Preparing to Cross Back Over

Walking the beach at low tide, Moraine Cay

Conk that looked like he had a forest of moss on his back

Conk salad

Cleaning Conk  (there is a learning curve)

It's about time to update things. It has been a while. Lots has happened as usual. We spent  couple of nights at Hopetown which was very interesting. The community was settled by Loyalists at the time of the American Revolution. It has a lighthouse thought to be one of the most photographed in the world. We climbed it and took pictures, then on descending, signed the guest ledger. Out of curiosity I scrolled through the past several pages, and amazingly, there was an entry from someone from Ely. I couldn't discern the signiture, but took a picture. Got a good paddl in and Cindy ran the beach. We left Hopetown and scooted over to Marsh Harbor where there is a great grocery store. We were out of a few things, most importantly sour cream. We anchored  couple of miles out and the next morning more troublle. The windless motor failed. It had been acting a little funny, but it was now just dead. Previously I had cleaned the solenoid contacts, which I did again, but no go. I applied 12 volts directly to the motor and it shorted across, so it has internal issues. So for now, I am hand cranking the anchor while Cindy handles the boat. It works, but is pretty physical. We moved up the Abacos chain to Guana Cay for a couple of days, A beautiful beach a mile and a half long let Cindy run and I paddled. Pulled out of there and went to a favorite spot from last year, Moraine Cay for the last two nights. Absolutely amazing snorkeling and coral, lobster and conk. Today we are on the move again to near Grand Cay at the top of the Abacos. There is a big blow coming tonight and tomorrow and it should give us cover from the predicted 30MPH winds. After that will be looking at a potential weather window to go back to Florida Sunday or Monday if things look ok. We need to find a marina to lay over at a few days to get a replacement windless motor and some other things.

Moraine Cay at sundown

Hors d'oeuvres

This guy had a prop on his back and strafed the boat

Anybody recognize the Ely signer?

Happy hour at Hopetown

View from the lighthouse

Our boat is out there somewhere

Hopetown street

Cindy's running beach

Amazing rainbow

Abacos

We are now in the Abacos, or the northern part of the Bahamas. Several things to report this morning. Saturday, Sunday and Monday we traveled from the Exumas back to northern Eleuthera and then crossed to Great Abaco Island and anchored at Lynyard Cay Monday night. We had a weather window and wanted to get across the big open water, becuse it looked like that window was going to shut the rest of the week, and we really want to get things set to cross back to Florida in 10-12 days. We new the wind was going to howl yesterday, and it certainly did. We anchored in a spot that was as protected as possible, but it still howled. It rained and the winds were pushing 40 mph yesterday afternoon and evening. We were only 3-400 yards off the beach, but the waves even in that short reach were significant. It rained all afternoon and evening hard, probably a couple of inches, so spent the bulk of the day inside, doing some minor chores. I also spent time on the phone with Wells Fargo. Somehow our Visa card got scammed for $700-800 with more transactions pending. They were great on the phone and took care of it, but that card is no longer functional. Today is pretty flat, so will move up the Sea of Abaco 7-8 miles to near Hopetown. We never got there last year and it is suppposed to be a neat spot, with some stores, we need some sour cream and eggs. It also has several restaurants and might go out for a meal.

View from our anchorag this AM looking at the spray from waves breaking on the east side of the cay

more spray, the island height is at least 30-40 feet

Cargo vessel we dodged on the crossing from Eleuthera to Great Abaco

We left in the dark, this was sunrise at sea

Great Guana Cay and a new motor

 The last post, we were on our way to pick up the new motor at Davis Harbor. That all went smoothly. Trevor had left to get it when we arrived and he returned by noon, It started on the second pull and we were off.  Crossed the Exuma sound on a continuing flat day and arrived at an anchorage on the Exuma side with an hour to spare before dark. The wind kicked up big time the past couple of days so we holed up first at the Black Point Settlement, then at a protected bay called Hetties Land. Got out to explore Black Point, a small Bahamian village like Winton, had an early lunch of Mahi fingers, returned to the boat and moved to Hetties Land where we were much more alone. We hiked the beach yesterday across to the ocean side to look at the waves. Pretty angry sea, with 25 knot winds from the east and glad we are on the lee side of the island. Today we are moving south a bit to near Rudder CAy inlet. We went there last year and the coral was good for snorkelling. Will probably stay there until Sunday morning when if the weather and wind reports are accurate, will start to head north on the outside towards the northern Exumas and eventually the Abacos for a week or two before crossing back to Florida ~ May 1 or so.

