Travelling in NoMan’s Land

It’s not hard to figure out why there aren't many people living in the little islands of the Bahamas. They are rough. Coral or rock islands, covered in a thin layer of sand, with little or no vegetation. But; the water is “gin clear”, the beaches are beautiful, and the underwater world is fascinating. So where it might be difficult place to eek out a living, it is an incredible place to experience some raw nature.

Have a seat and pull a six pack out of the fridge, because its going to take you a while to read this entry. We have been without internet for 2 ½ weeks, but there is so much stuff to talk about, that I just have to….

 We stayed an extra day in West Bay, New Providence. The winds were forecast out of the east, the exact direction we wanted to go. So we took the day off and snorkelled. And did we snorkel, 4 hrs in total, but it was just so amazing. We have some great underwater video, and one of these days soon I’ll put together a YouTube upload to tease the waterly afflicted, trapped by winters snows. Unfortunately, with the daily chores plus all the time in the water, Serena’s back was acting up again.

 Wednesday morning it was time to leave. It would have been better if we could have stayed put, as the seas were outrageously large, and we were down to a one man crew. But, unfortunately, the anchorage we were in was going to be far too uncomfortable with winds coming out of the south. So off we went into 8 foot seas with a short period. It was all we could do just to get out of the bay, and then between the engine at max, and the yankee flying from the forestay, we were just able to make our way out into the tongue of the ocean. For 8 hours we pounded into short choppy seas, motor sailing about 6 of it, before the seas started to lay down for the last 2 hours of the trip to Allens Cay. The guide book says that it fills up quickly with first time cruisers, and does it. The first night was okay, but the second night we had 16 boats, and the third night 18. The anchorage doesn’t fit that many, and it was tight. Ironically, the only real problems that surfaced were on the first night when two boats dragged. However, other than the iguanas and the bikini clad tourists arriving on the high speed tour boats, there is not much to see at Allens. That plus the fact that there is little protection from weather and current in there, is probably why the experienced cruisers pass it by.

We stayed put in Allens, even though it was rough, because Serena was broken. Her back was worse than usual because of the rough 10 hour trip to get there, so she played broken sick person, and I played den mother. You may laugh, but you have no idea how hard it is to keep a pig-headed sick-O from injuring herself even further. It was a full time job. I did let her out to go to the beach Thursday afternoon, for a quick trip to play with the iguanas, and to go to movie night on Serenada, but otherwise, it was bed ridden.

Islands made of coral create these mini caves along the shores, washed out by waves over the years.

The great iguana caper.

By Friday Serena was starting to feel a bit better. I was still playing the domestic, but after getting permission I was allowed to go play with my friend Gil. We thought we would try to find some conch for dinner. Try being the operative word, because the great conch hunt was yet stumped. Then I snorkelled around the anchorage, checking anchors, and discovering the truly weird bottom. It was like a series of ravines, valleys, and mountains of sand. If it wasn’t covered in water, I would have thought it was the desert. Finally I took some video of our own anchor, and the 3 foot ramora that was stuck to the bottom of our boat. Ramoras are a scavenger fish. They have a large suction cup on the top of their head, and they attach themselves to large fish, such as sharks, and ride around for free. When the shark eats, the remora will dart out taking morsels that fly free, and then go back and attach itself to the fish again. Apparently boat hulls are sharky’ enough, because they’re were a few of them around.

Friends Diana and Gil.

They're everywhere.

Friday night was great. The seas and the wind layed down, and it got nice and quiet. We had happy hour and dinner over at Serenada’s, with our friends from Cs’ta Time. But shortly after midnight the wind and seas started back up again. We were intending to leave Saturday, but the anchorage was so uncomfortable that we were having a hard time getting the boat ready to leave, and we were starting to think we wouldn’t be able to leave at all. There are some things about cruising that really suck, and rolling violently from side to side in a swell, is one of them. We did eventually manage to put all to bed, raise the hook and head out to sea.

The water was rough, but doable. We stopped into Highbourne Cay and fuelled up. The diesel was a pretty good price, but the $10 we paid for a small bag of romaine hearts was a bit much. $5 for garbage, $4 for ice cream, etc… Leaving there we made our way to Normans, and nestled in. The wave action was much better than in Allens Cay. Finally, quiet. We were greeted by friends, and went for a walk with them on the island before rushing back to Vita to prepare a dinner for our buddy Fred. We had a great evening sitting in the cockpit telling lies, and swapping stories. We saw Fred off, had showers and stayed up to 1:00 in the morning watching The Hobbit. People ask, what do you do with your days when you’re out cruising. The problem is not what to do, but what can’t you get to in a day.

These birds greeted us at the dock in Highbourne Cay. They were very friendly.

We ended up staying at Norman’s Cay for 7 days. They go by so quick, you never even notice they’re gone until you realize that you’re the tour director for your anchorage, and all your friends that were there, or came after you have left. It was our first real taste of the Bahamas, and it tasted good.

