The Hope Town lighthouse must have reminded us of the lighthouse at BBYH because today we did what we normally do when we’re at home on the Chesapeake – we worked on the boat!

We’re getting ready to head north, and Brad’s had a list of a few things he needed to attend to on the engine before we begin the voyage. With the unpredictable weather we’ve had lately, we decided it would be best to take advantage of the fact that we have a secure mooring in a protected harbor to work on the engine. So I took my parents in to downtown Hope Town to do some exploring on shore and then Brad and I crossed some things off the To-Do List:

1. Cleaned the water filter
2. Changed the raw water impellor
3. Changed the engine zinc and cleaned the heat exchanger
4. Changed both fuel filters
5. Changed the air filter
6. Changed the oil and oil filter
7. Cleaned up the bilge
8. And finally – took nice cold showers because it’s HOT!

Hopefully tonight and tomorrow Brad and I will be able to enjoy some time in Hope Town with my parents (we STILL haven’t been to the top of the lighthouse, and it’s been on our “to do” list from the beginning) before we head back to Marsh Harbour so my parents can catch their flight on Tuesday.

Ahhhh… like they say…Cruising: The art of fixing your boat in exotic places!

Nice Back Drop

A very special birthday present for Sabrina… Tropical Storm Alberto?

Well we’re safe in Hope Town, don’t have to worry about Alberto in here. I just wonder if the boats we saw leaving Marsh Harbour last week and headed for NC or Norfolk made it to a safe landfall?

Last night we went to dinner at the Hope Town Inn and Marina on the first night the restaurant was open. This is a very pretty place overlooking Hope Town harbor. Their pool is beautiful, and the docks, facilities, and landscaping are top-notch. We heard about the opening on the VHF Cruiser’s net and figured we should check it out. I’m sure it will be a popular place for visitors to stay and dine in the future.

Today we’re exploring Hope Town and I’m doing some maintenance on the engine to get ready for our upcoming crossing.

It’s not like the crew of the Joint Venture needs another reason to celebrate, but this week we have several. We love having visitors, and Sabrina’s parents, Dennis and Jeannine, came aboard last Sunday and are staying till the 22^nd. In addition to getting to spend time with family, yesterday (May 17^th) was my birthday, and May 19^th is both Sabrina’s birthday and Dennis and Jeannine’s anniversary! We’ve dubbed today as Nermal’s birthday to round out our week. As they said in George Town, “Fun Can’t Done!”

Unfortunately, it’s been raining and overcast since we’ve made it back to the Abacos.  We haven’t had many chances to sail, snorkel, or walk along beaches, but we’re trying to find fun things to do out of the rain. Earlier this week we explored Marsh Harbour, then we sailed over to Man of War Cay, a place Sabrina and I missed on our first time to the Abacos. It’s a pretty little town with boat builders working in their shops right along the main street in town. Golf carts are the popular way to get around, and the streets are lined with benches, trees and nice landscaping. One night we even tried to figure out the rules to “Mexican Train Dominoes” as it rained.

After we departed Man of War we headed south to Lubbers Cay and anchored off the north side of Tilloo Cay, another place we missed the last time in the Abacos. For my birthday I wanted to go diving, or snorkeling, or spearfishing, or fishing… and it was raining. I settled for something else, a dinghy ride with Sabrina to check out the two restaurants on Lubbers Cay, “Cracker P’s” and “Lubbers’ Landing.” Cracker P’s wasn’t really our kind of place, but at Lubbers’ Landing I found something that made my birthday very special – draught beer!

I haven’t had a decent draught beer since we left the States. Literally the last draught beer I had was at Snappa’s in Marsh Harbour back in January, and it was stale and flat, so it has been over 5 months since I’ve enjoyed a beer on tap. The Kaliks at Lubbers’ Landing were cold, fresh, and served in a frosted mason jars. Sabrina and I enjoyed a couple under the overcast skies and talked with the owners before we returned to the boat to get ready for dinner and pick up Dennis and Jeannine.

Of course for dinner we headed back to Lubbers’ Landing. Their menu is very limited, but they pride themselves on good food from good ingredients. Three of us chose the “Island Burger,” a delicious patty made from ground ahi tuna with 14 herbs and spices served with fresh cut fries. For an appetizer we had the onion rings, and Jeannine ordered the Kalik battered fish and chips and salad.  The only thing on the menu we didn’t try was the grilled cheese. Everything was delicious, and served in a beautiful relaxed environment that we enjoyed.

