Isn't this great!

Day #27: Check out time from Exumas Park was at the crack of noon. We somehow managed to get the most for our $15 mooring rental with an 11:45am departure. The morning was filled with a few basic chores which included a second coat of cetol on the exterior brightwork.
Today's trip north was like traveling through an acquarium. In the 15 foot waters we could clearly see fish and colorful coral reefs beneath us. By mid afternoon we dropped the hook in a mere 7 feet just off of Shroud Cay. We have this anchorage to ourselves as most sailboats and larger power boats need a bit more water to accommodate their deeper keels.
Shroud Cay is known for its mangrove swamps which actually devide the Cay into several smaller islands. After a swim (which included scrubbing Nellie's water line)we took the dinghy into one of the mangrove creeks. The creek's depth varied from inches to about six feet. The surprise for us was the abundant sea life that was so visable in the cystal clear water. There were bone fish, schools of colorful fish swam along the mangrove roots, a 5' wide sting ray floated under the dinghy, a small shark darted in front of us and a beautiful sea turtle glided through a patch of coral. We returned to Nellie D. an hour later to toast the sunset--we looked for the green flash, but alas there was none. As we ate our BBQ steaks on the aft deck the stars began to appear. It was then that the full moon took center stage, rising with a red glow. To quote Captain Ron, "Isn't this great!"
16 nm today/493 total. BJH

This is more like it!

Day #26: Today's light tropical breezes and lots of sunshine make those windy days earlier this week seem like a distant memory. The water is so crystal clear that Nellie D. serves as a perfect viewing platform to watch sting rays gluiding by and see schools of fish taking refuse in the boat's shadow from the mid day sun. With a beautiful day like today we no longer need a wet suit as part of our snorkeling attire. At the snorkeling mooring ball we meet Baja and Nora who sailed from Turkey. Their description of the Mediterranean gets us wondering if someday maybe Nellie D. might be loaded on a freighter and shipped across the pond. Hmmm...
The Exumas Park hosts a Saturday night cocktail party on the beach. Never ones to miss a party, we of course attended. With drinks in hand we meet fellow cruisers and are entertained by coutless stories. There was M/V Aloha Friday whose mooring ball in Little Farmer's Cay broke loose during last week's blow. The boat slipped backwards fowling its prop on another mooring. As luck would have the skipper was a retired navy diver whose skills were put to good use. As the evening wore on, people started scratching their scalps and legs..the no-see-ums had found us. Dispite the arrival of our univited guests, we all stayed on the beach to chat and watch the sunset. It was dark by the time we dinghied home.
Enjoying the new cruising friends and the lovely weather in the north mooring field in Exumas Park.
0 nm today 477 total BJH

Five Blasts

Day #25: A sound you don't want to hear at sea is a ship sounding its whistle five times in a row--it's the international danger signal. Just after dawn this morning we got to hear the danger signal not once but four times. A sailboat had anchored in a channel that a tugboat with a tow was trying to navigate. It was nice to be a spectator for this event because the last time I heard five whistles was in San Diego harbor when an aircraft carrier snuck up behind me...

We actually got Nellie's engine a little warm today as we moved a whole 14nm to Warderick Wells Cay. The north mooring is very popular and we've managed to snag a spot. 477nm under the keel thus far. DBH

Air and water

Day #24: If a system is leaking either air or water, I'm not the guy to fix it. It's a personally painful truth. The latest sword I'm throwing myself upon is the dinghy. It's leaking air. My first attempt to fix it only made the leak worse. Yea, like I said, not my forte. While comiserating with Bob, Casandra Jade II, he brightened and explained that he'd just successfully repaired a leak on his dink. Then I brightenend, a good example is hard to find and here was one right in front of me. Bob supervised and gave pointers as I followed the patching instructions to the letter. So, how'd the repair turn out? Didn't I mention that I'm not good with air and water leaks?

We planned to to weigh anchor and move on today but that was before snorkling and dinner inviations intruded. Interesting how one of the most common occurences in crusing, i.e. a great offer that keeps you from moving on, is actually an inhibitor to cruising...

