Marsh Harbour and Elbow Cay...and a reunion (or two)!

With a few days of strong winds in the forecast, we had a decision to make! We had friends coming to Lubbers Quarters, friends in Hope Town on Elbow Cay, and several anchoring options. Hope Town would require us to time entry/exit on high tide and we didn't want to be trapped. But then a fellow cruising family offered us a mooring at Man-O-War Cay so we decided to try that very skinny, shallow entry out! The ball ended up not working out so we decided to head for Marsh Harbour--we trust our ground tackle and anchoring there would allow us to get some provisions even in bad weather. We were pleased to find plenty of room and ample depth there! 

Along the water in Marsh Harbour. The anchorage was clear though.

Marsh Harbour definitely still showed scars from Dorian. Several beached boats and piles of rubble line the coast, but many businesses are back up and running, too. Maxwell's Grocery Store was a shock to the senses with it's American-sized building and large selection! Some marinas are back in business, as are some old restaurants (and a few new ones!). We didn't need to stray far from the public dock to find what we needed--great conch salad at Fatty's and great happy hour specials at Colors! We made water, did laundry, provisioned...and then we got a little adventurous!

So much selection at the grocer! And boy, did we east well!

With our anchor holding well went ashore in 20+ knot winds, double-tied the dinghy to the dock, walked 25 minutes to the ferry port, and had a surprisingly comfortable ride on the local ferry over to Hope Town! The ferry dropped us right at the lighthouse upon request--this was on my "list" for while we were here and I'm glad we got to walk up to the top and enjoy the view and the classic construction of this historic lighthouse! Learn all about it at Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society. Our friend Ian from back in my Navy days generously ferried us from the lighthouse to town so we could explore a bit before joining him and his wife, Caroline, for lunch at Cap'n Jack's. We really enjoyed wandering around this quaint village and seeing our friends! It was a great "side trip" from our anchorage and the ferry service was great!

A wonderful day full of history and good friends!

When the wind started to subside we headed back to Tilloo Cay for a few nights so that we could visit our friends Ladleah and Shane at Lubbers Quarters. We have enjoyed their hospitality in Maine and passed a great afternoon here in the Bahamas with them and their friends Keryn and Mike. I'm so glad the weather and our schedules lined up!

I love these peeps! Can't wait until our next "MMA reunion!"

We are starting to see a window to slip back to the U.S. on the horizon. We don't want to rush out of here, but we don't want to be rushed this summer, either. It's a balance!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Hello, Abacos!

After two seasons of trying to get to the Abacos but having to wave off due to COVID, we have FINALLY made it! We departed Spanish Wells via Ridley Channel and had a full day of somewhat rolly sailing through Little Harbour Cut in the Abacos. Frank reeled in a mahi mahi along the way (and another got away with one of our favorite lures) and we settled in for a peaceful evening off of Lynyard Cay. We had arrived in the Abacos! Lynyard Cay provided a nice spot to wait out some really stormy weather and we enjoyed a little beach right near where we were anchored. 

Good (albeit rolly) sailing and GREAT fishing! We ate well!

Once the lightning and storms cleared, we had this sweet beach to ourselves.

Once the weather chilled out we took a little day trip down to Little Harbour. While you can get moorings in the harbour, we didn't want to be slaves to the tide and weren't planning to stay too long. I really wanted to check out Pete's Pub and Gallery, the local art gallery and foundry that used the lost wax process to cast bronze sculptures. As we entered the harbour we were utterly shocked at how busy it was! It was about a week before Easter and a weekend so we guess that we might have hit a spring break crowd, but it was a shock to the system after all of the peace and quiet we've had. So many boats, so many people, and so much music blasting from empty boats. We did manage to get past the chaos and visit the gallery (the work is exquisite!), braved the crowd for a rum drink, and hiked out to the lighthouse ruins. I'm glad we went, but hope to return when it's a little less wild.

Pete's! And we celebrated 13 years aboard Lehe Paine that day!

From there we made our way up the southern Abacos, stopping off of Channel Cay (We Did Not Set the Hook) and the north end of Tilloo Cay. This is where we first really started to see some of the damage that remains from Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Having never visited the Abaocos pre-Dorian it's tough to really say how recovery is going compared to what it was like before, but we see old ruins alongside new construction, visitors zipping around in boats, and even the local floating bar is serving at Tahiti Beach. Recovery seems to be well underway. More to come as we continue north!

First real glimpse of Dorian damage on Tilloo Cay

Hanging at the Thirsty Cuda on Tahiti Beach

~Jo, 1st Mate

We did not set the hook

Here's the deal--we tend to set our anchor pretty darn well, with at least 5:1 all-chain scope (usually more like 7:1 and more in higher winds) and back down on it at 2400+ rpm. When we first drop, we "soft set" the anchor with a little backing to stretch out the chain and get a feel for the bottom before we snub it and really back down. We are picky about where we anchor and we will have lots of "anchor sex" (dropping and raising the anchor) to get a good set if we need to. But just this once, we didn't do this. 

