May 18, 2015 Shroud Cay

Last night we confirmed there is a mild leak on one of the high pressure fittings.  Not catastrophic, but we had to figure out something to keep the water from spraying around.

Hey, it worked!

And so with a 2 gallon baggie, a bucket and a hair clip we created a stop gap leak collection system.  Looks Rube Goldbergish but it works.  The bucket, after an hour and ten minutes of making water was less than a quarter full.  So no water making worries for us at least for the time being.

Also last night we were joined by 4 semi mega yachts anchoring close bye.  100-200 feet long and all lit up like a city.   They were all loaded with jet skis, big ski-type boats and other toys.  The weather though, precluded any playtime I guess.  But I could hear them partying up a storm last night. 

We didn't do much this morning.  The swells and winds were not clam so we were bouncing around and I wasn't too thrilled about tinkering around with the big dinghy.  But it wasn't long until I couldn't take just sitting around the boat any more so I dove off the back into the nice warm water.  Then figured it would be a good idea to take the dink into some of the beaches.

Wading in he tidal pool

Beached on the sand bar at high tide.

So Mary got ready and off we went to this little tidal beach near us.  When the tide is out it’s a beautiful beach with soft wand and a tidal pool of clear warm water.  When the tide is up, like it was its just a sand spit you can wade across.

So we went there first and drove the dinghy over the coral reef to the sand and walked around some there.  Another dinghy with 3 guys came up later and, being cautious guys, stopped in the tidal pool and all three walked the dink across the coral reef.

We left soon after and headed to the little beach where the pay box is located.  Mary went snorkeling along the coral shoreline while I stayed with the dinghy because tilting the engine up caused quite a stream of fuel out of the front.  It takes a while for it too cool down to where the leak is only a tiny trickle.

The water was its usual mid 80 degrees and so clear its possible to see down 20 feet.  And the sand is white and soft.  It’s a hard place not to like.

After an hour or so we headed back to the boat and got the deck chairs out on the bow and had a few beers.  Kalik of course.

Then I took the motor off the small dinghy and got it stowed.  We’ll get the little dinghy put away when we leave tomorrow for Big Majors and a nice large anchorage there.  And Pig Beach.   We had intended on trying Warderwick Wells but we had some much trouble getting a line through the mooring pendant here I thought it would be more prudent to just anchor in a large anchorage.

Warderwick Wells has a large number of moorings, with the best in this narrow tidal channel which has strong current flow.  If the pendants are the same short length we've experienced here, we’d never be able to snag one.  So maybe we’ll run the dinghy over there and check it out.  That is if I can get it started with a pull rope.

Meanwhile this evening we had a deluge roll through here.  Really a succession of thunderstorm.  The forecasts I read had no mention of rain.  Only one I saw mentioned a possibility.  Weather forecasting.  It's rather like shooting craps.

May 16-17 Shroud Cay

We didn't take many pictures.

This morning we decided to leave Highbourne Cay and head the 15 miles down to Shroud Cay where there are mooring balls and a good anchorage.  It’s the first island in the Land & Sea Park too.

We had to take the small motor off the small dinghy and then put the small dinghy up into the sundeck.  I was afraid it would flip over in the winds and surf.

It was an uneventful ride except for the darn Coastal Explorer navigation program and its lagging position updates.  In one case it was showing us 2 miles behind where we actually were as determined by one of our tablet navigation apps.  I’m going to have to contact them because this could be dangerous.  And to make it interesting, Coastal Explorer has the newly purchased C-map Bahamas charts which are far more accurate than the charts we have on the tablets.

We arrived here at Shroud Cay and I could spot 2 free mooring balls from the 5 that are here.  In past years there were over 20 balls here.  Not sure why the reduction.  

We decided to grab one so we wouldn't have to deploy the anchor.  But as we approached, we began experiencing pretty intense wind gusts.  And a swift of current too.

What fun is it to have just high winds and swift current complicating matters?  Lets throw in a short pendant too.  The pendants here were maybe 4 feet long.  

Short pendants like this are a real problem because our bow is almost 10 feet off the water.  Mary, holding a boat hook and leaning out over the railings, places the boat hook down about, well, ten feet.  So trying to snag a rope with a hook and haul it aboard to thread a line through the end before the boat drifts to far  can be a trial of sorts.

Shroud Cay anchorage and mooring field

As it turned out I couldn’t get the boat quite close enough for Mary to use a boat hook to grab the pendant and slip a line through it.  We tried 4 times and never even got a hook on the eye of the darn thing.

As we lined up for another attempt, a sympathetic lady, Diane, zoomed over in her large dinghy and offered assistance.  After a few abortive starts she tied herself to the mooring ball while we crept close to her and after a few errant line tosses, passed one of our lines to her which she tied to the pendant but only with a slip knot since the boats were being jockeyed about so much in the wind and current.

