HEADING HOME, THROUGH THE ABACOS

(To enlarge the pictures and read the captions, click anywhere on the picture. Use the back button to return.)

We are so glad we decided to return home by way of the Abacos. We could have come back to Florida the way we came, through Nassau, but chose instead to go farther north before we turned west.

Leaving George Town, we traveled back up through the Exuma Islands then hopped over to Eleuthera, anchored there for the night, then continued north to Little Harbour, at the bottom of the Abacos. We spent a couple of days anchored at Little Harbour, then traveled a half day to Hope Town.

Hope Town has special meaning for us. It was there that we chartered a PDQ 36 catamaran for a few days three years ago, trying to make a final decision on whether to purchase Sunshine, also a PDQ 36.

Hope Town is a charming place and we loved being able to sail our own boat back to that harbor. We looked up Peter Michie, the owner of the boat we chartered, who came along with us on our trip in 2006. Peter, a former RAF pilot, lives in Hope Town with his wife, Trish. They are out of the charter business but are still in the vacation rental business. Delightful people!

After two days in Hope Town, we moved on to Marsh Harbour. It was only a six-mile trip, but that was enough time for the port engine to burst a radiator hose and the mainsail to rip in several places. We limped into Marsh Harbour on one engine and with flapping sails.

Phil replaced the radiator hose and pumped out the bilge full of sea water in short order on the first day. The second day, we dinghyed into town and bought sail repair tape. Our friend, Graham, came over and helped Phil bring down the mainsail and I got out my trusty Sail Rite heavy duty sewing machine. It took all afternoon to repair the rips in the sail. When Phil and Graham reinstalled the sail, it looked like new. I was very proud.

Marsh Harbour is the third largest city in the Bahamas, next to Freeport and Nassau. That means we are in the midst of civilization for the first time in months. We have real grocery stores, liquor stores with a nice wine selection (for her), hardware stores and marine supply stores (for him), and lots of good restaurants.

The first of two cold fronts came through last night and so we will be stuck here for a few days before we can move on. We are not complaining! This is a great place to be stuck!

Yesterday, we did two weeks worth of laundry and resupplied the galley. The grocery prices were still high, but not as high as in the Exumas. We bought fresh milk (as opposed to boxed milk) for the first time since December.

And best of all, the internet connection on the boat is excellent. We are using the computer so much we've had to run the generator for a while each day just to keep up with the power usage.

We'll probably head out next week as the weather calms down, on our way across the northern edge of the Abacos and on to West End, on the west end of Grand Bahama Island. It will take at least three days, with stops each night, to make that trip. From Grand Bahama, it's a one-day trip across the Gulf Stream to West Palm Beach.

We'll check in as we can.

ESCAPE FROM CHICKEN HARBOR!

At dawn on Wednesday, March 4th, we pulled the anchor on Sunshine, our 36’ catamaran, and headed north out of Elizabeth Harbor. With us were three British monohulls: “Rasi,” “Ten Years After” and “La Danza.”

The Elizabeth Harbor anchorage, better known as “George Town,” had been our home for several weeks. It wasn’t intentional. When we arrived in January, we had planned to stay in George Town only a few days. Inertia prevailed.

George Town is a large Bahamian community that caters to cruisers. The winter season brings hundreds of boats into the harbor, sometimes as many as 400. This year, even with the bad economic conditions, there were at least 300 boats.

George Town boasts one of the larger grocery stores in the Bahamas, along with two liquor stores, several restaurants, two laundries, a source for propane refills, free water, a dinghy dock and friendly locals.

We loved reconnecting with old friends and making new friends in George Town. It was especially difficult to leave Harold and Val on La Buena Vida, Clay and Rita-Kay on Carleigh, Doug and Marlene on Solar Eclipse, Roger and Darlene on RollsDoc, Mickey and Lillian on Carpe Diem Philadelphia, Barbara and Ken on m/v Barbara, Ed and Sandi on Genesis, and Laurence and Joan on Better Than Working, plus many others.

The cruiser community in George Town is highly organized, which we found interesting at first and overwhelming after a while. Each year, the cruisers host a regatta early in March. This regatta isn’t a Bahamian celebration. It’s strictly a cruiser function. The organizing for regatta begins early in the year and by late February, regatta planning is at fever pitch. Multiple committee chairmen recruit dozens of volunteers, whose reason for living becomes the regatta.

Regatta activities include a pet parade, a sailboat “pass in review,” a dinghy coconut retrieval race, a talent show, a no-talent show, a bocci-ball tournament, volleyball tournament, a sailboat race, an opening show, a closing show, a dance, and many more activities too numerous to mention.

