Grand Bahama Yacht Club
Two little sidebar stories I (Thai) experienced....these would never happen to Peter!
*7am and I'm sleeping soundly beneath a cool breeze flowing in from our new OceanAire hatch screen. First time we've used it, as it's been cold everywhere until now.
Peter is up and about somewhere, so I'm alone when abruptly awakened from this peaceful sleep in the Bahamas. I am get from a spray of water through the hatch... and the sky is not falling or dumping raindrops...clear blue sky, sunny day. What?
Seems the guy that came in during the nite beside us in a small powerboat, has decided he will wash the salt off, but he turns the hose on full blast, proceeds to hold it OVER OUR OPEN HATCH!
I'm quite certain I woke the entire marina with my rath of words. As Peter told him....never wake a sleeping woman...especially with cold water! He apologized profusely, but a bottle of rum would have been more appropriate.
*Same day, different location, still about water. (for those who have known me a long time, I am known as THE WATER GIRL!
I am very much enjoying a shower at the marina facilities. All ld myathered up in the yummy scented coconut shampoo with my eyes shut tight to keep out the soap. I suddenly feel 'something' of fair substance brushing up against my lower leg. Too large for a cockroach...unless this is the mother of all cockroaches (which I off course suspect is possible with my wild imagination).
I open my eyes as the soap drips into them, look down and see....of all the gosh darn things....a calico cat has found it's way into the marina showers, under my shower door and is basking in my shower water!
I screamed so loud I am surprised it did not jump straight up into the air vs it's immediate and fast exit out of the facilities.
The same cat came sauntering up to me 15 minutes later, meow, meow, meow. I don't know about a cat having nine lives, but I think I may have lost one in that round.
February 5 - 'first' departure from GBYC
Deb and Ed headed out first in their sailing vessel, Ariel at Home.
Pelican Rose and crew learn very quickly that this type of boat is unable to handle certain conditions...and today is the 'perfect storm'.....15-20k winds but the impossible part is the 4-6' waves that are hitting us broadside. (not in the weather forecast of course)
Up top on the flybridge, everything is indeed flying every which way. I grabbed everything and clutched it close to me with one hand, while hanging on for dear life to our siderail behind the cushions.
We took a few hits before getting one very fierce wave that I was certain was going to knock us completely over. I could swear I saw our toerail as we were so severely healed over on our portside.
I screamed (very loudly!) for Peter to turn the boat back and abort......which is exactly what we did.
Surprisingly, the exact opposite direction but the same course, was fully negotiable.
We have been learning SO much....and clearly have so much MORE to learn about this type of travel on this type of vessel.
But, we are safe, no harm was made in the making of this experience....back to the slip for a very strong rum and coke....several to be honest.
February 6 - 'second' departure from GBYC
What a difference a day makes. Calm waters, perfect day and Pelican Rose handles easily.
We learn one very big lesson on this excursion.....it's not enough to calculate how fast you will travel over how many miles...but what time are you going to arrive that is also very important.
In these islands, there are lots of coral heads, many are unmarked on the chart plotter so you need to navigate visually. You also require the sun to be over your head and slightly behind you to enable you to spot these keel ripping buggers.
We travelled all night, very black out here with just a sliver of a moon and usually it was covered with cloud. The only light was provided by the never ending stream of massive cruise ships that constantly showed up on our radar and were frequently on our heading, but coming towards us. We seemed to be in a transit channel for passenger ships and figure we saw at least 40 during the night. The odd small boat, but everything bigger and much faster than us.
A very exciting thing for Peter to see, was phosphoresence in the water......brilliant green crystal like formations that sparkle in the waves breaking behind our boat waves. It is truly a beautiful thing to witness.
We arrived at our destination - Royal Island anchorage near Spanish Wells. Problem is that we have arrived in blackness at 3am. Guess who bobbed around out in the deep ocean until the light surfaced at 6:45am, burning diesel fuel and losing sleep. sigh.
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| fishing boat coming in at Royal Island |
February 7 - Eleuthera Island
We have once again caught up to Ed and Deb at the Royal Island anchorage (part of the long skinny Eleuthera Island), which appears protected from weather, but we have unsuspectingly dropped anchor directly into the fetch of waves being tossed into the anchorage.
The wind has also decided to pick up speed for our enjoyment.
We are being tossed like a bathtoy, rolling side to side. Much like a roller coaster, but this is going the opposite direction, same end result on the stomach however.
We decide it can't be any worse on the other side, and it actually appears to be calmer, so we decide to up anchor and relocate.
Not without incidents of course!
Firstly....and for the very first time....the engine will not start. It is trying, but it is not starting. This engine has always purred like a kitten first shot!
Thai - panic.
Peter - calm.
He figures we have bounced around so much, water has reversed into the exhaust, and he ultimately does get the kitten purring once again.
Now to bring up the anchor.
I remove the snubber with Peter at the helm. BUT....I closed the anchor chain locker and forget to reopen it.
We are both without sleep for almost two days at this point so the brain is not functioning well (which on a good day ain't so grand!)
I press my foot to the wonderful windlass that does all the hard labour of bringing the chain into the locker. The chain starts to come up....and up and up and STOPS WORKING!
I cannot get it to go up or down and we don't know if the anchor is still hooked or has been lifted out of it's set.
Thai - panic.
Peter - calm.
I ask if there is a reset button on the windlass and Peter also notes the chain locker is closed.
OMG! Cause and affect.....locker closed, chain piling and piling up on top of itself....resulting in jamming up the windless and overload it's system.
I have to take the helm as Peter knows where to locate the reset...but it is under the floorboards in the salon and behind something or other.
Long story short (?).....he resets, the windless is working great (another prayer answered for me!) and off we go to the other side of the anchorage.