After she left I got in the small dinghy intending to row over to the mooring ball.  But the wind, and especially the current was so strong I couldn’t make much headway against it rowing, and had to drag myself along side the boat to reach the mooring ball.  After 40 minutes of hauling and wrangling with the lines we finally managed to get securely tied to the ball with 2 heavy lines.  What fun!

At the moment we’re watching these squalls move in all directions around us but never directly at us.  So were dry for the moment.  I’d hate to have to close up the boat with this nice breeze running through.

I put the small outboard on the small dinghy and took it out for a spin.  It pushed the boat against the current but struggled.  If the swells continue to roll in here at this intensity I don’t think using it with two people will work.  We’d probably be swamped.

Later we were making water and as the water maker was just finishing up  I noticed water on the carpet in front of our bed.  The water maker membranes and much of the plumbing are located under the bed frame.  Uh Oh … Leak? 

I’m hoping its just one if the product water lines coming off the outflow nipple on a membrane.  But we’ll find out tomorrow.  We’re both too tired to disassemble the bed to gain access to the membranes.  Tomorrow!

I was up early this morning, but only because we are facing east and the sun stated shinning in through the front windows and right into the stateroom.   It really only effects me since I sleep on the side facing the doorway which lets me check out the electrical panel and detect any irregularities in the numbers.  It also affords me the delightful experience of having sun beams blast me right in the face.  Wakes me up every time.

Closing the door can eliminate the light but will also eliminate the sea breezes which help cool off the stateroom.  So we keep the door open to stay cool and when I wake up at sunrise I usually just close the door and go back to sleep.

After Mary had her coffee we tackled the water maker leak.  I didn’t run it but just checked for the wet areas and found two of the three high pressure fittings seemed to be looser than they should so I tightened them up.  Next time we run it we’ll lift the mattress and boards for a visual check.  If the leak is not at the fittings but in the hose itself we’re toast.  I have a single spare which might be too short to use.  I can re-plumb it all and use only one or two membranes but that will lengthen the water making time hence generator run time.    Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow when we fire it up.

After leak patrol we, well I, took the little dinghy into shore on a reconnaissance mission.  I was trying to locate the pay box.  It was supposed to be by the little beach so I headed that way.  The poor dinghy was shipping water over the side from the wind generated swells.  Luckily the beach was only a half mile away.

We made it to the beach

Steps up to the pay box and path to the well

Lonely pay box

Nice beach too.  And the pay box was up some roughly carved steps in the stone.  Simple box.  No specified amount.  So I stuck $30 in an envelope figuring they need cash to keep the mooring balls in good shape.

I took a brief tour around looking for openings in the rock.  There are a few little creeks here, one leading out to the ocean side of the island.  But alas, not close to us.  Given the amount of water getting in the dinghy I only ventured a mile or so before heading back to the boat.

 

After I returned we sat around reading for a bit before I went up and took the cover off the big dinghy so I can remove the starter again.  The bendix binds and wont release from the fly wheel.  Cess had replaced the broken spring in Nasau, but all he had was one that fit on the shaft but was way too weak to push the gear back down.  And I think the darn thing is just worn.  So a new starter is in our future.

But we are here and there are no Yamaha parts stores anywhere close.  So I’m biting the bullet and we’ll get the big dinghy down and see how it goes trying to manually start the thing.  

While I was up top removing the starter we noticed our Diana, benefactors boat, Dream Maker, appeared to be leaving.  But oddly they had their mooring bridle still on the bow and appeared to be just drifting off into the sunset.  It turns out the mooring pendant parted at the loop end and they basically broke free.  It’s just lucky this didn’t occur at night because they may not have noticed.

They started up their engines and circled around a bit before anchoring.  Later they came over to examine the parted pendant and then stopped over by us.  I mentioned we wanted to drop off a bottle of wine for them and so we made plans to head over to their boat later this afternoon.  But I said we’d have to see how feasible that will be due to the high winds and our little dinghy.

Later it seemed to calm down some so we decided to pile into the small dinghy and head for this small beach where the pay station is located.  The swells weren’t too bad so we managed to get there without too much wetness.  Mary wandered around the sides looking at the tidal sea creatures while I swam around and cooled off.

After a while Diane and Jim from Dream Maker came into the beach with a dog.  Diana’s husband , TJ, was still on the boat but Jim, their friend came along.  He and I talked boat tech for some time but I soon noticed some swimmers coming in towards us.  They were a New Zealand couple with their friends along from a catamaran anchored near us.  We had the makings of a party!

But alas, we just talked for a few hours enjoying the warm waters and sun.  Mary and Diana altered the original plans for us to dinghy over to their boat at 6 for sun downers.  Instead we were all going in their dinghy through the mangrove creek a short distance away to the ocean side.  Their dinghy is about 20 feet long with a Yamaha 90 so I think we’ll all fit.

