The Voyage of Foxglove

Lobster Mc Nuggets

Hello all

Well here we are, waiting for weather to head South. At the moment, we have one cold front every two to three days which is quite unusual. This means that we could expect to meet headwinds before we arrive in Cuba, or at worst a minor storm. As we are traveling with others, we have decided to take things a bit easy and wait until we have a good weather gap - we would prefer to travel with our friends anyway! So, today held another fishing trip! It wasnt great however,with JC bagging the only lobster and us having to make do with a couple of snapper. We did get a conch however - a sort of large sea snail - which when prepared as fritters is absolutely delicious. Following Jen's recipe (Jen being the undisputed conch queen), we had a go today and to be fair they were rather good!! The evening was spent aboard Shaka, where we feasted on Conch fritters, Chocolate Brownies and Shakas greatest invention yet, Lobster McNuggets - ask for them next time you pass MDs. Cool.

Cuba passage info 1

A quick bit of passage info for those heading South. Obviously no liability assumed!

On leaving Georgetown, Calabash Bay, Long Island, is a good stop, although if the winds is from the N or NW it can be uncomfortable.  It also leaves you a beat to windward of about 5NM before you can round the North end of Long Island and start your passage South.  Another option is to start very early from Georgetown and make a run to Rum Island.  The Southern anchorage is pretty easy to enter in limited light, although it can be somewhat rolly.

From Rum, there is a shorter sail, with a better angle to Clarence Town.

If you choose to break your journey here, or to wait out a cold front, then tuck yourself up as far behind Strachan Cay as you can.  Avoid the Southern most entrance between Strachan and the ocean as there are power cables here lying on the sea bed (as charted) Anywhere else as far NE as you dare is good.  This protects you from pretty much all directions and is much more comfortable than the SW end of Strachan.  Its surprising how much 50 yards extra makes.  Holding is good here, there is plenty of water and chances are you will have the place to yourself.  Most guidebooks will give you info re supplies etc.  Fishing is good at the numerous reefs in the area – find any one and give it a go!  Its easy to get from one end of the Island to the other by hitching… theres only one road.  And don’t miss Dean’s Blue Hole – the deepest in the world!

Bahamas 4

So here we are in Long Island: Virage, with Fancoise (Frank), Julianne and their children Bastian and Annabel; Shaka, with JC (Jean Charles), Isabel and their children Alexe and Milla – oh and those ‘hangers on’ or ‘liggers’ to those in the ‘trade’, Maxwell and Jen on board Anastasia.

We’ve been here for a week waiting for weather to travel further South.  In truth, we have been trying to find excuses to stay longer – this is a really beautiful place.  Frank and JC are both accomplished spear fishers and have introduced us to the art.  Over the past week, we have dined like kings on fresh fish and lobster cooked over a fire on a deserted beach.  To catch your own food on a daily basis is a real privilege – even if it does leave me almost paralysed with exhaustion by lunchtime.  That said apart from the constant vigilance for sharks – of which there are many here – and five foot Baraccuda – of which there are even more – we have had a superb time and I’d dare to say we are becoming moderately proficient spear fishers.  Still not a patch of Frank and JC, but we are getting there!

 

Over the next couple of days, its time to make a move, so Maxwell and Jen will return North and Virage, Shaka and Foxglove will continue South. 

 

We hope to be in Cuba within the next week.  Watch this space….

Bahamas 3

So, rant over.  Whilst in Georgetown, we met several other boats heading towards Cuba and from that, we have decided to sail in company with two French Canadian boats Shaka and Virage, two couples, both with two young children.  Anastasia, being a US registered boat, cannot visit at this time and despite our best efforts to convince them otherwise, its almost time for another emotional parting of the ways.

