Miami and on to the Florida West Coast

May 30, 2014

We have been on a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for the last week.  It is a very pleasant place right in Miami (Coconut Grove) and we have enjoyed our 'reentry' into life in the States after over five months in the Bahamas.  A neat picture of Barefoot taken by a mooring neighbor from the top of his mast follows:

We enjoy Miami, but we didn't do much that we have not reported in previous blogs except for a couple of items:

• We enjoyed a great lunch at the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana.       http://www.versaillesrestaurant.com/.  If you see the movie 'The Chef' (which we really enjoyed) it is the restaurant that they visit after listening to Inez's father perform salsa music at a club. We are big fans of the Columbia Restaurants based in Tampa, so this was a comparison visit.  The Columbia's bread and Mojitos's were, in our opinion, much better.  But we both enjoyed our entrees immensely (Imperial Rice for Tom and Vaca Frita De Pollo for Joyce), so we think it is a tie.  We will return!  While Miami is the center of Cuban-American culture today, many people do not realize that the first major Cuban population in Florida was on the West coast.  The Columbia first opened in 1905, when Miami was still mostly swamp; the Versailles opened in 1971!
• We toured the northern section of Coral Gables - very nice homes!  The Alhambra entrance near Little Havana is very impressive.

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 31) we plan to leave Miami and head to the west coast of Florida.  The weather is a bit unsettled (we expect to get at least a little wet), but it doesn't get better for at least a week and there is a possibility of an early season tropical storm late next week, so it seems best to get moving.  

Tomorrow we plan to head down the Hawk Channel to Rodriguez Key near Key Large where we will anchor for the night.  Then the next day we will continue on the Hawk Channel to Marathon, where we plan to lay over for two nights.  Then we will leave there in the morning on Tuesday June 3rd, to travel up out of the Keys and continue overnight for a 150+ nautical mile trip to Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa where we will 'hunker down' for any bad weather.  

Tom

Moored Coconut Grove Sailing Club

Miami, FL

We have returned to the States

May 24, 2014

Just a short note that we have arrived back in the States.

We traveled over 250 miles in the last 5 days including a 27 hour 160 mile leg between West Bay, New Providence (near Nassau) and Miami.

Weather was generally good.  A couple of legs featured good sailing wind, but on others there was no contrary or light following wind, so motor-sailing was good.

Now for some 'readjustment' as we go from the Bahamas to Miami - probably as big a cultural difference as you will find!

Tom
Moored Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Coconut Grove (Miami), FL

Headed back to the States

May 20, 2014

Today we started our trip back to the States, a day later than originally planned due to some unexpected squally weather.

Today was a 40nm trip from Cambridge Cay to Highbourne Cay, where we are currently anchored. Wind was higher than expected (20-23 knots gusting to 27) and a little more on the nose so the last 10 miles we bashed to windward.

Tomorrow we head about 47nm across the 'White Bank' to West Bay on New Providence where we will probably spend two nights.

Early Friday afternoon we leave West Bay and head up the 'Tongue of the Ocean', through the NW Channel and across the 'Bahamas Bank'. We will exit the Bank near Gun Cay and then cross the Gulf Stream to Miami. The last leg will about 160nm and will take a little over 24 hours.

Then hopefully a little R&R in Coconut Grove after the trip!

Tom
Anchored Highbourne Cay, Exuma
(via Satellite phone)

Cambridge Cay, Exuma

May 16, 2014

Yesterday we moved about 20 miles north from Black Point to Cambridge Cay.

When we are asked what are our favorite places in the Exumas, we often say Black Point for the people and Cambridge Cay for natural beauty. So it is very nice that we are winding up our cruise with stays at these two places!

A few pictures from beautiful Cambridge Cay:

Bell Rock

View from the cliff near Bell Rock - SV Barefoot way in the background

View North from the cliff

View out across the 'fresh' water pond and out onto the Bank
Note the different color waters

Yesterday also marks our 5th month in the Bahamas; we crossed to Bimini on December 15th.

So it is with some sadness that we start to plan our trip back to the States. We are planning to stay here until Monday, when we will work our way north to anchor off Highbourne Cay. Tuesday will be a trip over the 'White Bank' to West Bay on New Providence. We will probably stay in West Bay for a couple of nights as some unsettled weather passes. On Thursday afternoon we will begin a long trip up the 'Tongue of the Ocean', through the Northwest Channel, across the 'Bank, and then finally across the Gulf Stream to Miami. The trip will take a around 24 hours of non-stop travel.

