Governor's Harbor to The Abacos. Looking forward to our family's arrival! March 7-15

On Tuesday March 7 we left the mega yacht dock at Governor’s Harbor , Eleuthera, even though it was still blowing at 20+MPH from the ESE.  The waves will be on our stern so we hoped to get to an anchorage just south of the Glass Bridge called “The Cove”.  We should be able to hide from the wind and swell there.

Well the waves were certainly not calmed down, so as we got further out on our route, you guessed it, we sped up and burned some fuel again.  We have found that this boat does pretty well when travelling at semi displacement speeds, even in some pretty snotty stuff.  Fuel economy, no so much.  But there are tradeoffs with every boat selection.  Those boats with great fuel economy, single engine and no stabilizers would not have travelled on several days we have been able to.  And sometimes after waiting out the wind for days in a location it is just time to move on.  This was one of those days.

We had a nice run to the anchorage, but unfortunately the swell made its way around the corner and made it a little uncomfortable for sleeping, but not as bad as we had at Cat Island a while ago. 
We took a nice little dinghy ride to a beach and then to the Glass Window bridge.  What a difference from being there by car on Saturday!  Still a couple waves coming through the cut, but nothing like a few days ago.

Our anchorage for the night.

Pulling the anchor in the morning.

On Wednesday we set a course for Spanish Wells using Current Cut.  Our research said to be careful transiting this area when waves would be opposing the tidal current.  It said currents can be up to 6-8 knots on a maximum ebb flow.  Well, our timing will be good as we will be on an ebb tide (E to W flow) so any remaining swell will flow with the current.  So as we approached the cut, we started picking up SOG (speed over ground).  In fact, as we were in the narrows of the cut, we were travelling at 15.7 MPH at a throttle setting that is normally 10.3 MPH or so.  It was pretty cool using the cut instead of the wider Fleming Channel farther SW.

We then called the Spanish Wells Yacht Haven to confirm our arrival and to get some advice on local fueling options.  LeRoy reminded me about the power plant on Russel Island, right along the way.  We had learned about that option last year, but the winds/waves did not allow us to do so last year.  This year, we were able to fuel there and it was a great tip.  Fuel was $3.37, while in town it was a dollar a gallon more.  So with the three hundred gallons we purchased it was a great savings…thanks LeRoy.

After fueling, we proceeded to the marina and got situated there.  I washed the boat, Julie did laundry we had collected for the last 10 days and we even found a few minutes to take a nice walk.  Here is a view from mid island where one can see water of both sides of the island.

The grocery store is closed on Wed afternoons so groceries must wait until tomorrow. 

And another small world of cruising story.  As I was walking down the dock a gentleman named Bob said I looked familiar and he did as well.  So I took a look in our boat card file and yes, we met Bob and his wife Marilyn (Peaceful Easy Feeling III) at Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth, VA in August as we were travelling north to the Chesapeake.  Their yacht club was having a small rendezvous there and invited us to join them for snacks and beverages on the docks. Small cruising world indeed.
Some of the islands we have been visiting have limited banking hours but RBC here has a ATM, and daily hours....for now, we understand the bank is closing its doors soon, leaving the island without a bank!

The fishing industry is very big here and all the boats were pretty much in harbor when we arrived due to the winds and waves of the past week.  But they left in droves shortly after we arrived.

DeVere and Carole were leaving on Thursday so we all went to dinner at the Shipyard Restaurant on the east point of St. George’s Cay.  We invited Bob along as he was alone on board.  He was readying the boat to leave as a friend was flying in to help him sail it to Charleston because Marilyn had to fly home unexpectedly.  It was great to see you again Bob!  Safe travels.

No one made a reservation…who needs one on a Wednesday night right?  Well the place was packed and the bartender even told us that they had to call in extra help…it was way busier than a “normal” Wednesday for whatever reason.  The food was good and the company was great.

Thursday we made three trips to the grocery store.  The first one was a “no produce” run as it was not coming in till after 10 AM.  So we got back there at 10 and were able to get some fresh broccoli and other veggies.  Oh, and some fresh carrot cake too…

We also walked to the local fish market and got about three pounds of stone crab.  It is in the freezer to share with our children later this month.  We spent a little time at the pool and again, another small world.  We greeted Sandy and Larry (Sandy Sea) who we had met at the weather briefing in Southport NC in November.  It amazes us just how often we meet other cruisers we have met.

Friday’s winds and waves should be OK to go to Little Harbor Abacos, a 60 mile trip.  So, as planned, we leave at 7 AM and follow the same route we took last year out of Ridley Head Channel. 

