Our time to relax was cut short by our need to knock off boat chores around the weekend. Stores shut down on Sundays and most establishments are closed or have shortened hours on Saturday.

We refilled the water tanks with four of our plastic compressible 5-gallon jugs – dockside in Victoria Lake. It took about 5 trips to top off our 3 tanks (hold approx. 50 gallons each). Had our propane filled on a Monday, did laundry, grocery shopping, and one last alcohol run. And last but not least we topped off the diesel fuel tank and gas tank on the dinghy. We went to the Georgetown Yacht Club for diesel and they were great but the nozzle was one of the worst we’ve experienced. Our fuel intake valve is narrower than most other boats and tends to “bubble up” quickly. Many! Many paper towels and cursing accompanied this particular fill up.

We still bring our own grocery bags when we grocery shop. The French trained us well. In Guadeloupe many grocery stores didn’t cary plastic bags at all. We made the mistake of not bringing our own bags…. only once. But now that I use my own, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s seems silly to keep using plastic bags, throwing them away, then going back to the store to use new bags just to throw those away too. Case and point of ‘reality’ is stranger than fiction. (Mark Twain once wrote ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’)

We spent one day fixing screens and cleaning the boat. And when it got too hot, we jumped in to cool off. Our last night in Georgetown we witnessed some amazing lightening storms in the distance. The wind picked up a few times but the anchor held strong in sand along with everyone else.

We greeted my parents at the hotel, Peace & Plenty, they were standing on a veranda looking out over the water. When they turned around to see us it was a tidal wave of hugs and smiles. Despite having traveled thousands of miles under sail for several months, they kept repeating ‘ I can’t believe you’re doing this, that you’re here!’  That made us smile even more.

From the moment they stepped onboard I knew it was going to be trouble. Of all our friends who visited, it was my Mom and Dad, who couldn’t keep still. The second I turned my back they were running foredeck or off the side boarding ladder into the water. Aiyiyi. It was going to be a long week. 😉

We began in Georgetown, the capital grounds for cruisers in the Bahamas. Peak season is in the winter months, so the anchorages we explored (in May) were largely quiet and we had our pickings of where to anchor.

My Mom and Dad quickly made use of the clear water when they first arrived. We eventually & leisurely motored across the harbor to Stocking Island and made landfall at the Chat n Chill. It’s a beautiful beach with picnic tables scattered under trees, a volleyball net, tree swings, the ring game – this place is ‘never never land’. It was crafted for adults, a place where day drinking and laughter lifted all your cares and land worries away. It was easy to get sucked into this place. And yet, after all the hype of hearing about the infamous Chat n Chill, I was a little underwhelmed. It was a beach bar that seemed to serve you a beer and usher you back out. So back out is where we went and the place I enjoyed the most. We left the Chat n Chill beach area and wandered to the eastern side of the island wadding through a narrow channel to get to the next beach.

From Stocking Island we sailed all day trailing thunder clouds until we anchored in Lee Stocking Island, near the old maritime research facility, abandoned in 2011. It was once the Perry Institute for Marine Science a research facility started in the 50’s to pursue marine research and sustainability. Sadly, in 2006 Perry died and funding dried up, a caretaker now looks over the grounds. A couple of cruisers dinghied over and informed us this anchorage had a lot of mosquitos but further south the pristine anchorage of Williams Bay had no bugs. We pulled up anchor and sure enough, yes, Williams Bay was astounding. Twin beaches, interesting limestone formations and a sandy bottom.

We went ashore and walked the adventurous trails taking in the sites.

 

We had a beautiful day sail to Farmers Cay in light wind and took the mooring ball in front of the yacht club in stunning clear water. The current was a bit strong but the wind was light. We tied our dinghy to the newly built dock and were greeted by Roosevelt. We enjoyed a traditional Bahamian dinner and even learned how to dance with Roosevelt once we were finished.

We explored the ship wreck across the channel and strolled the beaches around Little Farmers Cay. We made our way back to Georgetown at this point and stopped in Rudder Cut Cay. David Copperfield owns land around here and there’s a mermaid playing a piano underwater (made of stone in 15 feet of water). We anchored near the enormous cavernous limestone overhang, which was the highlight of the anchorage for me.

