Southbound once again
Our most excellent guests, Jim, Sherry, and Eliot, flew the coop in the nick of time. They scooted out of Staniel Cay this morning just ahead of a cold front that is bringing a) brisk north winds, b) boisterous seas, and c) shockingly cold weather. After returning from the airstrip Ellen, Moss, and I set sail in search of a calmer spot at which to spend the night. We all had to wear long sleeve shirts in order to stay comfortable on our sail down to a bay just south of Black Point. Long sleeves! Insanity.
You might think we are anchored in Scotland but this is still in the Bahamas. Can you see the mast of the sailboat that’s wrecked on the beach on the far side of the castle?
Fortunately, the cold front is turning out to be less of a weather event than initially forecast. The winds are not gusting into the 30 knot range, but are instead staying in the low to mid 20s. And our spot, snuggled up close to shore, protects us from all of the waves and most of the swell. We ought to have a calm stay here. The next week or so should bring strong trade winds from the east – exactly the winds the majority of the anchorages in the Exumas provide excellent protection from. (Sorry about that terminal preposition, I got a lousy night’s sleep last night and do not feel grammatically adroit this afternoon.)
Our week with the Masons was enjoyed doing the things we came to the Bahamas for: swimming, spearfishing, sailing, eating great food, drinking great rum drinks, relaxing, and visiting. We all made better pals with Ian, the Mayor of Gaulin Cay who has been coming down here for decades.
Jim and Sherry: happy couple in the Bahamas.
Having guests aboard is always a treat. We get to show people how we live on Cupcake, we get to share this fabulous place, and we get to remember how fortunate we are to be down here. Seeing the water and the fish and the sand and the boats through new eyes is always welcome.
Two goofballs on the beach.
Last night when we were enjoying a farewell dinner at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Ian and his friend Scott spent some time teaching Moss and Eliot how to play pool. Where better to pick up a pool-hustler habit than under the auspices of a pair of pirates at a tropical bar?
Yesterday Jim and Ellen and Moss were feeling a little crispy from the sun, so I took Sherry and Eliot (who were also pretty crispy, but undeterred) to a fantastic crescent beach on the east side of Staniel Cay. Because the weather was so calm (in advance of a cold front, the trades are often suppressed for several days) we were able to take little Mr. Flowerpot around to the Exuma Sound side of the cay and explore places that are quite wild and wavy most of the time. (Side note: I am pleased to report that the engine has never run as well as it has the past week. Successful repair!)
While Eliot and Sherry walked the beach, built a beach-junk-totem pole, and played in the surf, I took the dinghy and my spear about a quarter mile from shore to hunt at a lovely coral reef.
The water was crystal clear, the reef was beautiful and ranged from about 3’ beneath the surface to a good 18’ deep. There were lots of crevices and spooky caves where all sorts of fishies were hiding. I saw no lobster but didn’t stay out too long because fishing alone with 3,000’ deep water just a bit behind me gives me a major case of the heebie jeebies.
Earlier this week we spoke with a sailor who got bumped and well banged up by a bull shark a few weeks ago as they were both hunting the same fish. That encounter was fresh in my mind and did nothing to calm my nerves. I prefer hunting with at least one other person around because it increases my odds of not getting eaten by an apex predator. (On that note, thanks for your company in the water these past few days, Jim.)
Spearfishing with my decoy Jim.
We are hoping the replacement solar panel gets to Georgetown early next week. It is definitely needed because with only two of the three panels functioning, we must run the engine while we make water or we create a power deficit. With three panels, this time of year, we ought to meet our energy needs just on solar.
My to-do list is growing, so perhaps we will stick around here for an extra day to enjoy the calm spot and get some tasks accomplished. I’m trying to devise a plan for a weight belt to help me spearfish. The pros all wear lead so they can remain at depth without all the wasted energy needed when wearing a buoyant wetsuit. My preliminary design involves potholders and sandbags. I will keep you posted.
Ellen, who is good at just about everything she does, is also a splendid wildlife photographer. This is not a picture of Ellen, it is a picture by Ellen.