Drinks while following a meandering creek several miles to the ocean.  Sounds divine!

We headed back to the boat where Mary got dinner ready and I packed a cocktail bag with cocktail fixings and cheese and crackers.

Diana and TJ her husband came over and picked us up and we headed north along the island about 2 miles to a little creek inlet where a sign reminds everyone that it’s the Land & Sea Park.  And it’s no a wake zone.  But as people have mentioned, its not uncommon for jet skis to shoot through here at high speed.

We brought along wine, drinks and munchies which, when added to what to Diana and TJ’s brought along, made for quite a delectable party stash. 

The creek runs from the Exuma Banks side to the ocean side and meanders around mangrove swamps which seem to grow right out of the coral rock.  Its deep in some places (9 feet) and shallow in others (2 feet).  To navigate the creek requires many abrupt turns usually to head to the other side where deeper water can be found.  It’s an almost continuous zig-zag course.

We met a few other people returning from the ocean side, one a dinghy with a young family loaded with beach paraphernalia. 

Once we reached the end where the creek empties out to the ocean, we found a raging current running through the narrow rocky opening.  But, there was a nice small and secluded beach there which, I’m guessing, the young family used.

We turned around and then Diana wanted to hop in the water and get towed while she used a mask and snorkel to watch the bottom.  The joke was that in previous excursions she had found several good pairs of sun glasses most likely from speeding jet skiers.

There was significant current running through the creek, and from what I could see, the creek bottom was almost all sand with occasional clumps of grass.

TJ slowed down and Diana jumped in and grabbed hold to a line off the stern.  And then away we went, at a slow speed, mostly from the current pushing us along.  After a few minutes we reached the midpoint where the current switched and began pushing us backwards but Diana stayed with it. 

TJ asked me twice if I wanted to jump in and I finally said yes.  So while Diana pulled herself to the boat I jumped in and grabbed the line.   The water was 85 degrees.  After a minute we started up again.  The snorkel was fixed at an odd angle making it impossible to use so I just took big breathes and dove under while being pulled. 

It was quite fun flying across the bottom.  But I never spotted any sea creatures or, like Diana this time, sunglasses.  Just many furrows in the white sand bottom from propellers running in the shallow water. 

After about 10 minutes I got out.  We were nearly at the end of the creek anyway.

After another 2 mile ride back to the anchorage we reached our boat and they dropped us off with plans tomorrow for some snorkeling exhibition.

We woke up to a line of showers moving off to our north but with more out on the horizon moving towards us.  Boat wash!  But probably not a good snorkeling day since the winds have picked up.

With these winds and now showers, we have clocked around 360 degrees as did all the other boats in here.  The anchored vessels stayed anchored too.  No one dragged!

In between showers we saw one of the Land & Sea Park warden boats come speeding in to the mooring field.  I didn’t pay too much attention to where they were heading at first but I think they stopped at the beach to empty the collection box before heading around to all the boats here. 

They stopped by us and said hello before uttering something neither Mary nor I understood, and then abruptly sped off to boats further out in the anchorage.   It remains a mystery but I think we’ll have to go and pay some more for using the mooring ball.  I think the fees are $30/per night for a boat our size.  And considering what befell Dream Maker yesterday with the parted mooring pendant, they can sure use the funds.

Ran generator this morning hoping we could take the big dinghy down but it’s too windy to really go any where.  Plus I have to try and manually start the engine which is difficult enough when it’s calm.  So we’ll wait until all this weather passes by which I’d guess won’t be until tomorrow.

Except for a brief flurry of cleaning while the generator was running, we pretty much just read all day.  Not much else we could do with these bands of showers and brisk winds rolling in from east to west every few hours. 

We have two lines out on the mooring pendant so we aren’t dragging anywhere thankfully, but we sure do swing a lot.  And we haven’t been off the boat all day except for my short swim plunge into the water while it was raining. 

The plunge was fun.   A soothing warm ocean and cooling rain make a nice combination.  While I was swimming I checked the small dinghy and it’s retained a fair share of rain water.   Guess we’ll need to dig up a bailing cup.

I noticed two of our sailboat neighbors took their dinghy into the beach and frolicked in the shallow water during one of the longer rain bursts of showers.   They are another New Zealand couple.  The ones we met yesterday left early this morning.

Internet access, or lack there-of, is taxing.  Sometimes we have it and other times not even a voice connection.  Even with the bag hanging trick its hit or miss.  As we trek further down the chain I’m hoping we’ll come upon a BTC tower close enough to keeps a data connection alive.

So we have no weather information to speak of although I did catch the Highbourne Cay Marina weather forecast on VHF channel 6 this morning at 8AM.  No mention of steady rain, just a chance of showers.  Well, at least there are still surprises to be experience out here.

