Thursday May
21st
location -
The
Atlantis Marina
2009-05-21 and 22nd - Photo
Album - an all dayer
|
In Port -
The
Atlantis Marina,
Nassau, Providence Island
( 242-363-6068 )
we woke up to RAIN and thunder ( Autumn
does not like the THUNDER ) .. and it
looks like an all dayer ( our first ) ..
due to the weather the boats from the
Landings decided not the leave for
Bimini. We used the day to catch
up with a few things around the
boat...attempted to get the Garmin
weather module working by checking all
the connections, etc. but no luck
yet...could sure use it about now.
the weather did not prevent all the
boats coming and going in the harbor ..
another 60 Viking just like Dee Light
arrived today .. the Rio Grande Belle
from Albuquerque, NM. Decided to
have dinner aboard and finally
around 5 pm the skies started to lighten
up...we walked out to see if we could
catch a nice sunset and the day ended
with a few "red sails" as we watched
several of the larger yachts move about
the harbor. Carol used the
Magicjack to call her sister in WI which
worked great and we finished the evening
with a little TV and ice cream.
|
Friday
May
22nd
location -
The
Atlantis Marina
BuoyWeather
Nassau to
Highbourne
updated on May 23rd 2009
2009-05-21 and 22nd - Photo
Marv's surgery
|
In Port -
The
Atlantis Marina,
Nassau, Providence Island
( 242-363-6068 )
at about 10:00 am the three boats
from The Landings headed out for
Chub .. with a following sea they
are planning to do some fishing on
their way to Chub ..
made an appointment for 1:30 pm to
see the "skin doctor"...Marv had a
"boil" on his port thigh that just
wouldn't budge despite all the home
remedies we tried...so before
heading for the Out Islands we
decided to have it looked at by a
professional ..had the good
fortune to meet up with the lovely
Dr. Richelle Knowles who diagnosed
the problem as a Sebaceous Cyst that
wasn't going to go away by itself!
.. so an hour later she very adeptly
cut out the offending mass all the
while being assisted by her husband
Dr. George who happens to be an
OB/GYN and was at the office helping
out before he went to his clinic!
They are a wonderful couple with 2
sons and a 3rd on the way ..
Richelle is from Trinidad and they
both did their residency in London
with George proposing to Richelle
under Big Ben .. we wish them the
very best! After Marv was
stitched up and bandaged up we
decided to head directly back to Dee
Light to rest up!
Watched a few boats come in but
think many are being held up by the
weather .. had dinner aboard again
and then took a nice walk to the
Marina Village for ice cream before
calling it an early night.
|
Saturday
May
23rd
location -
The
Atlantis Marina
2009-05-23 - Photo Album
dinner at
Columbus Tavern
|
In Port -
The
Atlantis Marina,
Nassau, Providence Island
( 242-363-6068 )
...another rain filled morning so we
spent a leisurely morning aboard.
Still recuperating and feeling the
effects of Marv's "minor surgery"
we stuck close to the boat and
allowed the Captain to rest up while
watching the rain showers come and
go .. Marv also spent some time
working on the Garmin XM Weather
Unit and just got frustrated ..
UUFFFDAA !! .. Made
reservations for dinner at the
Columbus Tavern at Paradise Harbour
Club and Marina. This
restaurant is on the eastern end of
Paradise Island (also owned by
Atlantis, who we are told now own
about 3/4 of the island) it is on
the 2nd floor overlooking the harbor
and is the island's "only native
Bahamian waterfront restaurant"
...we enjoyed a wonderful
meal...white tablecloths and fed the
birds a little of our Bahamian bread
on the open window sill next to our
table. Also enjoyed the
"island music" provided by a live
entertainer. Called it an early
evening as we anticipate leaving in
the morning for Highbourne Cay.