Lubbers’ Landing is also an eco-resort with cottages for rent. After dinner we hung out with some of the vacationers at the resort and the owners, Austin and Amy.  We played the ring toss, and partied away the evening like old friends. When they learned it was my birthday, and then all the other things we were celebrating, we were treated to an impromptu version of “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Anniversary” while accompanied by Austin on banjo. One of the guests, Colleen, was tending bar like an old pro, while Amy worked on a beautiful mural she was painting under the bar.

When the evening ended, Sabrina and I realized that we’d found that one special place that we could recommend to friends – a laid back place, different, off the beaten path, with good people, good fun, and great food. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday, I only hope that we can find something as fun for Nermal’s birthday today!

P.S. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

So a few weeks ago we were very excited because we were finally able to connect remotely.

Since then….

• Our wifi antenna gave out
• Our TV quit
• Our satellite phone stopped working
• And finally, our Spot satellite messenger died

Other than the TV, none of those items were abused or used outside of the intended environment. (I assume the TV folks didn’t expect their television to bounce along at 7 knots in 6-8′ seas.) It just goes to show that saltwater is a tough environment, especially for electronics.

But now, on to the point.

Basically we’ve lost contact with the outside world.

To let keep you posted, we’re in the Abacos, anchored at Lynyard Cay. We made the trip from Royal Island today, and it wasn’t as nice as we had hoped. Since our last post at Warderick Wells we’ve been to Allan’s Cay in Exuma, then Royal Island last night outside of Eleuthera. After all that calm weather, we found some decent wind so we could get north for Sabrina’s parents to fly in to Marsh Harbour tomorrow.

Pictures will follow, along with a humorous narrative about our time in a very crowded anchorage at Allan’s Cay. But for now I’m going to get some rest after our long sail to windward.

There are a lot of trails here on Warderick Wells. The park headquarters is here and they maintain them very well (by Bahamas standards.) They blaze the trails with paint or rock cairns and then mark the intersections with signs pointing to the different attractions. Since we’re leaving the park tomorrow morning, we decided that maybe we should just do ALL of the trails today?

We highly recommend seeing more of the island than the traditional “Boo Boo Hill” path, but we don’t recommend trying to do all the paths in one day.  We’re tired.

We took some water and headed out this morning before it got too hot. We started at “Boo Boo Hill” which is where a lot of cruisers carve their boat name into a piece of drift wood and then leave it on the top of the hill. I’m not entirely sure how this cruising tradition began since “Boo Boo Hill” got it’s name from a ship wreck on Warderick Wells from which there were no survivors. They say on moonlit nights you can still hear the ghosts singing hymns on the hill….

We walked along the Exuma Sound side of the island to “Pirate’s Lair” and very southern tip of the island. Along the way we gathered some trash into piles for Park pick-up and Sabrina found some sea glass. The Park is a “No-Take” reserve and while sea-glass might be considered trash, we felt that we shouldn’t take it. People put pretty shells on rocks for other to look at, so that’s we did with the sea-glass.

We arrived at “Pirate’s Lair” which was supposedly a pirate hangout. The anchorage is blocked from view and on shore there is a fresh water well and a nice stand of palms where the pirates would sleep. Throughout the hike we were lacking in water, and briefly (very briefly) we thought about refilling our water bottles before we headed north.

As we headed north we wound our way along paths and through the beaches. We passed an old plantation ruin and some very rocky terrain. The last of the water was enjoyed as we turned onto the final trail to lead us home. We got back hot and thirsty, but safe, and we enjoyed our whirlwind tour of the island.

Our internet is going to run out in 15 minutes, we’ll check in again in a few days. We drank some water, cooled off in the ocean, and now we’re heading back to check out some kayaks we saw at the Park HQ.

This has been the longest period of calm weather we’ve experienced since we arrived in the Bahamas. At times, it’s even beyond calm – dead still almost. Like smooth, glassy, wakeboarding water. On the open ocean. Pretty cool, but not good for sailing. We really haven’t had much wind since we arrived at Black Point, and the weather forecast doesn’t have the wind filling back in until Sunday. At which point, we will make the final leg back to the Abacos to enjoy a week with my parents. But while we are becalmed here, we are definitely making the most of it.

The guide book describes the water here as “gin clear” but that doesn’t really paint the full picture. Combined with the stillness of the water, the effect is amazing. As Brad described it – while running at full throttle in the dinghy in 10 feet of water you can wave at your shadow on the ocean floor, and literally count how many fingers you’re holding up!

