South of the Tropic of Cancer

 

O’Deas, Purrfect and Steadfast tucked in close

Thompson Bay in Long Island is just south of the Tropic of cancer. We arrived on the first day of Spring, March 21st, the day the sun begins it’s trip north and we set up the sun shade for some afternoon heat relief. We are joined by Purrfect in this deeper area close to shore but O’Deas anchors further away and will come over the shallows tomorrow morning. We all gather to enjoy a potluck of the Mahi-mahi Purrfect caught and our sides. Also catching up and planing the next 3 days is starting. 

I like this harbor because it provides good protection, a great grocery store, marine supply store, some nice places to eat and some nice walks.

Tuesday we drop off propane tanks, get fuel & marine supplies. There is only a couple of places to get a cold beer and a snack and one of them happens to be on the road between the marine supply store and the supermarket. Nicely placed as a cold beer on a hot afternoon was great. I bought some plantains and that (fried and seasoned) was our contribution to an appetizer feast which included two types of stuffed mushroom caps.

Allison leads on

Wednesday we left Chris to begin replacing his old plastic coated stainless lifeline (railing) to a strong plastic rope material called dyneema and the rest of us went for a walk. First stop was a cave almost where we came ashore. A narrow path leads down into the broad cave opening.

Unique tunnel shape & second opening 

We explored what we could without flashlights and I plan to return with Chris tomorrow. I did not see or hear any 🦇 bats

Next off to the eastern shore that faces the Atlantic. Most of the islands, as this one, have an elevated spine hill and a lot have the smelly remnants of a commercial salt pond as this does.

Because we normally anchor away from the weather on a lee shore a trip to the opposite side provides a big change. This had rough water and a beautiful light pink sand beach as well.

The wave rolls him in and he scurries back… that’s a long day 

We return in time to clean up for our night out to Tiny’s for their great pizza. I don’t get put out by prices here and a great pizza is 35.00…I would never spend that in the states nor 7.50 for a half gallon of milk but I digress.

Thursday is our last day/night here and after Chris makes water for O’Deas, myself and himself it’s off to the cave. We find a bunch of bats and guano in the cave so that sucked the fun out of going all the way through. We join everyone at the store for getting provisions.

We easily fill our bags in this rare well stocked store 

A visiting bat moth on the last night 

Our night changes tone as Mary’s Mom is not recovering from her heart surgery as hoped and she is making plans to fly back to Toronto in the morning.

At first light I shuttle Mary from her boat to Purrfect because they will be able to get her to Georgetown faster so she can get her Covid test completed prior to flying. I assist Dave getting his anchor up and organized for a single handed run to a mooring in Georgetown. He may be following Mary home if needed so the mooring is a better option than leaving it on anchor. 

We are off on our 60 nm run to Cat Island by 730. Flying the asymmetrical spinnaker all the way down Long Island was fun but things aren’t always as they appear. 

Conception Island

 

We left around 830 and enjoyed a slow steady sail from Georgetown to the northern point of Long Island. Even though it was slow we were still able to pass two monohulls and catch up to a catamaran that left earlier. Rounding Long Island we cross out into the Atlantic Ocean for the final three hours to Conception. Big long rolling ocean swells greeted us as we traveled and the wind was closer to the bow so it was not as comfortable for this final leg but still we were able to sail all the way. 

This isolated Island, part of the Bahamian Land and Sea Park, has been fully discovered as there were 25 boats spread about the anchorage. Two of them were very large ships. Once the anchor was down I made up a plate of fried plantain and a piña colada to settle in and enjoy the sunset. I needed to run the generator for a bit prior to bed to charge up the batteries which is not uncommon when all the instruments are running and you’re just sailing. 

Sheri was up first and let me know that the solar was not increasing our battery level in the morning sun. I then spent the next several hours diagnosing then replacing a burnt out solar controller. Thank God I kept the old smaller ones that this new one replaced. Once the new one was spliced into the existing wiring the power levels started to improve and so we’re our dispositions. Even though it was a beautiful location to go out and enjoy this day was all maintenance so we planned big for tomorrow. 

After breakfast we spent over an hour floating along in the dinghy watching the beautiful acrobatic Tropic birds flying around the shore. Though their wings are white as they fly near the water they reflect the aqua color. In flight, it looks like a mating dance in high-speed, their tails touch as they swoop around.

Next off to the inland tidal flats. The waterway snakes around and we spend our time looking for turtles, rays and baby fish that grow up in the vast shallow mangroves.  

Besides the turtles we saw quite a few baby barracuda. We returned to the beach near the boat for the short hike across the northern tip to the other side.

