Feels like we're on Safari here in the Islands. This creek is amazing to say the least.
We are still in part of the "Exuma Land and Sea Park" and it is a no-take zone.
No fishing, no shelling, no taking of anything. It is all set aside as a natural habitat for wildlife.
Captain Jerry, a.k.a. Gilligan (as my buddy Spivey calls me) is leading us through the twists and turns of this little creek.
Looking for the ocean on the other side.
We could use a couple inches more water but hey, that would be too easy. The tide is coming in so all is good.
Annie says, enough of this Safari stuff. Let's find a beach so I can run a bit.
Her and the Admiral are looking for beach creatures.
Howard and Mary are also looking for a nice beach to call home for a while.
Seems they want to just kick back and enjoy the afternoon. They both deserve some relaxation, they have had company on their boat for a week.
Mary says..... Now this is just what I had in mind.
Toes in the sand, ass in the chair and a cold drink not too far away.
And we find the ocean on the other side....just like in the movies.
What a sight, crystal clear water gushing thru this little cut with a beach at the head.
But a little too swift as the tide is coming in strong. We'll just stay back here a take a picture.
This is taken from the trail leading up to the "Honor System Pay Box".
You just dingy in and walk up the trail, fill out the envelope, put in you mooring fee and all is well. If you don't, the Rangers will be by first thing in the morning to find out why.
That's called a Bahamian Honor System.
Another good beach for Annie, just a few hundred yards from Mystic Lady.
Friday, April 2, 2015
OK, come on guys. Another day another adventure.
Let's take the Jupiter and head up to Normans Cay. I hear that place has a lot of shady history.
I also heard they were rebuilding the airstrip and restaurant .
Hey, is this the place?
No , this is a Village on Wax Cay. It is constructed with material shipped in from Vietnam and the buildings all have the Asian look.
Some are occupied and some are not. Each has it's own beach with breakwater protection in between each house.
It's hard to figure how they could justify the cost of such a project.
The Komodo dragon in the front yard says it all.
The pictures don't show all the art work incorporated into the construction of these homes.
And the head wall is the edge of the manmade harbor for the boats. All cut out of stone and finished with it's own dock.
Big Bucks was spent here......
On the way over between Wax Cay and Normans Cay we find the remains of an airplane that crashed here in the 80's.
Story has it that it was a new plane and recently purchased by the owner of Normans Cay. He was a kingpin in the drug trade and made his fortune running drugs to the states.
All that is left is part of the fuselage and the wings.
Click on the link below for the Drug Story of Normans Cay.
http://thevelvetrocket.com/2008/02/01/normans-cay-and-carlos-lehder-part-2/
Not knowing exactly where we are going Howard decides to just beach the Jupiter and see what the sign says on the beach.
It's a small sign for "McDuffs", the new restaurant we heard was very expensive and not worth the stop.
We'll just have to see for ourselves.
Well, it turns out that McDuffs is a really cool place. The bartenders were very friendly and the prices were in line with other high end bars.
But when you see the money that was spent to remodel and reopen this place you can understand.
Mixed drinks and Rum Punch Cocktails were $15. Beer was $6. The food was great and around $12 for lunch.
Hey, it's da Bahamas mon......
An entrance to the restaurant and bar from the well landscaped sidewalks and grounds.
Some Miami investors are trying to bring Normans Cay back to life after a shady past.
They just completed construction of one of the finest air strips in the Bahamas, this facility, homes and cottages with plans for more soon.
Also completing the marina next year and adding a hotel at the marina.
Back on board Mystic Lady and it's time to cook up some supper.
How about grilled salmon?
Our last day at Shroud Cay and Normans Cay.
Tomorrow we head up to Highborne Cay again to wait for good weather to cross over to the Eleuthera Islands.
Forecast is for mild weather Saturday so if that happens we will leave Highborne Cay at daybreak.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Today we leave the Exuma Islands and head across the bank to the Eleuthera Islands. Our next stop will be Spanish Wells.
We lucked out on the weather, it's a perfect day to cross and it's a good thing. Dodging these Coral Heads would be much harder if the sun wasn't directly overhead and if the water wasn't calm.