The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a no-take preserve.  It covers 176 square miles and was the first park of its kind when it was set aside in 1958. So we had the bright idea to anchor outside of the park so we could still spearfish! Apparently a lot of other people have had that same thought because our total fishing result was just two lionfish over two days. And while the calm, clear waters allowed us to cover a lot of ground by dinghy looking for conch, we didn’t find any outside the park, so no conch salad.

On Monday, we entered the park and explored the south end by dinghy from our anchorage near Compass Cay. Rocky Dundas has two caves on the small cay. We went at high tide and snorkeled into the interior to witness amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations lit by overhead openings to the clear blue sky. There was only one other dinghy there, so we got to explore each cave on our own, making it a little more awe-inspiring that the fin and snorkel crowded Thunderball Grotto.

Next stop was the “Sea Aquarium,” which is a mini wall that’s home to a ton of fish. We saw a lobster just meandering across the sandy bottom, feeling confident inside the park boundaries and outside of lobster season. The tide was running, however, and a strong current prevented us from lingering. We stopped at the host boat at the Cambridge Cay mooring field, and the volunteer couple aboard kindly recommended some additional areas for us to check out.  We then headed back to Joint Venture for lunch and to wait for slack tide to explore the other areas.

After lunch we went to some coral gardens near a cut and an old airplane wreck with some fantastic, high coral heads nearby. Feeling a little waterlogged by this point, we decided to take a trail before heading home. We hiked across Cambridge Cay to a beach and up to the peak for a spectacular view of the Exumas and the calm seas.

On our way home, we were running the dinghy at full speed, marveling at the great view we had of the bottom when I spun around to look at Brad. He had the same wide eyes as me when he asked:

“Was that a gigantic turtle with two remoras on its back?”

He hung an immediate U-turn as I grabbed my mask and snorkel. The tide was ripping again by this point, so Brad stayed with the dinghy while I dove down to get a closer look. He was a green turtle in about 20 feet of water and was at least 200 pounds. He didn’t seem too bothered by my presence, and I snapped some photos while the four of us were swiftly swept along together.

After our day of activity, we enjoyed a quiet evening of wine and pizza in the cockpit with an amazing full moon. We did get one moment of excitement when a local came across VHF 16 several times “PLP, PLP!! We won, we won – we have a new government!” The Bahamas national elections were held on May 7, and while we’re not sure of the official results, I’m sure we’ll hear much more about them when we reach the Abacos.

Tuesday morning, we started out for the moorings at Park Headquarters, Warderick Wells. We actually had a slight breeze, so we sailed off the anchorage and made just over 4 knots heading directly downwind. We’d gotten an early start, and only had about 10nm to go, so we were fairly determined to sail and conserve diesel for our trip north. The wind diminished pretty rapidly though, and several hours later we were not sailing so much as drifting, so we fired up the engine and dropped our ETA from about 3 hours to only 20 minutes.

We found our mooring assignment, headed in to the headquarters to check in, and immediately proceeded out to the dinghy snorkel moorings. We explored quite a few snorkeling sites before returning back to Joint Venture late afternoon.

The mooring field at Warderick Wells is fish hook-shaped, with a single row of 22 moorings looping around the outer edge of the bay. At low tide, the area in the middle of the moorings is a nearly dry sand bank. Since we were lacking a net and the rest of our volleyball team, we decided to swim to the sand bank and throw the Frisbee around for a while. It also made for some great photo ops with Joint Venture in the background.

We were able to pick up internet here at the park headquarters, but unfortunately, the sat phone is still out of commission. We did receive a helpful response to our email to the customer service department requesting that we call them at our convenience in order to discuss our inability to place calls. Needless to say, this did nothing to encourage us that we’ll be back in service any time soon. But there’s plenty to do, and we’ll post it all when we’re able to get a connection again.

[We don’t have a lot of bandwidth here so we had to shrink the photos down to make them easier to upload. Post a comment if you would like to see one of the photos posted full size when we get to the Abacos.]

Last Friday we moved the boat 10 miles north to the anchorage off of Big Majors Spot. I don’t know how the island got that name, but apparently, this is the Spot for BIG boats! Saturday morning I heard an engine outside, so I looked out a port light to see what boat was coming in, and all I could see was boat. There are several Mega-Yachts in the harbor, and a huge one at the dock at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Joint Venture is very happy that we cleaned her topsides before we started rubbing elbows with these yachts that are professionally maintained.