So this evening I’m finishing off the wine that nice French fellow in Marathon gave us in return for using our mooring for a night.  Very good!  Many boats have left and others arrived to fill in the voids.  The winds and swells are predicted to diminish substantially over the next day so we’re thinking of leaving for Big Majors Spot near Staniel Cay Wednesday.  It’s a large protected anchorage and with the big dinghy, and easy journey to the good spots. 

We’re about to check the water maker for leaks, but after we drain the last if this scrumptious wine!

May 14-15 Nassau to Highbourne Cay

Our buddy boat, Snow Flake snuck out of here earlier than they said as I found out returning from an early store run this morning at 9AM.  I was going to stop bye their boat before they left and, well they left.  Actually left before 8AM.  Nice.

I wasn't so anxious to leave, wanting to wait until at least we had a rising tide before heading across the bank.  Jeff came over after Dyson had his computer running and updating.  We chatted a bit and then I began our departure process which is turning on and off things we need or don’t need when running.  And this time the forecast is for 3-5 foot seas.  That’s rough for us. But other forecast are holding to 2-3 foot seas.  Only way to find out it is to go out.

Leaving Nassau Harbor through the eastern anchorage

So we did.  Jeff cast off off lines as the wind blew us off the dock and we headed out.  We ran along the marina docks which are clustered together around here and merged in with the nondescript channel (there are no channel markers on the east end) as we headed out of the harbor proper and into the Banks.

Exuma has a large area of shallower water referred to as the Banks.  Once at the islands you can also run down the Sound which is basically the ocean between the Exuma islands and Elrutha.

We had about 20 miles to go before we hit the Yellow Bank which is an area laden with coral heads in 10-20 feet of water.   What makes it dicey is that some of these coral heads are only a few feet below the surface.  Hitting one is considered a bad idea.

The general rule is to travel the banks slowly on a calm and sunny day.  Today is very windy with big swells and clouds.   It would be memorable if we ever took journeys like this adhering to the generally accepted practices.  In our case we were tired of Nassau, Mary was going stir crazy and we were spending way too much money, admittedly much if it at the Poop Deck. 

So we left.

Up close look at a corral head as we past by

The Yellow Bank is named that because… well I don’t know.  It’s just called that.  There are very easily identified coral heads scattered all over.  They are black, ominous looking things which defy an accurate reading as to how much water lies over them.

To complicate matters it was partially cloudy and discerning coral heads from the dark looking water due to cloud cover was a lesson learned.  Coral heads are a deep black and less sizable.

So we crept along for about 30 minutes and escaped them all before clicking on the auto pilot again and reading my book for the next 20 miles of deep, mostly clear water.

Rough seas and squalls

The only trouble now though was the 3-5 foot swells which were really 3-5 foot swells right on our beam.  When seas this high hit us on our side we roll.  It was uncomfortable but t least this time we didn't loose anything below, just some knick-knacks sliding off tables.

Once we were within a few miles of Highbourne Cay it settled down.

There were about a dozen boats anchored here and we went in between a catamaran and a Valiant 42 which was … Snow Flake. 

We set the anchor but we had dragged a bit while trying to set it so we took it up again and reset it.  This time it stuck fast and we put out 100’ because the winds were so strong.

Approaching Highbourne Cay and the anchorage

With that much chain out we weren't going anywhere but side to side since we swing a bit with such a large pendulum out there.  

The chain acts like a pendulum for us.  The more chain we have out the less likely we’ll drag the anchor but the more we swing on the chain.  Swinging is much better than dragging though.

Later in the evening I figured I might as well make water so I started the generator.  Uh oh … no cooling water being ejected.   Damn and I just changed that impeller.

Since dinner was ready (stir-fry with ginger and jalapenos my dear wife actually chopped up) we ate before I tackled the generator. 

Great dinner must have sparked my mechanical skills.  I went and cleaned out the sea strainer and found some debris but also noted the sea strainer cap appeared to be slightly askew.   That might have contributed to an air lock since we hadn't run the generator for several weeks.

I sealed everything back up and re-started it and the thing started spewing cooling water out like a normal generator should.  So we made water, ran the air conditioners, took nice hot showers and Mary watched some satellite TV. 

But before I went below I took a few minutes to gaze at the stars.  Wonderful!  The only light pollution was from Nassau way out on the horizon.  And from the two large boats here which were light up like a cruise ships.  I tried taking a picture but don’t think they’ll turn out.

I kept a fan running most of the night too.  The cool ocean breezes were blowing steadily but our stateroom in the back doesn't receive much of that air unless augmented by a mechanical device.  The fan works wonderfully and only draws about 40 watts.  It’s another weapon in our be-comfortable arsenal.