 

Maybe now is a good time for a few words on ‘friends’.  Have you ever been on a course to learn a new skill? - Especially a residential one.  Did you meet people who over the course of a week, you shared a friendship so intense that you felt like you had known them for years?  This is what it is like ‘cruising’.  I call it ‘speed-friending’.  Inevitably we meet other yachts, share some of the best times of our lives and then move on.  It is often an intense roller-coaster of emotions and although you might think that, like being on holiday, you may never see these folks again, we are still in touch with many of the people we met in our travels – they are some of our closest friends.  In truth, second only to experiencing new cultures etc, this is probably the best part of doing what we do.  There are many, many deserted islands and many more pristine sandy beaches, but only one Maxwell and Jen and that is part of what makes it so special. 

 

Well despite trying to rid ourselves of the two of them, they joined us when we headed further South as a larger group to Long Island.

 

En route, we also had the sad news that one of our mini flotilla heading to Cuba, Mario aboard the Yacht ‘Second Wind’, had managed to wreck his boat on a reef nearby.  Fortunately, no-one was hurt, although the yacht was totally written off.  Mario is one of those characters who takes such things in his stride and after donating all of his equipment and supplies to the local population, has vowed to return next year.  His eccentric, generous and loveable rogue character will be very much missed this year.  It also gave us one of those ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ moments.  Whilst these beautiful and often calm waters are a fantastic cruising ground, the terrain is often dangerous and the weather, especially in winter, notoriously fickle – one moment of distraction and the consequences can be disastrous.

 

 

 

 

Bahamas 2

So, from Staniel Cay, we sailed to Georgetown.  Georgetown is without doubt, the sailing capital of the Bahamas.  Each year, hundreds of American and Canadian yachts congregate here for the entire season and amuse themselves by holding daily classes in everything from painting through bible studies to volleyball.  Georgetown itself is a tiny community, pretty much overrun by these activities.  Although the yachts that are here would say that they contribute greatly to the wealth of the town and its inhabitants, I’m not really convinced that this is true.  Some individuals put themselves out to work with local volunteer groups and schools, but the numbers aren’t high.  Most are content to live in what amounts to a giant sea based ‘trailer park’ almost creating a separate community from that which already exists.  It isn’t my place to judge I know, but few of the activities organised have any presence from local people and what wealth is created is shared amongst the few who have businesses in the area. 

I think perhaps I have a fundamental difference of opinion.  The people that spend the season here define themselves as ‘cruisers’.  My definition is somewhat different and entails visiting new places; meeting new people; trying to experience and understand the local culture and community and making new friends with other crews who share these views. I believe precious little of this actually takes place in Georgetown and barring some notable exceptions, we were often made to feel unwelcome as we were comparative newcomers to the ‘scene’ - the implication being that we had to ‘earn our right’ to anchor in certain spaces or contribute to certain activities.   Inevitably in a monologue such as this, I’m bound to upset some people and that really isn’t my intention, some people were extremely kind to us. However, I can’t help but feel that the group should take a long look at the effects they are having on such a small island and if people are going to continue to come in such numbers, to look at what can be done to contribute in a more practical way – even if this is purely financial.  Many seem to have forgotten that they are merely guests of a small town in a poor nation and this isn’t, or rather shouldn’t be, a warm weather extension of the ‘homeland’.

 

 

Bahamas 1

Hello All!

We haven’t had much internet lately, so I’m going to start posting by ‘radio’ for a while.  Sadly, this means no photos for a bit, but hopefully the words will make up for it.

I’ll be trying to post pretty much daily, as we head to Cuba.  Hopefully this will give some information to those who would like to travel there by yacht. But before I do that, here is a little update on the last month or so.  Those who are purely searching for passage information to Cuba, feel free to scroll through my rantings…

 

So what have we been up to lately?  Well, we’ve made our way down through the Bahamas, met some lovely people – more on those later, learned some new tricks – spearfishing for one, and fixed some more things!