One of the tourist attractions in the area is the Thunderball Grotto. This is a natural sea cave where James Bond (Sean Connery) sought shelter in the movie Thunderball. It’s best to go at low slack tide because the current in the area is so strong, but we missed the time on Friday to check it out. We dinghied over to the area to check it out for the next day and saw some snorkelers fighting the current. We noticed one snorkeler struggling and being swept away while another person tried to fight the current with both of them. I brought the dinghy in and asked if they wanted a ride. Lisa responded “Yes!” and jumped onboard. We took her back to her tender and learned that they were on a huge gorgeous wooden boat from 1929 named M/V Freedom that we had seen at the dock. Lisa was very appreciative as we waved goodbye.

Big Majors Spot is notorious for the friendly pigs on the beach. They come out for scraps brought in by the boaters.  We didn’t have too many scraps, so Sabrina and I waited until some other boats were headed in and then went in to check out the scene. It’s strange to watch these pigs swimming in crystal clear water. They keep their snouts above water and I wonder how long they can comfortably swim, they obviously seem very buoyant. Our friends on Kianda saw piglets on the beach, but unfortunately we only saw four large pigs. Maybe the piglets hold out for the really good scraps? (The downside to all the scraps is there are a bunch of noisy seagulls in the anchorage competing for the same food. Nermal keeps staring them down, and I think he thinks he can catch one.)

Saturday we headed over to Thunderball Grotto at low slack tide (along with every other dinghy in the area.) The inside of the grotto is very cool and there are two entrances into it. We swam in one and got the grotto experience and then we swam out the other entrance and around the outside back to the dinghy. We were alone on the outer reef and could enjoy the coral and we snapped some photos. The reef surrounding the grotto island is very beautiful and the fish are very friendly.

After the Grotto we headed over to the dock area at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Many nurse sharks patrol this area looking for the scraps from fishing boats cleaning their catch. I was surprised by the size of some of these sharks, easily the largest nurse sharks I’d ever seen. Back at the boat we jumped in to swim around when I yelled to Sabrina that one of the nurse sharks was nearby. They aren’t dangerous (relatively speaking,) but we were unable to get a photo as I think he was as scared as swimmers in the water as we normally are of sharks!

Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a popular hang-out for the boaters from the nearby anchorages and also the vacationers staying in town at the many cottages. On Saturday night they had a Cinco de Mayo party complete with margarita specials, a Mexican buffet, mariachi music, and happy hour from 4-6. They even had mint juleps on special for the running of the Kentucky Derby! They obviously know how to cater to their American clientele. We went in for happy hour and watched the derby with the rest of the very crowded bar. They had many Mexican decorations hanging up, and we wondeedr where they were able to find them in the area.

While on our way to the SCYC we ran into Lisa from our snorkeling “rescue.” She thanked us again and introduced us to her husband Mike. They were guests on M/V Freedom but asked if we’d like a tour. We didn’t want to impose, but they assured us it was no imposition and we were very curious. The boat is immaculate both inside and out and very tastefully done. The captain explained that they tried to keep to the original design wherever possible, but the engines and all the systems were modern. The boat was bought in dilapidated condition for $100 in Florida and the restoration took 7 years and was completed 3 years ago. (I didn’t feel right taking photos inside, but you can see the one we snapped of Freedom laying at the dock below.)

Saturday night the “Super Moon” was shining bright, illuminating the sand bottom all around us. In the moonlight we could see nurse sharks swim by occasionally, and the numerous boaters returning from the Cinco de Mayo festivities by dinghy while we enjoyed some burritos we made in the cockpit.

Earlier this week we headed up to Pipe Cay to check out the lower Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and now we’ve moved up to the park headquarters at Warderick Wells. We have an awesome mooring right in front of the headquarters and we’ll be posting many pictures in the upcoming days.

[Our satellite phone has stopped working, so no remote updates and no phone calls, we’ll let you know when we get it working again.]

As we walked into town yesterday morning, we sensed something… different.

We’ve never been to Black Point before, but the town seemed like it was in full Technicolor (or digitally remastered in HD if you prefer.) It was as if we’d landed in Oz! We couldn’t put a finger on what was different…?  The blues and the pinks of the buildings seemed more vibrant, the water seemed clearer, and the air smelled fresh. Then we figured it out! After the deluge of rain over the last couple of days all the vegetation was bright green.  The typically burnt grass and struggling trees typical in the Bahamas now looked like they were irrigated and manicured. It added so much life to everything we viewed.

