The Big Trip
After ten days in Georgetown, the most populated Island in the Exumas, Steve finally managed to pull us away for the 40 mile sail to a totally deserted Island, Conception. There were 7 other boats anchored here, so we weren't totally alone. We did a little snorkeling, but the water's still a little cool this far north -- wetsuits would have been a good idea. Next morning, we got into our dinghy (which is now reliable), and ventured up into a really cool lagoon. Surrounded by mangroves, the shallow, clear water broke off into multiple channels for exploring. We were tracking a weather front, and considered leaving for more shelter at Rum Cay that afternoon, but decided to spend another night. We all slowly shirked off the hubbub of Georgetown's social scene and fell back into the quiet boat life -- reading, card games, etc. The kids baked a cake, Jay played guitar while watching the sunset over the vast ocean. The next morning, we had a little excitement when we realized our dinghy had come unhooked and was swiftly floating away. Steve got a workout swimming to catch up to it, then realizing that he'd removed the gas tank the night before in preparation for our departure. "Row, row, row your boat..." |
| CONCEPTION ISLAND Yet another beautiful beach where our footprints were the only ones! |
:: Visiting the Iguanas at Allen Cay ::
We're Off!
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The kids and I left Coronado on the 28th to become
Steve's "second crew." Rather than sailing away
immediately, we spent a few days in the marina at the
Atlantis, the most unbelievable resort I've ever seen.
Our boat looked like a toy for the mega yachts
surrounding us. The place was so big and had so many
different aquariums that on the 4th day we stumbled upon
yet another section -- this one holding 22 black-tipped
sharks, all 4-5 feet long! We all had a blast going down
the many water slides (though Jay couldn't talk Maddy or
me into going down the one pictured on his page). We
got to hand feed rays, one of which bit Jay's finger along
with the food.
Though the Atlantis was decadently luxurious, our stay
there provided a good transition for the kids and me to
get used to the boat. We managed to stow all our things,
get used to sleeping onboard, pumping "heads", doing a
little cooking, etc. On our last day, we shopped for 10
days worth of groceries, and met the challenge of finding
places for everything in the galley (though I may never
find some of them again!) You'll never hear me complain
about lack of refrigerator or counter space at my house.
The night before we left, Steve reviewed all the safety
features on the boat and went over what to do in an
emergency. Important to know, but a little freaky for the
kids to think about. I lost some sleep worrying about our
first day out, which was a long sail - 38 miles. Though it
was a new experience to be sailing where you can no
longer see land, it was the perfect day for sailing, , my
seasick patch worked, and we arrived 7 1/2 hours later at
Allan's Cay, an Island inhabited by nothing but iguanas,
lots of them!
We managed our first anchoring with flying colors, then
took the dinghy ashore to visit the natives. In the
evening, we had a nice dinner and watched a movie --
just like home! Though the Island had no people, there
were 12 other boats anchored in the same cove, one
even had kids on it. During a morning snorkel those kids
led Steve and Maddy to a 4 foot nurse shark sleeping on
a shipwreck a few feet down!
Steve's "second crew." Rather than sailing away
immediately, we spent a few days in the marina at the
Atlantis, the most unbelievable resort I've ever seen.
Our boat looked like a toy for the mega yachts
surrounding us. The place was so big and had so many
different aquariums that on the 4th day we stumbled upon
yet another section -- this one holding 22 black-tipped
sharks, all 4-5 feet long! We all had a blast going down
the many water slides (though Jay couldn't talk Maddy or
me into going down the one pictured on his page). We
got to hand feed rays, one of which bit Jay's finger along
with the food.
Though the Atlantis was decadently luxurious, our stay
there provided a good transition for the kids and me to
get used to the boat. We managed to stow all our things,
get used to sleeping onboard, pumping "heads", doing a
little cooking, etc. On our last day, we shopped for 10
days worth of groceries, and met the challenge of finding
places for everything in the galley (though I may never
find some of them again!) You'll never hear me complain
about lack of refrigerator or counter space at my house.
