Allen Cay, Hawksbill & Big & Little Major, Staniel Cay

Our first anchorage in the Bahamas was Allen Cay. it was a lovely but crowded little anchorage with everyone trying to get in to hide from the West winds. Active Captain and the guides sailing recommended the anchorage would only hold a few boats but we had 18 S/V & Cats many 40+’ anchored while we were in and were very comfortable. 

Allen Cay’s are protected islands and are famous for the Iguanas that scurry close looking for food that the tour boats have trained them to react to. When walking on shore they are every where. We hiked each of the Cay’s, snorkelled, and Marc made a quick trip up the mast to fix the lazy jacks.  

View of the anchorage from hike up SW Allen’s Cay 

 View from up the mast 

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Best photo bomb ever 

Our next Stop was Hawksbill Cay where our hope was to hide on the South East corner from and impending North West blow but the current was to strong, we endured two long days banging and bouncing around on a mooring at  Hawksbill until we could run and hide.  The winds have been so steady from the West cruisers are filling in anywhere with protection, mooring balls are full and waiting lists long. 

1061

1068

Though the West winds keep up Staniel Cay has been a great stop. We have been able to hike around the island, replenish groceries, enjoyed cold Bahama Mamas and burgers at the Staniel Key yacht club after we took out a second mortgage, snorkelled Thunderball Grotto where the 4th James Bond film was shot and fed the swimming pigs. 

I've run out of internet until next time  

The Great Bahamas Bank

20 Jan 2015 07:01 Sunrise 

The Great Bahamas Bank is a table of shallow water, 15-18 feet deep, extending 50 NM at its widest point and it measures about 180 NM north to south. For us, it will be about 82 NM to cross from North Bimini to Chub Cay a distance greater than we could safely cross in daylight. Many cruisers sail the Bank over night, many don’t.  We find its just no fun sailing all night, exhausted at the end. If we don't have too, we just won’t do it. Not only that the winds are expected to become to light to sail, and we have been playing the sails up sails down game already more than we hoped. 

 Anchoring in the Bank is not difficult, many do it, It’s just we haven’t, so I am a little excited. We of course checked all our different weather resources and will safely be snuggled into an anchorage somewhere around Chub Cay by Thursday some time, when the weather is expected to begin picking up. 

11:00-11:30 

Sails up, Sails down. I guess its true when they tell you that you will motor more than sail. 

20 Jan 17:48 Sunset

If I look in each direction this evening the clouds are as different as can be.  All day their have been heavy clouds and little sky but now the clouds have opened and the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen is off our stern. 

21 Jan 2015 07:00 Sunrise

Our night on the Bank was uneventful, and in the morning light we both agree that we would go this route again. The wind was low and the waves calmed through the night. My only wish was that there had been a full moon instead of new, can you imagine watching a meteor shower or a comet out here. We knew there were two other boats in close proximity (5miles), but when the night fell we could see seven mast lights. 

Man the ocean can be a fickle bitch and her friend mother nature likes to play right along, but please don’t tell them I said that, I don’t want them to be mad at us.  As a side note is the wind masculine or feminine? Hmm let me know. Watching weather, talking weather, listening to weather is a full time chore. Marc and I have made weather and route planning over coffee between six and six thirty our morning ritual. Because of this we have found out that there will be some nasty weather that may hold us up in Chub Cay until Tuesday or so, so we have decided to move on to West Bay Providence Island for the night then scoot across to the Exuma Cays on Thursday. We don’t want to have to hurry to meet the kids and are ready for a rest. Chub Cay will have to wait for our trip north in April. 

The Dolphin House Bimini Bahamas

Its always nice to meet up with other cruisers and an added bonus when they want to share the little gems that they have found on their past explorations. Happily, we met up with Brad & Anne friends from the SV Anneteak.  Sometimes I have to remember not to be so darn North American,I had read the guides and saw the comments on The Dolphin House and really paid no special attention to it, assuming it was a typical North American touristy stop, but happily Brad & Anne shared this hidden treat with us and the crew of SV Willamia Les & Kim. 

The dolphin house is the private home and work of art for the Island of North Bimini’s official poet, historian and author Ashley. Ashley lives in the lower level of the house and often rents the second floor to students and tourists, but  graciously will share a tour of the house for a small donation. He started building in 1993 when his heart was touched by a wild dolphin. Ashley said that he has tried to create the whole house with what has been “given” to him. 

My pictures and words cannot do justice to the hard work and ingenuity of this man. He combs the shores for bits and pieces of treasures found in the flotsam and jetsam. Shells abound, cast off mosaic tiles from resorts. Licence plates, hair brushes, a cast off flip flop. His wall art tells stories and themes. He talks of hurricanes and the treasures gathered from the four or five he and the house have experienced and the resiliency of his home.  Never tiring he is working on his secluded garden, gathering seaweed for mulch and the beginnings of a new third floor are evolving.  

The Blue View Is Learning New Skills All The Time

First of all I would like to Wish a Happy New Year to everyone. I know it's been a long time since I wrote a post but I've been crazy busy.  Linda has been doing a great job keeping up with the blog and I don't want to bore you by duplicating, so here's my view since we returned to DevOcean on Nov 14th.  We were expecting to launch within a couple of weeks but, as you know from Linda's blog we had some issues with leaking windows, leaking water tanks, leaking dinghy, soggy interior, engine maintenance,  replacing anchor rollers, fridge (again) and more. So as usual cruising plans must be flexible, we finally  launched six weeks later.  We often get comments from our friends saying such things as "What a life just cruising and visiting, it must be so wonderful". It is, but we have to pay the Piper. Not only do we have to maintain our boat but, it has become even more work because as a cruiser DevOcean is being used constantly so you never stop repairing and fixing.