In addition to the gorgeous vegetation, we had a bright blue sky for what seems like the first time in months (probably more like a week.) It was like back at home when that first beautiful day of spring hits and everything seems to come alive.

Black Point is a great little community and I can see why some cruisers choose to call this place home over the winter.  There’s a nice Laundromat, friendly folks, and several restaurants that have specials for cruisers. We walked out to Black Point’s Regatta Point and I would love to be here for their regatta in August. The building sits high on a cliff overlooking the harbor, and the residents of the settlement take their racing seriously. The C Class boat I crewed on in George Town, “Fredricka” is from Black Point, so I looked around for the boat or the captain but I wasn’t able to find either. We did see a mural at the government dock that depicted the local boats, and the No. 4 Fredricka was prominently featured.

After a nice walk through town we decided to head back to the boat and cool off in the clear water. Once we jumped in and swam around we decided it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to do a little cleaning on the hull. Luckily, the bottom job we did at Bohemia Bay has paid off and the growth is minimal and comes off easily with a few strokes of a brush. While Sabrina cleaned the hull with a snorkel, I busied myself with cleaning the topsides and waterline.

While swimming around the boat we noticed that Joint Venture has made a few friends under the waterline, several remoras were hanging around the keel.  If only we could attach brushes to their funny shaped heads, we wouldn’t have to work so hard to clean the bottom!

Update: Last night around 10:00 a call came over the VHF that a lady had lost her cat overboard. I quickly got some details from her, grabbed our spotlight, jumped in the dinghy and started searching the harbor. I searched for about an hour until the batteries ran out on the spotlight, and I didn’t find the cat. I didn’t mention it earlier, (because I thought there wasn’t a happy ending,) but just now the woman came back over the VHF to say that she found the cat. The cat had climbed into the bilge and gotten trapped and luckily she could hear her meowing last night around 2:00. Great news!

Another boat came over the VHF while we were discussing this and mentioned they didn’t hear what had happened last night, but they had seen me in a dinghy searching the harbor and then presumably heading out to sea. They said they thought I was lost and couldn’t find my boat. They mentioned they thought about calling BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue) thinking that I would never be seen again! I apologized and told the concerned boat that I had a handheld VHF, but since it was so late no one wanted to make any calls and wake people up unless it was necessary. All’s well that ends well, just another day in the cruising community! 

[The beer company Kalik’s slogan for the 2012 National Family Island Regatta was “Fun Can’t Done!”  I’m not entirely sure how they arrived at that, or exactly what it means, but I interpreted it to mean, ‘Keep the Party Going!’ and I support that message.] 

National Family Island Regatta 2012?  Where to begin….?

Thursday morning we sprang into action when an announcement came across the VHF that the Exuma Tourism Board was providing a free bus tour of Great Exuma. This tour included one of our favorite words, (no, not ‘bus’) so we were excited for this opportunity.

We didn’t have much time to make it into town to get signed up, so we quickly got ready and jumped in the dinghy. We found the sign-up list, signed up, and then waited for the bus. Other cruisers were milling about and we talked about Regatta and the fun things to do. We met Tony and Linda on ‘ONEDAY’ and Tony provided me some great information on how to make it on as crew on one of the race boats. I asked about the Beneteau hat he was wearing and mentioned we were on a Beneteau also. When I mentioned our boat name, a major “first” for us happened – we actually met other cruisers that have read our blog!  Linda is a designer and knitter and was referred to our blog by our good friend, knitter, and avid blog follower, Tanya. They asked us about things that have changed since they’ve cruised to places we’ve blogged about. It was cool to think that the information we provide on the blog can also help to inform people who have already cruised to these locations and are looking for updates on current conditions.

After talking with the other cruisers for awhile we all learned that the bus tour had been cancelled because they were unable to find a bus driver. The tour would hopefully be rescheduled for Friday and we were asked to return at 10:00 the next morning. We quickly dinghied back to Joint Venture and stopped at Anastasia to share the tip that Tony had provided on becoming crew.

For all those folks who have ever wished to crew on a traditional Bahamian sloop at Regatta, here’s a tip:  Dinghy around the race boats, and shout at boats asking if they need crew.

Maxwell and I decided that this could work, we quickly changed into clothes that we didn’t mind getting soaked and started to dinghy about Kidd’s Cove as the B Class sloops readied for their race.