|
Sunday
May
24th
travel - Nassau to
Highbourne
2009-05-24 - Photo Album
photo from last year
was much the same
weather this year
2009-05-24 - Photo Album
Highbourne
Plantation
2009-05-24 - Photo Album
Sharks at end of Pier
|
Travel -
Nassau to
Highbourne
Cay
- 37 Nautical Miles
after checking out at the Marina Office
.. UUFFDA !! .. at 0800 we left our slip
at Atlantis and headed out for
Highbourne
Cay .. at 0815 called Nassau Harbor
Control to leave the harbor and
proceeded on our way with 2-3 footers on
our bow...just enough to throw an
occasional mist of salt spray over the
windshield. Skies were
partly cloudy and when we were about
halfway we noticed a large bank of dark
clouds off to the starboard side (to the
SE)...arrived at the entrance to
Highbourne about 1100 and were advised
that our slip was still occupied and
check out time was not until
1200...waiting for the M/Y Monique which
had also been docked at Atlantis. After
standing by for a bit we finally pulled
alongside the long north dock to wait
for our slip...walked Autumn and checked
in at the office ...Monique was just
leaving as we returned so we moved Dee
Light to our assigned slip...AND just as
we were getting all our lines, fenders
and power cords situated the first drops
of rain began...within 10 minutes it
began to POUR...along with lots of
thunder and lighting...we were most
happy to be snug in our slip!...also got
a fresh water wash down compliments of
Mother Nature! .. after a light snack we
launched the Dinghy ..
Called Cool Runner Catering at
242-355-1010 for some bread and
johnnycake .. we left a message and
later had two loaves of Bahamian bread
delivered to the boat...will have to
wait for the johnnycake. By 5 pm
the sun was back out so we decided to
have dinner on the bow of Dee Light
while the sun was going down .. Autumn
joined us along with a couple of tiny
winged visitors with yellow bellies ..
they sure like Bahamian bread!
After dinner we all strolled down to the
fish cleaning station to watch the nurse
sharks feed on the fish remains and
talked with a couple of fishermen who
came in tonight from Miami...they
cleared customs at Bimini...fished to
Nassau and refueled and arrived at
Highbourne around 8 pm...both in a 30'
and a 28' boat! Had a rough ride
this afternoon thru the storm but
brought back a nice catch in spite of
the weather...talk about die-hard
fishing enthusiasts.
Met a few of the marina residents
gathered at the Tiki Hut on our way back
to Dee Light and will probably join them
for "docktails" tomorrow. It is a
beautiful evening at Highbourne tonight
and we have opened the windows to let
the breezes come in.
|
Monday May
25th
Memorial Day
location -
Highbourne Cay
2009-05-25 - Photo Album
Allen Cay
2009-05-25 - Photo Album
deelightful
|
In Port -
Highbourne
Plantation ( 242-356-1008 )
- Dockage $2.00 plus electrical
power - Diesel $3.11
After breakfast the sun was shining
brightly so we loaded up the dinghy
and set off for the Allens Cays
which are located just north of
Highbourne. It is very odd to
float up to an absolutely pristine
deserted beach and no sooner than
the bow of your boat touches the
shore .. an army of lizards march
your way .. can be a bit
intimidating! .. they are not shy
about looking for a handout .. and
have a face "only a mother could
love" however we forgot to pack a
lunch so nothing from us today and
before long they moved back to the
coral crevices from which they came
in order to escape the midday sun.
Actually they are Marine Rock
Iguanas and these Cays are their
protected sanctuaries. We
explored a couple of other beaches
in the Cays (waved and said hello to
the boats anchored) and eventually
made our way back to the marina.
We decided to run the water maker as
Highbourne charges a flat rate for
the electric power .. so far it is
running perfectly .. took a
walk to the other side of the island
and came across a great open
pavilion with a wonderful view of
the surrounding area .. decided to
head back to the boat as the skies
began to darken again .. rains
eventually moved over around 5pm and
lasted about an hour .. hopefully
back to the typical summer weather
pattern!
|
Tuesday May 26th
location -
Highbourne Cay
2009-05-26 - Photo Album
dinghy trip to MacDuff's
2009-05-26 - Photo Album
Leroy - "that be me"
2009-05-26 - Photo Album
fresh conch tonight
|
In Port -
Highbourne
Plantation ( 242-356-1008 )
.. well the summer weather pattern
definitely seems to have returned
(we hope!) as we woke to blue skies
and fluffy white clouds. We had
noticed some beautiful large conch
shells on the dock next to our
neighbor's boat and asked where she
got them...gave us the name 'Leroy -
the local conch fisherman" ...so
began our search for Leroy.