Tom
Moored Cambridge Cay, Exuma
(via satellite phone)

'

Black Point, Exuma

May 11, 2014

We have spent over two weeks in the Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay, Exuma.  Black Point is one of our favorite places in the Bahamas.

Black Point  offers a number of services aimed at cruisers including a great laundry, several restaurants, and a small grocery store and is getting to be an increasingly popular stop; on Super Bowl day we were told there were over 120 boats in the harbour.

But its charm continues to stem from the fact that it is a true (and active) family island settlement.  There are no significant populations of ‘winter residents’ or resort-style accommodations here; the people of Black Point live and work in the area.  Early every morning, numerous open boats leave the island full of people commuting to jobs at the various marinas and resorts in the area and they return late each day.  Sometimes it is probably a pleasant trip, other times it is a nasty wet ride. 

Black Point also has the greatest number of children that we have seen in any settlement.  It is a great place to grow up!  The children have a great amount of freedom to roam the settlement and play with their friends. It is not unusual to have to dodge a ‘gang’ of kids riding their bikes down the road, see a vigorous game of hide and seek near the dock, or just talk to some cute kids hanging out on the beach/dock.

Bahamians have a great deal of connection to their ‘home’ island, even if they live elsewhere.  There are many more people who identify as Black Pointers in places like Nassau, where job opportunities are greater, than in the actual settlement and many return for the annual ‘homecoming’ in August.  Extended families are strong and there is a great deal of interactions between the settlement and other places, primarily Nassau.  Food, clothing, and other necessities are scarce on the island, and many residents depend on relatives in Nassau to shop for these things which are then shipped to the island via the ‘mail-boat’.  Arrival of the mail-boat is a big event and everyone gathers at the dock.  I (Tom) love mail-boats and always try to be there when it arrives.  Unloading is a community affair and I try to help where I can.

The settlement has an excellent  all-age (primary) school; the physical facility is rather simple by American standards, but the teachers are dedicated and the students receive a good education in a wholesome environment.  In fact, many Nassau-based families send their younger children to Black Point to go to school while living with extended family.  The situation is often reversed when Black Point students travel to Nassau to attend high school or college while living with relatives there.

We have become quite close with the Peermon (‘Paymon’) Rolle family.  She and her husband Basil have 10 children, one of whom runs the popular Lorraine’s Café in Black Point.  Peermon is a delightful and extraordinary woman.  She bakes what we consider the best coconut bread in the Bahamas, but more importantly has raised a wonderful family and is a deaconess, and main driving force, in Gethsemane Baptist Church here.   We spend quite a bit of time with Peermon and Basil when we are here, and last year we ‘adopted’ her as our daughter – so now we are 'related' to the whole family.

Our church home here in Black Point

This year we participated in the award service for the 2^nd annual Mother’s Day Walk. It was a great time of fun for all including some lively games of musical chairs!  Joyce and Tom participated in the ‘tourist’ division with Joyce winning.  Joyce was eliminated fairly early in the over-60 women’s division that was won by Peermon.  Tom was eliminated early when he competed with the men.

Joyce competing in the over-60 women's division

Joyce being eliminated from the over-60 division - tough competition!
The two young girls in the foreground came up to me and wanted to dance while I was helping setup - I guess there were not many other men around to compete for their attention :-).
VERY CUTE!

Peermon showing some style in the finals of  the over-60 Women's Division

Peermon celebrating a narrow victory!

A competitive finish in the Youth Division

Tom in the Men's Division - eliminated in the second round - tough competition!

The winners of the various divisions in the actual walk

A few other  pictures from our visit to Black Point follow:

Always surprising how rugged the eastern shore is

Interior of Great Guana - very hilly!

 

Lorraine's Cottage which is for rent - very nice.

 

'Little Creek' near Dotham Cut
Evan Cottman, the 'Out-Island Doctor' reportedly rode out a gale here.
When I was discussing the upcoming weather with Edwin, a BP friend, he suggested I could ride the weather out here - I asked him if he was going to pull me out when I ran aground :-)

After a ‘tropical wave’ passes early next week we will leave and spend a  few days in the Exuma Land & Sea Park, before starting the trek back to the states.