While the tip for crewing is easy enough, there are a few strategy points that can help you get selected:

1. Find a boat that looks a little older and a little rougher.
   The really serious race boats have serious crew, i.e. not you
2. Look for boats that aren’t already swarmed with crew.
3. Hope for a windy day, because in light air days they don’t need as many people.
4. Larger guys are more useful for weight on the pry boards.
   While you may still get a chance to crew if you’re smaller, being over 200 lbs. will help.

Maxwell and I finely honed this strategy during our trial and error in Kidd’s Cove. While we got a lot of “No’s” from the captains, they were all friendly and thanked us for asking or pointed to a boat that might need help.  As the last boat was readying to weigh anchor and head for the starting line, they pointed at Maxwell and said, “Get onboard!” Maxwell had just been selected as crew for the “Queen Druscilla,” sailboat No.7 with a captain from Long Island.

I radioed the girls to tell them the news, we picked up Jess off of Kianda, and we all set out for the race in two dinghies. Then the fun began!

About the Regatta:

National Family Island Regatta has been held since 1954 in George Town, and held once in Nassau in 1973 for the Bahamas Independence Celebration. It is the largest of the Family Island Regattas, and draws visitors from all over the islands. This year there was a race on Wednesday, and then a three-day series on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The harbor is not too crowded with cruising boats, (maybe 200?) but the shore is packed with people, the pier is full of ferries and cargo boats, and small motor boats crowd the race course.

On Wednesday, when we pulled in I was very careful to keep Joint Venture well clear of the race course. I didn’t want a committee boat have to ask me to move, and on top of that the sloops are very fast, and I wanted to stay out of the way of the racers. What I realized as the week progressed is that the race course is very loosely defined and you should feel free to get as close to the action as you feel you can safely accomplish with your boat.  It was nothing to see go-fast boats cutting through the racers and boats racing from the leeward to windward mark to watch the action at the turning buoys. The sloops routinely would tack in the anchorage if they were drawn in there on their way to the windward mark. Some of the cruising sailboats on the outside of the anchorage had Class A boats sailing down both sides of them on their way to the finish line!

While it may seem great to be close, keep in mind that collisions on the race course are frequent, and the boats are pretty rough work boats. They are fast, but not too nimble, the booms are enormous, and it’s impossible to see anything to the downwind side.  Therefore, we kept Joint Venture anchored a long way from the action but, on several occasions we’d run around in the dinghy and follow the boats.  One day I decided to get into the action and followed the Class A boats around the marks in the dinghy, snapping photos of each boat as they crossed the finish line, so close I could make out faces on the crews! The racers weren’t bothered by my presence, but it’s best to keep your head on a swivel as the motor boats zoom in every direction.

On other days we’d catch the end of the race from the bleachers on shore.  The race committee would provide race updates on Channel 09 on the VHF, and it was cool to be on shore with the locals rooting for their friends and family.

In a nutshell, the Regatta is chaos.  Races start on a very loose time schedule, protests are very vocal, and we tried our best to soak up as much as possible from all vantage points.

Series Race 1:

The “Queen Druscilla” (with Maxwell as crew) has a fantastic start and is the first around the mark by 300 yards. It’s amazing, the two dinghies of cheerleaders are ecstatic that Maxwell’s boat is in the lead. Hmmm…there did seem to be a little confusion at the windward mark? While they approached for a port rounding, the race committee told them to round to starboard and the Queen complied.  The rest of the racers rounded to port and as they approached the leeward mark all the boats starting lowering sails. We thought that this seemed like a very short race, but then we realized that they were forcing the racers into a re-start.  As we approached we saw the irate captain of the Queen arguing with committee boats with Maxwell on deck, caught in the fray. The Queen’s crew felt that because they were in the lead the race committee had purposefully misled them into the starboard rounding. They argued that the committee wanted one of the local boats to win and therefore forced the re-start.  (It’s kind of like yelling that the refs are “homers” at a basketball game.) After a very vocal exchange, the Queen withdrew from the race and refused the re-start.  Maxwell’s short time on crew had ended after one lap of the three lap race.  I ran back in the dinghy to pick him up and then we watched the rest of the re-started race.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball with our friends on volleyball beach. Later that night at the party in town Maxwell ran into the captain of the “Queen Druscilla.” The committee had awarded them last place instead of a “Did Not Finish” and therefore they were still in the series!