Loaded up the dinghy and left the
marina about 10 am and headed out
for Norman's Cay and MacDuff's
Restaurant for lunch. Had a great
trip down and observed one of the
high-speed tour boats (probably out
of Nassau) head into one of the Cays
on our way down to Norman's.
Beached the dinghy and tied the
anchor to the "hitchin' post" and
followed the road signs up to
MacDuff's - we were a little early
as they do not open for lunch until
noon so we took a walk across the
airstrip and down the road to the
anchorage on the other side of the
island - they also have a dinghy
dock at the remains of the old fuel
docks. Before we sat down for
lunch .. walked back to the beach to
retie the dinghy as the tide was
quickly receding and didn't want to
be left high and dry after lunch.
Ordered conch fritters which were a
"10+" on a scale of 1-10 and today's
special...grilled chicken sandwich
with sautéed garlic mushrooms,
mozzarella and micro greens - YUM!
Service and food was exceptional!
After a little coaxing - we launched
the dinghy (glad we had pushed it
out further before lunch) and headed
back in calm, almost flat waters
...decided to take a side trip to
Saddleback Cays where we saw the
tour boat headed...a to-die-for
gorgeous area and while there waved
down a passing skiff to inquire
about Leroy .. with a big grin the
fellow in the skiff said "that be
me!" ...so we placed our order for
fresh conch. Shortly before 5
pm Leroy was at the stern of Dee
Light with a half dozen huge conch
which he cleaned for us on the spot
along with the shells for us to
keep. After a little chopping
and pounding in the galley we
enjoyed a dinner of fresh conch
salad and toasted Bahamian bread on
the bow while watching the sun
set...no rain tonight!
After dinner wandered up to the Tiki
Hut and met up with John and Susan
Griffin aboard the sport fishing
yacht Loon out of Fort Lauderdale.
Met them a couple of years ago in
Staniel and they plan to fish their
way down again this year.
Hope to cross wakes with them again
in the next few weeks.
|
Wednesday
May 27th
location -
Highbourne Cay
2009-05-27 - Photo Album
the Loon
2009-05-27 - Photo Album
WOW
2009-05-27 - Photo Album
Highborn Cay Icon
|
In Port -
Highbourne
Plantation ( 242-356-1008 )
the Electrical Power on the Island
was shut down for some scheduled
maintenance from 0900 to 1200 ( no
power - no Internet ) .. about 0930
the Loon ( John and Susan ) pulled
out of the Marina .. they are
heading for Compass .. we fired up
both the Generator and Water Maker,
Carol made Conch Chowder and Conch
Salad, did laundry etc .. two the
resident boaters had trouble with
their Generators so they spent the
morning in their Engine Rooms to no
avail .. the power was not back on
until 1415 i.e. must have been a
Bahaman Electrical Crew ..
...enjoyed a leisurely day at the
marina...stowed the dinghy and conch
shells...after making a pot of conch
chowder walked down to the fish
cleaning station and fed the nurse
sharks some scraps, stopped in at
the office and the ship's store to
pick up a couple of odds and ends
and ended up lazing in the beach
chairs just savoring the
scenery...ended the day with a
sunset up at the Tiki Hut with a
couple of bowls of chowder and
Bahamian bread...more on the way in
the morning!
|
Thursday May 28th
Travel -
Highbourne to Warderick Wells
2009-05-28 - Photo Album
Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park
2009-05-28 - Photo Album
Bill and Michelle
|
Travel -
Highbourne
Plantation
to Warderick Wells - 37 Nautical
Miles
...left the dock at Highbourne
Plantation at 0900...another
beautiful day for traveling...saw
several sailboats heading
northbound...seas very calm and had
a great ride down to the Exuma Land
and Sea Park and about 1100 called
for a mooring ball at Warderick
Wells where the park headquarters is
located...were able to get on our
favorite mooring ball No. 15 in
front of the the office and Carol
was able to pick it up with no
problem - hurray for the first
time!!!!!!
...launched the dinghy, took Autumn
for a walk and checked in at the
office (they are closed for lunch
from 1200 to 1300) and were able to
deliver a book to Mechelle from Kim
back in Fort Myers called Hot
Mahogany by Stuart Woods ...after we
got settled in we explored the area
by dinghy...ended up at Capture
Beach on the south end of the island
where 2 boats from Palm Beach were
anchored and walked a trail to the
Pirate's Lair that has a fresh water
spring along with a beautiful
beach...AARG! what a life the
pirates must have led!