Many folks come to George Town to enjoy the cruisers’ regatta, and we wish we were among them. The regatta drumbeat became so strong that we felt compelled to make our escape from George Town before the festival began. Evidently, some others felt the same way. We had lots of company on our trek north.

The weather report for our retreat from George Town called for 10-15 knot winds and 2-4 foot seas. The reality was 20-25 knot winds, gusting to 30 knots, with 5-8 foot seas. The bad news was that we were tossed about, with waves constantly breaking over the bow. The good news was that we made good time. Motor-sailing with full sails, we averaged seven knots, sometimes reaching 8.5 knots.

We went “inside,” after about six hours, at Galliott Cut, our first good opportunity to escape the big seas. Once inside, we continued north, protected from the full force of the east winds by the Exuma Islands. We still made very good time motor-sailing and reached our destination by mid-afternoon.

We are now anchored at Staniel Cay, where we can receive a satellite internet signal and re-stock our pantry before heading north. The weather continues windy, but with protection from the wind, the sun is bright and feels warm. The islands are beautiful and the sea is aquamarine. If the wind subsided, we would be complaining about the heat.

Our plan is to leave here in the next day or two and head north to Norman’s Cay. From Norman’s, we will wait for good weather to make the crossing to Eleuthera. Up the west side of Eleuthera, we will then cross over to the Abacos. From the northern tip of the Abacos, we will head north and await our chance to cross the Gulf Stream to Florida.

STUCK IN CHICKEN HARBOR!

We had heard about people getting stuck in Chicken Harbor, but we never thought it would happen to us.

Chicken Harbor is a nickname for George Town, a community on Great Exuma Island at the southern end of the Exumas. The name fits, because people come here for a few days and end up staying a month or two or three. Some stay because the journey farther south can get a little rough, with overnight passages and high seas. Others stay because life is fairly easy here. For many couples, George Town is a compromise between the husband's desire to cruise the world and the wife's reluctance to leave the conveniences of home.

There are about 200 boats here, reduced by the bad economy from the usual 400 to 500. Along with a decent grocery store, internet cafe, laundry, library, straw market and liquor store, the harbor has many beautiful anchorages, which offer wind protection from nearly every direction.

Lots of folks come here to spend the winter and, as a result, the cruisers have organized many activities. Every afternoon you can choose among volleyball, basket weaving, bocci ball, bridge, dominoes, or just sitting around chatting. Some call George Town an "adult summer camp."

The gathering place is Volleyball Beach. It has a restaurant/bar called the Chat and Chill, many picnic tables, and dozens of lounge chairs for sitting in the sun or under a tree reading a book. A little stand offers fresh conch salad (ceviche), which goes extremely well with a cold bottle of Kalik, the local beer.

Although George Town has been fun, it's not really our cup of tea. If it weren't for this long stretch of bad weather, we would have left a week ago.

For a couple of weeks, the wind has been "blowing like stink" as they say, and the weather forecasters are calling for another week of the same.

Last night was especially exciting. Around sunset, the winds were approaching 30 knots (about 35 mph). According to my chart, 32-27 mph is a moderate gale that puts whole trees in motion and makes it inconvenient to walk against the wind. At that velocity, the wind makes a howling sound as it moves through the rigging. The boat pitches around and strains at the anchor line. Boats that have not anchored properly are inclined to drag into other boats.

The VHF radio was buzzing with nervous chatter. Suddenly, a female voice from a boat near us called to a neighboring boat that she was drifting and needed some help. We watched as the neighbors launched their dinghy, sped to the first boat and climbed aboard. After several minutes, they were able to raise the anchor and motor off to another location and possibly a more secure anchorage.

Within an hour after the first episode, another cruiser announced a "catamaran on the loose" in our anchorage. The owners weren't on the boat. Dinghies came from every direction to try to corral the moving boat. They managed to keep it from hitting another boat. The owners were located, returned to the boat, and re-anchored it securely.

The winds continued to howl all night long. On nights like that one, I have learned there is great comfort in taking a hand-held GPS to bed. Checking several times during the night to make sure our boat hasn't moved outside it's expected range gives me a better night's sleep.

As soon as we have a good weather window, we will join several other friends in a daytime cruise to Long Island, about 35 miles southeast of here.