Bus Tour:

Friday morning we arrived in town for the bus tour at 10:00.  I inquired at the Regatta information office where the bus would be leaving from, and I was told that it had departed, at 10:00….. My watch said it was 10:02? We hadn’t seen a bus depart, and we were confused, this was a large difference from “Island Time.”

We went back to the corner, disappointed that we had missed the bus. At this point we ran into about 10 more cruisers who were also surprised to hear it had already left, apparently someone had even announced on the VHF that the bus wouldn’t be leaving till 10:30! Sabrina went back to the office and learned that the lady there was able to reach the bus driver on his phone and he was returning to pick up all the stragglers. We were all very happy when we saw the school bus and boarded quickly to tour the island.

The tour took us through Great Exuma to Little Exuma.  We saw the old ferry location that used to connect the two islands before the bridge was built. The bus took us to several historic locations including tombs that dated from 1762 and the “Salt Marker” that provided a visual landmark for sailors of old to find the Little Exuma salt ponds.  The placard said as many as 300,000 bushels of salt had been harvested from the pond in one season.

In Williams Town we had the opportunity to have lunch at “Santana’s Grill Pit” which was frequented by the Johnny Depp and the cast of “Pirate’s of the Caribbean” when they were filming in the area. Sabrina and I opted to cross the street and go to “Club Arawak” which had won the award for the best conch fritters in the Bahamas in year’s past. (They were very good.) It was nice to see the island from land, and we were happy to spend some time on shore while the weather was a little dreary.

Series Race 2:

When we got back to town the B Class series race had ended. We learned that unfortunately Maxwell hadn’t been needed for crew that day. I headed out alone to watch the A Class race later that afternoon, and that’s when I snapped a lot of photos and tried my best to keep up with the sloops in the dinghy during the rough conditions in the harbor.

After I got back and showered off all the salt spray, Sabrina and I headed into town to see what festivities were going on.  While walking through the crowd on shore I almost ran headlong into the Bahamian Prime Minister.  He was out drumming up support for the elections that will be taking place in early May.

Around sunset a children’s Junkanoo parade was kicking off. These kids were very practiced, and we were amazed at the young boys playing drums that were bigger than they were. It was a party atmosphere and the parade circled through the Regatta festivities one time as everyone danced along.

Series Race 3 – Class C:

After missing out on crewing the first two days, I was determined to crew on Saturday. I figured I might have a chance at getting on one of the Class C sloops that were racing early in the morning. I thought that some crew members might have partied too much the night before and some boats might be short on people. Therefore at 8:30, Sabrina and I were in the dinghy working our way through the harbor.  One of the last boats in the harbor was the “Fredrica” and they needed crew!  We towed them to the start line with the dinghy, and then I hopped on board.

Just then, another boat pulled up and the Fredrica’s missing crew member was motioning that he’d be jumping on board. I was disappointed, but started saying goodbye and thanks for the opportunity when the captain told me to stay, and one of the other Bahamian crew members got off! I think it was a shear matter of poundage, I outweighed the crewman that left by about 50 pounds.  The late arrival was our bowman, so I’m glad that he was able to make the race.  During the race, Sabrina ran around in the dinghy, dodging boats and snapping pictures.

While I’m no expert on all the rules, the Bahamian sloop must be built in the Bahamas, and owned and captained by a Bahamian.  They are wooden, and the planks that extend off the sides are called “pry.” The pry must be shifted during a tack, and some boats have hooks that allow the pry to be easily slid from side to side.

Fredrica was a more traditional boat and had pry boards that rested above one gunwale and below the other. During a tack you needed to jump off the pry, press down it, pull it out from under the gunwale, stick it in the other side, and then jump back on it, all while the boom sweeps across about 18 inches above the deck. There was no time to practice, so I needed to get good at this technique mid race…. After the first tack I started to second guess volunteering for crew, but it got easier as the race went on.

The race is mildly controlled chaos, we ducked boats when they had the right of way and shouted “starboard” at us, and we shouted “starboard” to boats when we had the right of way. One captain thought he would safely clear us. He didn’t. My eyes were wide and I ducked an enormous boom as it swept over our deck and hit our rigging.

At the downwind mark we made a mistake and tacked into another boat that had the right of way. During the collision our pry boards were shifted and stuck one underneath the other. Not good, but there were no injuries (amazingly.)

Fredrica was in 5^thafter the first two races, and Cedric the captain knew the boats he wanted to try to beat to move up to 3^rd. We raced hard and finished in 10^th but beat some of the boats we needed to.  The crew was very friendly and Cedric informed me that I was now part of his crew and should find him if I’m ever at another regatta.