Tomorrow if the dinghy isn't giving us trouble we’re off to Allan’s Cay to meet the iguanas.

We had a delightful night here gently rocking in the mild swells and the air was cool for sleeping.  When I finally woke up several of the boats had left, no doubt moving further south.  We’re staying another day though before heading to south as well.  We’ll probably go to Shroud or Norman's Cay before getting to Warderick Wells where the Bahamas Land and Sea Park headquarters is located. 

Securely anchored.  Later we were surrounded by several sailboats

It was a leisurely morning which turned into not such a good morning.  We loitered around reading for a bit then decided to get the dinghy down.  Got it in the water and before we loaded it up I figured it might be a good idea to try the starter that Cess had re-built from spare parts he had lying around.

You can probably guess. It didn't  function properly.  Squealed and screeched worse than ever.  I just shut it down and we put it right back up aboard the boat and got the cover on it.  I was pretty disgusted because it limits us on what we can do here and greatly curtails any exploring we’d like to do.  There are all kinds of little islands around here, all reachable by our big dinghy.  If it was working.

We did start it up manually back in Nassau, but that was after it was warm and even then we had a heck of a time overcoming the compression so its not a sure thing.  But we’ll see.

Meanwhile we brought the small dinghy out, and got it inflated and in the water.  Then we practiced getting into it.  It’s a small and we've never both been in it.  Together.  So we practiced.  Mary came within a few inches of taking an unscheduled dive in the warm water but she managed to get orientated enough so the dinghy wasn't listing too much on its side. 

And then I crawled in and we didn't tip over.  And we proved it floats with both of us inside.  It doesn't list to either side if we’re careful.  And I think there will be enough room for me to operate the little engine.

So next, we get the engine down an after waiting a few minutes for several large wakes to pass, I got the engine on. 

Our very own Yugo

I tossed a radio and waterproof camera into the dinghy …. Oops not quite.  The radio went in the dinghy.  The camera went into the water.  Great!

Luckily the water is so clear it was visible on the bottom about 15 feet deep.  Ok, so I have dive gear.  Got my mask on and jumped in.  But I couldn't swim down far enough to reach the bottom.  I’m too buoyant in this salt water. 

 I tried twice and failed.  On the third try I was within grasping range of the camera when I sensed something next to me.   I quickly turned to see what it was and I found myself looking right into the beady eyes of a Nurse shark about a foot away.  I could have reached out and scratched his nose.  And  it was not small.  I'd classify it as huge but in fact it was longer than I was by maybe a foot or two.

So I was within reach of the camera with large shark assessing whether I’d go better with fries or coleslaw.  I didn't wait to find out and pretty much zoomed up to the surface and swam a dozen yards to the boat and up the ladder. 

Mary watched the whole thing and found it humorous.   I wasn't too amused at that point, just annoyed I missed retrieving the camera because of a large fish.  Albeit one that probably considers me restaurant fare, but still.  I was so close to fetching the camera back! 

I was torn with jumping back in and trying a retrieval operation again, but decided that another shark confrontation might be better had later in the day.  When it was gone.

So instead we clamored into the dinghy and the engine started right up.  We headed into shore but there were some wind driven swells in here and the dinghy is so small we’d take little slaps of water over the bow. 

I can only imagine how it would look from a distance … two people gliding on the water with a little engine and no discernible boat. 

The beach right in front of us

We made it to the beach and it was wonderful beach.  White sand, no stones only shells.  Mary found it delightful.  After we strolled around the beach a bit we hopped back in the dinghy which is another operation that I can imagine would be comical to those further away.  2 older adults flopping around trying to sit in this tiny thing.

We headed towards the end of the island where there is a small reef right across from Allen's Cay where the poor iguanas wait for grapes they’ll never see now.  But we really couldn't do much about it  since it’s hard for both of us to get on and off this thing unless we have a dock or can stand near shore.    And Allens Cay is 2 miles away which is across the inlet where rough seas aren't rare at all. 

So we headed back to another beach close by the first one and relaxed there for a while before returning to the boat.

We met Jim (Snow Flake) who invited us for cocktails but given they have a sailboat with no swim platform I suggested they come over to our boat.  So guess we are having a party.

Snow Flake with Jim and Burt aboard

After we were back I went in the water with my mask and fins this time.  I reasoned I could power my way down to 15 feet with the fins instead of hauling out our weight belts.

I jumped in, made a quick sweep for my pal, the nurse shark, and started looking for the camera again.  After a few minutes I finally saw it and, with the fins powering me down, reached it easily.  And no sea creatures interfering.

I took the opportunity to clean out the sea intake for the generator and then got out of the water, cleaned everything off just in time to close up all the open windows for a brief rain shower.   The forecast has been calling for continued squally weather and they seem to be right-on for a change.