The bank is relatively shallow and the coral heads are plentiful.
This coral head was especially nasty looking as it passed off my port side. I wanted a picture of this one so I got a little close.
It's hard to judge how deep they are because the water is so clear but I wouldn't want to check it's depth with the bottom of the boat.
The water was only 12-14 ft deep here so this thing could have been only a few feet below the surface. And that's why you never travel at night in the Islands.
600.3 Nautical Miles
We made it to Spanish Wells with no issues, however, leaving Highborne at daybreak meant arriving here at low tide.
That was a little scary.....
We found a good place for dinner, complete with steel drums being played by these two brothers. They were very good and the atmosphere was pure Island.
We eat most meals on the boat but this was the best yet as far as dining out goes.
Annie made a new friend at the "ShipYard" restaurant.
She came over to the table and said, "Excuse me but is the dog friendly?"
Well Annie just said let me show you just how friendly I can be.......
They played for a long time, I assume the family had been to an Easter Egg Hunt or something.....
Sunday, April 5, 2015
It's Sunday morning and Mystic Lady needs a bath in a bad way. Lots of salty days at sea makes for a dirty boat.
So far a beautiful Easter Sunday morning. The winds are forecast to build by this afternoon which may force us to stay in Spanish Wells for several days.
Can't think of a better place to be stuck.
My intensions for this day was to stay at the marina and get the boat cleaned up.
But along came Howard and reminded me that we had rented a golf cart on Saturday for 24 hours. Poor planing on our part, most of that 24 hours was on Easter Sunday.
With everything closed we decided to just tour the Island before our time ran out.
So much for hanging around the marina all day.......
In our quest to tour the Island we ran across a little "SandBar" beach place that was open for lunch.
Turned out to be quite a treat. Neat little place that just opened a few months ago. Very friendly and the lunch was good.
The Admiral had Conch Salad and I had an order of Poutine. Google it...
This girl picked a perfect spot to start her business. It has it's own beach, hammocks hanging from the trees and plenty of outdoor seating with shade.
Sure hope they make a go of it, it's a pretty good way from the town of Spanish Wells but most everyone here uses golf carts to get around.
As we were leaving several people came by water and just jumped off their boat and waded into the beach. Guess that was their Easter Sunday dinner. hey, it's da bahamas mon..
Monday, April 6, 2015
This Sportfish captain just came into the marina last night. He had been about 30 miles away at "Hole-In-The-Wall" and caught a wheelbarrow full of these fish in just two and half hours.
He is cleaning a dolphin "Mahi-Mahi"...
No wonder Spanish Wells is a big commercial fishing hub.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Howard noticed a noise in the lower unit of one of the Honda Outboards a few days ago.
Today, he found a yard that would haul the Jupiter out and check the lower ends.
He had been using only one engine until he could get it checked.
The forklift blocks the street long enough to haul out from the seawall. Quite an operation here on Spanish Wells.
Then they blocked up the Jupiter and pulled the props. Turns out it was a stripped bushing in the prop.
Bad news, no prop for Hondas around here....Good news, a Mercury prop fits and they have that in stock...
These guys know what they're doing. Back in the water same day.
This little jewel, "Summer Wind," came in a couple days ago and docked next to us.
I have been anxious to talk to the captain and learn more about this sailboat.
Today he filled me in. It is hand made on the little island of Carriacou and only a few are left. It is a dying art in the Caribbean Islands but lately some folks have shown an interest in bringing back this lost art.
So .......Meet Captain Denis Dowling.....captain, crew, chief cook and bottle washer, and master seaman. Today he is washing dishes on the dock.
Seems this beautiful sailboat has no galley, no head, one bunk (Allie gets the bunk) and one hammock for Denis. He and Allie restored this jewel and it is pristine.
It is rigged in traditional fashion, no fancies here.
They have sailed her far and wide in the Caribbean and in New England.
Captain Denis built this little matching dingy to tow along behind the sail boat.
Of course, it's painted to match and has a sail when needed.
These two young folks are very knowledgeable and somewhat courageous to take on this lifestyle these days.
He tells me the boss is in the preliminary stages of purchasing a 1929 Alden 62 footer and may be retiring the little yellow sailboat soon.