Series Race 3 – Class B:

After resting up for the rest of the morning (and feeling confident over my first crew experience) I decided to see if I could get on with a B Class boat. Maxwell wasn’t interested in crewing, but urged me to check with the Queen Druscilla since they looked a little short. The race was at 1:30 and Sabrina and I ran out to the starting line. It turned out that the Queen was short again and I jumped onboard at the one-minute gun.  They handed me a t-shirt that I quickly donned and we started weighing anchor. They asked me if I’d ever raced and I said “This morning!”

Racing on the Queen was nothing like racing on Fredrica.  The bigger B Class boat requires a lot of effort to stay on the pry. With the smaller C Class I was able to rest my feet on the toe rail at the gunwale as I sat at the end of the pry. With the B Class I was left riding a bucking bronco with nothing to hang onto as I simply wrapped my legs firmly around the pry, desperately trying not to go swimming.  The C Class race was only four legs long (upwind, downwind, upwind, then to the finish line) with a shorter leg length. The B Class went for 6 legs (up, down, up, down, up, finish) and they made the legs long to make for an exciting race.  On the second upwind leg while I was on the outside of the pry the wind picked up and we were heeling the boat with a rail in the water.  At one point two men with big cameras in a Boston Whaler chased us down and photographed us as I hung on for dear life, I tried to smile instead of grimace, but I don’t think I was convincing.

After two upwind legs on the outside of the pry I had to switch with my pry partner Ron to the inside of the pry for the last upwind leg. Trying to hang on to the end of the pry while the boat stood on its ear with a rail in the water had completely exhausted me.

For you folks that have never seen racing like this:  Imagine riding a teeter-totter that is simply a 3” x 8” painted board, there are no handles, it is soaking wet (as are you), there is a single loose line running its length, and the board varies from 30-60 degrees from horizontal. During the big puffs I’d find my pry mate Ron laying fully on top of me as the mainsail man jumped on him while we tried to keep the boat from getting knocked down.  It’s exciting to say the least.

During the downwind legs we’d get to rest in the center of the boat and I’d try to recuperate.  It wasn’t fully relaxing as we had to pump out the bilge on the Queen.  She was taking on water a little slower than we could pump it out, which was a good thing.  The bilge pump was a PVC tube with a plunger that would siphon the water from the bilge and run it out on deck.  On the downwind legs, we traded pumping duties as one crewman would get tired.

We were neck in neck with another boat, Endeama, at the last turn. They tried to cut us as we rounded the mark and fell off the wind, and it got hectic as the Queen’s boom swept their deck and got tangled in their rigging.  The Queen had the right of way, and Endeama extracted herself from the situation but stayed close.  Since we were neck and neck on the last leg, I frantically pumped the bilge as we approached the finish line, expending the last of my energy as we dashed for home. We were able to just hold them off as we took third across the line!

I got to keep the t-shirt, and I’ll wear it with pride. The crew thanked me for coming along and told me to look for them that evening at the party.  I told them that I would, and headed back to Joint Venture for a stiff drink and a hot shower.

Later that night Sabrina and I ran into Kenneth off of Fredrica and we hung out and talked for awhile about sailing. He was from Mangrove Cay, Andros and told me to come down in May for their Regatta, it’s every year on Mother’s Day weekend. He wanted me email address and I told him if he emailed me I would forward some of the photos that Sabrina snapped of Fredrica. I also saw my pry partner Ron and some of the other guys from the Queen and we talked about where the Queen finished in the overall standings. Soon thereafter the rain started and we didn’t hang around for the awards ceremony, so I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to find out the exact results.

Despite the rain and a pretty soggy few days, we had a great time at our first Bahamian Regatta. In addition to the sailing, we got to try some traditional island foods like tamarind sauce( a gooey, sweet-tart sauce made mostly of sugar), benny cake (sort of a sesame seed brittle), and of course, our usual sampling of different conch fritters.  We watched the finale parade and enjoyed watching both a local high school band and the marching band of the Royal Bahamian Police Force perform. We packed a lot into three days and are glad we stuck around for Regatta. We definitely had some unique experiences we wouldn’t have otherwise had.

The rain is still hanging around, and we are taking the opportunity to do some boat chores. Soon after all the wet laundry is washed and dried, water tanks are topped off and the refrigerator is re-stocked, we’ll be heading north to experience the northern Exumas before making the jump back to the Abacos mid-May.