The night before we left, Steve reviewed all the safety
features on the boat and went over what to do in an
emergency. Important to know, but a little freaky for the
kids to think about. I lost some sleep worrying about our
first day out, which was a long sail - 38 miles. Though it
was a new experience to be sailing where you can no
longer see land, it was the perfect day for sailing, , my
seasick patch worked, and we arrived 7 1/2 hours later at
Allan's Cay, an Island inhabited by nothing but iguanas,
lots of them!
We managed our first anchoring with flying colors, then
took the dinghy ashore to visit the natives. In the
evening, we had a nice dinner and watched a movie --
just like home! Though the Island had no people, there
were 12 other boats anchored in the same cove, one
even had kids on it. During a morning snorkel those kids
led Steve and Maddy to a 4 foot nurse shark sleeping on
a shipwreck a few feet down!
| Though it was only a short sail to our next stop, Highborne Cay, it was a rough ride by my standards. I was down below getting something, when we hit a big wave. I was holding on, but one of the hatches in the front cabin wasn't shut all the way and a torrent of water fell into my bedroom! It was like watching Titanic, but for real! Fortunately nothing got too wet, and it's a lesson we'll never forget. As we pulled into the Highborne Marina, I was throwing a line to a guy on the dock and I looked down into the water and saw a nurse shark. Turns out there's a bunch of them that hang out nearby, getting a free dinner at the fish cleaning dock. We later walked over there and saw 12-15 BIG nurse sharks. We're talking 6-7 feet! Fortunately Nurse Sharks aren't a danger to humans. The weather was questionable the day after we arrived at Highborne, so we decided to spend two nights. This is a private Island, with only a few homes and a research center. One of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen is on the Atlantic side, and we were the only people on it. There are conch shells everywhere. The second night, the marina put on a barbecue for all visitors. |
Highborne Cay
There have been a number of stops before here since my last entry, as noted by Steve in the voyage log Perhaps I'll just offer my impressions of the area... If you ever find yourself concerned with overpopulation on our planet, you should visit here. We've sailed past Island after Island, and most have been unpopulated. To see a few buildings through our binoculars has been an oddity and a treat. The settlements we've visited have generally had a population of 100 or less. There are two separate cultures here, the locals and the cruisers. It's such a dichotomy to walk through a village of 5-6 blocks to see the native population sitting outside their small abodes weaving straw baskets or hanging their laundry, and passing numerous cruisers along the way. They tend to be a homogeneous lot, white, in their 50's, shorts and sailing-related T-shirts, over-tanned, carrying laundry bags or water jugs. Since most are following a similar path through the Exumas, we cross paths along the way with the same couples. Everyone has a first name, and a boat residence name. ("Hi, I'm Sally from Sassy" or "I'm Jackie from Sea Hawk.") Stories are shared about riding out storms, mechanical problems, choosing routes through different "cuts" from the Bahamas Bank to the Exuma Sound (deep water). Blackpoint was a treat. The cruising guidebooks had little to say about this settlement, but rumor had it a new laundromat had opened there, and we were overdue. (The last 4 places we'd stopped offered no laundry, or a local woman who would take your laundry home to wash and hang for $10/load). The laundromat and a little marine shop shared a new, clean building at the water's edge. The woman who managed both would disappear to feed her children at lunch or to take a break at the bar down the street. When we arrived, she'd entrusted a cruiser to sell the requisite tokens for the washers and dryers. Later, when I was the only patron there, she instructed me to tell newcomers to "Let their laundry rest" until she returned. It was here in Blackpoint where Maddy and I met some American missionaries at the local grocery store. They suggested that Maddy attend the local elementary school. We got permission from the Principal, who told us to return at 12:45. From 12:45 until nearly 1:15, Jay, Maddy and I watched as the group of around 50 kids ran around wild, totally unsupervised - not an adult in site. We're talking throwing rocks at each other! When Mr. Thompson, the 5-6 grade teacher arrived, he