Week 18: Jan. 30- Feb. 5, 2013 (Day 120-126)

Week 18:

Wed. Jan. 30, 2013—Day 120:

Destination:  Georgetown

Winds:  E 15-20K                                Seas:  1-2 ft.

Weather:  mix of sun, blue sky & clouds

Ladies Luncheon on Sun Cat

This is the beginning of our 12^th  day here because of the winds, & these high winds are to continue.  Chris predicted moderation this afternoon & more so tomorrow; this moderation did not materialize today but sure hope it does tomorrow.  I am very tired, fed up, frustrated of all the salt water showers with dinghy rides!  Salt & more salt everywhere!  I did some head cleaning this am, imparticular the glass & mirrors while the Net was in progress, then quickly passed a fresh water cloth to some areas of the cockpit later in the afternoon.  Yoga at 0900 hrs. followed by a drenching of salt water on the ride home.  Josh & Mike McGoldrick visited just after we got home; in fact I had quickly removed my salty shorts & rinsed them out & had to quickly pull on my PJ bottoms as they arrived.  How cute was that!  They had dinghied to see the catamaran that had crashed on the coral reefs in the vicinity of Fowl Cay.  While they were visiting I made my fruit salad for the Ladies Luncheon on ‘Sun Cat’ I had been invited to.  Also I prepared & cooked my one pot meal for supper tonight when Pam & Greg arrive.  Shortly after noon I received a phone call from Greg from Chicago; they had missed their connecting flight & would be in Miami tonight & would be flying to Georgetown tomorrow arriving at 1130 hrs.  Graeme ran me down to Monument Beach to attend the wonderful luncheon with 8 other women while he visited Joe.  There was no hurry to get home now.  But another moderately wet ride home.  Then off to ‘Kathrian’ for more socializing but also to say our good byes to Doug’s family as they were leaving in the am as well as Mike.  Again, a bit of a salty shower.  I missed the sunset again tonight.  The night though was dark, no moon till very late, a clear sky littered with stars.

Thurs. Jan. 31, 2013—Day 121:

Destination:  Georgetown

Winds:  EàSEàSàSE 10-15 all am to flat calm after sunset    Seas:  1-2 ft. to flat calm

Weather:  mostly sunny

Hurray, the wind was less than 10K at dawn!  And more moderation was predicted on SSB & for tomorrow am; but in pm Chris said the cold front would hit Georgetown & blow X 2-3 days from a northerly direction.  Some last minute cleaning ,  yoga & then the winds kicked up just in time for the ride home; and yes, we got wet with salt water again!  Once cleaned up & fully clothed in foul weather gear we dinghied to shore & met Pam & Greg at ‘Bikini Bottoms’ soon after noon; a round of drinks.  We had lunch & internet at Eddies &  did groceries at Exuma Markets.  Now 1500 hrs. Greg & Graeme rode the dinghy to the boat while Pam & I, luggage & groceries took Elvis’ Water Taxi ($10.00 ea one way, $24.00 return).  The winds now shifted due south & decreased in intensity.  The groceries were packed all away & Pam & Greg organized themselves in the aft cabin.  Supper at sunset & so again I missed whether a red sky followed or not.  Absolute no wind, mirror like water & stars galore with a late rising moon again tonight. 

Fri. Feb. 1, 2013—Day 122:

Destination:  Georgetown

Winds: flat calm in am, slowly building from N to NE up to 20-25K with gusts approaching 30K

Weather:  mostly sunny, some cloud & increasing

V-Ball Beach resident rays

A very warm & humid the night & similar in the am with much moisture clung to windows, deck, etc.  We woke in time to hear Chris’ continued prediction of NNE winds in the 20-30K  range X 1-1/2 days with some improvement later Sunday & decent winds Monday to Wednesday.  After yoga the wind started increasing.  Sitting on the deck reading we spotted a turtle that surfaced several times.  Some snorkeling for Pam & Greg off the boat, Graeme removed stain spots off the transom while I read.  Early afternoon we dinghied to Volleyball Beach & feed the rays, tried taking movies & photos of them as they circled around our legs; so cool!  We toured the hurricane holes in & around St. Francis Resort.  After Cherry & Doug had done their business in Georgetown they reanchored close by & despite the high winds we hosted a happy hour.  Not very hungry after devouring the late afternoon snacks, supper was simply leftovers but we ate in the cockpit, something we have not done in a while.  Then we watched a short British comedy clip on computer.  The increasing cloud at sunset wiped out any visible sunset & red sky following.  A dark, howling windy night with zillion stars in the sky at bedtime, then the skies became a mixture of clear & clouds.

Sat. Feb. 2, 2013—Day 123:

Destination:  Georgetown

Winds:  NE to ENE 20Kà10Kàcalm                       Seas:  minimal secondary to wind direction

Weather:  cool as a result of wind, light clouds that increased to heavy

Foul weather gear to keep dry

Fairly good protection from the strong NNE to NE winds during the night.  The message received from Chris this am was the moderating trade winds after Monday; gosh I hope so!  Herman (White Wing) was back as host of the Net after a short vacation.  Graeme put a request out on the Net for a source for a M19 or20 fan belt (spare) & received a positive response. Going in for yoga we sighted a pair of dolphins.  Once again a little wet driving home.  It was a lazy day of reading or napping because it was not a nice day, although the winds late in the pm decreased.  I did go ashore with Cherry & Doug & listened to the discussion re going south; this freed Graeme to do the adjustment on the water pump to now accommodate both a M19 & 20 size belt.  Thank you Greg for cooking supper—very good.  No sunset, no moon or stars.

