Underwater pics

From my go pro camera.

The dinghy is as important as the Serenity, as it is our mode of local transportation.

The Cambridge Cay mooring field is close to many snorkel sites.  

Pillar coral.

Clear water.  Note Alexis in the background.  

See the Queen Angelfish?

Since we are in the park, this guy has no fear!

The wonderful Exumas

We have been in the Exumas for about a week.  The crossing from Spanish Wells was a little bumpy, but we were in shallow water and protected by the many sandbars in Exuma Sound.  The new pump works great!  We have been  anchoring out (as opposed to marinas) since arriving in the northern Exumas.  The Exumas are roughly 120 miles of separate cays (pronounced keys) that run north to south.  The lee side is on Exuma Sound, and the windward side faces the Atlantic.  With prevailing easterly winds, the sound side has many anchorages.  The middle of the chain contains several cays that make up the Exuma Land and Sea Park (www.exumapark.org).  These are largely uninhabited, and all taking from fishing to shelling is prohibited, so they are a diving paradise.  I will post some underwater pics later.  For some reason the water in the Exumas is the clearest in the Bahamas, so we have snorkeled lots.  There are few towns, and cell coverage is spotty in the park.  Staniel Cay, in the central Exumas is home to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, where we will pick up Stan, Claiborne and families.  Staniel is a metropolis of about 250 people. 

One does not come here for nightlife, unless it is stargazing!  The natural beauty here is amazing, though.  Boats are everywhere, as this area has been discovered by the mega yacht charters, down to every conceivable type of sailboat.  So while never truly alone, we don’t feel crowded.  The VHF radio is the primary contact device.  Want dinner reservation, call on the VHF radio.  Need a slip at one of the few marinas, call on the VHF.  Some standby on specific channels and you need to crack that code with local knowledge.  Some boater will usually tell you are on the wrong channel, and direct you to the correct one.  Most everyone is helpful, because there are precious few resources here if you get in a bind.  We have a watermaker (that is working for now) and can make our own water.  Otherwise you have to go into one of the  marinas (there are only four for the entire chain) and buy water at .50 cents a gallon.  What to get rid of your garbage?  $10 bucks a bag.  Don’t even ask about gas and diesel.  Everything here arrives by the mail boat (an inter-island work boat), so you better be in line for gas, diesel, produce, etc. the day it arrives, as things go fast. There are no radio or TV stations here.  We have Sirius radio and DirecTV on board, so we can watch a movie or listen to some tunes.    We are in the boonies, but it is great.  Hopefully the pics will reflect the beauty.  Claib and family arrive Saturday, and we can’t wait!  

The dinghy is our primary source of transportation to and from an anchorage.  

There are various mooring fields throughout the park, so for a fee you can tie up to a mooring ball as opposed to anchoring.  

Shroud Cay is known for its winding streams.  

This one went for about a mile all the way to the Atlantic side. 

Shroud Cay mooring field.

This guy has a bad habit of pooping on my motor, and laughing about it!

The sunsets over the sound are beautiful. 

Cambridge Cay mooring field. 

Many of the mega yachts have a Stew (Steward), Captain, first mate and deck hand.  This is ours all in one.  

The great pump quest

My new raw water pump is well traveled.  I am now on a first name basis with the Nassau DHL agent.  She found my pump, and had it delivered to the DHL agent in Rock Sound, Eleuthera.  Rock Sound is about 60 miles south of Spanish Wells, and yesterday (Wednesday) we took the trip to retrieve the wayward pump.  First we had to take a ferry from Spanish Wells to North Eleuthera.  From the ferry landing a short cab ride to the North Eleuthera Airport, where we rented a slightly used car from Fine Threads aka Freddie (the marina people had arranged this for me, and Freddie was accommodating).  I was the only American at the airport trying to find Fine Threads (thinking it is a rental car booth), and come to find out Fine Threads (Freddie) works out of his van which is normally in the parking lot (a nice customs lady took pity on me and pointed me in the right direction, and come to find out she is Freddie’s wife).  Anyway, we rented the car (no contract, he just gave me the keys) and we started the 60 mile journey south.  The road is a paved two lane (mostly) road, with many potholes.  Just like home!  They drive on the left here, and when you meet oncoming traffic, it is a game of chicken, which we mostly lost by driving onto the non-existent shoulder.  I say we as both Alexis and I were driving, I just happened to be behind the wheel (Ken-you know what I am talking about…).  About half way down, we stopped for lunch at French Leave a very nice resort.  Alexis had several glasses of Nana’s juice (white wine) and the second ½ of the drive was more pleasant. 

We arrived at Rock Sound and went to Dingle’s gas station, bar and grill, which is also the DHL office and low and behold, the pump was there!  Hooray.

