January 2,
2001
Location:
Little Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas
Odometer:
2015 miles
We finally have a weather window, so we decided to travel to Little Harbour
which is our "jumping off" point to Eleuthera. Little
Harbour is small and was the home of sculptor Randolph Johnston, famous for
his monumental bronze creations. It is also less famous for Pete's
Pub (Pete is the son of Randolph), a small, open-air pub. We spent a
few hours at Pete's enjoying the company of the locals. We rose
early (4:30 am) to start our journey south.
January 3 - 6, 2001
Location:
Royal Island,
Eleuthera, Bahamas
Odometer:
2083 miles
Eleuthera is the first of the southern-most islands we plan to
explore. Royal Island, our landfall destination, is the site of a
now abandoned (since 1931) huge estate and marina and is absolutely
gorgeous. We spent three days there, hiked around the ruins and met
some wonderful people, including Bill and Susan Little on First
Dance. After a day of spear fishing with Bill and Susan, we enjoyed
a night of fresh fish and cocktails. Bill and Susan had been working
on Cat Island in the Bahamas for the past year and were making their way
home to North Carolina. We also enjoyed a luxurious evening aboard
Cloverleaf with Beverly and David Feiges. Their boat is a 61 foot
one-off Krogen design trawler that was bigger than any of our college
apartments! Ah, the life of luxury!
January 7 -8, 2001
Location:
Allans Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Odometer:
2140 miles
What to say about the Exumas....the area is absolutely beautiful with
countless islands and areas to snorkel and explore. The Exumas are
also the cruising destination for hundreds of boats so the number of boats
in an anchorage has increased dramatically. The water here is
amazing, with 50+ foot visibility. The coral reefs are huge and
glorious - a sight to behold. The weather has improved quite a bit
here in Exumas with much warmer temperatures and less frequent cold fronts
(Nor'easters from the U.S.). Allans Cay is also the home of
countless native iguanas - they literally cover the beaches and have
obviously been fed by boaters (we fed them old carrots). The last day, we drove
4 miles to Highbourne Cay in the dinghy to find a telephone to let our
family know we are still alive!
January 9 - 11, 2001
Location:
Normans Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Odometer:
2152 miles
Norman's Cay became famous as the base of the Columbian drug runner Carlos
Leder during the bad days of Bahamian drug trading. The remains of
his compound and "Berlin" wall which once guarded the northern
boundary of Leder's territory, an abandoned airstrip and downed plane are
interesting sites to explore today. Normans is beautiful with countless
abandoned beaches and islands. The only points of civilization are a
small airstrip and McDuff's Bar and Grill. We had the misfortune of
fishing from the dinghy at Normans and lost two fishing lures to some
ornery barracuda (they actually broke 60 pound test line to escape so we
did not want to deal with them in the dinghy anyway!!). We went to
McDuff's happy hour with Dan and Sara Werra, a nice couple from Los
Escapados, a 36 foot catamaran. What can I say about our evening at
McDuff's? A couple of stick-on tattoos and Chris' glitter toe nail
polish is all I can divulge.... we had a great time and look forward to
seeing Dan and Sara and McDuff's again.
January 12 - 14, 2001
Location:
Staniel Cay,
Exumas, Bahamas
Odometer:
2203 miles
Civilization! There is an actual telephone and a small settlement at
Staniel Cay. There is still nowhere to find a place to send/receive
email - sorry friends and family! We explored a bit and bought
some eggs and fishing equipment. Staniel is also the site of the
Thunderball Grotto, an incredible snorkel/dive site. The island has
a cave which can be explored and which was the site of the 007 James Bond
movie "Thunderball". We attempted to snorkel this at high tide
and I felt it was too scary to swim down underwater and into the
cave. Chris explored the cave a bit, but the current was strong so
we vowed to return to this site on our return trip and try again at low tide.
The snorkeling is wonderful here with unspoiled reefs and countless
species of fish. There is also Club Thunderball on the island which
is a restaurant and bar. We enjoyed a few drinks and a bit of the
Ravens game (go Ravens!!!) there and head back to the boat early.
January 15, 2001
Location:
Childrens Bay Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Odometer:
2257 miles
Wow, what a beautiful and secluded spot! There is not a boat to be
seen in the anchorage. We went for a swim and were soon
greeted by a 4 foot barracuda which seemed immensely interested in my
ankle bracelet (eeeek!). I really loath those creatures. That
cut our swimming adventure short and we enjoyed a quiet anchorage and a
peaceful night of sleep.
January 16, 2001
Location:
Georgetown,
Exumas, Bahamas
Odometer:
2278 miles
We have finally arrived! Georgetown is the cruising destination for
many boats - some staying put for the winter, others heading further east
to the West Indies. The anchorage is huge (9 miles x 1 mile) capable
of handling nearly 500 boats during special events (such as the Regatta in
March). Currently there are nearly 200 boats anchored, what a sight.
Island Bob and his wife Janice are meeting us this Friday so we are doing
some final provisioning such as laundry, filling the water tanks, etc in anticipation
of their visit. More on Georgetown later...