Scott asked if we would travel about 8 knots so he could fish a bit.  Well, the waves were as forecasted (4+ foot swells from the E and SE) and got a little uncomfortable along the way as there were opposing swells.  We almost immediately picked up two cruise ships heading west to Nassau and AIS vectors on the targets suggested we could pass between them safely. We did speed up a bit to be sure as no one wants a cruise ship bearing down on them at 23 MPH!  Yes, that was their speed!

Later,  after an hour or so of 8 knot travel, we had to crank it up and take the roll out by going 17 MPH or so for a couple hours until we were closer to Abaco.  We arrived at our anchorage at Lynyard Cay at just about slack tide.  So we immediately launched the dinghy to go snorkel Sandy Cay, one of the best snorkeling sites in the Abacos.  We had hoped to snorkel it last year with Dave and Denise but it was never calm enough.  It was none too calm this year either but Tom was able to snorkel for a few minutes and the corals and fish were pretty good!

That night we were joined by 21 other boats in the anchorage (plenty of room though).  We are not used to all the company as the Exumas, Cat Island and Eleuthera are more “out of the way” destinations than the Abacos.  But the beach is very nice and we were able to walk it for some exercise.  And the colors of the water are beautiful again...this is an unedited image.  And the squall you can see coming did produce some 30 knot gusts on our way to Tilloo.

Julie noticed the vessel Have Another Day, a boat blog she had been following.  We were told by other friends that we should meet them given they are from Chicago.  We dinghied over and introduced ourselves.  Ben and Laura are travelling with their two daughters on the Loop and are here for a side trip.  We talked to them about cruising in general and Ben shared some thoughts on boat security systems that I need to explore.  We do learn from one another and the lessons continue.

Saturday we left for the S Tilloo anchorage, a spot we had anchored last year for the Cracker P’s Full Moon Party…and guess what, it is the full moon again this year! 

We dinghyed over and spent some time at Tahiti Beach.  Nice starfish.

So we joined Putz’n Around, Job Site and were surprised by Sonny and Phyllis (Corkscrew) who came over from Marsh Harbour by ferry for the party.  

We had not seen them since September in the Chesapeake so it was great to catch up with them again.  We encouraged them to join us in Sarasota next winter and hope they do.  They also live aboard and have no plans to get a dirt home any time soon either!  They also agree that cruising is a great lifestyle.

Sunday we left for Hope Town where we have a mooring can for a month.  This will be a good harbor to use as home base for storms/wind.  Along with Putz’n Around, we found our mooring assignments and got situated on the moorings.  It is a two buoyed mooring and one places the painters on the cleats on each side of the vessel to minimize the swing in the crowded harbor.  Here we are safely moored in the well protected harbor.

The fee does include use of the pool, laundry room, garbage service, etc. and we will think this will work out well.  A little rainstorm and then a nice rainbow!

As we dinghied over to sign in we found other boats we know.  Frank and Catherine aboard Music were at the marina and I stopped to talk to them.  We met them in Deltaville, VA in August.  Small world for sure. We also spotted Karma, a sister ship to our boat.  We have emailed with the owners but have not met them yet.  I am sure they will be aboard at some point and we will get acquainted. The marina with lighthouse in the background.

The mooring field here is full.  Boats come in and out each day, but all cans are taken by nightfall.  What is it about sailors and powerboaters that make us so different? We all seek safe harbor in a storm, navigate the same waterways and hope to arrive safely at each destination. But sailors seem to dislike powerboaters because we have to run our generators a few hours each day to recharge batteries.  Sailors don’t like the noise or odor of the exhaust.  Yet they too have noisy wind generators and also have to run their generators from time to time.  We do try to keep it to a bare minimum, but food does need to be kept refrigerated and our cook top is electric as well.  Another thing I don’t get is the showers on the back of the boat.  We have seen numerous sailors taking a shower in their bathing suits on the swim platform on their fifty foot boat that must have a nice shower on board as well.  I don’t get that.  But hey, we are all different.
The town on one of our walks.

While at the pool on Monday, I spotted David and Vicki, fellow members of the Great Lakes Grand Banks Association.  We had lunch with them here last year as they winter here each year in a local cottage.  So we made plans to have lunch on Tuesday.  It was a great lunch and we learned more about what to see and do in the area.  Thanks for all the information Vicki and David!

The beach is great for walking.

And here is our walk around the north end of the island that David and Vicki told us about.  Nice walk.

We will move the boat over to Marsh Harbour on Thursday and greet all our children there on Friday.  We are so looking forward to this visit!

February statistics:
Miles travelled:  Month: 571 / Trip to Date: 7503
Travel days:   17/ 155
Engine hours: 60 / 855
Locks:   0/ 47
Bridges opened:   0 /66
Days on hook or free wall:   10 /63
Gallons of diesel:  559  / 5942