Bill and Mechelle who have worked at
the Park for many years stopped by
Dee Light before dinner and it was
great to spend some time with
them...it's their anniversary
tomorrow but we hope to get together
with them again before we leave.
|
Friday
May 29th
location - Warderick Wells
2009-05-29 - Photo Album
Boo Boo Hill
2009-05-29 - Photo Album
Dee Light at the Exuma Park
|
Mooring
Ball -
Warderick Wells ( 2423578344 ) - $50.00
per night
...had a relaxing morning aboard Dee
Light and then got ready to take a walk
up to Boo Boo Hill before it got too hot
.. contrary to local lore, Boo Boo Hill
was NOT named for the various dings,
etc, that boaters incur on their
journeys .. rather as legend has it an
unfortunate schooner was
shipwrecked at this site and no
survivors were ever found for a
Christian burial .. so on a moonlit
night or even during a sunlit day you
can hear the sounds of hymns being sung
from the caverns and the sounds of "boo
boo" from the "blow holes" as the surf
comes in on the island .. so we walked
up to the the famous hill and left a
RPYC burgee that Gary Gyarmathy retired
from his boat the Bandit .. after we
secured the burgee to the "pile" we
found a spot to sit and enjoy the
fabulous vistas on both sides of the
Atlantic and Bahamian Bank waters.
Carol spent some time on the swim
platform cleaning the conch shells we
got from Leroy at Highbourne .. flies
were buzzing so we knew that they needed
a little extra TLC...and Autumn watched
the little Banana birds flit in and out
of the boat .. about that time a 55'
Azimut cruised by on the way to mooring
ball No. 16 .. and with the wind and
current today it was not an easy pickup
for them so we took the dinghy over to
give them a hand...met a very nice
couple on the boat Belle.
Finished off the day with cocktails and
hor d'oeuvres on the aft deck of Dee
Light with Bill and Mechelle before they
left for their anniversary dinner.
We found out from Bill and Mechelle that
the new park administrator is a young
man by the name of Andrew.
|
Saturday May 30th
Travel - Warderick Wells to
Compass Cay
2009-05-30 - Photo Album
Compass Cay Marina
2009-05-30 - Photo Album
Little Pipe Creek Lighthouse
CruiserNet Photo of the Week
|
Travel -
Warderick Wells to Compass Cay - 18
nautical miles
Autumn had a LONG night .. an
electrical storm moved thru the area
during the night .. 0130 to 0500 ..
it did provide enough rain to get
most of the salt off Dee Light .. at
0900 we checked out at the Park's
Office .. said our goodbyes to
Mechelle .. pulled off of the
Mooring Ball area at about 1000 ..
had a very lovely cruise down to
Compass Cay ... as the day was a bit
hazy we called on the VHS for a
guide to lead us into the harbor ..
after passing the first red marker
keep all the markers to starboard
until you make the "u-turn" pass
between the 2 stakes and keep the
next set of red buoys to your
starboard also and you are home
free.
after launching the Dinghy we headed
south of Compass Cay to an area
called Pipe Creek which was quite
busy with many small craft .. even a
large inflatable with a water
boarder .. stopped at the
"Pipe Creek Yacht Club" (alas
no conch fritters) .. took the
dinghy as far south as OverYonder
Cay (just north of Sampson Cay) and
then doubled back to check out the
working stone light house at Little
Pipe Cay .. quite an impressive
place with an airstrip, beautiful
docks and buildings but no sign of
any activity at this time .. all
very private! Took a little
side trip at Rat Cay thru a rock
jetty to check out a nice little
harbor and were immediately greeted
by 2 large dogs who are very well
trained to deter any unwelcome
visitors .. mainly US! We did
a very quick 360 and beat it back
before we found out if they could
swim!
As the tide was falling we decided
to head back to Compass before we
became stranded waiting for high
tide .. cleaned up and had dinner on
the boat. As we are
posting this they are also doing
maintenance on their electric system
so the power just ceased .. so we
turned on the generator for the
second time today.
|
|
Sunday May 31st
location - Compass Cay
|
In Port - Compass Cay - Tucker (
242) 355-2138
|
2009-05-31 - Photo Album
Tucker
|
awoke
to thunder rumbling in the distance and a
very watchful Autumn on high alert for foul
weather .. started out with a light rain and
as the morning progressed the weather
quickly worsened and had several bouts of
pouring down rain .. contemplated taking the
dinghy out a couple of times but by 3 pm
decided to stay put and catch up on some
reading and computer time.