My parents asked to get as much time on the water sailing & thats exactly what we gave them. We had another full day of sailing, close hauled.

We stopped behind Rat Cay and enjoyed our afternoon with snorkeling the clear waters on our own secluded beach and enjoying ‘anchorage cocktails’ & bottle of wine.

We returned to Georgetown and strolled the small town and enjoyed the warm weather. We had our last beers together at the beautiful hotel, Peace & Plenty.

Thanks for gifts and giant bag of M&M’s, thanks for helping us sail, even more thanks for not crashing the boat into rocks, and thanks for coming to visit. Catch you state-side one of these days.

The day Jess n Justin arrived, it poured… I mean it poured hard. We had rented a car to run a few errands like laundry and groceries then pick our friends up at the airport. When the rain subsided we ferried our dry warm clean laundry and groceries back to Gaia. As we opened the hatch we found that we (cough..Mike cough) left the hatch above the aft cabin bed completely open. The neat and tidy bed we had made was drenched. Bugger. What a way to start off a vacation for friends. We picked them up at the airport returned to the boat and sure enough the sun began peaking out of the clouds just before sunset. It wasn’t going to be so bad… they’d just sleep on the settees. All the running around and being swamped by buckets of rain was all made better when Jess n Justin pulled out of their luggage 4 steaks from a cooler bag. The last time we had a decent steak was in …. New York? 8 months ago… god that long… yeah not cool. Mike and I were aside ourselves incredulous with happiness. We broke out the good wine and the good the silverware, the only silverware and went to work.

The next day we used the rental car to drive over to Dean’s Blue Hole. The free dive competition was gone but a few curious tourists and a class for free-diving was taking place. Jess and Mike were bold enough to climb to the edge of the limestone cliffs and plunge about 25 feet into the blue hole. Both had good form.

 

We set sail for Calabash Bay near the northern part of Long Island and found a trail that lead to the Christopher Colombus memorial. The walk over was easy and nice to catch up with old friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a night of too much chess games, we made our move to Conception Island. We thought San Salvador would be amazing but sailing there and back and seeing the island would eat up 4 days easily. Conception Island was only 30 nm, a far more manageable day sail. When we approached we caught a horse-eyes jack. Discovering that ciguatera was an issue for larger horse-eyed jacks, we had to set this big lugger back to his home.  As we settled down from the excitement another friend playfully swam by. A dolphin swam around the boat, twirling about in the water and playing in the bow wake. At this point we found Conception Island to be most welcoming. The wind was just north of East which made the swell that wrapped around from the south to be very subtle. When the sun set and the stars rose we were completely alone in paradise. The next night we moved to the the northern anchorage and found two other sailboats perched nearby. We dropped the anchor and found three large nursesharks nestled in the shadow of the boat. All 4 of us flung ourselves into the water to get a better look. They were pretty great. I think of them like sheep, cute and harmless but in a beguiling shark kind of way. We enjoyed the beach and were intending to leave early next morning but then we bumped into the folks on the nearby monohull – a chatty bunch from FL and then two brothers from the catamaran dinghy-ed over and invited us over for drinks which quickly escalated to a potluck. I believe it was the words of fresh caught seafood that sealed the deal for us. We decided we’d stay another night and party with our new friends tonight. We found out there was a great mangrove river to be explored and so much more to snorkel.

The next day we dinghy-ed to the mouth of the river. The entrance is shallow and the water color varies from crystal clear to an iridescent sparkle like diamonds. As we continued, the river forms to a more traditional turquoise color with deceptively fast turtles that dart away. At the junction of the river there was a deep pocket of water. It was near here we decided to jump out of the dinghy and float with the current. I stayed with the dinghy, while Jess, Justin, & Mike got up close and personal with the sergeant majors hiding in the mangrove branches, and the conchs trudging along the bottom, even the barracudas lurking in the back. We returned to the mile long white sand beach with a few beers and relaxed. I wrote in big block letters ‘ GAIA IN DA HOUSE’ – it seemed like the right thing to do.

