It Sucks When It Blows!

Another cold front passes through Marsh Harbour

The sky is white with rain; the sides of our cockpit are rolled up for less windage as Wandering Star tugs on her anchor. The wind howls and then drops.  We are still waiting for this front to pass through with more wind to come later. You’d be forgiven for wondering if we were still in the Bahamas with its palm trees and beaches, warm seas and sunny blue skies – something we have seen very little of. 

The winds have been gusting over 40kts.

I’ve mentioned before, this time of year the area is plagued with cold fronts or low pressure systems coming of the US east coast. We know this.  Instead of the typical trade winds blowing from the east, we have constantly clocking winds from all directions but strongest from the SW-NW from which there are few places to hide. The skies have been grey and overcast and the nights cool.  For various reasons we have stayed put in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco, one of the few places offering a modicum of protection and good holding for our boat and anchor. 

Happy days in Mangoes Marina

After a night of wicked squalls, our first strong cold front came through about a week ago which we decided to sit out in the comfort of the very pretty Mangoes Marina.  I can’t recommend this place enough. Rey the dock-master was welcoming and vigilant, checking on boats throughout the day. Their rates were not unreasonable at $0.90/ft; and their showers hot and clean. They even provided a case of wine for a potluck party that night for all the guests staying in the marina including our friends Dorothy and Duncan from ‘Hunda’. We invited our friends John and Jolanda along from ‘Joho’ as our guests too.  We had a fun evening and enjoyed meeting new people. As the winds picked up in the early hours of the morning, and we were tucked safely up in bed, we had little to worry about except how bad our heads might feel the following day. The winds howled into the 40’s but surprisingly there was very little rain. By the following night the front had passed and all was calm again.  As much as I would have loved to stay in Mangoes Marina the budget does not allow for more than the odd day here and there so we went back out to anchor.  

Sim and John from Joho at the potluck party after a few rums (see below) and red wine!

Not the stinger you might imagine

Tuesday was Dorothy’s birthday and we celebrated her big day with them on ‘Hunda’ that evening with great food and company.  Since then we haven’t had an opportunity to press on before the next front comes through.  Our weather man refers to it as a ‘weather event’; which always sounds ominous.  This front is expected to linger, ‘excruciatingly slow’ I think his words were.  We are going to tough this one out at anchor.....we can’t keep running every time bad weather comes our way. And while it sucks that it blows we are happy pottering on the boat, Sim taking the time to over haul and re-install the water-maker while I tinker on with some of my sea glass projects.

Dorothy's Birthday dinner....cooked by Dorothy... Cake by Duncan! Good times, good friends.

Despite the grey skies we've had some awesome sunsets

The potluck party at Mangoes. Duncan from Hunda at the top.
Myself, Dorothy and Jolanda below.

Sim and I went out for a walk on the one mild and sunny day, leaving the dinghy at the Jib room marina...

We found the Bahamas we've been waiting for...palm trees, beaches and sunny skies.

Bumping Along The Bottom - The ICW Waccamaw River to Beaufort,NC.

Wandering Star - wandering up the Waccamaw River, South Carolina

We pulled in from our ocean going passage at Charleston, South Carolina to make our way up the ICW – the small, inland body of water that runs almost all the way from New York to Florida. These waters are, for the most part, very protected. It means a lot of motoring and a lot of concentrating as we navigate through very narrow and often shallow areas working out the heights and directions of currents.  But it takes us through one of our favourite waterways – the Waccamaw River. Already we have had our fair share of bumping along the bottom as South Carolina is notorious for not maintaining the 12ft channels. Luckily so far we have always bumped bottom at low tide and have always just floated off.

We love the wildlife of the waccamaw river

The Waccamaw River was wonderful as always.  Tall trees line the banks of the serpentine river and you feel like you are million miles away from anywhere. I saw my first alligator just before we dropped anchor and ran over our trip line for the anchor – forcing Sim to brave the brown murky waters to unhook the line from caught on our rudder.  But what a beautiful spot, just meters from the banks were lily fronds gathered with huge butterflies and dragonflies, eagles and osprey, terrapins and alligators. The wildlife was abundant. Though the water was murky brown it was fresh and cool so we washed the salt from our decks and cooled ourselves off with it.

It seems the whole southern US east coast has been suffering from a heat wave and we have been melting in temperatures in the high 30’s. It has been relentless and quite uncomfortable. Amazingly we have spent our first two weeks in the US without seeing one lightening storm – however they are back to their daily afternoon occurrences again.

Can you see the lightening strike? One of just many!

We have covered 240nm on the “inside” route;  travelling from South Carolina up into North Carolina past wild marshland and urban areas, through countless bridges and past wonderful wildlife (except those irksome green head flies!) and some amazing properties that line the ICW. To where we are now in the familiar waters of Beaufort, North Carolina where we spent so long last year hauled out.  We are here to catch up with our old sailing buddies from “Opus” who we traveled with six years ago in the East Caribbean on our old boat Alianna. Because the forecast according to our weather guru was expected to be “violent” – his words, we decided to spend a few days at Town Creek marina just a mile outside of historic Beaufort.  It’s been great to catch up with our old friends and spend some time in this cute town hanging out at The Old Dock House – listening to live music. But it’s time to press on as we have a fair way to go yet before we make our destination of New York.

We have seen more pelicans and dolphin in just two weeks in America then

six month in the Bahamas!

