March-April 2009

On reaching Long Island again there was another front followed by a prolonged period of strong northeast winds. We found ourselves pinned there while all this died out but there was still plenty of walking to do and the fuel tanks to be refilled by multiple long dinghy trips with three 5 gallon and three 10 litre jerricans.
Boats with much less draft have another option. They can visit the fuel dock over high water for a brief period but there is often a queue and the fishing boats take precedence. They also have very large fuel tanks... We purchased a second larger petrol (gas) container because the outboard fuel usage was becoming much larger than usual.
Propane fills are very easy in Thompson Bay because you can leave your bottles with a local hotel/bar/restaurant and they will be picked up and dropped back by the propane company.

Walking across to the east coast showed just how rough the seas had become. Each bay seems to have its own limestone tower and each one has a different character from the others. When the sea is this rough it is easy to see why they erode. The seas breaking around them are full of sand which adds to the erosion of water and wind.
Assuming the endless list of maintenance task is short cruisers who cannot travel start to develop things to amuse them. Happy Hours on the beach are traditional ways of getting the whole anchorage together and buddy boats tend to visit each other for cocktails, nibbles and meals. On shore some cruisers will start to decorate with objects found on the beaches such as buoys, coloured ropes and plastics. Occasionally you find something just a little more artistic and the ‘Drive-In’ shown here is a good example. An old Cathode ray tube makes the screen and plastic cutlery and toothbrushes are the audience...

Towards the end of March the weather pattern finally broke and we were able to move on. Onward and Merlin headed for Rum Cay while we and Moondance headed for Staniel Cay so that Skip and Harriet could pick up Harriet’s brother for a visit. A visit to Black Point for laundry was essential and then up to Exuma Park for more of our favourite place.
In Exuma Park we spent some time snorkeling around a set of small reefs on the banks side of a small island. The fish were just beautiful and a Nassau Grouper kept poking his nose out from a large hole in one part of the reef.
With Moondance we found our way back up to Shroud Cay. The trip through the mangrove channels was magic as usual and all the better as we had the channels to ourselves. Coming back in steep seas we were glad that our outboard was now reliable again, especially since Skip and Harriet had theirs die on them and needed a tow!

The time had come to travel north again and we returned to Staniel Cay to drop off Harriet’s Brother. An early morning start took us out into Exuma Sound and up to Eleuthera and Little Harbour in the Abacos. We spent time in Hopetown and then took the weather window to cross through the Abacos to West End and the Gulf Stream. We had two weddings to attend in Charleston and Colorado and we were getting very excited at the prospect!