Exuma Cruise

 Hi everyone!

Writing to you from Nassau where we arrived yesterday. It was a great few days as my brother in law Mike and our nephew Jonny joined me for an Exuma cruise. They did inadvertently bring some bad weather with them and we hunkered down with high winds and lots of rain for a couple of days. On day 3 the forecast was still rather poor but we decided to shove off anyway. Winds were out of the east at about 20 to 25 and built to near 30 later in the day. We had about 50 miles to get to Dotham Cut and Black Point. We used the engine for about 10 minutes to get out of the anchorage then sailed out the harbor and on to a rough ocean. Started out with sunshine and flying fish. Single reef in the main and the storm jib. Switched over to a working jib a bit later. As the day wore on the weather deteriorated and got windier, and it began to rain. We were on a beam reach and really moving. The seas were in the 6-8 foot range. Mike and Jonny did great. When we were abeam Dotham Cut I dropped the jib and we headed in under just the main. We were taking advantage of the flood tide and we shot thru as if out of a cannon with big seas crashing on the rocks on either side. We left the ocean behind and entered a veritable mill pond which elicited applause from my awesome crew. We circled around and tacked thru the Black Point anchorage, anchoring under sail. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the day.

We had dinner ashore and enjoyed walking around the town the next morning. Later, we sailed up to Staniel Cay and snorkeled the Thunderball Cave at low tide. Dinner ashore at the yacht club. Walked around the lovely town. We decided to skip the swimming pigs. It beats me as to why people obsess about seeing pigs swim. 

Our next sail was to O'brien's Cay, done entirely under sail, although picking up the mooring was touch and go due to the current. We snorkeled and explored ashore. A lovely place. We were next to Johnny Depp's island which he recently sold to JK Rowling. She didn't invite us over.

Next day was off to Warderick Wells. I was able to procure a really choice mooring in the north field. This place is gorgeous and has been featured in countless photos and articles over the years. The Exuma Land and Sea Park is a real treasure and I am so thankful I have been able to visit it over the years. My crew loved the park.

I was a bit worried about approaching weather and so decided to sail next for Allan's Cay. This meant skipping some lovely places but they offered no protection from the south or southwest. We got my usual perfect anchoring spot and went ashore to commune with the iguanas. But the real entertainment began at 9AM the next morning as an armada of high speed tourist boats from Nassau began arriving. But they were all gone before noon. It was a nice lazy day of swimming and vegetating. The next morning we pulled anchor at 0630 and headed for Nassau. Had to motor sail for 3 hours but finally had enough wind to sail the next 3 hours. Nice dinner ashore last night (thanks again Mike!) and some walking about town. We were sad to see Jonny leave today. He was absolutely great fun to have aboard!

Mike and I got some groceries and are at anchor right here in the heart of the harbor. Sadly, very sadly, he leaves tomorrow.

All the best to everyone, Charlie

Still in Georgetown

 Hi everyone!

Years ago I laughed at folks who dropped the hook in Georgetown and never left. It appears I am now part of that club. It gets pretty comfortable here. Always a place to anchor. The Exuma Market nearby. Friendly locals, some of whom recognize me. There was the regatta. Rake and scrape music at Eddie's Edgewater on Monday nights. Bahamian youth sailing traditional sloops in the harbor. Mailboats coming and going. Getting a bite to eat from Sonia at her shack by Regatta Park. Heck, what's not to love?

I had a great visit with both of my sisters. Covid got in the way for several days but Katy was able to stay at the Exuma Yacht Club. When symptoms disappeared she spent a couple of nights on the boat. Her daughter Elena, husband Mike, and grandson Theo rented a house just south of town. My sister Barb rented a house on the beach near the airport with her kids Samantha, Stephen, and Sophia. Sam's husband Jeff, their son Mason, Stephen's partner Natalie, and Sophia's partner Albert were all a huge source of fun. I got everyone out sailing. With an unusual southwest wind it meant delightful beam reaching up and down the harbor. 

After a couple of days alone I look forward to having my brother in law Mike, and our nephew Jonny join me tomorrow. Can't wait! A cold front passing may keep us in the harbor for a couple days but the goal is to head north thru the Exumas.

Cheers, Charlie

Covid found me

 Hi folks!

As you can see I am slipping behind in maintaining this little epistle! That is partly due to the fact I was hit by the Covid brand of semi truck last Saturday. Happily, I feel pretty good now but have been isolating on board. I am hoping to test negative tomorrow. Meanwhile, my sister showed up, and instead of staying aboard with me, had to obtain lodging ashore, which was a challenge on short notice. I feel terrible about this. If I do test negative I really hope I can get her on the boat for at least one night.

On a happier note, we had a great Round the Island Race, coming in third in our class. Our two primary competitors were really able to stretch their legs and pull ahead on this much longer course, half of which was on the ocean. Roger and Susan were awesome crew! Roger probably still has sore shoulders from short tacking to windward along the shore. It's really a cool race with hazards in the way of shallow water, coral reefs, and little in the way of navigational aids. But heck, that describes the entire country. So I ended up having to make two trips to the podium to receive my prizes. For winning the first race I got a bottle of rum and a blue regatta burgee. For the third place finish I got some Sands beer and a yellow burgee.  There were probably a couple hundred people in attendance and this may have been where I picked up covid. Or it may have been the next afternoon when I attended the Ministry of Tourism dinner at the same venue.

