Green Turtle Cay to St. Augustine, FL

      Just about 48 hours from Green Turtle to the sea buoy off St. Augustine.
      We turned in at the St. Augustine sea buoy at ten past seven this morning.  We would have been here earlier, but didn't want to come in at night, so we left the Gulf Stream early and headed in toward shore where we could easily make 5+ knots, not the 7 or 8 we were making with the help of the Gulf Stream!  
      We left Green Turtle at 7:00 am and powered most of the day in 2-3 knots of wind.  We had originally thought we would anchor in the lee of Great Sale Cay for the night and then head across the bank and stream, but the night was so beautiful we decided to keep going and figure out how to slow down somewhere along the line.  The full moon made it very easy to see that we were alone except for the company of "Road to the Isles", a pretty schooner we had seen often in the Exumas, and we also docked with them at Green Turtle. 
      We were able to sail starting in the afternoon on Thursday and had the jib out the rest of the time, sometimes with the help of the engine, but at least half the time we were under jib alone.  The ride was a bit rolly as the wind was almost directly behind us, sometimes as strong as 20 knots, but running before it made it seem like it was less.  We tried doing 3 hour watches, but antsy Dan just couldn't stay asleep for long, so I kept "sending him to his room" to get a few more winks!  We plan to have a good nap today after we deal with the customs guy who is due around noon.
     We are scheduled for a haul out on Monday to paint the bottom before heading up the "ditch."  We are due back in the water Wednesday, and will be on our way as soon as we get organized.  ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 4/09-4/11

Road to the Isles accompanied us on our trip across from the Bahamas.

Not much to see during two days and nights at sea.

Green Turtle Cay

     The window of opportunity is here!  We have been sitting in Black Sound on Green Turtle Cay for three days while the wind howled and the rigging whistled, but today dawned with a beautiful change.  The wind is around 10 knots from the Nw and the sun is out, so we decided to rent a golf cart and tour the island. We hit both beaches near Black Sound - - one on the windward side where we found beautiful shells  and the other in Gillam Bay where the scenery was spectacular and there is a development being built.... but not what you are thinking.  The houses are all at least $2 million, and the one we saw advertised is 4.4 mil!  Amazingly there was lots of activity at the building sites.  Maybe they don't know about the money crunch the rest of the world is facing.
     We had the golf cart for the whole day, so we headed to White Sound after lunch and checked out the fancier marinas there.  We are happy to be where we are in Black Sound.  We are near town and the atmosphere in Black Sound is much quieter.  After dinner ashore, our last night on Bahamas soil, we will get to bed early so we are ready for an early departure for Great Sale Cay.  We'll anchor there overnight and then leave early to head across the Little Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream (as long as the weather does what the weathermen say it is supposed to do.)   We hope to be in Florida by Easter! ~~~(\_~~~D&M

We really enjoyed our dune buggy style golf cart for our ride around the island---some roads were less than smooth!!

Brunelle and Arete enjoyed their stay at the new and not quite finished Leeward Yacht Club. Luckily the rates reflected the unfinished state of affairs -- $.63/ft per night!

