Weather or not

Turns out the weather in March in difficult wherever you live. We left Cat Island last week in advance of predictions of yet another cold front passing the area trailing high winds and squalls. We sailed back to the Exumas to meet a few friends and reprovision. Good thing we left Cat as the winds switched to the West, a direction from which there is no protection , and I guess it blew a gale there. Reports say 40 knots! We were in a fairly protected harbor at Compass Cay and it still blew a steady 25knots with gusts close to 35knots. That is way too much wind!!!!!!! During these fronts wind direction changes mostly in a clockwise direction. Itwent from West to NW to NE here and it howled and poured! There was good protection except for direct West. At that point we felt that we were living in a washing machine on the spin cycle. Oh and the washer had a screaming belt. The noise of the wind is really disconcerting after a while. We have sailed down the islands a bit but the winds haven't gone much below 20 knots. Still, it is warm and the water is beautiful and impressive in all conditions. The view of the ocean is so impressive as the waves crash onto the rough coral coast. The cliffs are impressive too. Compass Cay is a resort and they charge to land but it is a nice place. They have pet nurse sharks and feed them a few times a day. After they eat the resort allows --encourages? swimming with the sharks! Nurse sharks are supposedly not aggressive but still!!!! There are signs saying
DO NO PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE SHARK'S MOUTH
DO NOT PULL THE SHARK'S TAIL OR FINS
DO NOT SWIM WITH SHARKS WHILE FEEDING THE SHARKS
I guess it takes all kinds. Hope spring comes soon and March goes out like a lamb where ever we are!

Conception and Cat

These pictures are from Conception the beautiful uninhabited island and from Solomon's house. He was a very nice man who told us about this part of the island where he was born and lived all his life. Do you like the basket by the door?

Photos

This is the columbus monument at Long Island and the beach at Cape Sancta

Maria on LI .

Conception Island to Cat Island

Have been having fabulous sails and been visiting even more beautiful areas. Internet here on Cat Island is a huge challenge. Found internet about 5 miles from anchorage but wireless won't work and this is the store's computer. Interesting process signing on so I can't send pictures at present. I have some great ones I am anxious to post. Soon I guess. As the folks say here "man soon come" so I guess wireless soon available " soon" being open to interpretation. Despite the lack of computer facilities this is a wonderful place. We headed slightly north !!!!! to get here and the sail was fabulous, really superlative. We were on a beam reach and saw 7.1 knots. Well, only for a minute but still sailing along at 6.5 to 6.7 knots under a blue sky over 3000 feet of water is pretty wonderful. At the start of the day the winds were light and variable so we thought it was going to be a motor run for 30 miles. The sail was ever so much better. We've been at Cat in the town of New Bight waiting for some weather to pass. These fronts seem to pack some major winds but we are in fairly good protection. Cat Island has a lot of basket making currently but in colonial day there were plantations here . We have been viewing the ruins of these. Also there was a large sisal trade in the early 1900's so there are some railroad lines and shipping. Also there is a lot of straw work. Baskets etc get exported to Nassau and many people here do some weaving. Not too much industry but some tourism - really low key and nice. The hotels we have seen are few and small but Greenwood in the south was especially nice. They have 2 beaches which stretch for miles in opposite directions the hotel being in the middle. The one to the right is clothing optional. I was unaware of this as I set out to the right beachcombing. Nice shells and some interesting sights. We will head to Rum Cay as soon as the weather allows , from the current forecasts, it seems that may be after Easter. Happy Easter to all hope the bunny brings you nice baskets!

Long Island a whole new place

Left Georgetown in the Exumas for Long island. First stop was an anchorage sheltered between Hog cay and Long Island. Quiet and gorgeous we were swimming and snorkeling for hours. Long Island in the Bahamas is one of the best places ever. It is big enough at 80 miles long to have several townships and they are very different. The island is only 4 miles wide at the most and that means the ocean beaches are a not too bad walk. Thompson Bay is in the middle of the island. We've been waiting out a front here but the weather has been only windy not too awful. We dinghy ashore to a small beach then walk to a path and dirt road before getting to the paved road. They have a thrving community here grocery stores and gas stations etc. Just takes a bit of doing to get things to the boat. To the south of Thompson bay are several townships as wellas the center of govt in Clarence town and two Atlantic side harbors. Thompson bay is on the Bahamas bank side. Nice but shallow. There are several settled weather anchorages south of Thompson bay on the Bahama bank side. The natives say south but it is really the west side of the island. We are truely in the tropics at 23 degrees of Latitude. There is a blue hole just down the road it is 600 feet deep if the picture will send I'll send it now otherwise later. It's too beautiful for words. The net connection is not great so the pictures may not publish. The North side of the island are some fabulous beaches as well and a monument to the Lucayan Indians and Christopher Columbus. Two sort of divergent things for one monument but it is so remote that it is a wonder any mo numnet got there at all. We ate at the Blue Chip restraunt which looked a little iffy at first. The folks got the band going to entertain us while we ate. It was a hoot. Rake and Scrape in true Bahamas style. Drums from water jugs and a keyboard but could they make music. We danced up a storm and this was all before lunch!!! rake and scrape is done with a saw and a knife or screwdriver. I wish I could play the spoons i could join in!! We'll be here for a couple of days before we hit Conception island which is part of the land and sea park. we'll see big lobsters while we snorkle there but no fish and lobsters are protected. O in this long island No traffic!

OCaFaCa RATS

Little Farmers Cay is a very small island on the way to Georgetown. We spent a few windy windy days there. During the night, a boat lost it's dinghy. They searched with Tom but no luck so put out a general call on VHF in case someone saw it. Immediately Terry Bain, the owner of Ocean Cabin restraunt and bar and hotel responded. he got on VHF with a ATTn all units ATTn all units you listen up now. He proceeded detail the situation and call commercial captains in the area. After a while the dinghy was located about 5and 1/2 miles north west of the anchorage. with Terry's encouragement it was retrieved and the owners sailed down wind to get it. Turns out Terry has a group called the O CA Fa CA Rats. that stands for : Ocean CAbin at FArmers CAy Rescue And Towing Society They have a volunteer mission to help others on the water. The motto is "We never desert a sinking ship. " If they help you , there is a request that you buy a t-shirt or two and return the help to others in need. We are now OCa Fa CA Rats too . It was fabulous to talk with Terry he is a wealth of information about the Cays and shares it happily along with thought provoking philosophy.