Abandoned Half Moon Cay at the cruise ship destination. Empty kids play area

When the ships leave, it's a ghost town, spooky

Empty Bar

Leaving Half Moon Bay early morning, flat water, cruise ship just arrived for the day

Lunch at Lorraines at Black Point

Sharks below the dinghy at Black Point

New dinghy motor

Approaching Great Guana Cay, the clouds were interesting all lined up over the narrow land mass

Neat old boat near Davis Harbor

Joy ride breaking in the new dinghy

Limstone cliff at Great Guana

Angry seas the past three days

Half Moon Bay

Yesterday we left Davis Harbor and proceeded southeast to Little San Salvdor Island and a safe anchorage at Half Moon Bay. This island is private, owned by Holland-American Cruise lines. There is deep water up to about 400 yards of the island, and the cruise ships anchor for the day, the patrons are ferried to shore for a day on the beach. The cruise ships show up about 8 AM after moving all night and then depart late afternoon for their next destination. The trip from Davis Harbor was about 3 hours, and only 23 miles. We were slow and fished our way over without luck. On arriving, I started to drop the anchor then the winch went dead. I found the manual release tool in the engine room and let the chain out, set the anchor, and we were safe but with a winlass that neither dployed or retrieved the anchor chain. I could hear the solenoid click, and had power to the solenoid. So to show where our learning curve is with this boat, within a minute or two, Cindy tolded me to clean the solenoid connections, they were probably corroded. Indeed they were. She's a smart lady. Anyway, cleaned them up and all is as new. The cruise ship left yesterday and we had the place to ourselves after 4 PM. This morning we paddled to the beach, Cindy ran 4 miles and I paddled beside her. At 8:00, 2 cruise ships pulled in and the beach was full of people within an hour. As I write this, the beach has emptied and all is quiet. This afternoon another Krogen pulled into the bay, it was "Magnolia" a 42 owned by  couple we met at the rendezvoux in Solomons MD last October. Interestingly, we looked at that boat when it was the "Amy K", before buying our boat. Just now, a couple on another trawler stopped by and we visited for a few minutes. They're from central British Columbia. Fun to talk to Tomorrow will head back to Davis Harbor to pick up the new motor (I hope). Called Trevor, the mechanic this afternoon and he said it should be there by 10.

Cruise ship ants on the beach

A pair of cruise ships off our stern

Sunset last night. All alone.

You can see the tender at the side loading folks to go ashore or return. It is done very efficiently

Corrsion on the positive terminal on the windless. Cindy had it right.

Rock Sound-Davis Harbor and troubles

The past several days have been trying, but we have had some fun as well. When we were in Spanish Wells, we went to town, ate lunch and toured the area by foot. We then left that anchorage, moved a couple of miles behind Meeks Patch, an island that gave us some lee from the west wind and put the hook down with a dozen other boats. I went for a paddle and on returning, a guy in a dinghy approached our boat, informing us he was organizing an impromptu happy hour on the beach at 430. 430 ccame and we debated whether or not to go, but went anway. While chit chatting with a half dozen folks, another dinghy beached and a woman got out with her little dog, walked up the beach to us and just stood there with her mouth open saying OMG. It was John and Sue Wavrin. Serendipity has ruled on this trip. We talked to them for half an hour, finished our toddies, and went back to the boat. We pulled out the next morning to Rock Sound, 50 miles to the south, negotiated the infamous Current Cut with no issues, 2 hours past Nassau high tide, and in the afternoon anchored in Rock Sound. The next day, went to tour this hamlet, looked for a float switch for our shower sump without success, went for a beer and that's when our troubles began. After sipping a beer, we got back in the dinghy and a sailboater came in with his dinghy, not yielding any space, and we ended up hitting a rock with the motor. Well things were bad. We were a mile from the boat with a motor that didn't work and the wind agaist us. A couple more sailboaters were pretty unhelpful, laughing and telling us it looked like we were having a bad day. No shit. No offer to help. We started to row/paddle back to the boat, and while struggling, a power boat couple came out and gave us a tow back to the mothership. The next day, I did my best to tear the lower unit apart, but it was pretty clear it wasn't going to work. A dinghy is pretty critical. We were feeling pretty low, pulled out for Davis Harbor 25 miles south, where we stayed a year ago for a couple of days. On arrival, still in the turning basin, a voice yelled out, "nice boat". It was another Krogen owner, had a 48 that he and his wife stay on all winter, in this area. After docking, he came over and we talked for an hour. He and his wife are fom Stillwater, and were next door neighbors to David and Judith Adolfson. More serendipity. Anyway, he new a reliable local guy who worked on Yamaha engines exclusively. He took ours and confirmed the lower unit was toast, and arranged to help us get a replacement, which will arrive Tuesday morning we hope. In the mean time, our shore access is the kayak, which I am sure glad we bought. I changed generator oil yesterday and today we are going to pull out and anchor down island 20-30 miles, then return Tuesday to pick up th new motor.

Happy hour with John and Sue Wavrin

Cindy's running trail

Running on the road at Davis Harbor

Beer garden before we trashed the motor

Blue hole Rock Sound

Churches everywhere

Anchorage at Rock Sound

Lunch at Budda's in Spanish Wells

Budda's

Home Depot, Rock Sound

Fish in the Rock Sond blue hole