MARCH
12, 2015 EMERALD BAY, GREAT EXUMA ISLAND
POSITION: 23 38.29N 75 54.75W
On March 4th it was finally time
to head south for our second try. Two days earlier we had left Pirate Beach and
when rounding Harvey Cay we ran head long into four foot seas and moderate
winds from the south. Enough of this crap so we just turned around and went back
to Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Since it was Joan’s birthday anyway, this was a good
chance for us all to give her a little party and some relaxation (what… more?)
around the pool for a couple days.
FINALLY, the winds turned to the south east
on the 6th so it was time to go. It was only a short seventeen miles
to our first anchorage at Musha Cay where we were still sheltered on the west
side of the banks. Besides, by the time we arrived passing Cave Cay Cut in
early afternoon, the rage was in full swing with a minimum 7-8 foot seas in the
Cut so we just kept on going past.
Musha Cay is a private island owned by
David Copperfield. His large house is well hidden on the hilltop among a lot of
palm trees and other growth. The beach that we anchored off was beautiful, lush
and provided a very tropical setting as you can see.
On Saturday morning March the 7th
the weather outside was a lot calmer so we got up early and departed the
protection of the Bahamas Bank and out into Exuma Sound where we were open to
the Atlantic Ocean. Cave Cay Cut was calm as the tide was now slack.
We now had a twenty five mile run down to
Emerald Bay.
Once out on the sound it was pretty good.
However, for the first two hours were pretty bumpy but after that the seas
calmed down to about two and a half feet so it was pretty comfortable.
Time to put out the fishing rods!! We got a
pretty good strike and the line ran off the reel at lightning speed, but by the
time Ron could get to the rod to set the hook the fish had spit it out. Oh
well, we saved the fishery once again.
You see all kinds of odd things when you
cruise. Here we passed what looked like a nice power boat but it had a mast and
boom on each end. They were actually flying a small spinnaker...
Take a look at this one. There’s still hope
for the power boaters out there.
Over the past few years we’ve avoided the
Marina at Emerald Bay because we were told that it was a very tight entrance
and it was rolly at the docks. Well, were we in for a surprise. The entrance
was a little tight… for a 200 foot mega yacht, but once inside we were directed
to the west channel to tie along the wall on the floating docks. PERFECT! What
a well protected place this is.
The floating cement docks were easy to tie
to and were high enough that it made boarding very easy. We call this the
Canadian Dock because all the sailboats along here are Canadian.
Now for the best part….. The docks along
the wall are the 50 cent docks. That’s fifty cents per foot per night or for us
a mere $22.50 per night. They have no water or electricity but we can live with
that. If you wanted all that then you could tie up at the $2.75 per foot docks.
Along with a dock you got FREE WiFi, FREE
laundry, FREE showers, FREE crew lounge and FREE transportation to the nearest
liquor store. What else could you ask for? There was a three night minimum
stay.
On the way up to the office we passed by
these beauties.
The crew lounge was beautifully fitted out. 50 inch TV, Air conditioned, Library, Pool table room, bar and dining room. This place really is top notch.
LOOK AT THIS STUFF!! ALL FREE TO BOOT!!
About 70 folks arrived.
Remember, we only paid fifty cents a foot.
Thank you so much Emerald Bay Marina.
After two days of “boat maintenance” it was
time to rent a car and do some exploring. We also needed groceries as Ron’s
sister and brother-in-law are arriving next week. Our first day took us to
George Town for a whirlwind tour (because we would be coming back the next day)
and Jon needed to get his propane tank filled. After a brief two times around
the town we headed south to Williams Town where we would be south of the
“Tropic of Cancer” and to celebrate with a great lobster lunch and a cold beer
at Santana’s Bar & Grill.
Just look at the
colour of the water …. mmmmmmm!
Next store was Mom’s Bakery where we loaded
up on fresh breads and desserts. I think we bought one of everything.
On the way back north to George Town we
passed the Salt Marker which looked like a pillar from the Parthenon in Greece.
It was constructed in the late 18th century by a John Darrell, a
Loyalist who spotted the salt marshes while on a whaling trip.
There is an old,
rusty original cannon mounted beside the marker to alert salt ships when they
were nearby.
Just north of Williams Town on the Kings
Highway we came across this very narrow one way bridge. In the middle of it was
a huge single gear that is accompanied by a long wooden handle. This is used to
raise the single section like a bascule bridge in order to allow a boat to pass
under the bridge. I guess the captain has to swim ashore to open turn the
manual gear.
For those of you who think that this is a
lush furtile land, may I show you the hardship they endure trying to grow their
crops on solid coral with a slight bit of soil covering it…. With little or no
water, the corn in this field won’t yield much but it’s enough to survive.
The original plantation owners attempted to
grow cotton as an industry but the soil conditions did not make for any growing
conditions. Occasionally you see the odd cotton plant alongside the road.
A lot of boats are still in George Town
because the wind hasn’t dropped below 25-35 knots in over three weeks to
provide a suitable window to head further south to the Caribbean Islands.
Here you can see the mail boat making its
way down to Georgetown against the high seas.
I have no idea why this is loading sideways.... but the water is still beautiful.
After a couple beers, hot sun, and beside
tranquil waters, some people will do just about anything. We just couldn’t find
a minister to renew our vows. At least we dressed alike.
So it was back to the metropolis of
Georgetown then on to Emerald Bay we go to finish our day.
Friday March 13th, 2015
Still at Emerald Bay
This is day
6 at the Marina at Emerald Bay. The wind blew last night from 30-40 knots and
didn’t let up for a minute. When I looked outside this morning the seas were
rolling past the entrance like Hawaiian surfing waves. Guess we’ll be staying
here for a few days yet.
March 12th, 2015 George
Town – Stocking Island
Since Jon
& Joan had never been out to volleyball beach on the other side of George
Town Harbour, on day two of our car rental we decided to take a day off (again)
and drive down to George Town where we would take the water taxi across to
Chat’n Chill beach…… where you “chat for free but pay to chill” as the sign
says. This is the most popular beach in the Bahamas for cruisers and every year
in February the harbour sees in influx of some 400 plus boats for the annual
George Town Cruisers Regatta. The harbour was full again this year.
Times are always good at the Chat 'n Chill beach bar on Elizabeth Island off George Town.
The ferry took us around to the back of
Volleyball beach in the tranquil waters and pure white sand found here.
Jan & Joan were the first two ashore.
The daily volleyball games were being played by
the cruisers.
The usual distance to home signs are found
on the pole.
As well as souvenirs placed on the wall of
the Chat ‘n Chill bar.
This one is for Trish, our friend from the
other side of the pond. Well enough of this.
It’s time to get back to Emerald Bay and start preparing the boat to
head north to Little Farmers Cay.