Zoom in to see Sheri up on the cliff top

Returning to the beach we set up our chairs and I spend an hour snorkeling the close reefs. The bright colors on the small tropical reef fish are amazing. Good Vacation day. 

The colors in the water are ever changing as the light changes. I took a few pictures from the boat into the water because it looked so cool. On our third night we made our plans to leave in the morning for Long Island.

The sea settles so tomorrow’s trip should be smooth 

Most often travel plans are structured for weather. Being able to be in a safe anchorage when the winds pick up and having the ability to sail there with wind and seas mostly following is best.

We had both of these conditions in our favor as we left.  We reached Thompson Bay ahead of Purrfect and O’Deas our buddy boats this year as they came down from Lee Stocking Island.

Moving towards Conception

Rock formation called tug and barge

After leaving  prime and moving through the shallows we anchor by Rat key and go exploring. First to Blowhole Beach. This is a great blowhole with all the sounds of roaring wind pushing water 30 feet at times. Definitely a place to return and play for a day. 

Next a 2 mile dinghy ride straight across the shallows to Barretterra. This town is a little remote for cruisers due to limited shallow access and no specific draw but it is connected by bridge to Great Exuma. All the way down the Exuma chain locals refer to Great Exuma as the mainland. It is also a place to rent a car and explore or get airport access. We walk about and get lunch at the restaurant which was very busy with locals. A good sign which proved to be true as everyone had a nice meal. 

 From Barraterre over the shallows toward Rat Cay 

After a dinghy back to the boat we move boats to an anchorage not near a cut. These openings let rolling swells in from the sound and subjects boats side to side rocking that can be tough. North to Williams Bay, a part of Lee Stocking, where we can lie peacefully.Soon after we arrive we all go to a nearby beach and play bocce with a group of boaters Chris and Allison have gotten to know called the channel 5’s. This group of a dozen or so boats have got to know each other over the years and travel around somewhat together, communicating on channel 5, and usually have some activity they are doing. I steal away to the old research station and return with a half dozen coconuts in time to bring Sheri back to join Mary and David on O’Deas for some great nachos. I spend the last hours of the day reviewing weather for the next few days. It will be the first day in a while we have to exclusively motor into 20 - 25 kt wind and seas but this quick provisioning stop in Georgetown is necessary. 

At 7:30 AM we leave our friends at Lee Stocking and the 15 miles of open water is terrible and slow. We are very glad to be at anchor less than a 1/2 mile from the entrance of Lake Victoria but the crowded anchoring space has us concerned and re anchoring. This area always has hundreds of cruisers anchored in the many protected spots. Some make this their destination for the winter.

Once settled we head into the Lake Victoria district by going under the bridge into the protected waters. First to the fuel stop because we had heard they have been running out occasionally. Sheri heads off to the laundromat as I fill and transfer the fuel and water back to boat. We meet up and go to the liquor store and market. A great stop and back to the boat to prepare to leave tomorrow and meet our buddy boats in route to Conception. 

The next morning they message us that after a 20 minutes out they are turning back. The sea conditions are still bad and the angle to the wind will not allow for any comfort. We decided to stay another day in Georgetown to let the seas drop for our transit and perhaps they will still join us.

It is St Patrick’s day and we spend the afternoon as tourists walking around the lake seeing the town. We have never taken the time to visit Georgetown and it was nice. Late afternoon finds us at a great bar/restaurant, Choppys, for appetizers, Guinness and good conversations. We met a man who is in his first year of running charter catamaran business oceanadventurecat.com and a couple from the north east here on vacation.

However Jason the bartender was most entertaining teaching bar tricks and sharing stories. The view was spectacular and the food great. 

To make the afternoon complete the supply ship arrived so Sheri was able to get a couple of boxes of wine…now we are provisioned for our trip.

A new Island…Prime

 

This is not to scale…5 were easily there

We make our way the short distance to Prime Cay by weaving between the islands on the bank/west side. It is in the lee of the wind and waves. I use the time to look over the ground tackle (anchor and connections) and make sure that everything is in good shape. Thankfully it is. I was going to put a soft shackle on as an emergency back up but it would not fit.

We exit out the cut at the south end of Rudder Cay and enter back in at Prime without any issues. We arrive before high water so we cannot go over the shallows into the anchorage pocket. I radio a boater who is in the anchorage to check conditions and he is going to be leaving at high tide and was very helpful in providing information on getting through. By quarter to three we were in, anchor down and waiting for Chris and Allison on s/v Purrfect to arrive. It is good to see your friends, pass on all their merchandise they shipped to us on Amazon and get together for the evening to catch up and look ahead. 