Back on Serenity, we were invited by the boat next door for drinks and potluck dinner.  There are two boats traveling together, both from Florida’s west coast.  One couple’s son owns a business in Morgan City, and the other we discovered are my distant cousins on the Pope side of the family tree.  Small world.  After a pleasant dinner we crashed, knowing we had to tackle installing the pump the next morning.  Well the pump did not come with all the parts (two O-rings and an oil injection gland), so I called On Site Marine, my other Houma connection, who had fixed my watermaker hose.  Mark from On Site showed up and is installing the pump as we speak.  Come to find out Mark has a niece that lives in Houma, married to a Coast Guardsman stationed there.  A small world indeed.

Assuming I can start my engines, it looks like the winds will be down tomorrow and we will make the short hop to the Exumas, where Claiborne and family will join us in a week.  Stay tuned! 

There are very few bridges in the Bahamas, but the ferry service is dependable and cheap.

These guys have a cottage industry moving vehicles from Spanish Wells to Eleuthera. 

Wait, the steering wheel is on the wrong side!

The Glass Window bridge-Atlantic on one side Caribbean the other.  

Entrance to French Leave resort.

French Leave dinghy dock.

The waterpump!

The new pump.

Naturally, the pump is on the outboard side of the engine, with very little space to work.  

Goons!

What a goon.  That is what I tell my grandkids when they do something silly.  Well, that appellation now belongs to me.  After a lovely stay at Harbour Island it was time to return to Spanish Wells to collect my water pump (another goon story).  Captain Kirt was scheduled to join us Sunday at 10:00 am sharp, so I started the engines at 9:30 and began the process of getting the boat ready to depart (about a ½ hour process).  Captain Kirt is a punctual man, and arrived on time, just as the starboard engine died.  I quickly went into diagnostic mode and determined it was fuel starved.  Diesel engines can have no air in the fuel system in order to run, and my vacuum gauge showed I had a big blockage somewhere, so I began the “bleeding” process to rid the system of air.  After some time I realized I was not getting fuel to the engine.  Panic began to creep in, as I thought the likely culprit was a bad fuel pump.  It was Sunday, mother’s day, and mechanics were hard to find, but with the right application of cash the marina found one for me.  As Captain Kirt patiently waited, the mechanic showed up and took a look.  Hey mon, is your fuel valve open he asked.  Before answering that question a few facts about Serenity.  She has six fuel tanks.  The two saddle tanks are the only ones from which the engines can draw fuel.  I have to transfer fuel from the other four tanks in order to use it via a manifold system, which I had done after arriving at Harbour Island.  Well you see where this is headed.  I paid $250 for the mechanic to tell me the fuel valve to the starboard engine was closed, and I had starved the engine of fuel, thereby filling it with air.  What a goon.  Evidently in transferring fuel I inadvertently closed the wrong valve….  We properly bled the entire fuel system, a real PIA, and were underway.  The good news it that Captain Kirt brought homemade banana bread, which was great.  We arrived at Spanish Wells without further incident, and went to dinner for mother’s day.  As my brother says, nobody will ever love you like your mother, so please remember your mothers on that special day!  I can only imagine what Bon Bon would say…..

As to the other goon story.  DHL is the preferred shipping company here, so my pump is in their hands.  Following it online I saw it left Tampa, went to Miami then to Nassau and it cleared customs.  I am in business I thought.  Then instead of heading to Spanish Wells, it went back to Miami where it is with US customs, who are probably wondering what to do with it.   Naturally DHL says I have to talk to the Bahamas office, which is closed for the weekend….  I am surrounded by goons!

Serenity's fuel manifold.  Can you spot the offending valve?

Harbour Island

Harbour Island, in the Eleuthera chain of islands is as about upscale as it gets in the out islands of the Bahamas.  Noted for its pink sand beaches, Harbour Island has beach resorts, spas, restaurants and quaint hotels.  It is only a twelve mile boat ride from Spanish Wells, but you must go through the infamous devils backbone reef.  Discretion being the better part of valor, we hired a local pilot to take us through.  We got a history lesson to boot, as Captain Kirt was born and raised in Spanish Wells and made a living off the sea.  His ancestors were some of the original British settlers.  We have enjoyed our stay at the Valentine Marina and Resort, and will head back to Spanish Wells Sunday to get our pump and then head to the Exumas.  We have gorged at several of the restaurants, I took a dive trip, and we walked the pink sand beaches.  This has been a lovely, albeit, expensive stop!  

Captain Kirt's skiff, a typical Bahamian design.  

Spanish Wells to the left, Eleuthera to the right.

Captain Kirt. 

Reefs to the left and right and we are the only bait in town!

We picked up these two hitchhikers. 

This passes for a channel marker in a third world country....and Louisiana.  I feel right at home.  

At Valentines Marina, we were one of the smallest boats.  There are many mega yachts, with crews who do all the work.  The crew on these yachts are fun to chat with, and are always helpful.  

The marina bar and grill.

An upscale wine shop, the last we will see on the trip to the out islands.

The Rock House restaurant.

A charming couple.

Sunset from our table.

Grouper and lobster entrees. 

Pink sand beach.

Look closely and you can see flecks of pink coral in the sand,