Continuing to explore the Exumas
Mon Feb 27th 2023 (12 NM; 2.5 hrs) - Left for Georgetown to do some provisioning. Anchored up at Sand Dollar Beach with the masses. Sand Dollar anchorage is an easy dinghy ride to Georgetown. As the ocean water was crystal clear in the bay we made fresh water to replenish our supply. Muti has a water-maker that will produce 17 gph (60 lph); it runs off our batteries so it free! (So Rob says). We make water every 3 or 4 days.
Tue Feb 28th 2023 - Dinghy’ed over to Exuma market with the crowds to provision. The provision ship arrives Tuesday mornings; there was a lot more to choose from, even found an ice cream. We used our folding bikes to cycle the 3 mile trip to Browns marine store to purchase a replacement boat hook for the one Rob lost at Little Farmers Cay. Road was narrow, full of potholes, and crazy drivers making the ride very precarious! Lunch was a pizza in Georgetown before saying adios. Not the best place to visit, definitely good place to provision. Very crowded, didn’t help that the regatta was in full swing!
Wed Mar 1st 2023 (52 NM; 10 hrs)- Left at first light for Cat Island, it was a long trip that took most of the day. Peaceful quiet anchorage, nice change from Georgetown! Went on shore and met Laura and David for drinks, we hadn’t seen them since we left the States so it was nice to catch up.
Thu Mar 2nd thru Sun Mar 5th 2023 - Went for a long walks on the beach, cleaned the dinghy on shore, did some laundry and relaxed on the boat, had drinks with Laura and David on their boat. Rob took a dinghy ride to a small lagoon to look for bone fish. The lagoon was the perfect habitat for bone fish but nada (Spanish lessons at work 😁).
Looking for bone-fish
Mon Mar 6th 2023 - Moved to the northern part of the same bay. Walked around and found a small grocery store where we bought a few mangos and some chocolates.
Tue Mar 7th 2023 - Walked up to the Hermitage monument on top of Mount Alvernia which is the highest peak (for lack of a better word) in the Bahamas at 206 Ft. It was old and very quaint, has some living quarters as well as a one man chapel with only one pew. Here is a link for historic detail: https://www.bahamas.com/plan-your-trip/things-to-do/the-hermitage-on-mt-alvernia. Indulged in a couple of adult beverages with David and Laura in the afternoon. Rum punch is a staple; rum is made on the islands and consequently it’s inexpensive so it’s a lot of rum and very little punch. Of course that’s good and bad, mostly good.
Another sunset
Fri Mar 10th 2023 - Went for a 2 hour walk across the island to the Atlantic side beach. It’s gorgeous. We rewarded ourselves with lobster tacos at Hidden Treasure restaurant. The chef, Trevor, was a personal chef in the States earlier in his career and this was definitely one of the best meals we’ve had in the Bahamas this season.
Sat Mar 11th 2023 - Windy 24 hrs causing us to remain boat bound on a bumpy vessel. Cooked some chili, Gerda is so glad she has her sea legs!
Sun Mar 12th 2023 - Woke up to beautiful turquoise water. So calm today it’s hard to believe last night even happened. Moved further south in the bay to Old Bight to prepare for the next round of west wind which is starting tomorrow. At least there is one day to get some laundry done (we have a small washing machine on board) and do some baking.
Mon Mar 13th 2023 - Back to bumpiness, didn’t leave the boat. Rough evening, thundershowers with lightning that struck a little too close and a little too often with high wind gusts. We heard a vessel in the anchorage was struck by lightning. They lost their electronics and were forced to seek repairs in Nassau, a main hub in the Bahamas.
Tue Mar 14th 2023 - A quick dinghy ride to shore to dispose of garbage and explore the local bakery. We just needed to get off the boat for an hour because, honestly, local bread (or any baked goods) in the Bahamas is very underwhelming. Going forward, safe to say it is better to make our own bread especially since we are partial to sourdough. Had an early dinner with some of our boating friends (David/Laura and Mike/Candy) at a local restaurant called BlueBird Cafe, very spicy meal; Rob loved it. Bid farewell to our friends, will most likely only see them again in the Abacos or stateside.