seemed much more interested in talking with Jay and me about his native Guyana or the education policies of the Bahamas than entering his classroom, but class finally did begin around 1:20. At the end of class, Maddy shared her email address and stickers with classmates who had never seen stickers before (thanks, Kathleen, for that terrific suggestion). That evening, Valentine's Day, we had dinner at one of the two local restaurants. Maddy ended up playing outside with many of the friends she'd made that day. After a long day of sailing - our first on the ocean side of the Islands, we finally arrive in Georgetown, the biggest town in the Exumas. People boat here from Maryland, Massachusetts, even Canada, to spend the winter months. Most will sail no further than this, enjoying the warm weather, and all the activities organized by the regular cruiser community. Each morning at 8:10, we listen to the "Cruiser's Net" over the VHF radio, which lists activities for the day as if we were attending summer camp -- bridge lessons, mah jong, volleyball tourneys, pig roasts. All of these take place on "Volleyball beach", which has 5 volleyball courts, a bunch of picnic tables, and a small bar that also serves burgers. Every afternoon at 2:00 the games begin, continuing until sundown, or until people have to go back to their boat to prepare for one of the various happy hour gatherings. Church services are offered each Sunday on the beach, but if the weather's bad, they move it into the bar. It's illegal to buy or sell things over the "cruiser net" because the Bahamians want the cruiser community to support the local economy. I heard of someone's boat being confiscated because they offered an outboard for sale over the VHF. In the end it cost them over $30K to get it back. So people have devised ways of getting around this -- "I happen to have a good outboard that someone might want to borrow and return to me in Virginia when they return north." It's really strange to be around an entire community of people who don't have jobs. Though most are older than we, there are other families, too. Jay's found a friend, Andrew, a 13-year old whose family sold all their belongings and their house in Pennsylvania to set sail indefinitely. Eventually they plan to buy a house "somewhere in the South, maybe Florida." Other families discuss what part of the world they will go next as they homeschool 2-3 children. Compared to these major life changes, our 6-month adventure seems like a minor hiccup in our kids' lives. At least at the end of our voyage, we will return to our home and schools, and be back with our friends. Prices of things are skewed here due to demands and availability. One place charged us $75 to fill our water tank, a pack of cigarettes is around $8; batteries are outrageous, a pint of ice cream (when you can find one) is $7, faxing 10 pages of Maddy's schoolwork cost $27; internet cafes here in Georgetown charge $.40/minute. On the up side, our dinghy motor died, and we were able to buy a new one for about $700 less than it would have cost us in the states. |
| GEORGETOWN |
Maddy and me on the ocean side of
Stocking Island. Maddy's holding the
seahare she saved after it had washed
ashore - science lab for that day!
Stocking Island. Maddy's holding the
seahare she saved after it had washed
ashore - science lab for that day!
| CONCEPTION ISLAND |
After ten days in Georgetown, the most populated Island in the Exumas, Steve finally managed to pull us away for the 40 mile sail to a totally deserted Island, Conception. There were 7 other boats anchored here, so we weren't totally alone. We did a little snorkeling, but the water's still a little cool this far north -- wetsuits would have been a good idea. Next morning, we got into our dinghy (which is now reliable), and ventured up into a really cool lagoon. Surrounded by mangroves, the shallow, clear water broke off into multiple channels for exploring. We were tracking a weather front, and considered leaving for more shelter at Rum Cay that afternoon, but decided to spend another night. We all slowly shirked off the hubbub of Georgetown's social scene and fell back into the quiet boat life -- reading, card games, etc. The kids baked a cake, Jay played guitar while watching the sunset over the vast ocean. The next morning, we had a little excitement when we realized our dinghy had come unhooked and was swiftly floating away. Steve got a workout swimming to catch up to it, then realizing that he'd removed the gas tank the night before in preparation for our departure. "Row, row, row your boat..." |
| CONCEPTION ISLAND |