Just a half nautical mile NW of our anchorage on Cambridge Cay is Bell Cay. The coconut telegraph reports that Bell is owned by a billionaire expat who is in a pitched battle with the government over the size of the harbor he wants to build to accomodate his and his friends' megayachts. Also according to the telegraph the idividual is a 'man of the cloth'--clearly I made the wrong career selection.

Lots of miles on the dighy today, with the air pump working its little heart out, but no miles on Nellie. Holding at 463nm for the trip. DBH

Cambridge Cay

Day #23: I sleep better with the anchor alarm on. But, there is a price to be paid and it comes in the form of false alarms. This morning the alarm went off at 0030 and again at 0630. On each alarm I burst out of the bunk, all the while trying to shake off the cobwebs, and once in the pilothouse look for indications that we're adrift. I'm happy to report that both alarms were false and occurred because I set the alarm distance too conservatively. Which brings me to my point. Is it better to be jolted awake frequently for false alarms or is it better to sleep through an anchor drag? Having lived through the latter I've learned that I prefer my adrenalin in small doses as opposed to one, very large shot.

Ahead of us is the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, specifically its Cambridge Cay mooring field. This is a beautiful, well protected area right in the middle of many popular dive spots. The bigger mooring fields usually have a host boat. Here it's Mary and Bill's Harbor Reach. This was an unexpected surprise as we last visited with them in the Abacos in 2009. Let the partying begin. Continue?

It was an exhausting 4nm run to Cambridge Cay today. The good news is we've now racked up 463nm on the trip. It may be possible to go slower than we are, but I don't see how. DBH

On the road again

Day #22: With the winds down to just under 20kts, and the sun making its first appearance in four days, we lower the dink and go into Staniel Cay for breakfast. The airlines are running again so John is homeward bound. The past days' inundation has left its mark. Among other things we see some folks trying to raise a cabin cruiser off the sea bottom. With Nellie's crew compliment one short we weigh anchor and head north. Our plan is to visit all the little spots we missed coming south--and there are a lot of little spots we missed. First stop, Little Pipe Cay, 8nm away. It's very scenic; which in the Exumas is damning it with faint praise ;-). We drop the hook, explore the area with the dink, and then decide to move on.

Next stop, the abandoned military facility on SW Pipe Cay. It boasts a 100' concrete pier which is free and on a first come, first served basis. Entering the well marked little harbor we see only one boat at the pier. After getting Nellie settled we explore several of the base's deserted buildings. We couldn't help commiserating, even if several decades too late, with those assigned here. How lonely and isolating it must have been. Back on Nellie we get a closer look at our pier mate, a big plastic boat many years past its prime. The events in Vincent Bulgosie's (sp?) nonficton book 'And the Sea Will Tell', come to mind--nice cruising couple is murdered and dismembered by down-and-out cruising couple on a remote, deserted island. We cast off our lines and move on.

We drop the hook in two more anchorages on Pipe Cay before finding one that's just right. Happy to be swinging on the hook in a calm, star filled harbor on the NW side of Pipe Cay. A 14nm circumnavigation today and 459nm so far. DBH

Wind, rain, wind, rain ...

Day #21: Today the wind is blowing a sustained 30kts. It's dark and raining so hard at noon that we put on the anchor light. A VHF call from a cruiser warns the fleet to check their dinks as his had swamped. Bicki put a pot on deck and in two hours the water in it was five inches deep. On the plus side: our anchor is sticking like velcro; today is shower day--always a favorite with the crew; WaterMaker Air cancelled John's flight back to Ft. Lauderdale so we get to enjor his company for another day; cocktail hour was moved up to 4PM; spaghetti with a homemade sausage and mushroom sauce was served for dinner; and finally, tea (because we just ran out of coffee) was enjoyed while watching the evening's movie selection, Match Point.

A day like today is a reminder how really great the other 99.9% of cruising days really are ;-) In a wet and windy anchorage on the west side of Big Majors Cay. We sailed 10nm on the anchor but added nothing to the 445nm so far. DBH