I must say I am tiring a bit of Georgetown and eager to be underway again. Hopefully I will be able to visit with my 10 family members over the next 10 days. Then my brother in law Mike comes on the 20th. He and I will go thru the Exumas to Nassau with him flying out on the 30th. That's the plan anyways.....

I did finally get my extensions for the cruising permit and immigration. And coincidentally there are questions being raised by local news organizations about what is happening with these funds. Apparently the private contractor has not been very good about turning them over to the government.

Gotta run. Trying to get another room for my sister.

Best, Charlie

Bureaucratic hassles

 Hi everyone,

It's the biggest challenge of my cruise to date. Nope, not the tropical storm. Not navigational challenges. It is trying to get an extension for my cruising permit so I don't get arrested and thrown out of the country. It used to be easy. You would sail into an approved port, hoist the yellow flag, and go ashore to the customs office. There would be forms to fill out and sign, attesting to how many deaths had occurred aboard and whether the bubonic plague was present. After these niceties were dispensed with you would receive the cruising permit, after the payment of a nominal fee.

Those happy and carefree days are now gone. The computer age has been rammed down our throats and I am not happy about it. A good bit of my time during the last several days has been spent on this fruitless exercise. I referred in an earlier post when Britt and I entered the country as to what a challenge it was. Britt was able to eventually figure it out, but only with the aid of a borrowed desktop computer and the better chunk of a day. The people at the Customs office here in Georgetown are of zero help so far, which is really unusual for the Bahamas, where the people are super friendly. Roger Wallace has said he would help me but I don't want to chew up his time. This procedure should not require a degree in computer science. I have heard from a number of other people complaining about this procedure as well. Additionally, the fee for a cruising permit has risen far beyond the rate of inflation, adding insult to injury. Back in 1985 I paid $50. This year? $800!

Enough whining Charlie. The in the harbor race was a ton of fun! We won our class, which was 36 to 39 footers, and were first across the finish line. A blast from the cannon was very cool. Roger Wallace and Susan DiSimone were awesome crew. It has been fun hanging out with them. We will be doing the around the island race on Thursday. Conditions were such that I was able to use my big genoa. The second boat to finish was two seconds behind us. Great fun!

Cheers, Charlie

Regatta time

 Hi everyone,

First, a little bit about the harbor here in Georgetown. This is apparently one of the largest harbors in the Caribbean, according to a recent environmental and development study. And it is a natural harbor with no dredging having been done on the entrances. It is several miles long and roughly a mile wide, with numerous islands and additional bays contained within it. At the moment there are roughly 350 cruising boats at anchor here and it is by no means full. It is rather shallow overall but I can enter much of it with a five and a half foot draft, and much more at high tide. It is easy to see why folks end up here, become comfortable, and don't pull their anchor for months. After using marginal anchorages for so long this place is paradise.

I did sign up for the big boat races at registration this morning. A brain scan should probably be ordered up because the in the harbor race, on Saturday, will be a veritable sh*t show! At least it is scheduled for high tide. It involves at least 25 boats racing around the harbor, trying not to collide with each other, and trying not to hit any of the remaining 225 boats sitting at anchor. Like I said, I should have my noggin examined. I had planned to do it single handed, but I may enlist my friends Roger and Susan as crew. Then there is the around the island race which is scheduled for next Monday. That takes sailors thru the harbor and out the western entrance, followed by a beat to windward, a passage thru the eastern entrance, and return to the area of the start. It's about 20 miles, half on the ocean and half in the harbor. It will have it's challenges but at least the tacking portion will be on the ocean where there is plenty of room. I'll report in after the race!

Best, Charlie

I'm So Vain

 I probly think this song is about me!

Hi everyone!

With apologies to Carly Simon I underwent a real scalping at the local barbershop a few days ago. It had been a good six months since the last haircut and my hair had gotten long and blonde. Those two conditions are rather unusual for someone of my advanced years and I was quite pleased about it. The fact I have hair to cut is really quite remarkable and I don't know anyone my age with naturally blonde hair. So I sidle nervously into the barbershop and await my turn. One of the barbers was finishing up and his customer was not pleased with the result. I should have walked out right there. Instead, I entered the chair and observed the grin on my executioners face. I said I was looking for a very light trim, with removal of perhaps a half inch. As he made preparations he swiveled me away from the mirror and fired up the clippers. My heart sank as a huge shock of hair fell to the floor from the first pass. I was speechless with horror. A couple more passes and I found my voice, saying, "that seems like an awful lot!" He swiveled me around so I could see the damage. At that point I suggested he just clean it up as best as possible and to please not make it any shorter. He tried, but basically failed. Leaving the shop I felt naked and exposed, with my overriding concern to get back to the boat where no one could see me. 

It's been a few days and I can laugh about it now. There have been plenty of comments and some strange looks but I haven't become the pariah I thought I was destined to be.

Best regards, Old Baldy

Contemplation

 Hi everyone!

It seems I have a bit too much time on my hands here in Georgetown! Happily, I have managed to acquire some fresh reading material and I am able to visit with friends on other boats. But I miss the daily travel, the familiar as well as the new anchorages, and the sense of anticipation that accompanies the pulling of the anchor at sunrise. It really is about the journey. I suppose I could sail over to Cat or Long Island, but I have gotten rather comfortable here. I move about in the harbor, going into town for groceries and socialization. There are over 300 boats here now so it is getting a bit more crowded. The cruising regatta starts in a couple weeks and I bet there will be 400 boats then. And in early March I will be visited by both of my sister's and their families. Should be fun!

All the best, Charlie