After a little straightening up and vacuuming I made my chili dip as Jim and his friend Burt, drove their dinghy over to our boat.

It was a very nice time even through the 3 squalls we endured. These squalls are short bursts of heavy rain followed by a short period of showers before they blow off and sunshine resumes. 

They are heading down to Warderick Wells where we’ll end up at some point so we may see them again.  We exchanged phone numbers now so can stay in touch.

Jim is a semi re-tired patent attorney and Burt is a retired clinical lab administrator from a university in Galveston Texas.  The people you meet out here … it so fun!

Anchorage is getting crowded

Over the last few hours while Jim and Burt were here we've seen about a dozen boats come in and anchor.  And several mega yachts of at least 100 feet or more.  As the sunset the large yachts became beacons in the night with a stunning amount of lights both on the boat and underwater.  The submerged lights would cast this eerie glow in a large circle around the boat.  So much for star gazing.

Sunset looking towards Nassau and a small squall line

We’re trying to decide to either stay here, go to Normans Cay or Shroud Cay.  Or maybe even to Warderick Wells.  We have about 2 weeks before we have to begin heading back.  So I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

May 9-13 Nassau

I had just walked out into the salon after waking up this morning and was settling in to read the morning news and forums when the AC panel went dark.  No power.

After checking everything on the boat it was apparent the dockside power was out which was confirmed by one of the mega yacht crew.  He said its not unusual and we should expect a few hours of waiting before it kicks back in again.  Most probable cause is power sharing with someone or something. 

He repeated, its not an unusual occurrence, while in the background I could hear big generators starting up on most, if not all of the large yachts here.

While we have a pretty substantial generator, 13.5KW, but we have nothing running which can’t be handled by the batteries and inverter.  So we didn't start ours which left us basking in the warm humidity of Nassau but we reasoned it wasn't going to be for days, only hours. So it was endurable.

Lady Sandals moving.  Josh did a fine job driving down this narrow stretch of waterway and easing by us

Meanwhile Lady Sandals moved from behind us over to another dock.  Feels rather lonely here all by ourselves now.

Bay street.   A guy was selling huge conch shells at this table yesterday

I strolled out of the marina again onto the now familiar Bay Street and checked three marine stores for a water filter because the dockside RO water is rusty and I wanted to use it instead of water from our tanks.  No joy.  None of them carries water filters of the type I’m looking for.  Strange, but true.

When I returned, one of the mega yacht guys let me know the power was back on.  So now were we able to switch everything back to shore power and enjoy some cool A/C.  Oddly enough every one of the mega yachts kept their generators running.

Later we all met up at the Poop Deck again and enjoyed drinks and these free hors’devours which consisted of conch fritters.  They are really just fried bread and conch balls but hey, they’re free!

  

I somehow got in a conversation with an older man, Bruce and his son at the bar.   He’s been here for 20+ years. He provided a wealth of info about the Exumas which I cant recall in details but I’m sure it’ll pop in my head when some landmark triggers the memory.

And I’d better watch the “older man” stuff.  He was a few years younger than I am which must mean I've just entered the ranks of old men?

And surprisingly his political affiliations (I didn’t bring it up) were quite progressive with a heavy emphasis on environmental issue.  He cited numerous instances of destruction of natural resources so critical to the Bahamians where international developers disregarded advice on how to minimize the environmental impact of their projects.  The Bahamian government, according to Rich, is as rife with monetary influence just as any other nation.  Same old story, just different country.

Rich and his son operate a little wind /solar generator company doing installs for people who have homes on the islands and are pretty much off the power grid. 

I didn't stay long after everyone else left.  And I went right to bed.

Mothers Day.  So Mary slept late and I made her breakfast and went to the grocery store with Jeff.  We loitered in the boat for a bit after and then Mary and I walked to Potters Cay and to a few shops down that way.  

Potters Cay under the bridge

Part of the farmers market.  Land Crabs!

Potters Cay is an area under the bridges where there are a whole bunch of lunch stands and a sort of farmers market.  Very interesting!  And, as I've heard from various mega yacht deck hands, the best ever, conch salad!

A high priced liquor store which we thought was a "bling" store

Later when we returned without, I might add, trying any of the Potters Cay conch salad, I charged up the dinghy battery and tinkered with the dock lines.  We are being rocked and rolled by the persistent north-easterly swells and east winds today.  Ugh …

Mothers Day Dinner!

We decided to meet at the poop deck bar around 5PM but it was too crowded so we made right for the Double Dragon, a Chinese restaurant and had passable Chinese meal.  Quite interesting, finding a Chinese restaurant here in Nassau.  Wish the food were better though.