Our dock neighbors decided to go out for
some afternoon fishing but about an hour
later radioed that they were headed back in
on one engine and could use a hand on the
dock.. with the wind, rain and current it
made for a bit of excitement but they
arrived in with no incident .. just not
exactly in the same slip they started out
from!!
Had dinner on the boat and then took a
stroll up to the office/boater's deck area
where an impromptu potluck was just getting
underway as the rain had finally let up ..
we stayed and chatted a while while Autumn
tried to coax tidbits from the participants
.. even though we had eaten we sampled some
wonderful grilled dolphin and BBQ lamb chops
while enjoying the camaraderie of the
boaters. |
Monday
June 01st
location - Compass Cay
2009-06-01 - Photo Album
a walk on the beach
2009-06-01 - Photo Album
Carol with the Sharks and Gary
|
In Port - Compass Cay - Tucker
(242) 355-2137
awoke
again this morning to the sounds of
thunder and a light rain .. however
after breakfast the rain let up ..
although it was still overcast we headed
over to the other side of the island to
check out the beach .. it is a short
walk over the rise and down to a
beautiful crescent-shaped beach (around
3 miles long) with sugar-fine white sand
with some small structures with picnic
benches to rest or get a little shade ..
we spent a couple of hours doing some
beach-combing and enjoying the cool
breezes off the Atlantic.
After we returned to Dee Light the skies
darkened again and got a good amount of
rain from about 2 to 5 pm.
In the early evening after the rains
passed we walked down to visit the
resident sharks .. the tide was up over
the little dock where they hang out and
after a little coaxing Carol worked up
the nerve to actually walk down to "pet"
one! .. felt like a "sharkskin wallet"
.. we are told that you can actually get
in to swim and play with them but
decided to wait until another time to
try it!
Spent the rest of the evening visiting
with Marcus and Edgie from Toronto who
are working on the electrical system on
the island .. and a couple (also from
Canada) who have produced a DVD about
the local area (we purchased a copy) ..
also met Sally and Larry from Seattle
who bring their 28 foot boat over every
summer from Ft. Lauderdale .. plan to be
here about 5 weeks.
|
Tuesday June 02nd
location - Compass Cay
2009-06-02 - Photo Album
Dinghy to Rachel's
and Rocky Dundas
2009-06-02 - Photo Album
Potluck at Compass Cay
|
In Port - Compass Cay - Tucker
(242) 355-2137
...the rains were gone from the area
this morning and it turned out to be a
beautiful day at Compass Cay .. took the
dinghy to Rachel's Falls and Rachel's
Bubble Bath .. we mucked about at low
tide and found a lovely helmet conch
shell along with a few other
"keepers" .. we plan to go back at high
tide when the "bath is bubblin".
.. after leaving Rachel's Falls we
traveled over to Rocky Dundas which is
part of the Exuma Park and is surrounded
by shallow coral heads.. there are 3
dinghy moorings if you care to tie up
but we just putted around the island
with our viewing bucket over the side ..
lots of great coral and fish to be seen
particularly on the SE side.
.. enjoyed a little down time in the
late afternoon and got ready to join the
potluck at the marina .. Captain Bruce
on the charter sailboat "Bahama Star"
came in this afternoon bringing along a
family of 14 from TN and a deep fryer
with a HUGE turkey, a big stockpot of
ham and pea soup, a watermelon and 3
gallons of rum punch! Along with
some fresh caught yellowtail contributed
by the crew of Loon and the South
American grilled pork and steak from La
Vida we all ate like kings and queens ..
along with Loon we now have 3 boats
visiting from the Lauderdale Yacht Club.
The evening ended with a cool breeze and
the moon and stars shining overhead ..
no rain in the forecast tonight.
we have been exchanging e-mails with
Steve and Marny Hann .. they led a great
cruise to Palm Island and left
immediately for Marco Island and
Marathon on their way to the Exumas ..
we are looking forward to meeting up
with them soon and wish them fair winds
and smooth seas!
|
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