The Middle Exumas--mixing old favorites with new experiences

We continued our slow roll down the Exuma Cays, hitting a few old favorites with some new twists!

First up--Rudder Cay! We skipped this spot last year as a large flotilla of boats were there as we passed by, but this time we were almost all alone with only two other boats in the anchorage. We had a great afternoon of caving, visiting the mermaid, and snorkeling. While we didn't land any lobster on the reefs, we did manage to get some conch! 

The caves are about the only thing you can explore on this private cay owned by David Copperfield!

Copperfield's "Piano" sculpture is a family favorite! We have also had good luck conching here and the nearby reefs are very pretty!

As we headed out of Rudder Cut we (or rather, I) tried something new--the 1st Mate took the helm in a cut! These cuts can be treacherous, but with proper planning they really aren't bad. With winds out of the NNE and the tide flooding onto the bank, we had pretty calm conditions though did have to work against the current. This is NOT my usual role in the cuts and I'm happy that I finally did it! 

The Skipper looks totally relaxed with this swap! Hahahaha!

We fished our way down Exuma Sound and we realized we were going to be close on getting into Adderly Cut at Lee Stocking Island before the tide started to ebb. If we hit the cut at the ebb, we would have tide going against the wind which makes for dangerous conditions. Instead we opted to try Bock Cut for the first time and approached Lee Stocking from the bank side. It worked very well!

At Lee Stocking we decided to keep the "new" going and anchored in Williams Bay for the first time. The anchorage is deeper than charted, but there were many more boats than we have ever seen there and finding a spot that would leave us with a foot under the keel at high tide was actually a challenge! But we got settled in and spent a few days exploring the trails on the south end of the island and the real treat, checking out the Brigantine Cays for the first time! With our new dinghy set-up the 3nm run to the cays was quick and we did some shallow-water snorkeling and spearing that resulted in two lobsters! We also managed to find a lot of mature conch around Lee Stocking so the eating was good while we were there. 

We had fun hiking to Perry's Peak and along the trails on the south end of Lee Stocking. We even say a Bahamas Woodstar!

Lobster! Frank's is massive and Trent's is a full 2-inches bigger than the legal catch size! Both lost antenna during the hunt.

After a few days at Williams Bay we shifted to an anchorage right off the old research station. This year we did not go ashore at the station as there was definitely more activity from the owners and grounds keepers and we decided it's about time to start honoring their "no trespassing" signs. We watched from the boat as they did some landscaping and cleared filing cabinets from the science offices by the pier. 

So many conch! And I loved returning to the site of one of my college courses!

We did one more shift while in the area, heading back to east side of Norman's Pond Cay for a night so that we could slide without having to wait for high tide to get over a low spot near Lee Stocking. The holding around Norman's Pond Cay and Leaf Cay is variable and charted depths aren't super accurate off "the magenta line," but we poked around and set well for the night with great protection from NW winds. Really surprised at just how crowded all the anchorages around Lee Stocking were this time around, but as we are George Town-bound, we had better get used to lots of close company!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Day trip to Georgetown, SC

We FINALLY have a window where the wind isn’t out of the northeast coming up! Joy! But with a day to burn we decided to check out Georgetown, SC. The Skipper had been there in college, but this was our first boat visit.

First—the entrance. It’s skinny! We went in on a +0.5’ tide, dropping to -0.5’. So our boat’s spec draft is 6.25’ but as a fully-loaded liveaboard we plan like we are 6.5’ draft because, well, the waterline sure looks a few inches higher than it should! Following the USACE survey tracks we hugged the marina to starboard and watched the fathometer...7.4, 7.2, 6.8, 6.4...GAH!!!!! The bottom is soft and mucky and while we didn’t ground, I have no doubt we glided right over the bottom before getting into the “deep” 8’s. Goodness, it was stressful! But anchoring near the steel mill was easy and knowing that we would be leaving with 2 more feet of water under the keel made me happy. Be forewarned—there is a paper mill nearby so depending on the wind direction you could get a “Fernandina experience.”

All of the museums are closed on Sunday (the day we were in town), but we headed in to check it out and of course find ice cream on a hot afternoon. First impression was honestly not that great. Dinghies at the free dock were tied fore and aft and locked so it was tough to wedge in. Once ashore we found the trash cans along the harbor walk to be totally overflowing—all of them. Then a quick stop at the public restroom almost had me running back to the boat—no TP, no soap, trash everywhere in the women’s, but surprisingly the men’s was much better (and I used it while the boys guarded outside!). I told myself that maybe Saturday was a big party day and the town just hadn’t cleaned up yet and we pressed on. 

Lots of little waterfront parks, including this one with a nice view of our boat!

While several businesses were closed we found a great ice cream place and the winner of Georgetown—Purr & Pour Cafe. This is literally a place where you can get a drink and play with CATS! There is a modest fee, but it’s well worth it as the proprietors are in the business of socializing these cats and finding them homes. With over 145 adoptions under their belts, it seems to be working! The kids spent an hour playing with the cats and will be looking for this type of place everywhere we go.