Sun. Feb. 3, 2013—Day 124:

Destination:  Georgetown

Winds:  N-NE

Weather:  sunny & cloudy periods

Super Bowl at St. Francis

About or soon after midnight the winds decreased to perhaps the 10K range.  The guys went across to Georgetown for 2 jugs of water, then Pam & I were dinghied to Beach Worship for 0930 hrs.; the message given was unusually long, too religious, heavy & too serious & negative.  Sans Graeme the 3 of us in swimsuits & foul weather jackets jumped into the dinghy & hiked part of Treasure Trail then to a well identified path off of Sand Dollar Beach to South Beach.  Five foot waves were pounding & crashing as we walked the beach finding only tiny shells, no sea glass & soft white sand.  We had an early happy hour/lunch on ‘Moma Cal’ as we were all attending the Super Bowl Feastivities at 1600 hrs. at St. Francis & wanted a good seat.  Photo shot of the coi & turtles in their pond; dinner & drink specials.  The Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Fran 49’ers 34:29, a good 2^nd half.  The party was well supported by the cruisers.  A dark dinghy ride home at 2300 hrs. despite numerous anchor lights & star studded night sky.

Mon. Feb. 4, 2013—Day 125:

Destination: Georgetown

Winds:  NE 10-12K, increasing to +/- 15K by afternoon from the E

Weather:  mainly sunny

We had a funny incident with a flashlight in the toilet when I took my 1^st pee of the morning—a good story.  An encouraging week of weather if the predictions hold true; we will attempt to depart tomorrow.  In light of this after yoga we loaded 4 bodies, garbage, laundry cart & supplies & computer into the dinghy & headed across the pond.  Georgetown Cruising Regatta regalia was on sale at Bikini Bottoms.  Two loads of laundry (2 wash + 2 dry) = $13.00; freshly clean foul weather gear for me!  Pam & I visited a few shops, then we all had lunch at Eddies as we did internet.  At 1500 hrs. the guys took the dinghy back to the boat (very wet) & Pam & I waited till 1600 hrs. to take the Water Taxi with clean laundry, few groceries & computer; $20.00 but a dry ride.  We barely arrived back when a big surprise occurred—Terri & Bill dinghied over, after having anchored at Sand Dollar Beach about 1 hr. ago.  They had had a great sail from Little Farmers Cay.  Lots of conversation & showing of pics of their new granddaughter over a cold beer; they were experiencing some fridge problems & may have to stay longer in Georgetown; when solved we hope to meet up again.  Good bye hugs to Cherry & Doug & later over the VHF to Donna & Jack as they are leaving in the am for Rum Cay then further on eventually to Puerto Rico.  Since we were leaving also in the am we said our good byes to ‘Sea Camp’, ‘Truansea’, ‘Southern Bound’, ‘Fire Cracker’, & ‘Slow Flight’; unable to hail ‘ Valda IV’ or ‘Sun Cat’, ‘Cool Cat’ & ‘Two of a Kind’.  We will miss you all & hope are paths will soon cross again!!!  A nice red sky after sunset & very dark but clear night sky filled with more & more anchor lights as several boats arrived today & of course those spectacular stars.

Tues. Feb. 5, 2013—Day 126:

Destination:  Gerogetown to Thompson Bay, Long Island

Departure:  0855 hrs.                 Arrival:  1600 hrs.                            Distance:  approx. 30 NM

Winds:  E 10-12K, decreasing to 6-10K                  Seas:  2-4 ft. decreasing to 1-3 ft. + 2-3 ft. swells

Weather:  mainly sunny, some cloud

White Cay Bank

The gang was up early with the VHF transmissions between ‘Kathrian’, ‘Moma Cal’ & us; they motored passed about 0745 hrs.  A moderating north easterlies forecasted for today & more so tomorrow per Chris.  The Net was long today as there were many new arrivals announcing themselves as well as few departures including ourselves.  Surprisingly an ease up anchor after 15 days anchored in the same spot.  We motored passed ‘Second Option’ & hurray there fridge was working; the sensing probe had been jammed up against the wall.  You never know we might meet up again sooner than later if they are not caught in Georgetown.  There were 3 boats departing via Three Fathom Channel to Channel Rocks when suddenly 2 returned to Georgetown.  The waves were 2-4 footers then 1-3 ft. in the deep water to Pigeon Cay & on SE to Hog Cay.  At that waypoint we turned east to White Cay Bank, passed Indian Hole Point to Thompson Bay.  We saw 4 dolphins + 1 baby dolphin!  The east winds unfortunately were on our nose so we motored & charged all devices.  Greg & I were the 2 man coral head brigade at appropriate times.  Approaching Indian Hole Point we saw a fair number of boats tucked up into the Thompson Bay anchorage + a few in Salt Pond off of the government dock & Long Island Breeze.  An impromptu Cruisers Happy Hour was announced on the beach at 1700 hrs., bring boat cards, drinks & a snack to share.  And the same munchies type food was continued afterwards on the boat for supper.  We did have a short interval of red sky after sunset, then a clear starry sky followed.  Suddenly it became cloudy & a heavy rain prevailed X 5 mins.; this was welcomed to clean all the salt from the decks, hatches, ports & enclosure.  A very warm, quiet night though.  I almost don’t remember this kind of night without howling winds & no boat movement.