VISITORS FROM THE STATES

(To enlarge pictures, move the mouse over the pictures and left-click. Press the back arrow to return to the blog)

We spent ten days working our way down the Exumas. We would find a beautiful bay to drop our anchor and spend the night, then the next morning we would sail ten miles or so to the next beautiful place. If we especially liked an anchorage, we would stay for more than one night.

Our younger son, Andy, was flying in to Staniel Cay from Seattle to spend Christmas with us. Our only goal was to arrive at Staniel Cay in time to greet his plane. We got there a couple of days in advance, so we would know our way around when he arrived.

Andy stayed on the boat with us for nine delightful days. The weather was beautiful (most of the time) and we enjoyed his visit. We all slept late, read books, partied on the beach with other cruisers, and Andy worked hard on his tan.

Christmas eve we moved the boat a few miles north to Sampson Cay and had a wonderful Christmas dinner at the Sampson Cay Yacht Club, then returned to Staniel Cay for the remainder of his visit.

The James Bond movie "Thunderball" was filmed at Staniel Cay and Andy and Phil snorkeled into Thunderball Grotto nearby.

Andy flew home a couple of days after Christmas, tanned and well-rested. We hated to see him leave.

Staniel Cay is about 50 miles north of George Town, so we decided to make the trip in one day rather than hopping from island to island. Along with two other boats, Rasi and Pascana, we departed Staniel around 9:00 a.m. and headed out into the deep water of Exuma Sound.

When we travel in deep water, we usually put out a trolling line to catch fish. Within an hour of leaving Staniel Cay, we had a bite. Phil grabbed the pole and began to bring in the fish, a large Mahi-Mahi that danced back and forth on the waves as he reeled it in.

We weren't really prepared for a catch so soon and while we were rushing around the boat getting ready, Mr. Mahi bit through the wire lead and was on his way, taking the lure with him.

Phil attached another lure, dropped the line back in the water, and within 15 minutes we had snagged a second Mahi-Mahi. We were ready for this one and Phil landed him.

The other two boats weren't as lucky with their fishing. After we pulled into George Town about 4:00 p.m. and all anchored, we invited our friends over to share the catch. We fed six people that night and had fish left over. It was delicious.

George Town is the most developed island in the Bahamas. Many cruisers come this far and spend the winter. The harbor is about 15 miles long with numerous places to anchor. There are probably 200 boats here now, with lots of activities organized by the cruisers. There is a well-stocked grocery store and several other retail shops.

Phil's sister, Mary Anna, flew in to George Town on January 5th and spent a week with us on Sunshine. The weather was perfect and we all enjoyed her visit. She met some of our cruising friends, we walked the beaches, and Mary Anna and Phil climbed the highest hill in the area, getting a beautiful view of Elizabeth Harbour.

That brings you up to date on our travels so far. We are planning to visit Long Island as soon as the weather permits, about 35 miles away. I hope we get there in time to watch the inauguration on Tuesday.

MAC AND CHEESE, GUAVA DUFF AND CHICKEN SOUSE

This post is especially for Daniel Grant, who requested recipes.

My sister, Julie, recently sent an e-mail asking if we were enjoying exotic fruits. The short answer is “no.” I was surprised to find that there are few exotic fruits and vegetables grown in the Bahamas.

I had expected to find mangoes falling from the trees. I thought we would shop at open-air markets featuring fresh-picked pineapples, bananas, taro root, papayas, guavas and lots of produce I didn’t recognize, but would soon learn to use in making fabulous new dishes. I was wrong.

The reality is that these beautiful limestone islands have only a thin layer of fertile soil. There is some successful farming in the Bahamas, mainly pineapples on Eleuthera and vegetables on Barraterra, but not nearly enough to feed the population. Most produce is imported and, for that reason, frightfully expensive.

At the local market in George Town, I paid 75 cents for a banana, $4.00 for a 3-pack of Romaine, and 50 cents for an apple. Most of the produce is imported from the U.S. or South America.

So, what do the Bahamians eat? Lots and lots of fish, prepared every way imaginable. Loads of French Fries. A ton of macaroni and cheese. Peas and rice. Johnny Cakes. Cole slaw.

In spite of a few exotic dishes like Fish-Head Soup and Chicken Souse that I mentioned in a previous post, the Bahamian diet is fairly limited and extremely bland.

The majority of the population came as African slaves on British plantations. The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 restored the Bahamas to England and Florida to Spain. Many British loyalists with plantations in the southern colonies of America relocated to the Bahamas to escape the wrath of the revolutionaries, tripling the population of the Bahamas in a short period of time.