Hopetown to Green Turtle Cay

      With our six foot draft we had to wait for an almost high tide to leave Hopetown and faced the same issue for entering the very tight Man O War Cay channel on Friday. Luckily it was only an hour sail between the two, so we accomplished both!  We got to Man O War Cay Friday afternoon and picked up a mooring in a very crowded harbor.  We then dinghied around looking for another one for Arete and luckily found one.  We pooled resources for a joint dinner ashore (we sent Robby to Marsh Harbour on the ferry Saturday morning for an ATM run).  
      Saturday  was Sojer Day, the first (hopefully annual) heritage festival on Man O War Cay.  Man O War is a very religious (therefore dry) community that was established by loyalists right after the Revolution.  It is almost entirely white and has a history of fine boat building which still continues today.  We enjoyed following the Heritage Trail set up by the residents and were invited into private homes, churches, museums and of course shops!  We were surprised that at least half of the people attending the festival were residents and we continually heard exclamations about this or that old relative's picture. After a sumptuous lunch of  deviled eggs, conch salad, lobster fritters, broccoli salad, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, Carol and I did more adventuring ashore while Rob and Dan headed out to Brunelle to "chill."   We had bought some conch chowder at the festival which we took back for dinner.
     Sunday morning found us leaving relatively early to get out before it became too shallow and we took a leisurely motorsail in very light winds, arriving off Green Turtle Cay around 1:00 pm.  We anchored out and put the dingy down to check out the three different harbors on Green Turtle.  We decided to stay in Black Sound (at the southern end of the cay) instead of White Sound at the north.  There is also a small, shallow harbor where the settlement of New Plymouth is located, but it isn't suitable for cruising boats.  We are tied up at a brand new marina called Leeward Yacht Club - - so new that the showers and bathrooms are not ready yet!  Also no wifi, so we will be sending this from "Pineapples" - a beach bar on the other side of the harbor whenever we go over there.  We are pretty sure we are going to be here for 3 or 4 days because there is a major cold front coming through tomorrow and the winds will be strong and northwesterly - not conducive to heading across to Florida. We hope to be able to head off by next weekend, but that will be dictated by the weather!
~~~(\_~~~D&M
Googel Eart track file for 4/3
Googel Eart track file for 4/5

We enjoyed learning all about Man O War Cay at Sojer Heritage Day. Rob and Carol bought a gorgeous half model and Carol and Martha got several great photos from a local artist.

The "William Albury" schooner was built on Man O War Cay.

Martha (with new haircut---thanks Carol!) enjoys her Kindle as we sail from Man O War Cay to Green Turtle Cay.

Nassau to Hopetown, Elbow Cay, Abacos

     Sunday found us back at Starbucks for a delicious breakfast sandwich and a last check of email before we headed off for points north.  We left Nassau harbor around 10 and headed NE for Royal Island which is just west of the tip of Eleuthera Island.  It is a very handy and snug harbor with not much scenery and no facilites, but it is a great place to stop off on one's way to the Abacos.  After a quiet night we got an early start for the 60+ mile trip to Little Harbor Inlet on the SE corner of Great Abaco Island.  We entered the inlet at around 5 o'clock, but didn't stop at Little Harbor because the entrance carries only  3 feet and our only chance would be at high tide, so we continued on to a good anchorage at Lynyard Cay.  We were part of a fleet of at least 10 boats that crossed from Royal to Lynyard. 
     We decided to spend another night anchored at Lynyard because we had heard that the beach there was worth exploring and also we wanted to dinghy back to Little Harbor to visit Pete's Pub and Gallery, famous for good food and a studio and gallery showcasing Pete's bronze sculptures and several other artists' works.  We did both,  the beach (on the windward side had loads of flotsam, but also some pretty beach glass) and the pub and gallery.  We lucked out and got a tour of the studio and foundry which was fascinating.  After lunch at the pub we hit the gallery and bought a bronze (tiny, but we like it!) and a watercolor print.
     Today we sailed from Lynyard to Hopetown by a very circuitous route.  There are no navigational marks, just waypoints that must be heeded to avoid all sorts of shallows.  We picked up a mooring around noon, had a bloody mary to celebrate a safe, grounding free, trip across the shallows particularly at the entrance to the harbor. (Another "high tide only" place for a boat with 6' of draft.)  After lunch we headed ashore to climb the lighthouse and then dinghied across to the other side of the harbor to explore the town.  We had our first ice cream in 3 months!  We had dinner ashore at Harbour's Edge. You can dinghy right up  to the restaurant and tie up while you eat.   We passed up their delicious looking desserts because we had found a freshly made key lime pie at Vernon's grocery store!  ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/29
Google Earth track file for 3/30
Google Earth track file for 4/01

Our first beach bar! We have been so deprived! Pete's Pub and Gallery in Little Harbor, Great Abaco is not to be missed.

We passed this island sloop sailing from Lynyard Cay to Hopetown harbor and it reminded me of my sister Alice's last painting, so I played with it a bit.

Brunelle snuggled in under the watchful eye of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse (1864) in Hopetown Harbor, Abacos