Purr & Pour

The Skipper and I ditched the kids for a date/route-planning night at Root. We liked the vibe, the cocktail selection, and the fresh, flavorful dishes. And we had a nice view of our boat!

Root

I’d give this one an “okay.” I would like to return to check out the Rice Museum if convenient on one of our trips and see the town when more businesses are open, but I can’t say that I would divert to return. Many cruisers love it here and love one of the vibrant local bars...it just didn’t really grab us.

The steel mill and commercial fleet.

A new adventure...the ICW through Georgia

We have avoided this option for many transits of the area due to narrow channels, shallows that require precise tide planning (especially with our 6'3"+ draft), shifting and silting inlets, and anchoring laws that many other cruisers complained about, but...we decided to keep moving north via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway through Georgia! Winds out of the northeast (the direction we want to head) just weren't letting up and the timing of high tide was mid-afternoon (so we didn't have to dawn patrol or go through those spots at sunset) so we decided to go for it.

We planned very conservatively and didn't tap the bottom once! We also didn't have any issues with the anchoring restrictions. I think this might be because we weren't trying to get close to docks or shore to relieve pets and we are comfortable trying anchorages that aren't "marked" in any of the popular apps, but it worked well for us. We anchored at Wally's Leg and the south end of Walburg Creek without issue for our two nights in Georgia. And we saw a “site”—the wreck of the Golden Ray!

1st Mate at the helm

The wreck of the Golden Ray, slowly getting removed.

The only real issue? THE HORSEFLIES! Oh my word, there are so many of them! Thankfully they rarely tried to bite but just the shear volume of them was insane. One day Frank got so sick of them flying around his head that we stripped the ENTIRE bimini off! Extreme? Maybe, but it was effective! This persisted as we made our way into South Carolina...

Trent wages war with our weapon of choice, the Bug-A-Salt. When all else fails, rip the bimini down!

After a brief stop in Beaufort, SC for lunch at Herban (our favorite!), laundry, groceries, fuel, water, and pump-out, we opted to continue along on our "new places" journey up the ICW. We anchored at some beautiful spots off Bluff Point on the Edisto River and at Five Fathom Creek. We did some long days to take advantage of the high tide, even going through Charleston and the nearby waters on a weekend which was totally crazy with runabouts, but it was so worth it. 

The ICW anchorages have been lovely!

Weather is looking better and we should be making a hop offshore soon!

Offshore prep and a run from RI to MD

Having dodged a bullet with the over-forecast wind in Newport, we were ready to head south! The debate—via Long Island Sound (something new!) or direct to Delaware/Chesapeake Bay (the reverse of our summer trip north)? While we would love to see some new places, the forecast was just too good to pass up—we would make the two-night push offshore. 

I don’t mind overnight/offshore transits. The kids, on the other hand, usually groan when we talk about transits like that. They equate it to rolly conditions, Trent getting sick, and rough weather because to be honest, that’s all happened on some of our transits. But not all of them! That’s just what they remember. 

So how do we prep? Other than the basic check weather, fill water, fill diesel...

On deck, jack lines are run bow-to-stern so we can tether safely if we need to go on deck while offshore. Offshore life jackets, tethers, and safety kits (EPIRB, knife, mirror, emergency blanket, personal flare) are brought out for the two main watch-standers. The dinghy is lashed to the arch to limit its motion (we could stow it on the forecastle for extra security, but we don’t generally plan long, rough passages). The Garmin InReach is charged and accessible at the nav station.

Down below we secure computers, books, glasses...anything prone to flight. I pull out our seasickness arsenal (Bonine, DōTerra ginger drops, Trent’s Relief Band). And...I prep food! What I prep depends on the conditions we expect but in general it’s stuff that can grabbed and consumed easily. For example:

- Pasta...ideally something that can be eaten cold. And stay away from tomato sauces if it will be rough—that stuff burns on the way up! My fave is some sort of Mediterranean pasta salad. We also love Mexican or Thai quinoa and chickpea-based salads for a quick meal. We make all of these vegetarian as half our crew is vegetarian, but meat can be added easily.

- Chili or Sloppy Joe’s. These are great, low-splash options for a cold passage. But...see the warning about tomato sauces above and plan a more gentle back-up if needed! Our warm, less volatile go-to is cheese quesadillas—mmmm...bread and cheese!

- Grilled chicken. You can add it to just about anything and it’s yummy even when it’s cold.

- Cheese/crackers and pita chips/hummus. Cut up the cheese before you get underway to save from dancing in swells with a knife in hand.

- Deli meat and stuff for quick sandwiches. 

- Peanut butter. 3/4 of our crew could live off only PB.

- Bagels, a.k.a. my mid watch companion. 

- Jerky. The Skipper would be irked if I failed to provision the jerky stash. There is even vegan jerky now!