 

Mothers Day, Mary, Judy and Jeff

After we managed to make it up to the Poop Dick for a post dinner drink and discussed plans for tomorrow.  Jeff is accompanying me to the boat yard where they will haul the dinghy out and hopefully find the problem and fix it.  Jeff in the meantime needs to take one of his outboards to another repair facility next door to get it fixed. 

Then we need to get Judy to the airport here where she’ll catch a plane to Philly so she can see her brother who is in the hospital.  She wont be returning for 13 days so we’ll most likely be traveling down the island chain alone.

Looking out behind us 

Once we returned from the Poop Deck I went to take a shower except the showers had no water.  It was like a reply of the power outage we had yesterday.  No water in the bathrooms was rather disappointing.  I had to walk back to the boat and shower on board.  Not really a problem but we have only so much water.  And although we can make our own it cant be done here in the harbor.  The harbor water is too dirty and I dont want to risk blowing out a membrane.

It was another early night.

  

Mary and I lowered the dinghy down this morning by 8;00AM.  It was not quite as rough as last night when we endured swells almost on our beam which tends to bounce us around in a corkscrew fashion.  

When the swells roll in we, admittedly, don’t sense much of that motion back here in our master stateroom.   Still, it was noticeable when large waves would slam the swim platform making a racket similar to to a collision.  Not conducive to deep sleep.  So we were both rather tired today.

We got the dinghy down and although it was bouncing I was able to get in and start it up. It screeched like it has been but that disappeared soon and I headed for the Harbourside Marine access dock.

No one was there so I waited.  And then waited until 8:45 before calling them.  I had  an 8:30 appointment.  I’ll just state this right now.  Island Time … it’s a bit less defined than normal time.

At 9:30 the guys rolled in.  Meanwhile Jeff joined me as we watched the tech pronounce it was a starter problem.  The Bendix wasn't rolling back down on the spiraled shaft.  Jeff concurred.

So that meant that the guy in Marathon did a startlingly bad job rebuilding this starter.  Lesson learned.

Since I knew what the problem was I just figured I'd order a new starter.  But after hearing from the parts department that sure, they could order one for me and have it here in 3 weeks, I decided to forgo that idea.  I walked back to the main shop and wanted to settle up with them for the diagnosis but the guy said since they hadn't hauled the boat out, no charge.  

Jeff and I went back to where I had the dinghy tied up and greased up the starter shaft and tried running it a few times but now it wasn't letting loose at all and the screeching was worse.  So we figured it was a flummoxed spring.  Next thing to do was to locate a starter re-builder.

But we had to get the thing started or I'd have to be towed back to our boat.  So we pulled the fly wheel cover off and I got out the manual starter rope and after 4 tries yanking on it, was somewhat dismayed that it wouldn't start.  Jeff, a big old Canadian tried and even he failed the first two times.  Third time was the charm though and he got it started.  

So now my turn.  I yanked on it and failed.  Tried again and bracing against the back seat gave a mighty pull and it started right up.  The darn motor has superb compression.  Hard to overcome, but at least I know now it can be started manually. 

We shut it down and I removed the starter off and manually re-started the engine.

So since it was running we drove it over to Jeff’s boat where Mary was already saying goodbye to Judy who was flying out to Philly to see her brother this afternoon.

I ran the dinghy back to  our boat where Jeff and I hauled it hauled back aboard and then proceeded to the Poop Deck for lunch before Judy had to take a cab to the airport.

After seeing Judy off we checked the laundry that Mary had started a few hours ago.  The washing machine was still running.  The water pressure was so low it took near an hour for the washer to fill.  Remember, this is the Bahamas.

Meanwhile I helped Jeff take his 15hp Merc over to another repair place, Lightbourne Marine and while I was waiting, asked, jokingly, if they had any spare Yamaha starters.  

Cess (not a typo) said they didn't have any parts but thought he could repair it by just taking it apart and doing some fiddling.  So I left it with him and we went the back to the boats.

I walked over later to see if any progress had been made and of course, no, he hadn't looked at it.  

Tomorrow.  Ok, not unexpected.

Jeff came over to our boat for cocktail hour and we ended up going to the Poop Deck yet again for a drink before coming back to the boat and eating dinner.  And we met Herbert there again.  He’s a talkative fellow we met last night.  Insurance salesman.  

Tonight, the marina showers were working so I took a long one.  Its so nice to luxuriate in a long hot shower every once in a while.   Then to bed early since we both didn't sleep well last night at all.

Weather dictates we stay at least until Wednesday.  The starter rebuild, which I have little confidence in, should be completed one way or the other by then too.

So we’re still bouncing a little and have had several showers roll through which washed the boat off.  Guess that’s one plus.  But Nassau is not my favorite pace to be holed up in.  Too urban.  Too busy.  And too expensive!