Now to the point of learning new skills.  As you know being in the ocean and cruising you have to be self reliant. Take my nemesis, the fridge.  This thing has been causing me headaches from day one, I thought I had her all fixed. Wrong!  We got back to DevOcean turned the power on and found our fridge running but not cooling.  After recharging it in Mexico it was working pretty good. What's the problem?  After some digging I found a leak and the freon was all gone, I fixed the leak and recharged her again.  It's now working great but there is a lot of frost and condensation on the piping.  What's wrong now! More research but the company has gone out of business, darn! I've read blogs, forums and read some more.  Maybe I have too much freon. I drain some and makes it a little better, drain a little more, success! This took the better part of the day, let's keep our fingers crossed.

We were so busy getting ready to launch that some things were left for later.  One of them was the outboard for the dinghy. We stopped at an anchorage, set the motor on the dinghy and she won't start.This doesn't sound like much but this is our car. Without the motor you have to paddle to shore and back and sometimes the wind, current and waves makes it near impossible to get there.  This little Mercury four stroke, 4 hp has been another of my issues since we bought her brand new, I'm not a mechanic but I do have a pretty good understanding on how engines work, so here goes nothing.  Check spark! OUCH numb fingers I know I have spark. Check Gas? Lots of gas but plug is dry.  Hum, Ok we have gas up to the carburetor. Darn as I said I'm no mechanic.  I talked to a few people and I'm told we should ad additive to our gas on small engine as it plugs and gunk's the carburetor.  Great, it's not running anyway, so what the worse thing that can happen?
I Carefully remove the carburetor and take it apart trying to remember every part screw and setting, then clean it all and readjust the float. Put it back together and I don't have any extra parts,that's a good sign. I Install the carburetor and the engine starts on the first pull running like a top.  Woohoo I looked like a dumb ass doing the happy dance in the dinghy and almost fall overboard. This only took the entire day again but as I said I learn something new all the time.

This is the cruising life and I love it. It challenges me all the time and keeps me young.

Blue View signing off.

Dear Ellinor

11 January 2015                       

1,000,000,000 No Seeum Lane

Big Mud Creek, ICW Florida  

Dear Ellinor

I would be amiss if I didn't send you a note and tell you all about our adventures to Big Mud Creek, near Fort Pierce. As you know I am manatee crazy, we’ve had a few around, but I want to have front row seats to a mother nursing her calf or a sighting like our friends had at the end of the St Johns River where you can view 50-200 in the same area. Your advice of the warm water at the nuclear plant was sure to put us on the path for manatee sighting success. 

When we searched active captain there were no markers or reviews, our charts showed no anchorage and when we questioned about the stop the local knowledge was limited. So sadly, we set a different course and decided to forgo Big Mud Creek. But, as we traveled up the ICW and approached the entrance we spotted the passage, thought what the heck, adjusted our course, slowed the boat to give it a go. 

Now some people may think us foolish, but we believe that always taking the beaten path is monotonous and sorry if I get a head of myself, but if everything always goes right what good stories would we have to share. Seriously, life is just so short to always play by the rules.

Carefully we navigated the channel up to the markers for the nuclear plant. Marc, “What does it say on that marker?” Me, “I think no trespassing, but come on it can't mean us” In full fairness to us the writing was very small, only on small markers. 

On Our Way In

Nuclear Plant 

As you know from being there it is a beautiful cove, there were lots and lots of birds and I just knew there would be manatee a plenty. We decided it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission so we went on. NOAA was posting small craft warnings, gusting winds, thunder & lightening so we decided that if questioned we would beg coverage from bad weather. Ignorance is bliss.  I have to admit I was a little scared but excited. There is something to say about being naughty!

On the shore near the plant we saw a truck driving away, all was good. We anchored at 15:30, did odd jobs, and I started supper. At 17:38, sunset Marc went outside to ensure the lights were all working well. On shore there was a man in uniform, arms a waving, demanding Marc’s attention. The wind was rather strong and Marc feebly  attempted to play wind deaf but ultimately Marc jumped in the dingy and went to the man that had now multiplied into two M16 armed men. Marc was told nicely without question that we must leave and leave now. As you can see I tried to candidly snap a couple pictures but honestly I just wanted to have my captain back safely so I tried to take them secretly 

Marc and the guards

So, I turned off the supper, we pulled anchor and in much too dark a night we headed off 7.7 miles in 25 Knot head winds to the Jensen Street bridge. We did make it by 19:30 a little wetter than we would have liked, a little later than we usually travel, adventures are never perfect, but boy did we have fun.  Tomorrow we are off to Manatee Pocket, we heard that there are manatees a plenty and no armed security guards.   

Wet & Wild

Much love I know we will talk soon 

Marc & Linda Faubert
The Sailing Vessel DevOcean
marclindafaubert@gmail.com

https://twitter.com/PinkNBlueView

http://pinknblueview.blogspot.ca

Probably The Luckiest Two People You Know