Three days ago we decided to try an anchorage with known poor holding to see if we could get a set. Why? It was near a place we wanted to go snorkeling the next day, it looked kind of peaceful, and it would have us settled way before sundowner time. Well, we tried all of our usual techniques in a few different spots and still couldn't get a set--the bottom was just too scoured where we could get to with our draft. Our options were to move along to another anchorage or...stay and just not set the hook. What?!?!?!?!  Not set the hook?!?!? 

We were trying to anchor northwest of Channel Cay.

Well, as crazy as it sounds, that is exactly what we did. We realized that we were staying put at low rpm's sometimes and with winds only forecast to be around 10kts all night and plenty of drag room behind us, I suggested we just dump all of our chain out and let the weight of the anchor and chain keep us in place. I was absolutely shocked that the Skipper agreed to try it! I let all of our chain out, snubbed it, and had a cocktail. We monitored our position for a few hours and it looked totally normal, like when we normally set the hook. We set an anchor alarm, went to sleep, and woke up the next morning well-rested, completely alone, and right where we had been when we went to sleep! Would we resort to this frequently? No, but it worked for this calm evening and this set of variables.

Our little private anchorage was amazing! It's a private island, but no one seemed to be staying there and the weather was perfect for outdoor showers!

Contrast that to today...we are expecting 20+kt winds to begin this evening. When we arrived at this anchorage and set the hook winds were out of the south. This morning they were out of the north (and forecast to blow strong from the northeast tonight) so we backed down on the anchor in this new direction just to make sure the anchor was set well. Though we were set well, we ended up pulling the anchor and adjusting our spot just to space better with our neighbors. We are not "set it and forget it" boaters. Even with ground tackle that we trust we take extra measures to make sure our little home stays safe. And now we are really ready for the next blow!

We are anchored in Marsh Harbour with easy shore access for the next few days!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Eleuthera...with a few new twists!

Our time in Eleuthera has admittedly been a bit more subdued this year. While we love so much about the island, we are excited to visit new places still before our cruising season is over so we sort of marched on up the island, stopping in Rock Sound and Governor's Harbour before shooting through Current Cut to the northern end of the island. 

Rock Sounds was perfect for a mix of chores and treats--there is a new ice cream spot! This is also where we spent our 105th consecutive day away from a dock (and still going)!

We had good southerly protection and easy access to town at Governor's Harbour.

We spent a few days bouncing around Meeks Patch and Russel Island anchorages as the winds went from westerly to northerly to easterly. We were surprised to be all alone as we anchored off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill for a few nights (and a few good meals), then equally surprised to be one of only a few boats to enjoy the protection of Meeks Patch in easterlies. Honestly the main anchorage off of Spanish Wells looked like a washing machine when we transited it the other day! Meeks is only 15 mins away...I don't really get it. And throw in Current and Royal Island and this area has all-around protection all within easy reach. 

"X" marks the three anchorages we hit before heading into Spanish Wells for a mooring. We actually never anchored in the "main" anchorage while we were there.

Our "solo" spot on Russel Island was right off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill. This place has a beach you can dink to, amazing cocktails, a little happy hour action, good eats, and BRUNCH! Ah, so nice for the northerly winds!

Our sweet spot on the west side of Meeks Patch had a cute little beach for sundowners and even some piggy neighbors (not our thing, but they looked well-cared for!).

NEW THINGS! We switched up our roles a bit while bouncing around anchorages, with the Skipper taking a turn on the bow and Swab and the 1st Mate covering helm duties once each! It's good practice every now and then (but I like my spot on the bow!).

Anyway, we headed into Spanish Wells proper and took one of Bandit's mooring balls for a few days so that we could have easy access to town and an easy northbound departure. At $25/day it's really a steal for easy access to town in any conditions (just be ready for close neighbors and maybe even closer commercial traffic!). 

The moorings are close together which can make snagging them a little challenging depending on the wind/current. We had an early wake-up when the East Wind freight boat had to turn around pretty darn close to us!

The mission for Spanish Wells was easy--drop a bag of trash, get two gallons of gas, get some fresh food, goof off in a golf cart, and eat and drink WAY too much at Budda's. We accomplished it all easily in a day and a half! We even had a fun dinghy cruise and chatted with fellow cruisers, too! It's a cute, fun little area and I'm happy we got a few days here before moving on.

We love some Budda's! Also love the ease of provisioning here and the fact that the "big" grocery store has this whole "locally made" bread/hot sauce/jam/pickles section.

By far this was the main attraction for the boy!