We loitered around the boat this morning.  Mary wasn't feeling well so she slept until almost 11.  I promised Jeff I’d wander by around 1 PM to see how Dyson and he were making out on the laptop rebuild.  Dyson never showed up or called so Jeff is pretty much tied to the boat all afternoon waiting for Dyson to re-build his laptop.

I walked to the grocery store and then stopped over to see Cess about the starter.

Rebuilt!

Surprise!!! He took it apart and everything was fine except the Bendix spring which he replaced with one not quite as stiff.  It was all greased up and seemed to work fine.  We both thought it should be usable for a few weeks even with a weak spring.   

Wow!  I was speechless for a few seconds.  Normally over here you don’t see turn around like this.  And too boot he didn't want to charge me but I insisted and he eventually caved and said lunch.  So tomorrow we go to lunch somewhere.

I took the starter and after seeing Jeff for a few minutes and hearing Dyson still hadn't called , went back to our boat.

I re-installed the starter, flushed out the cooling system and then Jeff came over for cocktails.  Mary went off to do laundry and since the Poop Deck was right above the laundry room, Jeff and I just went there and met Mary.

I think I’m sick of writing “Poop Deck”, but is so convenient and really is a fun bar with a wide variety of people.  Don C.  You’d really enjoy it.

Up there I noticed a guy walking around with explorer charts and when I talked with him we both had a Thursday departure in mind.  They are going to the same place we are so I guess we have another boating buddy.  His name is Jim off of a sailboat, SnowFlake.  Obviously another northerner of some sort.

Meanwhile Lady Sandals had quests aboard this evening an actually went to out for a little booze cruise.  We really like the crew members we've met over the last few days so take an interest in what they do.   The bar on that boat is to die for.  And I found out that Nichols Cage owned it for a short time,

As I walked down from the Poop Deck bar, Mary was walking down the dock with the laundry basket.  She saw me and just kept waking leaving the laundry basket in the center of a busy dock for me to take back to the boat.  How long have we been married?

After a dinner we pretty much crashed.  Tomorrow we take Cess, the starter repair person to lunch and prepare for departure on Thursday.  Busy day tomorrow!

Not cheap over here

Just a note about purchasing things here.  The Bahamas now have a VAT (Value Added Tax) of 7.5%.  And its on everything here, from a lowly orange to Band-Aids, liquor, fuel and even water.  In addition to that our now, not so beloved, Credit Union seems to be adding a .08% international transaction fee for any debit or credit card transactions.   And, rounding out the list if extra fees, some merchants tack on an extra credit card processing fee of  3% to 5%.  

It’s easy to fully appreciate the sound advice of buying as little as you can over here.   So if anyone is reading this with ideas of coming over, bring plenty of cash, or everything you’ll need for a few months.

The Mall and grocery store.  I know it well now.

A leisurely morning.  I finally wandered off the boat to the store and as I returned to the marina Jeff and Dyson shouted at me so we chatted a bit on the dock before Dyson left with Jeff’s laptop.

Back on the boat I put away the $43.99 case of beer (Dan are you reading this!) and then had to head out to the liquor store to buy a smidgen of rum to supplement my stock since its getting pretty low.

And now, being too late to return to the store, I discovered I’ll need to return  tomorrow morning for grapes.  For us too, but I think more for the iguanas on some of the islands we’ll be visiting. 

The iguanas have become conditioned.  They expect food when people approach them.  I’ll have to be sure get some video of this when we encounter them.   Others tell us they come rambling down the beach and confront you.  Grapes seem to be their favorite.

I found Jeff and we walked over to collect Cess, the mechanic for lunch.  Cess is quite the knowledgeable  guy.  Knows lots and even stayed in Fondulac, WI for a time with Mercury Outboards. 

 

Cess.  That's Jeff's back to the camera

He told several storied about fixing boats on the islands.  Here, they head off to another island via boat, plane or helicopter with as much nonchalance as we would driving to another city.  It was a pleasant time with him.

Once we split up, Cess off to work again and Jeff back to his boat, I went over to talk with Jim from the sailboat (a Valiant 42!) about crossing the banks tomorrow with them. 

We had a nice conversation.  He’s been to Belize, the Rio Dulce in Guatemala and other exotic destinations in the Gulf.

They are leaving around 9:30 while we, being faster, will leave a half hour after them at 10:00-ish.  Our destination will be the same, Highborne Cay.

After I left Jim, I banged on Jeff’s boat so he knew it was cocktail hour.  He finally wandered over by us and after a bit we, for the last time I hope, headed up to the Poop Deck for soup and a few drinks.  I'm not so sure its a good thing when the bar tenders know what you want and call you by name when you've only been a customer for a week.  Janet, will you still remember us in 6 months?

Back aboard, we’re getting ready for sea.  We wont be at a marina for several weeks after this which us just fine with us.  Hanging around at anchor is much preferable.  And free.  

To celebrate we both took long marina showers!