The water was so clear you could see the anchor running along the bottom, and the dinghy looked like it was in a swimming pool. The water was 16 feet deep, believe it of not. So far our record is 65 feet. We actually saw the bottom in 65 feet of water. Wow....

We snorkelled like mad. I can’t even imagine how many hours were spent, spear fishing, hunting for conch, diving on coral reefs, or videoing the plane wreck in the middle of our anchorage. Then there were sundowners, baking, cleaning, etc… Life was full, and it was fun, right up until the last two days where I laid on my back in bed, reading. It was my turn to be the sick-O. I had been ignoring a nagging back ache that started bothering me when we were in West Bay, and all the activity finally caught up with me, but damn was it worth it.

The highlights including diving on our first coral heads. I speared my first fish, but he wriggled off the spear and swam away. Its unfortunate that I turned him into fish food, but lets face it, he was destined for it anyway. It’s not like these little reef fish die from old age very often. We spent hours upon hours hunting conch, a mile or more offshore in 15 to 20 feet of water. I managed to find two, only to discover that there were dozens right in our anchorage, in 2 feet of water. We were dinghying over to give our catch to our friends, and they had just stumbled across them. So we cleaned our 6 conch limit on the beach, and prepared them back on board Vita. Turns out, we don’t really like conch all that much. It wasn’t that it was bad, it just wasn’t our cup of tea. Pork chops are still way better. I guess those thousands of conch we may have eaten…. Will have to be eaten by someone else!!

The great conch hunt prevails. Its messy.

We dove on our first plane wreck. There were tons of fish swimming around us, and a couple of big manta rays resting in the sand. We got some great video, and if we ever get some time to sit around and do nothing, I’ll edit the video and put it up on YouTube. Probably when we get home.

Still somewhat broken, we departed anyway. Our plan was not to spend 2 months in Normans Cay, there were other places we wanted to see. Our friend Fred had told us about a little place in the Exuma park called the “aquarium”. The fish are protected, and plentiful, and we just had to see it. So off we moved down the Exuma chain to Cambridge Cay. About a mile and a half south of the aquarium in a very protected anchorage. Some of our friends were here, and we spent a wonderful 3 days, snorkelling, goofing around, sailing our dinghy, hanging out, and recuperating from all the fun.

Friends Gwen and Guillaume of Slow Waltz, and Dave and Jane from Romano, on Vita for sundowners. It was a tight fit in our little cockpit. But, good friends, good food, good times.

At sundowners the first night, our friend Guillaume was talking about sailing for the sake of sailing; as we cruisers tend to sail in order to move our homes, but we have forgotten about enjoying a good sail, just because we have a boat and nature provides us with a fair wind. So I brought up that we had a sailing kit for our dinghy. Still in its original package, begging to be used. Well, you know what happens when two men get together to enjoy a new toy. Yep, that’s right, a crap load of fun. We had a blast. All the thoughts I had about getting a rigid inflatable go fast dinghy, have now gone bye-bye. I couldn’t imagine giving up the ability to go sailing, whenever I want, without preparing Vita for sea.

Guillaume and I testing out the dink.

We also hit several dive sites over 2 days. The aquarium was incredible, and we made two trips. We took some awesome underwater video, swam with our first shark, and a ray the size of a barn door. We ate lunch on a beach and made friends with a little gecko that enjoyed Serena’s tuna macaroni salad. We drift snorkelled with the incoming tide and spotted our first sea turtle. Dove on yet another crashed airplane, and played the stare game with a couple of rather large Barracudas. Its funny, barracudas are not particularly dangerous fish, unless your bleeding, but they are very curious, and will watch divers, even following them when they move away. It’s just eerie how these, up to 6 foot fish can just sit there and stare at you with those big ass teeth. And the first one that followed me scared the livin’ crap out of me. In contrast, 3 days later I chased one with my go-pro camera through thunderball cave. It’s a learning/comfort curve.

We snorkelled into our first caves. It was awesome. I can’t possibly explain the anxiety, the wonder, and the sense of accomplishment of snorkelling in your first cave. The coral

was amazing, the fish exotic, and wave action in the caves, too cool. And; the CPS guys are going to use this as a example of what not to do:

After a long day of snorkelling, our friends Guillaume and Gwen, Dave and Jane, and our selves were floating through the anchorage in their dinghies, tied together. We were enjoying some very cold beers, telling each other lies, and baking under a hot sun. When we noticed a nurse shark in 4 feet of water. We had taken so much video with the go-pro that the battery was dead, but we were hoping to get just a short video of the shark. So we untied the two dinghies and started chasing the 6 foot long shark through the anchorage. I suited up, mask, snorkel, fins, and go-pro video camera ready to jump out of the fast moving dinghy at the right moment to take the precious video. We eventually got really close to the shark, that was trying to avoid us at that point, and made a sharp turn to the left. And that’s when we realised that this gentle nurse shark was in fact a not so gentle reef shark. There was no mistaking the sharp pointed tail. On reflection; a slightly intoxicated Robby, sitting on the edge of a fast moving dinghy, ready to jump into the water with a pissed off reef shark, was probably not the wisest thing I’ve done in the last little while. Mind you, to some people, taking a 29’ boat out into the Atlantic ocean, might not be that wise either. You only live once!!!