Tom

Black Point, Exuma

Great Exuma - Emerald Bay Marina

Beautiful Bahamian Smile
at Georgetown Primary School
'Lunch Window'

April 20, 2014


We have been docked at Emerald Bay Marina  http://www.marinaemeraldbay.com/ on Great Exuma for the last two weeks.  Before coming here, we had been anchored out for about 6 weeks so we were due/over-due for some boat cleaning and maintenance.

Emerald Bay is a very nice marina just north of Georgetown.  It is convenient to the airport (not important to us) and a great base to explore Exuma.  Airport Car Rental delivers rental cars to the marina, so it is very easy to get a car for a day or two to do provisioning and explore the island.

The marina can have quite a problem with surge when there is a NE swell.  Last year when we were here, the surge was very bad; we blew out a large/expensive fender bouncing around and had to replace it at Bahamian prices.  The channel can also become impassable if there is a large swell running and in fact we got 'trapped' here for a few days last year.  But this year there was no significant surge so we had a smooth visit.

Emerald Bay is very nice, but quite isolated without a car.  The nearby Grand Isle Resort offers about the only walkable resources, with a nice restaurant and a pool which is also available with a 'day-pass'.  Emerald Bay is associated with the nearby Sandal's Resort, but you have to pay a rather large fee to use those 'all-inclusive' facilities.

Grand Isle Pool

A rare photo of us at the Grand Isle pool!
Photo Credit: Ashley Berry

Emerald Bay is frequently used by large mega-yachts to pick up and discharge guests.  We like to stay on 'H' dock because it is a little quieter, but it also is used by large yachts. Actually it is quite entertaining to watch them dock and clean.  If you crew on a mega-yacht you spend a LOT of time cleaning!  Some of our neighbors included the 130' M/V Never Say Never and the 180' M/V Step One.  Step One left early one morning when the dock staff was not yet on duty, and I helped them  take in their lines; their lines are about as thick as my forearm!  While the guest and lower-level crew can be a little snooty, we find that the officers are often nice.  For the most part they are just regular guys with a nice gig.

Our 'body guards' - M/V Never Say Never and M/V Cacique
Can you find us?

We 'complained' that our body guards were not big enough -
So they replaced Never Say Never with 180' M/V Step One

Priority one when we arrived was boat cleaning and maintenance.  After 6 weeks at anchor, the last two of which we were beaching the dinghy at Cat Island, the boat was DIRTY.  Also we were due for quite a bit of routine maintenance including changing engine fluids and filters, cleaning/replacing water maker filters, bottom cleaning and zinc replacement, and a host of other little jobs.  It is not impossible to perform these tasks at anchor, but it is a whole lot more convenient at dock.

We revisited some favorite places on Exuma. We attended Sunday and Good Friday services at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Stuart Manor and Easter services at Ebenezer Baptist in nearby Farmer's Hill.

While in Georgetown getting provisions we often stop at the Driftwood Café for coffee or a quick lunch.  Located next to the Primary School, they offer lunches to the students through a hole in the fence between the properties.  It is typical throughout the Bahamas for a local restaurant to provide lunches for the students but often it is from some type of lunch wagon; we find the hole-in-the-fence cafeteria unique.

Ordering lunch

Big Bahamian smile!

We also visited Santana's Grill Pit on Little Exuma.  The owner De (Denise) Rolle offers, in our opinion, the best fried fish in THE BAHAMAS - not just Exuma.  The onion sauce she uses is just out of this world!  She cooks her Peas and Rice outdoors over a wood fire which adds a delicious smoky flavor you just don't get with rice cooked indoors.  On our first visit she was off island getting supplies for an Easter Monday (a holiday in the Bahamas) egg hunt sponsored by her church, but on our second visit we were able to have a nice chat. 

We also got to spend some time with her delightful 3-year old grand daughter, Safari.  Safari came over to sit with us while she ate her lunch and ended up sitting on Joyce's lap to better reach her lunch on the counter.   When she found out that we did not have any children/grand-children she 'offered' us her 2-year cousin 'Shaddy'.  I guess he offers too much 'cute' competition'.

Plans have us leaving here on Monday or Tuesday and traveling north to Little Farmers Cay and then Black Point on Great Guana.  Emerald Bay is our southern-most point for the year, and now we start to head back towards the States.

Tom
Docked at Emerald Bay Marina.
Great Exuma, Bahamas

Cat Island!