Hopefully.........
Denis and Allie will be sailing "Summer Wind" to New England soon to take delivery of the Alden.
He and Allie will be Captain and Crew for the owner.
From what I witnessed Denis is a very capable seaman.
And now meet Allie.......what a catch.
Honestly.......I think Denis is a Pirate and he captured this beauty named Allie on one of his raids.
She is a doll, and quite a seaworthy catch at that.
All kidding aside, a really neat couple. We wish them the best on their next venture.
I know you can't tell just what this is but I was invited down below to check out the living quarters.
This hammock is where Denis sleeps and the inside of the hull is finished (note the wood on the left) and it's all varnished to perfection.
The mast pole is a telephone pole from the Island of
Carriacou
where these boats were built. Each boat is built from a model, that's their drawing board plan. When the model is finished they head to the jungles to cut the wood needed to build that particular boat..
And Denis even does some "Pickin and Grinnin" on the side.
How does one guy get all this talent?
NOTE:
A movie is being produced about the building of these boats and the people of the island that make it happen. The movie trailer is at the address below. It's only three minutes. Just click and enjoy.
http://www.vanishingsail.com/home.html
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Today we are headed over to Harbour Island to check out the down of Dunmore.
We are awaiting the arrival of "Bo Hengy II". She is the Fast Ferry that connects some of these Islands in the Eleutheras to Nassau and great Harbour Cay.
Here she is pulling up to the dock to load the passengers.
We were thinking of taking our boats over to Dunmore but after putting a pencil to it we decided it would be a lot cheaper and easier to just hop on the ferry.
By the time we hired a guide to get us through "The Devils Backbone" and fuel for the trip it made more sense to take the ferry.
Notice how close to shore the ferry is? He is avoiding the huge number of massive coral heads on this route.
It is a very dangerous 10 mile trip if you don't use a guide.
Pulling into Government Dock at Dunmore.
We have read a lot about this town and look forward to our visit. It is much more touristy that Spanish Wells so about a day is all we need anyway.
The Admiral and her sidekick are heading down the trail to "The Pink Beach"...
The sand on this side of the Island has a pink tone, probably due to the large number of coral reefs just off shore.
We are looking for a place called "Sip-Sip".......
Well we found Sip-Sip's and the view while eating lunch was awesome.
I didn't get many pictures here because one of us had to stay with Annie at the golf cart. They wouldn't even let her set with us at the outdoor area.
The Bahamas are NOT dog friendly. We have encountered this at most of the restaurants we visited.
The service was fair, food was delicious but overpriced, view was great....but I wouldn't go back.
Pulling back into Spanish Wells, we like it here much better.
People are friendly and the atmosphere is more working class.
Our kind of folks.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Took the Jupiter out today for a little ride around the neighborhood.
This little piece of Paradise belongs to the man that owns "Sands Beer" here in the Bahamas.
Nice little pad on the point. Notice the cannon on the red structure..
Nice touch.
We ran across these kids jumping off the cliff over at Ridley Point.
Caught this one just as he jumped.
What else you going to do on a Friday when you're out of school for Easter Break?
Busy day in the channel...coming back from North Eleuthera today.
Lots of water taxis and pleasure craft out today.
Enough sightseeing.....time to get the toys loaded up and prepare to leave out at 7:20 am tomorrow. Got both scooters hoisted up on top of Nazdar and now to get the rebuild starter put on the starboard engine. Howard will be good to go.
We will be heading back across the Northwest Providence Channel for Great Harbour Cay.
From there we are hoping for good weather to make it on to Lucaya by Sunday evening.
Annie says, is supper ready yet?
We had a good week here in Spanish Wells but are looking forward to heading back to Florida.
We may be out of touch for the next few days. No internet on the high seas.....imagine that.
Saturday, April 10, 2015
Leaving Spanish Wells early to make it to Little Stirrup Cay before dark.
The boat in front is "Little Woodie" the guide we hired to lead us out over the Devils Backbone Reef.
Leaving early creates problems, sun isn't high enough to see the coral heads, the tide is at it's lowest point of the day and the sun is right in our eyes. Why take a chance of wiping out the props?