The slave trade ended in 1807 and slavery was abolished in 1834. Hundreds of freed slaves learned to survive as fishermen and subsistence farmers. Their diet was limited by the lack of good soil for growing fruits and vegetables and influenced by the English dishes they were used to.

Local restaurants have surprisingly similar menus. You will usually find a variety of fish, shell fish and conch dishes, barbequed chicken and ribs and often meat loaf. Sometimes you will see pigeon meat and pig’s feet on the menu. Side dishes almost always include French Fries, Johnny Cakes, macaroni and cheese, slaw, and peas (pigeon peas) and rice.

The macaroni and cheese here is nothing like the Kraft Mac and Cheese that comes in the blue box. Bahamian macaroni and cheese is a rich, baked dish that puts Kraft to shame, but is guaranteed to raise your cholesterol.

Bahamian Macaroni

2 cans evaporated milk, 6 beaten eggs, 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese, 1 chopped green pepper, 1 chopped onion, 1/4 lb. butter, 16 oz. box macaroni, 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce to taste, salt and pepper.

Boil the macaroni with the onion and green pepper. Strain. Mix eggs, milk, seasonings and 3/4 of the cheese. Add the macaroni and stir well. Pour into greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

The one really exotic dish I have yet to try is Guava Duff. I have heard folks speak of it in raptured tones and it’s difficult to find. I’ve never seen it on a menu. I think you must go to a bakery to find it (or become good friends with a local cook). A visit to the Bahamas is probably not complete without tasting Guava Duff and I will persevere until we have sampled some.

I found a recipe for it and it sounds a lot like persimmon pudding. I hesitate to try to make it myself, not knowing how the finished product should look or taste. You might be more adventuresome. If so, let me know how it comes out.

Grava Duff

4 T. butter, 1 cup sugar, 3 beaten eggs, 3 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 cups guava pulp, 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. ground cloves.

Cream butter with sugar, add eggs, beat well. Add sifted flour and baking powder. The dough will be stiff. Roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Mix the guava pulp, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves together and spread over the dough, leaving a margin around the edges. Moisten edges, roll up and seal the ends. Flour a pudding cloth (whatever that is) and wrap around the Duff. Tie the ends, leaving room for Duff to swell. Place on top of a saucer in a saucepan of boiling water. Cover and boil 1 hour. Slice and serve with Butter-Egg Sauce.

Butter-Egg Sauce

1/4 lb. butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, separated. Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk and blend. Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into the mixture. If too thick, add a couple of drops of hot water.

Finally, I have had chicken souse twice in the Bahamas and loved it both times. It's surprisingly simple to make, delicious to eat, and I understand it will cure a hangover.

Chicken Souse

One 2 to 3 pound fryer (or 2 to 3 lbs. drumsticks and/or thighs, or 24 wings, separated), 1 large diced onion, 4-6 peeled and diced potatoes, 3 diced carrots, 1 T ground allspice, 2 bay leaves, hot pepper flakes or bird peppers to taste, salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot, cover the chicken with water and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue simmering until chicken and vegetables are tender, about one hour.

Serve with lime wedges, grits and Johnny Cakes.

EXPLORING THE EXUMAS

Nassau was fun, with interesting restaurants and sights to see, but it's basically a tourist town. The U.S. recession is taking its toll on the local economy. Rumors were rampant of 1500 employees laid off at Atlantis, a huge resort and casino on Paradise Island, just across the bay from our marina. Other hotels were offering reduced rates, trying to remain open and meet payroll.

The "out islands" couldn't have been more different from Nassau. Our first stop, Allen's Cay, is uninhabited, except for an endangered species of fairly large iguanas. We enjoyed a quiet night, alone in a beautiful cove, then dinghied ashore the next morning to meet the iguanas. They began to appear as we pulled up on the beach. First one ventured out, then two or three more, soon they were approaching from every direction.

We had brought along a plastic bag filled with lettuce and stale Ritz Crackers. They loved it all, scrapping for each morsel of food.

We returned to Sunshine, eager to continue our island hopping. A short ten-mile trip south brought us to Highbourne Cay. We anchored near a small marina and enjoyed a beautiful sunset, a quiet dinner and good night's sleep. So far, we had seen only a handful of other cruisers in the Exumas.

The next day was Phil's birthday. I told him he was forbidden to do any work on his birthday. That didn't last long. He is not happy sitting still. We pulled the anchor after breakfast and headed further south a few miles to Norman's Cay.

