last time you
saw one of these in the states?

Friday turned out to be a perfect day for our ocean passage from the Galliot cut to Conch Cut where we entered Elizabeth Harbour.  We anchored off Stocking Cay just west of Monument Beach across the harbour from George Town. Our first outing was to find ice for Bob’s celebratory bushwhacker.  We wound up at the Chat and Chill Restaurant and Bar.  With instructions not to come back empty handed I walked from the beach to the bar.  They did not sell bags of ice or have the ingredients to make a bushwhacker so I used my charm to talk the bartender into selling me two large cups of ice (for $3).  At least I didn’t come back empty handed and with the ice that was left by the time we got back to the boat I made Bob his bushwhacker.  Unfortunately, our dinghy engine was overheating on our way back to the boat and Bob figured it had to do with the water cooling system, namely the water pump.  Of course, we didn’t have the parts on board to fix the problem.  The Bahamas are a fabulous place for exploring, boating, and water sports, but not for any kind of breakdown.  What  can we do????? Since our dinghy is our only transportation to get off the boat it is essential to our happiness and comfort.

Saturday proved to be immensely frustrating.  First, Bob was unable to top off our BTC account (pay for our next month’s service) remotely as he was instructed to do.  Next, he was unable to make a telephone call to BTC to get help with the problem.  Third, our only option to solve the phone issue was to get to George Town and a retail store that could help top off our phone and with our dinghy out of commission that was impossible. Bob did get through to the Yamaha dealer in town, but no mechanics were on duty on Saturday or Sunday. Next, we got the idea to hail the water taxi companies to take us into George Town, but we couldn’t get a response from any of them. If we had phone service we would have had a better chance of reaching them.  It was a real catch 22 or a scene from The Twilight Zone. So, we did what any good cruiser would do - had lunch and chilled for the afternoon.  Since nothing except bars and restaurants are open on Sunday in the Bahamas we will have to wait until Monday to solve any of our problems.  Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

On Sunday morning on the cruiser’s net (a daily broadcast to help local cruiser’s) we found that a small Honda outboard was available and we made arrangements with the sellers to purchase it.  At least now we will be able to get around. He also finally successfully topped up our phone!!!! The day was windy so we decided to stay on the boat to watch the Super Bowl. Great game and the Chiefs won 31-20.  

We visited George Town on Monday and were surprised at it’s bedraggled state, so many of the buildings were in disrepair. When we turned north to explore that area of town we found much better conditions. There was a colorful open air market that sold local crafts and souvenirs. I also visited a lovely clothing, local crafts, and local artwork shop. We were able to purchase all of the items we needed and have a nice lunch at Driftwood Cafe. 

One morning we took the dinghy into Monument Beach to explore.  My plan was to climb to the top of the hill which surely had spectacular views of the islands.  I made it half way up and turned around to take photos.  When I saw how steep my descent would be I chickened out and started back down the hill clinging to plants to keep myself from sliding down.  Later when I looked at the spot I had stopped climbing I realized that the rest of the climb would have been easier. Too bad I quit.

This is Monument Hill which is the highest
point on the island.  It has a white obelisk
on the top.

The beach in front of the hill was wide.

It seems to be the custom to write
on the beach using rocks.

I took this photo from Monument Hill, but
it's hard to see the words created with rocks.

We saw over a dozen starfish on
our travels in the dinghy that morning.

The restaurant at St. Francis Resort and Marina
served us a wonderful lunch.
Bob claims the conch fritters
are the best he's had this season.

Our view from the restaurant

We took a path behind the restaurant
to the beach on the ocean side.
This shot is looking south.

This shot is looking north.
There weren't even a dozen
people on this gorgeous beach.

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Big Major Spot, Staniel Cay, Black Point (on Great Guana Cay)

January 25, 2020 - January 29, 2020 

Saturday was a busy day.  We took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to pick up our filled propane tank, grocery shop, liquor shop, and have lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Bar.  The grocery stores were not well stocked with perishable goods as the mail boat was not due until next Wednesday so we couldn’t buy any bread.  I purchased some yeast and if I need to I’ll bake some bread. Fun! after stowing our purchase on the boat we donned our bathing suits and waited until just before low tide to head out to Thunderball Grotto for some snorkeling. We went around to the east side of the large rock to find the entrance to the grotto. Bob decided to stay with the dinghy and I was a little scared to duck under the rock wall and enter the grotto by myself, but I did it and was glad I did.  The sun was not high in the sky (it was 3:00 pm) but it was thrilling to swim into the cave and see the beams of light coming down from above.  There were lots of sergeant majors and other colorful fish to watch.  I exited the grotto on the west side. but because of the current I had some trouble getting back in.  Since the grotto was filling up with other snorkelers I swam across the cave and exited on the east.  We then took the dinghy around to the west side and I continued to snorkel until I came face to face with a barracuda,  But I did get to observe a sea turtle, parrot fish, blue tangs, and other colorful fish.  What a great day.