Good move. We are finding ourselves saying that frequently.....something not quite right, examining all angles, making a decision and closing with 'good move!' Hope that spirit keeps holding true for the remainder of this 'boat delivery' to the BVI's.
Steak dinner aboard Ariel - SO very much appreciated after being awake for 2 days and the events of today.
February 8 - Up with an alarm at 6:30am and outta Royal Island, heading to Hatchet Bay anchorage.
I don't think I mentioned that the entrance into Royal was merely a few metres wide? Rocks on either side.
But we will see many anchorages like this enroute, not to mention dodging unmarked coral heads....but that lays ahead in Peter's written journal. (I've been typing up to this point today February 12, using Peter's journal notes from the past few days and while out on the ocean in 5000 feet of water, running away from an approaching cold front and heading to Peter's most favourite of places....RUM CAY!)
Back to Feb 8.....A great day, passed through Flemming Channel and a direct line into Hatchet Bay. The name freaks me to begin with....the entrance was the REALLY freaky thing. Pictures will hopefully give some idea of the rock formations abounding at the entrance, so much so, that you cannot SEE the entrance until you are almost in it and only from one heading.
Mooring ball instead of anchor but you had to provide your own line. This is new....
Peter has to pull up alongside the ball and I have to lean WAY over the stern to grab the hook with our boat hook, then thread our line through the eye of the needle (ok....bigger than a needle eye) and tie off. Mission accomplished. An unexpected reward seeing a big sea turtle swim out in front of our bow and disappear into the hunting grounds below the surface. Peter spotted a ray as he maneuvered the very narrow, rocky entrance. I told him he should be looking at the entrance, not the rays!
Ashore on Hatchet Bay, there is the same-old, same-old....absolutely nothing really. Very pretty but nothing like fresh fruit or vegetables, and much of the limited selection of foods are already well expired.
We stopped into a local 'bar' and had a cold 'Klick'...the Bahamian beer...I had an oceanspray cranberry drink. The no-seeums were out in full force and poor Deb was bitten badly and suffered a bad reaction....huge welts at every bite mark. These bugs are dracula's kids!
Exhausted by 8:30pm we head to bed, say goodnite and both of us hear this very loud BANG right over our heads on the deck! I grab our flaregun (unloaded) and tell Peter to go check. I`m sure it`s pirates aboard, wanting our booty. Peter tosses the flashlight across the deck and looks all around, nothing anywhere to question. We get back into bed and I just know I will not sleep now. (I haven`t been sleeping on the good nights!) Suddenly Peter says....`why is it so warm in here...the breeze isn`t coming in the hatch.`........uhm, no....it isn`t.......and we realize the loud BANG was the hatch falling closed over our heads. Ahem. So much for pirates and flaregun salutes!
February 9 - Enroute to Rock Point Sound, with supposed provisioning supplies, fresh bread…..things we could really use at this stage as there has really been little offerings of fresh anything through-out the Bahamas since departing Grand Bahama (unless you want expired foods). Rock Point looks quite prosperous in all the reference books we have onboard, but serves as yet still another disappointment – nothing but a beautiful anchorage.
We walked into ‘town’ and were at least able to purchase 2 gallons of drinking water. The only grocery store in town closes on Wednesday’s at 2pm – we arrived Wednesday at 2pm. The person who owned the only bakery in town, moved away. No bread. No food.
Deb purchased an internet connection and when I offered up funds to purchase one for our boat, there were none left.
Ah yes, it is NOT better in the Bahamas.
This place many of us conjure up romantic visions of the lap of luxury in many forms, is a complete misnomer. Wonderful people, but extensive poverty with no apparent infrastructure.
To compliment the environment, we settled down to a delish dinner of wieners, beans, yellow pepper (the only fresh vegetable left onboard) and chopped onions – nuked in the microwave. Oh YUM!
February 10 – We are all heading to Little San Salvador; however, as we continue south, the waves become more frequent and quite big. It is just a bit too much to handle for the next 8+ hours, so we radio to Ed & Deb that we are ducking into Davis Harbour Marina for both fuel and an overnight stay.
Great decision – laundry got done (oh fresh sheets and clothes!!!!) and wonderful hot showers with lathered up soap to rinse away the steady covering of salt on our bodies.
A sweet location with palm trees swaying….and a katrillion no-seeums. Sigh.
February 11 – We have a long day ahead, making our way to the bottom of Cat Island, Hawks Nest Marina, where fuel is now over $5 a gallon and a slip if $2.50 a foot. We passed directly alongside a huge cruise ship the “Crown Princess” as it was depositing lifeboat after lifeboat of passengers, going ashore for some beach time.
Hawks Nest was not in the least impressive, especially given it is outrageously expensive. It is cut into a mangrove swamp. Ya gotta know there will be an abundance of no-seeums. (correct!)Still no provisions available either. At least there was wifi; albeit, slow and unreliable.
February 12 – A cold front is heading towards us, none of us wants to be stuck at this expensive buggy place, so we make an uneventful (yay!) run for Rum Cay.
It is now February 15 and we are still sitting at Sumners Point Marina at Rum Cay. There ‘may’ be a weather window opening up, in which case, the four of us plan to do a very long jaunt overnite (at least 24+ hours) and go all the way to Turks and Caicos. We will need the right combination of winds and waves that will remain off our beam. Sure hope the weather holds out what is promises, as we will have very few options to take refuge should things change mid-way.
Missing everyone back home so very much and it’s been an extremely challenging and difficult trip for both of us. As Peter says, you cannot sit in a condo and plan a trip like this, and really have any concept as to what it is going to feel like. Neither of us wishes to experience this again.
Our next leg is 'intended' to be from Rum Cay, overnighter and most of a 24+ hour period out in the Atlantic, straight through to Turks. As always, Mother Nature will rule. Women!