Norman's is well known as a former drug running headquarters. A Colombian drug lord purchased the island in the 1970's and installed an airstrip. Drug-laden planes from South America would land often and business was thriving. Finally, a few years ago, the U.S. convinced the Bahamaian government to shut down the operation and arrest the Colombian and his coharts. The only evidence left of the illegal activity was the rusted remains of a small plane that miscalculated the location of the airstrip. The fuselage is clearly visible at low tide and we gave it a wide berth as we looked for a good place to anchor.

We dinghied to the island and found the airstrip, still in good shape and used by a few local residents who have built homes there. On the beach side of the island, we met a Canadian couple, Menno and Liz, whose boat, Snow Shoo, was anchored near ours.

They had caught (maybe "collected" is a better term) five large conchs and were in the process of removing the meat. Locals can clean a conch in just a few minutes, but it's a learned skill. Menno had removed the meat from the shell and was pounding each conch until it was almost lacy. That's the secret to tender conch.

Back on the boat, the wind generator had stopped spinning. It appeared that the bearings had frozen up. The wind generator, along with four solar panels, create quite a bit of free energy for us. Fixing the generator will be high on our list of things to repair.

Next blog: Hawksbill Cay to Staniel Cay, Andy's visit, Christmas.

WOO-HOO, WE'RE BLOGGING AGAIN, MON

To Terry Bentley of the Noblesville P.D., my brother Allen, my cousin Howard, and all the others who have complained about "Sushine Blog Withdrawal":

It's been a long time since you heard from us. Since early December, we have been mostly out of touch with the rest of the world. Occasionally, we located an internet cafe where we would stand in line, wait for a computer, and then do a quick e-mail check. Taking time to update the blog was not an option.

Technology arrived on Sunshine yesterday in the form of a high-power Wi-Fi antenna, signal booster and cable, all purchased from another cruiser. We can now pluck those magic signals out of the air whenever we find a "hot spot."

Picking up where we left off in early December:

After nearly a week in Nassau waiting for a weather window, the winds finally calmed enough for us to sail to the Exumas. As we prepared to leave, we discovered that the port engine would not start. It's always something, as Gilda Radner used to say.

Phil worked on the engine for an entire day, but could not figure out the problem. We knew it wasn't getting fuel and feared we needed a new fuel injector pump, which meant importing one from Florida, paying a 45% duty surcharge, and waiting days, perhaps weeks for it to arrive.

The dock master recommended a local diesel mechanic, who arrived with his helper soon after we called. Within an hour and a half, they had located a blocked valve in the fuel line and fixed it. Total charge: $85.00. We were beginning to love the Bahamas.

We pulled out of Nassau Harbour Marina the next morning (December 6th), stopping at the fuel dock next door to fill our diesel tank. Our destination was Allen's Cay, on the northern end of the Exuma Island chain.

There were some minor problems along the way:

1) We had heard stories of dirty fuel in Nassau, so Phil used a special filter as he filled the tank, which slowed the flow considerably. It took 45 minutes to get 41 gallons of diesel.

2) As soon as we were underway, but still in Nassau Harbour, a belt on the starboard engine loosened, causing black smoke to pour from the engine compartment. Phil tightened the belt.

3) After 35 miles, in sight of Allen's Cay, the port engine alarm went off. A water hose leak had filled the port engine bilge with several gallons of sea water. We continued into the anchorage on one engine and anchored in a beautiful bay.

4) The next day, the handle broke off that controls water flow to flush the head and the port engine belt began to squeal above 2,000 rpm. Phil spent the morning fixing the water hose leak from the day before, the head handle and the loose belt.

And you probably thought this was a vacation! The funny thing is, every time we have a mechanical problem, we learn more about this boat and how to fix whatever breaks. In conversations with other cruisers, we have discovered that most of them have the same difficulties. Things break, or wear out, and there's always something to be repaired or improved upon.

Cruisers take pride in learning how to keep their boats in good repair and fix nearly anything that breaks. They are also always willing to assist other cruisers. Best of all, we are fixing all these things in paradise. The weather is perfect. The surroundings are beautiful. We don't have a schedule.

Allen's Cay was the first stop in our exploration of the Exuma Cays. Southeast of Nassau in the central Bahamas, the Exumas are a necklace of beautiful, low-lying limestone islands extending 140 miles along a chain. A few are inhabited, most are not. Those that are have a sprinkling of residents in small communities. There are only a few marinas in the Exumas.

In the next blog, we work our way all the way down the Exumas, meeting up with friends along the way, exploring the islands, enjoying our son's visit over the Christmas holidays and Phil's sister's visit in January.

Margaret