SAVED FROM THE EDGE OF THE EARTH!

A double rainbow greeted Magic as we departed Georgetown

           After a two week stay at the “world’s largest adult winter camp,” we were ready to wrench ourselves free of the tentacles’ of this over-organized yacht rendezvous and point the bow of Magic northward once again. Those of you who listened over the last year or so (surely far more times than you wanted!) to our original plans for this trip, know we really wanted to explore a bit further south and visit the Ragged Islands (known for their remote beauty), Long and Cat Islands (beautiful beaches and historical ruins). Alas, as has been cemented in our brains, the God’s of weather dictate our cruising lives and in order to put our feet over the precipice and into the unknown of the seas beyond Georgetown we would have had to remain in place for at least another 10 days…not something I was looking forward to at all! Don’t get me wrong, GTown was a great place to visit, and we had some wonderful times and met any number of interesting, fun people, I just didn’t want to take up permanent residence!

One item of note; although we have almost gotten used to $12 cheeseburgers and $6 diesel fuel, there are some items for sale in the Bahamas that are priced as well or even better than home. Items made in Japan (outboards, Honda generators) can actually be purchased for about what you would pay in the states. I briefly considered ditching our miscreant 15 hp Yamaha outboard and purchasing one in GTown (paying about the same as I did over 6 years ago!) but the dealer was able to correct a problem with my engine and “Christine” was given a reprieve from the used engine heap and we are running pretty well once again. If you are reading this with plans to cruise to the Bahamas and considering a replacement 2-stroke outboard (far lighter than 4 stroke), I’d highly recommend you wait until either Nassau or GTown!

The so-called "Garden of Eden" at
Blackpoint Settlement.

I think this goat got lost!

So, with fishing poles at the ready, we threaded our way north out of the harbor and set sail for a return trip to Blackpoint Settlement…and a laundromat! For only the second or third time this entire trip, we were able to shut the “iron genny” off and actually sail the 45 miles up the Exuma Sound to our destination. It may have been a bit bumpy, but this is a SAILBOAT for crying out loud and both of us enjoyed the absence of our diesel engine drone. Unfortunately for Diane, and although she had two stout fishing lines deployed and extremely high hopes, nary a nibble…nada, nothing. I have to give it to the Admiral however, although frustrated by her lack of “catching” prowess; she continued to try to entice a tasty wahoo or mahi-mahi to grab one of her lures…a more persistent woman I’ve never met!

This "castle" house on the west side of Great Guana Cay
can be seen for miles...too bad the owner doesn't like people!

We enjoyed a two-day stay at Blackpoint to do laundry (4 loads!!), toss back a few Kaliks at the local hotspot (Scorpio’s…and it really is the ONLY hotspot!), and do a bit of exploring. On one of our power walks we made it quite a way south and found the “castle” home on the west side we’d seen when we’d headed toward Farmer’s Cay just a few weeks prior. I actually met the owner who was obviously not pleased we’d entered his property and not so politely recommended we leave. One would think if you built a house that looks like a European castle on a remote island in the Bahamas, you would enjoy having visitors stop by and ask about the place! Not so this guy and when I asked a local later on, I was told they were basically hermits and everyone pretty much stays away from them.  Oh well.

At least the guy with the castle house had completed the task. We’ve seen literally hundreds of partly completed but abandoned houses, buildings and even resorts on just about every island we’ve visited on this trip. Some places have just a rough cinderblock outline or a concrete pad built before work stopped. Others looked almost complete but had obviously been sitting idle for many years awaiting finishing touches. In Georgetown, there was a huge yacht harbor resort that had even advertised in one of our cruising guides that never got past the construction of a single building! Here was a beautiful piece of property in a well-protected bay just going to pot. I couldn’t get a straight answer from locals so have to assume the depressed world economy had affected the Bahamas just as badly (or worse) than the rest of us. A real shame that even reasonable, well-designed projects like the one in GTown have succumbed to the stumbling world economy…especially since a huge part of the islands’ wealth is based on tourism. I can only hope a recovery is just over the horizon and investors will return soon. OK, back to our regular programming…

Diane is thinking of starting
her own "fluff and fold"
laundromat!

Beautiful view on the
east side of Cambridge
Cay. Oh yea, the scenery
was nice as well!

On our way south along the Exuma chain, we’d had to bypass a few islands with scenic anchorages due to weather/time constrains and before heading east to Eleuthera, wanted to see at least one of them; Cambridge Cay.  Part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, Cambridge Cay had been highly recommended by everyone we talked to…and they were all right! The small group of islands in/around CC turned out to be the most beautiful, interesting places we visited during our entire time in the Exumas. I’ve attached several photos, but they just don’t do the place justice. After picking up one of the Park’s well-maintained $20 mooring balls (a huge bargain, especially considering the peace-of-mind they give you in a blow!) we explored Cambridge Cay itself and enjoyed a great hike along one of the trails that took us to the highest point on the island and commanded a 360 degree view of every cay and island within 15 miles. Included in that view was Little Hall’s Pond Cay, wholly owned by the actor Johnny Depp…who was not home! Still, the view was breathtaking.

Believe it or not, the water here isn't all that warm! Shrinkage!

 The next day we dingied to the “aquarium” just a bit north of our mooring field and were astounded at the spectacle of hundreds of multi-colored fish all swimming within inches of our facemasks as soon as we got in the water.  It was like a casting call for a “Finding Nemo” remake, just without the shark! I wished we’d purchased an underwater camera, but again, a photo would not have done this colorful sight justice. We also explored some shoreside caves, only accessible at low tide which were reportedly used by the natives hundreds of years ago to hide from their enemies. The idea of spending the night in a totally dark cave with no way out until low tide makes my skin crawl even as I type this!   We then found the “bubble bath” on Compass Cay, which is a pool of water with a low rock barrier that keeps the ocean waves out until the tide is just beginning to rise. As it does so, the waves crash over this wall and create the illusion of a bubble bath just inside this pool. It was fun to swim over to this rock formation and wait for the water to crash over my head!

Tim in the "Bubble Bath" on Compass Cay. 

The next day we had a huge decision to make. There was a perfect one day weather window for the 48 mile crossing to Eleuthera and allow us to rejoin Jennings and Patty on Veritas, or remain in the Exumas for at least the next week or so when the next “window” opened. Since there are only a couple places on Eleuthera with protection from forecast westerly winds, this was no small decision, but in the end we decided to bite the bullet and make the crossing. So, as soon as it was light enough to see we dropped our mooring line and left the Exumas behind for the last time this season. While we were excited to see new places and certainly get together with the crew of Veritas (who has been our “buddy boat” almost our entire time here), it was not without a hint of sadness that we left the Exumas in our wake. We’d spent almost 2 months exploring these amazingly beautiful islands, met some wonderful local people, and tossed back a few Kalik’s with new cruising friends from all over the world. There is no doubt in our minds that Magic will return!

My next blog will describe our crossing (another great sail…but no fish!) and experiences on this unique island. As always, internet access is difficult to obtain, so please be patient! Till next time….