An early morning start up the intra-coastal waterway

Its so refreshing to be traveling up rivers after all our beach time in the

 Bahamas

If only it weren't so hot!

Another early start in the Waccamaw River.

We stopped for fuel at Osprey Marina - at $2.21 its the cheapest we have found

in a long time.

Dragonflies everywhere

Terrapins swimming about.

Can you see the terrapin on the log?

We motored through a narrow stretch known as "the rock pile"

We went under a lot of bridges.

And we are getting use to the storms again! :-(

A squall passes over Wrightsville Beach, NC

So many ICW markers are homes to Osprey

Wandering Star in Town Creek Marina

Showers, laundry, courtesy car and ships store...what more could we need?

]

....a cool veranda to hang out on with our buddies.

For whom the bell tolls? Sim and myself, Jennifer and Linda

Jennifer, Linda, Sim and Jim in downtown Beuafort

Everything has a nautical theme in town

Church

Jennifer and Linda

Exploring The Central Exumas In A Whirl Of Windy Weather.

Going out of the cut at Adderly Cut by Lee Stocking Island

The last week has flown by in a whirl of windy weather and stunning colours.  Because if the Bahamas are anything they are colourful, and no more so than when the sun is shining down in all its glory revealing the multitude of colours of the sea.

How can you not love those blues

We’ve spent a day at the quaint Little Farmers Cay with its tiny population of less than 100.  Anchoring on the west side of the island we went ashore, leaving the dinghy on the beach and walked around. We saw the rays and turtles that swam around the fish station in the harbour on the east side of the island and had a cold beer at the yacht club.  The islanders are warm and welcoming and after a hour or two of slow ambling and the cold beer we had circumnavigated the island. 

View from the yacht club at Little Farmers Cay

Moving on the next day we stopped at Black Point on Great Guana Cay to do some laundry.  Now this is not just any old laundry. This is the best place in the Exumas to do Laundry – nice clean machines, free wifi, cakes, showers; small shop, conch fritters and haircuts make this a very individual place indeed!  We strolled up to the ‘garden of Eden’, a misnomer perhaps –a back yard filled with driftwood art. And we ate lunch ashore – it seems no matter where you eat the menu is always the same: burgers, cracked conch or chicken sandwiches - Georgetown, Black Point, Stanial Cay or Nassau! We enjoy it all the same.

Hanging out at the Launderette at Black Point

From Black point we moved up to Big Majors Spot and ticked off in one day the sites for mum and dad - ‘pigs on the beach’, the ‘sharks by the fish station’, ‘lunch at the yacht club’ and ‘Thunderball grotto’.

Because the next day a strong weather front was due and we were staying put! It seems the weather gods have got it in for us as front after front has been passing through.  Sometimes they are fairly benign but sometimes they bring strong clocking winds, forcing us to try and seek shelter in islands where there are few places to hide.

A little squall passing through Big Majors Spot

 We have had a couple more nice days at Great Guana Cay, walking on the beaches in the afternoon sun at White Point and following the trail left by others at Hettys Bay across to Exuma Sound.  I think my parents wonder where I get this crazy love of beaches from as I drag everyone ashore and won’t leave until I have left no grain of sand un-trodden!

The magnificent beach at White Point

With yet another stronger front due Mum and Dad kindly offered to put us in a marina for a couple of nights to take the stress out of finding somewhere safe and comfortable to be.  Cave Cay Marina is a small no frills establishment.  No restaurant or bar and slightly grubby toilets and washrooms. But the laundry is free which is just as well considering the high prices they charge. The lagoon is a perfect hurricane hole but because the island is privately owned you can only use it if you are in the marina. We had to wait for high tide to get over the sand bar at the entrance and entered the stunning protected waters.  We enjoyed our two night stay there walking on the beaches, taking advantage of the laundry and meeting some of the other guest seeking shelter from the forecast-ed winds. The wind picked up in the early hours of the morning and howled all day long.  We were very grateful to be safely tucked up in this pricey but endearing hidey-hole.

On the dock at Cave Cay Marina

We are making our way slowly back to Georgetown.  As fate would have it the winds have died all together and it looks like we'll have to motor the last leg.  For now we have pulled back into Lee Stocking Island for a day or two more in this blissful spot.  Sim has the watermaker in pieces.  Its not looking good.  The membranes have gone. Its a shame they are so costly as a watermaker is very convenient. But we managed for nearly ten years without and what water we did buy probably didn't cost as much as the membranes!

Such a calm and balmy day from Big Galliot Cay to Farmers Cay

Enjoying an easy motor

Even the cat is out and about on deck

Little Farmers Cay

Hungry rays hanging out at the fish cleaning station

De main man!

Having a cheeky beer before the sun is over the yard arm!

A couple of unlucky boats washed up on the beach

The garden of Eden at Black Point - driftwood sculptures

The infamous laundry

In the cave at Thunderball Grotto

Sim playing in the caves

Having fun at Thunderball

An incredibly large spotted eagle ray

Anchored off White Point - Great Guana Cay

At Hettys Bay we followed signs (flotsam & Jettison) left by previous people 

marking a trail to Exuma Sound

The trails lead to Exuma Sound on the windward side of Great Guana Cay

Entering the cut at high tide to Cave Cay Marina

Pretty windward beaches at Cave Cay Marina

There were only 10 boats in Cave Cay Marina