We had a long slow sail to Hawksnest marina, Cat Island where we filled up on much-needed water and decided to stay the night by anchoring in the river. The sun was setting and it’s unwise to navigate in poor lighting when there are possible coral heads to hit. The river was shallow and with a draft of 5.3′ we definitely bumped the muddled ground at low tide but nothing major.

On Cat Island we explored New Bight, which was a great anchorage. We pulled up on the beach and found several bar and restaurants. We chose Hidden Treasure and Denice took great care of us. Jess & I started off with mango daiquiris. They’re served in a long stem margarita glass… or I should say margarita bowl, it was enormous with rum floaters ontop! Lunch was made jovial by our mid afternoon cocktails. But let’s not leave out the food, it was also wonderful – the grilled mahi mahi was spectacular. We burned off our lunch by hiking the tallest point in the Bahamas! Mt. Alvernia better known as Como Hill which stands 206 feet tall. Whew! And the top not only rewards you with a great view but an interesting peak into the past.

 

 

 

 

“It was named Mount Alvernia by Monsignor John Hawes, a Roman Catholic priest. It is said to be reminiscent of La Verna, the hill in Tuscany that was given to St. Francis of Assisi as a place where he could peacefully contemplate, and is reportedly where Assisi received the Wounds of the Cross. Monsignor John Hawes, known to Cat Islanders as Father Jerome, was a skilled architect and sculptor – a self-described contemplative and admirer of St. Francis of Assisi. Using local stone, he built The Hermitage on the peak of Mt. Alvernia in 1939, a small medieval monastery where he could get away from the world. Father Jerome is also known for building cathedrals and convents throughout The Bahamas, including on Long Island and New Providence. He died in 1956 and is said to be buried somewhere on the site of The Hermitage.” -bahamas.com

 

From New Bight we went to Fransesco Bay where we found a resort that had a trusting bar on the beach. The owner welcomed us and showed us a circular bar completely stocked with cups, ice, liquor, wine, beer, and juices.

 

Each party took account for every drink they made or took and tallied up their own order to pay for it up at the front desk. And then the owner walked away. And we continued to party.

 

 

The next day was a bit slow in more ways than one. The wind had died and we had a very long sail from Cat Island to Georgetown Great Exuma. The seas were so flat and so calm, we slowed the boat and jumped in. It was a fantastic trip all around but again the friends had to return to Boston and we, we had to prepare for our last round of guests…. my parents…. bum bum bum!

Hogsty atoll was such a beautiful experience. If you’re sailing through the area and the conditions are right I highly recommend diving/snorkeling the reefs and wrecks!

 

We continued on our journey past Castle Island. As beautiful and pristine the anchorage appeared, the swells on either side were too much for us to handle. We motored up the coast to the SW Acklins anchorage. (SW Acklins from aloft – right->)

You’ll notice none of my pictures show buoys or channel markers outlining channels or warning of shoals and reefs. You really need to depend on your eyes so it’s important to sail with good sunlight in unknown waters. At first I was nervous, having never navigating by eyesight alone…. but with decent sunlight it’s a cake walk. The waters are clear and after you see one reef or jetty of submerged rocks… you know what to look for going forward.

From SW Acklins we spotted a few small skiffs skimming the horizon but no neighbors to speak of since Matthews Town the day we cleared in. We crept to the South of Fish Cay where the current carved out a deep enough area to anchor in sand. Everything in front of us was all too shallow for Gaia and in 10 knot winds, we had zero bouncing waves. Another sound night of sleeping!

From Crooked Island we went to Long Island and had another beautiful downwind sail. We tucked into Little Harbor finding ourselves alone again. The cut into the protected anchorage is narrow and East-facing. Don’t time this cut incorrectly or it’ll prove to be a dicey and uncomfortable motor into steep strong standing waves. We timed it perfectly at slack tide and found the harbor to be curiously inviting with a half submerged boat in the shallows. I enjoyed my morning coffee watching the occasional green turtle surfacing.

The following day we made anchor in Clarence Town and the nearby marina had a nice laid-back bar we really enjoyed. From there we hitchhiked to Dean’s Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole In The World (cool! blue holes are water filled sinkholes).  Most known blue holes in the world average 110 meter/360 feet deep. Dean’s Blue Hole is a whopping 203 meters/666 ft deep. A couple of locals picked us up no problem and dropped us off…. on a beautiful white sand beach…. with about 30 other people and a …film crew… (?). Not what we were expecting either. The International Freedive Competition was camped out and taking place before our very eyes.