Sorry my GoPro photos weren’t great. 

I’ve been contemplating why the Bahamas are so appealing to us.  One reason is that the out islands are so different from the “real” world in the northeast.  The settlements do not have manicured lawns, but prolific indigenous flowers, trees and bushes that thrive in this climate.  The weather, although usually sunny with a cool breeze (71-79 temperature range) can get threatening when the winds become strong and blow from the west.  But mostly the weather is perfect.  The water is unbelievably beautiful and clear which makes for great snorkeling and swimming.  The restaurants are all open air and relaxed (no tie required).  Tooling around in the dinghy is a fun way to get where we want to go.  Each island and cay has a unique personality and reasons for visiting.  Once we get away from the islands with resorts we get a truly authentic experience. I just love it here!

I have noticed that sunsets at anchorage
have 360 degrees of beauty.  The clouds reflect
the colors all the way around.

We left our anchorage in Big Major Spot (or the Bay of Pigs) around 9:00 am and were anchored near the settlement of Black Point on Great Guana Cay before 11:00 am.  It was just a nine mile trip and I was on coral head watch the whole way.  Lunch was pizza at DeShamons Restaurant.  The settlement is small, but with some important features.  One is a great laundry mat which we used on Monday morning. Not only does the laundry mat provide laundry facilities but, also, hair cuts, showers, a dinghy dock, golf cart rentals, a lovely gazebo with a fabulous view, and a convenience store. 

I have to say that the view from the
Rockside Laundry Mat is spectacular.

One morning we rented a golf cart to explore beyond walking distance.  We visited the beaches on the ocean side of the island. 

Bob was the chauffeur for our trip around the settlement.

I took this picture from the road leading to the beach.

These cottages can be rented and overlook
the harbour on the Exuma Bank.

This vehicle was abandoned on the side of the road.
Apparently it is just as difficult to dispose of
unwanted items as it is to import goods.

There are two beaches on the ocean side
of the cay near the settlement.
This one unfortunately had some trash scattered about.

The island is made of limestone with only
enough topsoil to grow these hardy plants.

Rocks are just below the water's surface on this beach.

Waves crashing into shore sculpt the limestone.

We also discovered a great place for lunch although half the menu items were not available because it was Tuesday and the mail boat with supplies comes on Wednesday.  See what I mean by authentic.

Here's the view from our table at
 the Emerald Sunset View Restaurant.

While we were waiting for our lunch
two rays (pictured here), two nurse sharks,
and two barracudas swam into view.

On Wednesday we left Black Point and headed south once more.  We passed some beautiful spots on Great Guana Cay that we hope to hit on our way back up the Exuma chain of islands.

We anchored just west of the cut we will pass through to the ocean side in the morning on our way to Georgetown on Great Exuma.  When I dove on the anchor I had trouble reaching it because I was swimming against a strong current.  We had to anchor a second time to get the anchor dug into the sand deeply enough.

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Hawksbill Cay, Big Major Spot Cay, Staniel Cay

January 20, 2020 - January 25, 2020

Our plan was to grab a mooring at Warderick Wells Cay, the main island of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. However, we were unable to contact them via VHF before the office closed at noon to be assigned a mooring.  We were near Hawksbill  Cay with its beautiful sandy beaches.  We tried to get in close to the island where we saw a sailboat anchored, but our depth sounder continued to warn us that we were about to go aground so we anchored about a half mile out.  I dove on the anchor to make sure it was dug in well.  After lunch we took the dinghy into the beach.  The sand was soft and continued out in the water as far as you could see.  Swimming was wonderful as the sandy bottom fell off gradually, almost like stair steps.  The only other people on the beach were from a large power boat (an excursion boat) that had set up chairs and umbrellas for the guests.  So we shared the long beautiful beach with about six other people. I did some more swimming when we got back to the boat and then took a nice hot shower.  What a wonderful day!

Notice the water slide on the excursion boat!

The long beautiful beach at Hawksbill Cay

We left our anchorage at 8:30 am headed for Big Major Cay (pronounced key).  We had decided to skip Warderick Wells and hit that spot on our way back up the Exuma chain of islands. It was a perfect day for motoring (calm winds and bright sun) and we encountered numerous boats on our trip (about a dozen).  We anchored at Big Major at 12:45.  The most exciting part of the trip was when two dolphins (with my encouragement) joined us, swimming and diving in our bow wake.  In my excitement I neglected to bring my camera to the bow.  The water was crystal clear and I could see the dolphins as they looked up to me under water the whole time they were there. I always cheer them and tell them how beautiful they are as I have read that they appreciate communication from other mammals and I feel like that keeps them with us longer. What a treat!

Who’s really the captain of this vessel?

The sight of the beautiful water
never gets old.