Brunelle viewed from the top of the lighthouse.

Hopetown viewed from the lighthouse, the Atlantic Ocean is on the windward side of Elbow Cay.

Highborne Cay to Nassau Harbour Club

     We had a good sail from Emerald Rock to Highborne on Tuesday and anchored just NW of the entrance to the marina.  We dinghied in to go the the store and got a few things (including a dozen eggs for $6.85 and a lb. of hamburger for $11.70!)   Wednesday we sat at anchor as the wind blew like crazy over the hill.  Dan changed the raw water pump impeller and Martha got out the sewing machine to make a riding sail (and a lined tote.)  The riding sail actually seemed to work, we didn't seem to be swinging as much as usual.   We left early Thursday morning with all the other boats that had been waiting out the strong winds and headed for Nassau. 
     We pulled into Nassau Harbour Club right next to Runaway, the C-400 we had met up with in Big Majors.   We also connected with Rob, Carol, Will and Willy.   They had visited Potter's Cay (the local fish market) and had 6 little snappers which we cooked up aboard Brunelle.  Willy was the life of the party even tho he had been on the go (napless) since 6 am!   We spent Friday morning shopping and taking care of things aboard (laundry, water, garbage, etc.) and took a taxi to the Ardastra Garden and Zoo.  We wanted to get there in time for the two big attractions.  Feeding parrots at 3:30 and the march of the flamingoes at 4:10.  The flamingo show, which has been going on for 50 years was a sketch.  The whole garden/zoo was really a lot of fun and well worthwhile.  We walked from there to "The Fish Fry" - Nassau's version of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf!
      For some reason we have been unable to get wifi to work on the dock, so we are having a leisurely breakfast at Starbuck's across the street from the marina.  Our hour is almost up, so we'll sign off for now.  We hope to head to the Abacos (after the weekend)  on our way back to FL.   ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/24
Google Earth track file for 3/26

Brunelle at Highborne with her new riding sail.

We all took turns feeding the parrots, even Dan.

Martha gets a kiss from a cockatoo while Dan and a parrot watch.

Will and Willy take part in the "March of the Flamingos" show.

Willy hams it up with Robby. My silicone bowls are very popular with the "boys"

And a little bit late, but well worth the wait: here are a few shots Ray took of the pigs at Big Majors Spot:
These guys have their eyes on the prize...

And Liz is holding it!

Moving On

Today we plan to sail North to Highborne Cay and then head on to Nassau on Thursday.  Today is supposed to be a little quieter than tomorrow so we moved up our departure by a day.

Yesterday Dan spent working for the Park again.  I finished up my "railing" around the houseboat with some of the old halyard I keep squirreled away in the boat.  Later (10ish) the park brought 5 guys from a neighboring cay to help build a dock.  They had just finished building a dock on their rocky shore.  Had a great time working with these 5 and about 8 from the park and volunteers.  I spent the first hour and a half in waist deep water holding and nailing the cross members into place.  Others worked from the boat between the pilings which was being bounced around and banged up pretty badly.  Eventually there was enough of a deck for work to go on from there.  Quite a day and it would have been finished if we hadn't run out of deck lumber.  The 5 guys were from (of all places) Fargo, ND.  They all knew our cousin's "grinder" place, the Red Pepper in Fargo.  They really busted butt all day and I was exhausted by the time we wrapped things up.~~~(\_~~~D&M

Dan started his work day putting an old halyard of ours to good use as a railing on the houseboat.

The dock that Dan built - - - with a little help from his friends (5 of whom were from Fargo, ND!)

Still relaxing at Emerald Rock Anchorage, Warderick Wells

      I say relaxing, but Dan spent Friday volunteering for the Park and worked on installing railings on a houseboat the Park uses as overflow housing for Park volunteers.  It garnered us a free night, so not a bad afternoons work!   When Dan returned we took adavantage of slack current and snorkeled on the reefs in the main harbor again.  We were surprised to see how many Bahamian lobsters were crawling all over one large coral head. 
      We continue to socialize with the Appleton, WS crowd.  The people we met at first are travelling with another Appleton couple.  We dinghied around the south end of Warderick Wells with them and explored the southern anchorage and Hog Cay.  We didn't find any good snorkeling spots, but did hike on Hog Cay and visited the Pirate's Lair again on Warderick Wells.  We hurried back because there was another Happy Hour Party on the beach. This one was much bigger than the St. Patty's Day one because the anchorages are full.  Made new friends and swapped more stories!  The wind is pretty strong for the next couple of days, so we may just hang out for a while longer.  We want to be in Nassau on Thursday when Rob and Carol's son Will arrives with 2 yr. old Willy (Erika is staying home and is 7 months pregnant!) ~~~(\_~~~D&M

This was the first gray angelfish I had seen.

The word has gotten out to all Bahamian lobsters that the Park is a no take zone. We saw 8 of them on one coral head in the harbor at Warderick Wells! They didn't even feel the need to hide themselves way under rocks.

Wonderful landscapes above and below water!

A hike to the windward side of Hog Cay had some neat blow holes, this was the best we could do at timing the picture with the spray! Warderick Wells is seen to the north.