We watched as five deviously laughing young men surprised someone, picked him up by his arms and legs, ran him over to the water and tossed him in. The man they threw in the water was William Trubridge, who earlier that day, set the new world record of free immersion diving to 124 meters (407 feet). Good grief! The idea of diving with weights and a scuba tank past 90 feet scares me…. I can’t imagine swimming freely for another 327 feet. We wandered the premise enjoying the sights and watching this close-knit world of free divers around us. We eventually strapped on our own dinky snorkel fins and mask and swam around the blue hole. The diving competition took place within a square, marked off by 4 floating pcv tubes. Friends and spectators could hang  off them and watch. As curious spectators, we floated in the warm clear water with the pros. We asked questions as to how athletes started and met their depth. We learned the long wire that hung straight down had flags at predetermined depths for each diver to reach and retrieve their own flag. Upon their ascent two aiding free divers swam down 100 feet only to assist if something was awry. When the athlete surfaced they were required to perform basic functions to show they were stable. It’s not completely uncommon to witness a diver black out or show problems breathing. Not to fear, there are completely qualified and trained medics standing on the raft and in the water to help should any serious problem arise.

We stayed and watched several divers. They were beautiful, elegant swimmers. They disappeared into the abyss with purpose and rose back to the surface like slow rising smoke or an unearthly ghost – it was fascinating. I watched one woman ascend from afar by diving down a few feet. Through my own mask I could see her face. Her nose pinched off by a plug, and her eyes closed. She was completely zen and relaxed. If it wasn’t for her feet effortlessly moving I would have thought she was asleep.

We made our way back by hitchhiking again. A diving competitor from Germany, generously stopped for us and gave us a ride back to the marina. She kindly listened to our elementary questions on the sport and we hung on to every word she had to say on what it was like to dive down that deep.

Seeing Dean’s Blue Hole was beautiful and unique and a great start to visiting Long Island…

We wobbled onto land to check in on Saturday morning to Matthews Town. We immediately found the locals to be immensely kind – amazingly generous. There were two locals who gave us a ride to the police station to check if the Customs/Immigration office would be open on a Saturday. The police stationed phoned the C/I who drove over to pick us up at the police station before clearing us into the Bahamas. We paid $300 USD in cash to clear in which gave us a cruising and fishing permit for a year and the ability to leave for up to 3 months and return without clearing in/out!

Matthews Town wasn’t all that exciting, it had a screened in gazebo/hut with free wifi but even the prospect of free wifi didn’t stop our progression to a new anchorage. We anchored in Man O War bay just South of the Morton Salt dock. It was there we snorkeled the crystal clear Bahamian blue. We decided to splurge and take a tour of Great Inagua.

We consulted the ‘Active Captain’ reviews and called a guide named Casper and made arrangements to meet him on the beach the next day. It would be $100 for the tour but that went straight to the Bahamian Trust. Friendly and welcoming, he helped us drag our dinghy onto the beach and then we all fled for our lives from the relentless mosquitos; retreating into his nice SUV. Having grown up in Great Inagua and traveled to a few other islands working various jobs for the Bahamian Nation Trust, Casper was well versed in the history, ecology, and economics of Great Inagua as well as the rest of the Bahamas. We learned what a potcake was – it’s what locals call their stray dogs (named so because that’s what people fed them – potcakes – the burnt rice on the bottom of a pan). He told us of how the salt mining industry grew from a few locals building salt ponds and working endlessly which progressed to the Erickson family coming in & investing in machinery and scaling production until Mortons Salt Company took over operations. Casper also told us about the flamingo populations and how they migrated from island to island but it was at Great Inagua, deep in the reserve the flamingos would come by the thousands to nest. Once we were as close as we could get (about a mile away), he took out a heavy duty telescope and sure enough the entire horizon, dotted with pink flamingos, came to life and you could see all the grey puffs of baby flamingos huddled at the feet of the adults. We saw groups of flamingos all around but it was the nesting ground that blew me away.