Anyway, after all the fun, my back pain was getting the better of me. So the next day when our friends left, we stayed for a day of recuperation. We did move Vita a mile north to O’Brien’s Cay so that we could visit with our friends on Serenada. Gil was having some back issues too, and we figured they might be in the mood to have a little company, after I was done laying on my back for the day.

When we anchored a 4 foot barracuda came over to check us out, and he never left. Six hours later when we dinghied over to Serenada’s for sundowners, the fish followed us. As it was dark when we left to go home, we’re not sure what happened to him. But in the morning his big brother had taken up the position at our swim ladder, only he was 4 ½ or 5 feet long. By far the biggest barracuda we had seen yet. We had no time to play though, as we were making our way down to Big Majors Cay, which is conveniently located just north of Staniel Cay. Staniel Cay is home to a typical Bahamian town, with grocieries, restaurants, and roads to walk on, ….. It is also the site of the famous Thunderball Grotto from the James Bond movie, “Thunderball”.

The little 4 foot barracuda.

We dinghied the mile and a half into town just to walk around and check things out. We had a beer at the Yacht Club, and then walked the town, checking out the grocery stores, the local flora and fauna. Finally ending up back at the Yacht Club to watch the local fisherman cleaning there catch of conch, lobster, and fish. But more interestingly, to watch the 20 nurse sharks that gathered in the shallows to pick up on the free meal as the fisherman cast the garbage parts into the water.

A word about the typical Bahamian grocery store. They are small. The size of your living room probably, and not likely much bigger. Decisions are made all the more easier because there is only one choice, buy or don’t buy. There is no choice between types, or brand names, or sizes. You get what you get, and you pay through the nose for it. Although, we did find the prices in the town stores much better than the prices in Yacht Club stores. Three romaine hearts was only $7 vice $10. In reality, it makes shopping so much easier.

Serena let me sail by myself. Woohoo. Too bad it took me like 4 tries to sail back to the boat. I have good excuses though.

Those sharks don't look too menacing!

Here little piggy. This big sow chased Serena right into the water, but they swim, so there was no refuge. She finally threw a bunch of apple slices and the pig left her alone for a few seconds. Too funny.

Yep, wild and ferocious.

Above, a frame from some video I took of the huge Barracuda. 

Feeding the fish.

Day two we sailed Life Line, our dinghy, around the anchorage for most of the morning. With Serena and I both in the dinghy, it handled well, with just me in it, weight distribution was very important. By the time I got back to Vita there was probably 60 gallons of water in the boat from waves coming over the side during poorly executed manoeuvres. Going into shore we fed the wild pigs, that aren’t really all that wild. Then gathered up our snorkel gear and headed for Thunderball Grotto for slack-low water. It was incredible. I did take some amazing video, and there are a few pictures here that I clipped out of it, but they do not do this place justice. We snorkelled thru the cave with our friends from Slow Waltz and Romano, then circled around the outside to enjoy the amazing coral, and even more fish, before feeding them crackers. If you hold a cracker out, they will attack, hundreds of them. It was a great experience.

Serena's turn. This was so much fun. Thanks to Gwen for thinking to bring the crackers.

In the water with the sharks to get some close up video. Here is a couple frames. They really aren't as scary as people think. A guy got bit the day before we were in there, but he only needed 12 stitches. A scratch.

The coral at thunderball cave was incredible.

Serena inside thunderball grotto. Too cool.

Definitely worth the visit.

Afterwards we all dinghied into the yacht club for snacks and beer, and wait for the fisherman to show up and bring the sharks in. Later we find out that if you knock the plastic bucket on the fish cutting table, they come swimming. So we knocked on the table and waded into the water to take pictures and video of the sharks up close. Serena didn’t get to pet one like she would have liked, but I took some video about 12” away from the snout of the biggest one. Too cool….

The next day we left Staniel Cay, as the anchorage was starting to get a little rolly, and we were getting a little low on water. The next stop, Black Point, they have free water, wifi, and better stores than Staniel. I was talking to a gentleman this morning at the water tap, and he said there were 90 boats in here last night. Its busy, but apparently it has more to do with Superbowl weekend. We’ll be skipping the parties, as we are not big partiers or football fans. We may even leave tomorrow for somewhere a little quieter. It would be nice to get a couple of days by ourselves before we hit Georgetown in a week or so.

I hope I didn’t bore you too much with this long entry. I left out so much stuff, that I would have liked to add, but it is time to do our end month entry as well, and I need to save a little bit for it. Hope everyone is having an awesome winter.