Our three safely out of the weather 

The next morning another boat that they have been traveling around with called O’Deas arrived but anchored outside for the late afternoon high tide. We all travel around to different snorkel sites to see the sea life and perhaps capture one from dinner. I am new at this spear fishing and am constantly asking which fish to target but no matter the fish are safe with me but Chris got a small one that became fried fish bites in our pot luck dinner that night. These anchorages are very nice especially on a calm moonlit night….mostly. 

Sheri had developed a back ache that got compounded by a boatload of no-see-ums arriving when the wind quit. I usually am pretty resilient but they were ferocious and with early AM the arrival of the storm front I may have captured 3 hours of sleep.

Pic of jellyfish thru look bucket

My lazy late morning was interrupted by an exploration of the nearby tidal shallows. Rays, turtles and another type of upside down jellyfish were there. 

The shore party explores

On foot we find a trail to the opposite side set up by cruisers who came before. On several islands similar trail markings are from the crazy amount of plastic…nets, buckets, shoes etc. 

Back to the boat to get all the fixings for a beach BBQ on our wood grills. The ladies climb the nearby hill and the guys relax. We start early to get ahead of the bugs.

Chris cooks up fresh rolls and we share a bunch of  salads as well as marshmallows.

Back to the boats to prepare for our predawn departure through one of the most shallow areas on the banks, The Pimlico Cays, on our way to Lee Stocking.

I captured this picture of Zeus sneaking up

You can get a sense of the Bank side and Sound side. What looks like sand is often too low but always beautiful.

Little Farmer a treasure

 

We anchored near the green mark just off the runway.

The winds have lightened a bit this morning and we watched a dozen boats leave Black Point heading mostly north but we leave late morning for the south to Little Farmers Cay. Just motoring now into the wind and over the shallows getting in as close to the NW beach to protect against the E to SE winds and waves. This works out ok but we are a bit exposed and I am still having trust issues with my anchors ground tackle. 

I watched the cruiser behind us go into Ty’s Sunset Rest and another dinghy go over so I thought I would go check it out. In the time it takes me to get to the beach, talk to one of the other dinghies (I met in Black point), the place was closed. I looked around and out the back door there’s a runway for the island airport. This gets little use except for the first Friday in February festival

   These photos are panoramic shots of Little Harbor. 

To the left on this view you see the cell tower… Very important and a restaurant if you zoom in.

To the right if you zoom in you can see the group of people with Dino looking at turtles

To the boat, get Sheri and we drive around the east side of the island and into the small island harbor. The cement quay is lined with finger piers and mostly fishing boats. We pull up to the dock with the most activity and meet the turtle whisperer, Dino. We watch him try to engage the turtle for some tourist but it’s the end of the day and the turtle isn’t interested. We walk up to the Ocean Cabin Restaurant and make reservations for tomorrow, our tourist day.

Even though Ty’s restaurant is closed they have lots of solar lights on the front steps that light up the water out to our boat area. We head for our 9:30 am meeting with Dino and it was fun. The big mature turtle ate conch that Dino gave him and swam around with me.Because they do not fish in this harbor the amount of variety of fish in it was incredible. Bought a Souvenir from Debbies Straw works and off to the cave on Great Guana Cay. 

So many of these islands have caves and this one you could hire a guide and arrange a one tank dive in depth up to 50 feet and opening up to 500. We were content to stand on the edge and look at the formations and the bats that we’re not happy with the camera light.

Small hand written signs direct you out back

We headed back to the boat for lunch, rest and showers. The final walk in Little Harbor featured a visit to JR the wood carver. For 50 years he has been carving at his studio behind his house. The show room for his work is also his garden shed so the slight smell of gas from the lawnmower and weed wacker add ambience. He has a large variety of fruit trees in his yard that get fertilized with all of the wood chips he creates. 

We were early for our 530 dinner so we sat in the shade on the front porch overlooking Little harbor, enjoying Kalik and music.

Dinner was lobster and mahi-mahi that was very good and we finished in time to return to the boat for our 630 call to my sister Laura her husband Pat and my mother. We sat on the back of the boat and had excellent reception for a nice video call.

Our next stop is a anchorage at Prime Cay. There was a forecasted blow coming through with winds from a variety of directions. This anchorage offers  great protection. Since it is only about a three hour trip we didn’t leave until 11 AM on the 11th so that we could make the entrance at high Tide. Also when you go through the Cut’s between the islands it’s always easier closer to Slack Tide. 

If you go out of business they just take your arrow off