Wed Mar 15th thru Wed Mar 22nd 2023 - Stayed in this anchorage for a while due to inclement weather. Seas were choppy with variable winds. Some boats headed north (including our friends) as the winds were in their favor, but we have to wait for the wind to change given where we are headed. Went for walks, stopped by a local bar, completed boat chores and not much else. Couldn’t even get in the water as it was too choppy, and too windy to paddle board. I guess you can say we are rested now. The flawless internet access Starlink provides has really made life so much easier. We are able to access updated weather on demand, a great safety measure. Rob was able to submit our US taxes from New Bight, what a game changer!
Thu Mar 23rd 2023 (43nm, 7 hrs )- Set course for Conception Cay; 1 reef in mainsail as expected 20k of wind with 25k gusts. Wind shifted early forcing us to alter course to Calabash Bay on Long Island. The sea state was not optimal, we were taking 8 foot waves on the beam making for a bumpy ride. As the waves approach they look like they will swamp Muti but she just powers right on over without hassle. When we started this adventure we would have been a little freaked out but now we are happy to be sailing. Anchored at the Santa Maria resort, we were last here with Chris and Magda. Looking forward to restaurant cooked fish and chips, yeah man! We eat well on the boat but it does get monotonous.
Fri Mar 24th 2023 - We cracked an invite, thank you, thank you… Doralyn and Mike of SV Two Tickets (Lagoon 42 like Muti) invited us to go with them to the Columbus monument further north in Long Island, they had rented a car and were driving up from Thompson Bay where they are anchored. This is apparently where Columbus first landed on his way to discover America, though there is some controversy around this ‘fact’. We had a fun morning with them, visiting the monument and the lagoon nearby (where we saw big crabs running around!) and finishing off with lunch at the Cape Santa Maria resort. We haven’t been in a car for 2 months, amazing to see the scenery whipping by at 35 mph instead on 6 mph.
There is a platform over the hole from which free divers practice their trade. Interesting to see them disappear into the abyss and return minutes later - it’s not normal! We snorkeled around the hole which revealed some sea life around the rim, followed by a walk along the beach. The biggest disappointment of the day was trash (mostly plastic) around the hole and all along the beach. So sad what we are doing to this planet. On the way home we stopped to have some pizza; owner was grumpy but the pizza and view made it worth it. If you don’t have a reservation you are chased away, seems like a limiting business model as we were the only ones allowed in when a couple of groups arrived with us. Somewhere on the way we passed the Tropic of Cancer. We had a final round of cocktails at the resort bar when Doralyn and Mike dropped us off before dinghy’ing back to our condo on the water.
Deans blue hole
Mon Mar 27th 2023 - Went for a long walk on the deserted beach. The water is a perfect turquoise, the sand silky soft… fabulous. If you were hiding from the law this would be the spot to hang out.
Tue Mar 28th 2023 - Had lunch at the resort with Doralyn and Mike followed by a dinghy ride into the mangroves to explore the local fauna. Witnessed a small black-tipped reef shark but thats about it. A bigger shark came looking for dinner around the boat at dusk but as we weren’t in the water he missed out - not sure about swimming around here!
Wed Mar 29th 2023 - A super day. These are the days that enhance the boating life: a gentle breeze, water a beautiful turquoise, flat calm ocean, white powdery sand beach. We went for a long walk on the beach, the sand is powdery white, followed by lunch at the resort (and more rum punch for Gerda - what’s happening?) Put our dinghy through its paces embarking on a ride to a reef a couple of miles down the shoreline. The water was immaculately clear allowing us to spot a couple of schools of fish hanging out on the reef amongst the fern coral. Late afternoon we paddle boarded to the shore with Doralyn and Mike and went for a short walk along the beach. That shark buzzed us again, must be looking for handouts. Active day! The evening is just gorgeous, gentle breeze, crescent moon and a sky full of stars. Its so bright one can see the sand ripples on the ocean floor 3 meters below Muti. Sweet!
Thu Mar 30th 2023 - What a gorgeous day to wake up to. Potted around cleaning Muti; cleaning with a view is always easier! Dinghy’ed to the resort (again) for lunch with Doralyn and Mike as we are short on fresh provisions. The weather was so gorgeous it wasn’t a hard decision. This is an anchorage that does not have a grocery store nearby, just a pub to Robs delight. We expect the inclement weather to begin tonight.
Fri Mar 31st 2023 - Bumpy night followed by a windy day. Did some chores on the boat and had some of our chili. Rob made sourdough bread. Looking forward to getting some fresh produce again on Georgetown.
Peace out.
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