At Big Major there are several beaches one is well known for the swimming pigs that live there.  When we first arrived several rowdy excursion boats were at the beach, but later in the day we ventured over to feed the pigs carrots ( their favorite).  A mama pig came up to our boat and consumed all of the carrots we brought. She seemed to be used to skittish humans, as her big crooked teeth were a bit scary, so she just opened her mouth and I popped the carrots in.  As we pulled away from the beach I saw six or seven piglets run out from the brush to great their mom.

Rainy Days at anchor by Big Major Cay

Excursion boats bring dozens of tourists to
visit, feed, and swim with the famous pigs.

This mama pig loved the carrots I fed her.

This baby pig was just too cute!

Pigs headed out to the tour boat
to entertain and be fed

Here I am feeding a pig with big ugly teeth!

We took the dinghy all the way to Staniel Cay, which has a small settlement with  a legendary yacht club bar and restaurant. We found a spot to rid ourselves of the garbage we had accumulated and went to the bar for some drinks and conch fritters.  We struck up a conversation with the fellow next to us who was a Bahamian and talked about the horrendous destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Abacos (our new friend lost a vacation home in Treasure Cay, but all of his family was safe in the Exumas during the storm).We returned to the boat before dark and enjoyed the sunset.

A view of the harbour on Staniel Cay.

Can you see the fun swinging couch
on the front porch the house?

The Yacht Club Bar had a great atmosphere.
Love the clock!
The top picture is of the 007 crew that used the
near by Thunderball Grotto in the 1965
 James Bond film and frequented the bar.

Colorful burgees (identifying vessel flags)
hang from the ceiling of the bar.

It rained during the night and we woke up to cloudy skies, an unusual occurrence.  It continued to rain on and off until 10:00 am. After lunch we took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to explore what the grocery stores had to offer.  We visited the “blue” store and the “pink” store and bought some Bahamian bread (still warm) and some diet sodas (hard to find in the Bahamas).  By then the sky had clouded over again and we decided to forgo a Kahlik (Bahamian beer) at the Yacht club and head back to the boat where we ate a nice big slice of warm Bahamian Bread with plenty of butter.

This welcome sign and church
are behind the town dock
where the mail boat brings supplies.

A sign guiding us to the "pink" store

What to do in Staniel Cay

Some beautiful foliage in front of the "blue" store

A limestone outcropping in the harbour

Wednesday proved to be a very shitty day in paradise.  Around midnight the wind picked up to 25 knots and blew from the WNW where we had little protection.  Sleep was impossible with all the clanging, pitching, rolling and worries running through my head.  In my frustration, around 3:30 am I got up and sat on the settee reading and waiting for sunrise.  The wind continued for 24 hours.  We couldn’t do much of anything, but sit in the cockpit and read, complain, and try to rest.  When I went below I was tossed around the cabin by the boat movement and feared seasickness.  Not fun. Consequently meals were whatever I could slap together in the cockpit.  By 4:00 pm the wind had died down to under 20 knots and we ventured to get the motor off the dinghy and locked on to the stern motor mount.  The waves were still 3-5 feet, ahhhhh.  I climbed in to the dinghy, with great difficulty while Bob tied the dinghy across the back of the boat.  I hooked the motor lift to the engine and proceeded to loosen it from the dinghy all the while pitching and rocking in the waves.  Once the motor was loose Bob started to haul it up to the mount.  Normally, this is an easy task as I guide it into place, but not in these conditions.  The motor banged around on its way up even though I did everything I could to keep it steady.  Finally, the motor was successfully locked into place.  The wind continued to howl  until around midnight when we could finally get some peaceful sleep.

The wind created these waves crashing on the shore.

You can see the white caps and
the boats bobbing around.

Thursday morning was glorious.  After a good night’s sleep the anchorage looked like paradise once again.  The wind was still strong, but it had clocked around to NE where we were well protected by the island.  After lunch we took the dinghy into Staniel Cay to check out the third grocery store where we could get our propane tank refilled. We had to wait until 4:30 to pick up our filled tank and decided to kill the time at the Yacht Club Bar.  After a couple of Kahliks and an order of onion rings we decided to walk around the island while we waited to pick up our tank.  The only issue was that we also had to pick up ice at the office and they closed at five.  We just aren’t used to this kind of stress (LOL).  We located the laundry mat/ liquor store (a great combination as you can sit at the bar and have a drink while doing laundry).  Back at the yacht club we viewed the numerous nurse sharks (a couple were very large) swimming around the fish cleaning station area waiting for a free lunch.  We picked up the ice and then the propane tank and headed back to the boat.  Unfortunately, the some of the ice melted on the way.

Our plan on Friday was to snorkel Thunderball Grotto, but it rained off and on all morning delaying our adventure. I cooked a great lunch and then we headed back to the grocery store to have our second empty propane tank refilled.  It was sunny on our return trip and once back at the boat I jumped in for a swim.  It is just so beautiful here! Once I was back on the boat and showered Bob noticed a nurse shark that was hanging around the boat.  He stayed with us all evening.  Wonder if he wants to make friends?


Thank you for reading my blog.