- Nuts. Another easy, filling, nutritious grab-and-go.

Ok, that’s a lot of food info but it’s truly a huge part of keeping the crew comfortable and happy no matter how long the journey is. 

So how was this passage? Pretty awesome! We touched out some rough conditions on the first day and had a fantastic second day, including Katreina’s first solo watch as we were off NYC. On the second night we were within reach of several other boats (and many were kid boats!) making the same run. On the third morning we entered Delaware Bay with perfect conditions and a favorable tide. We were able to run up the bay, through the C&D Canal, and up to a nice anchorage on the Sassafras River. I’d do it again!

What a drag!

Yesterday it took three tries to get the hook set in West Bay on New Providence Island.  Reports told of poor holding here, with a thin layer of sand over a hard bottom.  The one spot with “good” sand was already taken, so we had to work with it.  I dove on it—not great, but the point was in.  And we faired well overnight, with alarms set.

Late this morning there were some good 18-20kt gusts and we started to drag.  We quickly retrieved our ground tackle and moved to a spot another boat had recently departed from.  We set again, good on the first try this time.  I love our anchor—a 45lb Manson Supreme—and we had 10:1 chain out with nice, long snubbers to handle the gusts.  I dove on it at this new spot and can’t say that it looked all that much better than it had before.  We waited, watched, and a few hours later Frank backed down on it at 2600rpm in the middle of a gust.  We didn’t move!  Final dive revealed that while not perfect, much more of the anchor was dug in.  We know it’s not fabulous, but winds are forecast to drop and we will keep that alarm on.  Just two more nights and we move to a dock!

My view of the boss while I head to “work.”

Meh.

Me!  I’m really getting some soak time at this anchorage...

The crew MVP is actually the GoPro!  It’s so nice to be able to swim down, take photos and video, then bring it back for Frank to review so it’s not just my take on each situation.  I’m keeping that baby charged up!

We made it! 🇧🇸

After pouring over the forecast, we made the call to leave Thursday morning.  We planned to pop out, use the north wind to get south some, then turn east when the north wind dropped, and have a lovely cruise in 2-4’ seas.  Here’s what really happened—the north wind was a good “+5” and as we headed out seas were hitting us on the quarter in the solid 6-8’ range.  The swells were impressive.  But we were keeping up great speed and the forecast was still for everything to lay down as the day went on.  As I was resting on my “off” watch they called me up on deck to discuss.  It was rough!  We decided to gybe and head south again and reassess in an hour or so.  By noon, the whole family voted to turn east and tough it out for a few hours in the stream.  We were enjoying the fact that we didn’t have to motor!  

Everyone was holding on and doing quite well.  Trent even read a whole book!  At 1400 we were solidly in the Gulf Stream so we launched a message in a bottle with our info, date/time/location of drop, and a note from K.  The Captain had worked hard over the previous few days to provide the Russel’s Reserve bottle.


After the Stream, it was a pretty straightforward trip.  We eventually lost the wind and had to motor part of the way.  Watching the changing depths and water colors was magical!  Photos just don’t do it justice.  On a rising tide we made our approach to the cut into Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands.  The entrance is literally a cut in the limestone and we were excited about this cool arrival.  We were NOT excited when we were in the cut and saw another boat heading for it to exit on AIS.  It did not respond to hails and soon we saw a huge catamaran turn the corner at a pretty good clip.  We are depth-limited and had to stay in the middle—this was not going to work!  We blew our air horn repeatedly but they came anyway.  The catamaran hit its rigging on trees overhead, gave us a thumbs-up, and was off.  Holy. Crap.

The cut, right before we got company!

But then, we were here!  The staff tied us up and called customs and immigration to the boat.  The entire arrival was over in less than an hour.  And it was a great birthday present for Swab!

We placed our order for the marina’s “chill and grille” event that night and ventured out to see the beach on the other side of the island (and had cranky kids because we didn’t have time to snorkel, too).  After that trip (and honestly, some momma frustration from the cranky kids), I set to trying to bake a birthday cake for the boy while Frank hung Christmas lights.  Talk about a busy day!  

Beach!

Chill and Grille

Happy Birthday!

This is our home for the next week and so far it looks like it’s going to be a great week!

Final preps!

We hopped “outside” for the trek from Lake Worth (West Palm Beach) to Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale).  We gracefully made it under the 55’ bridge and navigated the skinny water back to Lake Sylvia for our overnight anchorage.  Holy cow, it was CROWDED!  That’s the closest anchoring I’ve ever done and ever want to do.  I’d hate to be there in much of a breeze.  We ran ashore for dinner and one last beer/grocery run in the states.  

We will check weather again in the morning, but we are ready! There is a little more “north” in the wind than we would like, we are hoping it drops around noon so we can cross. 🤞🏼

New navigation system!

It’s finally in!  We picked this sweet B&G Zeus 3 out at last fall’s boat show—love it!  Lots to learn, but it sure is pretty!