April 5, 2014

 

We have been anchored here in Cat Island for almost 2 weeks – it is probably our favorite island in the Bahamas!  When you arrive here, it is a Bahamian island like you imagined them – remote, undeveloped, friendly people, and beautiful beaches.   

 

Cat Island offers no all-weather protection except for the small marina at Hawksnest, so if you want to stay for any length of time, you must be prepared to weather moderate cold fronts by moving around to maximize protection and be prepared to move elsewhere if a strong front approaches.   We have weathered two moderate fronts in our stay.   Moving down to Old Bight offers protection from the south; moving up north behind Bonefish point offers some protection from west waves,  but you are exposed to the winds from southwest to west.  We have done some ‘rocking and rolling’ while we have been here – uncomfortable, but not dangerous if you anchor well and keep a good watch.   You don't want to be here, however, in a strong front - it could down-right dangerous!  But that is what keeps the number of cruisers down.

 

Most people don’t think of Cat island for its beaches, but they have some of the most beautiful beaches we have seen in the Bahamas.  Beautiful white sand off barrier coral reefs and a stone’s throw from deep water.  Oh and virtually deserted!

 

Old Bight Beach
 

Atlantic Beach at Shanna's Cove at the north end of the island

 

 

Red-dirt trail to beach at Shanna's Cove
We were somewhat unprepared for the 1.5+ mile rocky (not shown here) hike to the beach

 

Atlantic beach on the 'North Side' - actually the east side
Notice how close the blue (deep) water lies
Cat Islanders have a unique way to express directions - for example you go 'Up South'  to travel to the southern end of the island!

 

While Bahamians in general are very friendly, Cat Islanders are exceptionally so.   They get relatively few visitors and appreciate those that come.  Even casual encounters  often include a big smile and a ‘Enjoy your stay!'  Pictured below is a batch of rice and beans that I made during our stay.  The green beans were a gift of Alfred from the Alnor Bakery in Old Bight and the ‘bottled tomatoes’ were a gift of Elsie Mae of New Bight.  Bottled tomatoes are an example of using what resources you have – you probably can’t tell from the pictures, but the tomatoes are canned in Kalik beer bottles (The Beer of the Bahamas).

 

 

 

 

 

All around Cat Island you see abandoned small stone buildings.  One explanation is an old Cat Island custom, that when the last of a generation dies, the house is abandoned and another built.  We don’t think that this custom is practiced anymore, but from the sometimes very close abandoned buildings, you imagine that it was in times past.  A simpler explanation is that ‘progress’ has come slowly to the Island.  Almost everyone over forty talks about growing up in a 2-3 room house (that is not the count of bedrooms, but rooms!), grinding grits and corn flour from locally grown corn, tending kerosene refrigerators, and baking in wood-fired stone ovens.  Electricity came to the island in 1993!

 

 

 

 

Our hangout here is always the ‘Sunshine Takeaway’ (new name), a shack at the regatta park run by Cordell (‘CorDee’) King and her daughter Cedell (‘CeeDee’) Hunter and a cast of regulars.  They serve up delicious native dishes - mornings you will often find CeeDee cleaning locally caught fish to be prepared for lunch/dinner.   But beyond the food, they serve up great hospitality.  Often when it is slow, they and a ‘cast of regulars’ gather around the table and have lively conversations, play games (well-known games like backgammon or ‘Ludu’, a local ‘monoply-like game), and just enjoy life!

 

On weekends and some other nights, they feature ‘Rake and Scrape’ music.  One of the regulars, Pompey ‘Bohog’ Johnson is considered one of the ‘fathers’ of this music form which features accordion, drum and ‘saw’.  CeeDee plays the drum and Crystal (another regular) plays the saw.  Believe it or not, they have traveled to play at a music festival in Paris, France, and have appeared on the Today Show!

 

I have somewhat of a ‘tradition’ of sharing some of my culinary specialties with the crew at the take-away.  Last year my Chili drew rave reviews and this year they really enjoyed my Chicken Roti, a West Indian curry dish.  Lest you think they only flatter me, my Rice & Beans featured above drew decidedly low reviews.  I initially was not going to share this dish, since it is 'in-progress' dish for me and one of their standards, but CorDee encouraged me.  I knew it was not good when CorDee started with “What kind of rice did you use?” with a disapproving tone. 

 

Sadly, tomorrow we are leaving and heading to Exuma.  A stronger front is headed this way, which is probably good, because it is ‘forcing’ us to leave.

 

Tom

Anchored New Bight, Cat Island