 

So where have we been?  For those of you interested, we sailed from Gran Bahama to Nassau.  Nassau is the main city/town of the Bahamas.  Not a particularly scenic or safe place, but with a fair bit of local ‘colour’.  Its also the home to the ‘Atlantis’ Resort.  Despite the fact that it really shouldn’t be, it was quite cool.  Some fantastic buildings, a huge casino, aquarium and waterpark, which was too expensive to visit by the way!  That said, it’s a pretty impressive setup and somewhat contrary to the city of Nassau itself, for better or worse!.  Whilst there, we also met some new friends:  Maxwell and Jen, an American couple from the yacht Anastasia; and Steve and Ruth, Americans from Boston on their yacht ‘Clear Day.  Bizarrely, we were in Deltavile Boatyard working on the boat at the same time as Maxwell and Jen, but our paths didn’t cross!

We left Nassau in the company of ‘Clear Day’ and headed to Shroud Cay.  Steve and Ruth have been good friends to us over our time down here, helping us with everything from local info, passing my Ham Radio license (Steve is an acknowledged expert!) to towing us home in the dinghy when the outboard swallowed some dodgy fuel – a feat from which it has never quite recovered!  Ruth is also the only person we’ve met who manages to keep plants alive long term on board.  She’s given us a basil plant, which I’m happy to say is still going strong, although I expect it will be confiscated by the Cubans due to customs regulations…. Lets wait and see!

 

So where was I?  Oh yes, Shroud Cay.  From there we sailed to the Exuma National Park – a beautiful collection of small islands, centred on a park HQ in Warderick Wells.  This was a lovely spot.  All over the Bahamas, the water is crystal clear and due to the combination of shallow banks and abyssal ocean depths, the sea has every shade, from the lightest powdery cornflower blue, through turquoise to a deep intense sapphire and all variations in between.  Being a national park, no fishing was allowed and so every reef – and there are many – has a plethora of multicoloured fishes.  The diving was really good here.  Along with Bill, a Canadian travelling with his wife Lara and one year old girl, Isabel, we took advantage of the strong currents in the area to glide along reefs and channels, just inches from the seabed, taking in coral, fish, lobsters, turtles, rays and sharks who all seemed to have the knowledge that they were quite safe from us…. even if that feeling wasn’t always totally reciprocated!

 

Our next port was Staniel Cay.  Aside from the fact it was on our way, Staniel Cay has a big bonus in that it is just outside the national park and fishing is once again fair game!  Oddly, the fish seem quite aware of this and give the area a wide berth – or at least they did whilst we were there.  Out of interest, many of the Bahamian Islands, although small, are riddled with caves.  At Staniel Cay, a little snorkel underwater gives you access to the cave where the film Thunderball was shot!

Folowing Staniel Cay, we took a little trip down to Farmers Cay to wait out a little storm.  For the sailors amongst you, winter sailing in the Bahamas is very much governed by cold fronts trailed from low pressures leaving the Gulf of Mexico. These produce strong, gusty winds which clock (or veer if you are English) from the SE to the S  then to the W and NW.  As many of the Islands provide little shelter on the West side, thee is usually a mad scramble to reach one that does before the winds, often in excess of 30 – 40 kts, kick in.  Coupled with the really strong currents around here, large seas can be kicked up very quickly.  It can also be tricky sitting at anchor or a mooring buoy, as the currents will often put you at odd angles to the wind.  We have taken to setting a drogue to hold us into the current, but even that isn’t foolproof. 

The other good/bad bit about sailing in this area is the depth.  On the ocean side of the islands, depth drop to several miles very close to the shore.  However, n the leeward side, depth run as little as 6 to 8 ft with a spattering of coral heads just for fun.  Sailing in a boat that will sit comfortably on the seabed in six feet of water makes for some interesting, frustrating and occasionally rather frightening navigation.  Having hit the bottom only once in our travels to date, we have managed it several times whilst here and although only in soft sand, we have been perilously close to rocks more times than I care to remember.  I’ve spent most of my sailing career trying to avoid rocky shallows like these, although given time, I guess I could slowly get used to anchoring in 7 feet of water etc…. can’t say it thrills me much of the time! To be continued…