~Jo, 1st Mate

I broke it :(

I don't think there's a cruiser out there who hasn't had something break on their boat while they've been in the middle of paradise, but this year I seem to have been especially good at causing things to break! The galley faucet, the aft head (eh, not me specifically, but a team effort by the crew!), and the dinghy. The dinghy kind of broke my heart a little. I mean, she's NEW! But I'm 99% certain that the fish spike we found in the starboard tube was from the hogfish I speared and I was the one to take it to the dink, so...my fault. As much as I wasn't into putting chaps onto a hypalon dinghy, I'm starting to reconsider and will likely tackle that project before we head out cruising again. 

But anyway, we had to patch the dinghy! Thankfully we had the material and a good glue onboard, but finding the time to do it so that it could properly cure was probably the hardest part, followed closely by where exactly to put the dinghy while we did it. To properly do that patch we needed to deflate the tube, prep the area, put three layers of glue on the boat and the patch with varying setting times, then apply the patch and roll over it to bond the two surfaces, and finally let it cure for 24 hours before inflating. So we had to basically commit ourselves to being boat-bound for a day. We were in Rock Sound, had plenty of food, and a good anchorage so we went for it. 

We left the dink in the davits and just deflated the punctured tube. Then with the help of a small cutting board and some clamps we had a decent working area. And I'm happy to report...the repair went well! She's been holding pressure beautifully for about a week! Whew! I promise to take WAY better care of all things boat and crew from here on out!

A successful "boat project in paradise!"

About this time I also did a fun little poll on my Instagram story. We are approaching out 13th Boativersary and it can make us a little nostalgic about what we've done over the years. At this point, we've sailed about 19,000 nautical miles on Lehe Paine! She's a good boat and has cared for us well over the years.

It's been a good ride!

~Jo, 1st Mate

The Cat is out of the Bag--We head to Cat Island!

 Is it seriously April already? Anyway...

We left the Jumentos and hit Long Island for a few days on our way to Cat Island. We love Hillside Grocery and Tiny's Hurricane Hole in Thompson Bay/Salt Pond and had a few nights there before heading north. 

Tiny's--great good and fun! As weird as it sounds, I crave the brussel sprouts from here.

We were expecting strong winds from the east and lucked out with a VERY private, peaceful anchorage off the private Hog Cay (a different Hog Cay than the one we were at in the Raggeds!) for a night. We had some great snorkeling on the reefs (no dinner!) and enough solitude to properly shower on deck! The only downside was the discovery that a fish spike (likely from my hogfish) had pierced the starboard tube of our less-than-a-year-old dinghy! Gorilla tape and frequent pumping works for now, but a good patch is in our future.

It's blowing 20+ knots, but our anchorage is calm! But, ugh...the dinghy! Boo!

The next day we went "around the corner" for protection from SE winds in the south corner of Calabash Bay. The adults went for a little snorkeling/exercise and found even more corals we hadn't explored before here and a team spearing/wrestling match resulted in a very nice lobster! It was a nice way to close out our time on Long Island!

Frank's monster lobster that I helped secure. It was a sunrise departure from Calabash.

As we departed for Cat Island with winds and big swells on our stern, the forecast showed two days of NW and N winds. We decided to take a gamble and anchor at Port Howe on the south shore of Cat Island. A new place! It is an anchorage lined with a large reef that is notoriously reviewed as "rolly," but we thought we might luck out with the forecast. We entered the cut in the reef and anchored easily, but with winds and swell out of the SE on the first day we had a dreadfully rolly, sleepless night. It got better as the days went by, but surge definitely makes it in there. But it was also definitely protected from the north wind. The real treat? Super reefs to snorkel! And Frank brought in a beast of a lobster that we decided would be the last of the season for us. It's been a great run!

The entrance went really well considering we had waves and wind pushing us in. Great job, Skipper!

Frank's end-of-season mega lobster and a stunning sunset!

As winds shifted to the NE, we left Port Howe for the familiar waters of "the bight." We hit New Bight to visit the Hermitage, do laundry at Gilly's (SUPER nice laundromat!), get baked goodies and fresh eggs and tomatoes at Olive's Bakery, and find good food and cruiser camaraderie down at the Fish Fry. By the way, if you've never tried the island favorite "Chicken in da Bag," Gippy's is a great place to try it and they have ice cream, too! Next we shifted to Old Bight to wait out some strong SE winds before continuing our journey north, first to Bennett's Harbor then onward to Eleuthea. 

We had a nice walk up to the Hermitage.

The "parking lot" at New Bight gave us easy access to Gilly's Laundry, Gippy's for "Chicken in da Bag," and Olive's Bakery for those delicious Cat Island flour cakes. Some water is more green here, but some anchorages are this stunning blue!

Cat Island is really great and we are happy to see that more cruisers are making it a stop on their journey through the Bahamas. It's the home of Rake & Scrape and some really sweet folks. And while there is pretty much no where to hide from westerlies (unless you try Port Howe), you can anchor almost all up and down the west coast. Even with it's increasing popularity there was still plenty of room to spread out and skinny dip respectfully! And while we could happily spend more time with the lovely people here, more adventure awaits us to the north!

~Jo, 1st Mate