Friday, March 28^th

The big blow started Tuesday.  Tuesday night was another anchor watch night.  Wednesday we were supposed to take the boat to the other side of the cay to the boatyard.  It was still blowing 28 – 30 knots and the seas were rough.  Bill and Ken worked on the shaft and then took the boat around to the boatyard.  Thankfully, Ken went with Bill and the shaft held together.  The wind was on their nose most of the way and they were only making 1 knot headway a good deal of the time.  Yesterday morning they hauled WishBone and took apart the shaft, hub to survey the problem and get measurements to order new parts.  The mechanic told me this morning that the shaft has been machined and the other parts are now ready.  So it is a matter of getting them here.  The delivery ship leaves today and returns on Sunday – hopefully all will be on it. 

April loves it here and is welcomed.  The yard is all security gated so she is pretty much free to run and roam.  There are also a couple of other dogs here for company.  We are within a long walk to Marsh Harbor downtown which gives us something to do.

Monday, March 31^st

We met Francie and Ken and Skipper, our friends on Release, on shore this weekend and feasted at Conky Joe’s, a local bar and grill with the freshest conch around.  We also took the dinghy onto the beach yesterday and scraped the bottom.  She should be twice as fast now!  WishBone will have her bottom cleaned when she is hauled for her repair.  Today we carried laundry into Marsh Harbour and back.  We have discovered a shorter path through the woods into town where April can run free however it was still a long carry with laundry bags.    We are having moon tides and when we got back from our laundry trip to town we couldn’t get back on the boat.  So here I am in the boatyard office waiting for the tide and waiting for the person who orders the parts to get a report as to the status of our order.  The mechanic told me this morning that the machining wasn't completed on Friday so we are looking for a Wednesday arrival. 

 

This park in Eleuthera has a fresh water hole that is 600 ft deep

 

When you look into the hole it is so clear you can see the Bonefish

 

 

Tuesday, March 18^th

Saturday we left Royal Island at daybreak with 12 other boats, hauled the sail and spent 10 hours with 18 plus knot winds and 7 to 10 ft. seas.  Our destination was Little Harbour, Abaco.  We ended up dropping our anchor across the harbor from Little Harbour off Lynyard Cay.  The tide was too low for us to get into Little Harbour.   Saturday was supposed to be the only day the weather permitted traveling, however, so much for that Bahamian weatherman Chris Parker’s prediction.  Not!  However, our perfect sailor April spent the day on the sole in the salon pinning herself up against the settee sleeping.  With yet another high wind front coming on Tuesday, we sailed on Sunday into Marsh Harbour, Abaco.  Sunday was a beautiful day with enough wind to carry us along and without the high seas.  We are anchored in Marsh Harbour among a hundred other boats.  Good thing we came early!  We walked around the settlement yesterday.  It is pretty here.  Today we are confined to the boat as we ride out the storm.  We have talked to the boatyard here and think we will get our shaft work done before we leave.  It probably is our last chance to get the work done before crossing back to the mainland, and Bill wants it resolved before we cross.  And this is not a bad place to spend a couple of weeks.

Thursday March 20
Welcome spring!  I am in an Internet café in Marsh Harbor and the connect is funky so if something weird happens as in my pictures recently . . .  The weather is in the 70's and the wind has gone.  April has been doing some serious lizard hunting.  We are off to find the vet today for some tick repellant - there are many ticks here and the Front Line is gone.

Hatchet Bay coastline - beautiful.

 

Glass Window - on one side is the Atlantic and on the other side the Northeast Passage

Northern Eleuthera

 

 

Thursday, March 13^th

This island hopping makes you lose track of the days and events.  Time just marches on.  We are in the middle of March and the past three months have just gone so quickly.  Anyway, after we left Hatchet Bay, toured the northern coast of Eleuthera, viewed the Glass Window, we made our way to Royal Island.  Then on Tuesday morning we traveled to Spanish Wells.  We stayed at the marina, filled our tanks and provisioned.  Spanish Wells has a British white influence with fewer black people.  The houses are all painted beautiful colors with well maintained gardens.  Fishing is the way of life here.  Shrimp boats and crabbing boats seem to be the most popular.  The waters are skinny all around Spanish Wells and the beaches are beautiful.  We left Spanish Wells Wednesday morning and made our way back to Royal Island for shelter from the upcoming blow Thursday/Friday.  Royal Island is under development.  There is surveying going on with rough roads running around the island.  The only buildings here now are the few occupied by the maintenance personnel, but the subdivision is in progress.  The dogs have been free to run here and love it. 

Once the winds clock around to the East which is supposed to happen Saturday, we will sail to the Abacos.  That crossing is a long day

Friday, March 7^th

This past week has been busy.  We left Rock Sound, Eleuthera on Monday and followed the shoreline North along Palmetto Point and the Pineapple Cays.  We tried to anchor in Ten Bay – twice – unsuccessfully.  I putted the boat around the harbor while Bill changed anchors, removing the CQR and attaching the Fortress FX 11 to our windless.  The Fortress is recommended for the Bahamas as it is supposed to hold in grassy sand bottom.  It weighs nothing – we have used it for our dinghy anchor.  Anyway, it held and we enjoyed the beautiful beach and a swim in Ten Bay.  Tuesday we pulled anchor and made our way to Governor’s Harbour.  The anchoring there was also a chore, but we finally found enough sand to hold.  The supply boat came in while we were anchoring.  Wednesday Bill hauled fuel and water aboard from ashore.  We checked out the island, had lunch in the local café then reprovisioned.  We also checked out all the shops and chatted with the natives.  Thursday morning we headed North again for Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera.  A westerly was predicted for Friday/Saturday and we were moving for protection from the wind.  The trip was very rough but we were at the entry to Hatchet Bay by noontime.  The entry to this hurricane hole is very high and very narrow – manmade into what once was a lake.  Bill throttled WishBone to the max and took her into the bay while I closed my eyes – yikes! Today is Saturday and we were woken up in the night with high winds.  This morning our anchor pulled in 34 knot winds, again yikes, and we ended up reattaching our CQR to the windless and have that as our ground tackle again.   So today and again tonight and tomorrow we sit out yet another blow.  They are coming around once a week.  We are hoping with spring on the way, the weather will be nicer to us. 

 

March 11th

We left Hatchet Bay after the blow and cruise along the northern coast of Eleuthera taking in the caves and Glass Window - a hole from the sound through the island to the Atlantic Ocean.  We anchored in Royal Island and were there until this morning.  The dogs loved it there.  They had woods and bushes to play and run in.  This morning we sailed to Spanish Wells, but will leave tomorrow morning to return to Royal Island to sit out yet another blow on Thursday.  We have done laundry, got fuel and water so we will be set for the few days of weather.

 

This is from the boat anchored at Royal Island.  I actually saw the "green flash" on the sunset the other evening, but of course it was over and done before any picture could be taken.  What a sight!

March 1 - Saturday

I am in the "Laundry Mat" in Rock Sound Harbour, Eleuthera Cay.  We crossed over from Staniel, Exuma earlier in the week.  The crossing was really very nice, canvas flying and took us about 10 hours.  We dropped anchor with about 13 other boats on the South side of the harbor.  However the winds picked up and the waters rolled and we decided to haul anchor and move to the other side of the sound.  The move was nearer the good dog beaches too.  We had some serious squalls yesterday, high winds and heavy rains.  There was also the most beautiful rainbow.  However, they were over by early afternoon and we did some gunkholing and beach combing.  Today, we are touring the mainland and getting the laundry done.  Life is good and all is well.  We will be moving along the Eleuthera Cay heading North - weather permitting tomorrow.