Blue Holes

We were thrilled to arrive in Long Island.  The winds have been fierce.  I postponed our sail several days , just couldn't stand the idea of 25-30 knots even in a reach.  Tom humored me.  Most  of those who braved the winds said the sail was fast with only a small bit of their jibs out. They saw high 20's and 30 knots on arrival in the harbor.  I had been secondguessing myself for waiting  till the winds died down but you know what they say  " If you think you need 3 reefs. stay home!" When we did sail away, we were part of an armada that had to contain 50 vessels.

There are many places in the Bahamas where Blue Holes, deep underground communications with the ocean, set in a shallower bank or on land, exist .  The biggest and most beautiful I've seen is on Long Island.  Tom and I visited there last year and it was so spectacular that we couldn't wait to spend a day there again.   This blue hole is 663 feet deep! It is so spectacular, you can walk in the sand about ankle deep,  then step over steep edges into the deep blue water   over an abyss.  Amazing.  The limestone cliffs have an ancient feel to them although they are not old by geology standards.  Incredibly picturesque, it is also used for the world free diving championships.  The raft in the picture is used when measuring  the depths the divers achieve.  At first view, even the idea of swimming over the dark blue water seemed challenging.  As things go,  swimming was easy , no wild currents, no whirlpools, no deep sea monsters that I could see.  This year,  for reasons I can not explain, I wanted to jump off the cliffs.  Many local people do this;  it was not an original idea.    Jump was good the landing a bit painful .  I felt the impact all the way up my back .  Breathtaking  - literally!  Also exhilerating but I won't be trying it again.  Can't really imagine what I was thinking .  I had a chance to talk with a local woman who told me that her son and 2 of his friends jumped .  As they landed, a shark rose up from the depths into the blue hole!  Glad I didn't know.

Lee Stocking Island and Williams Cay

Heading down the Exumas we stopped at Lee Stocking Island.  This is the home of  a marine research center I think named Caribbean Marine Research Center .  They have lost most of their funding and will no longer allow visitors.  They once maintained moorings near the center but since we weren't sure about the maintain part we passed them.  There is another another anchorage a bit further south.  This anchorage has good water but getting there requires passing over a shallow spot with about 5 feet of water at low tide.  Tom was pleased (of course) and it was half tide so no sweat.  He loves the shallow stuff .  What a  beautifulspot Worth the visual piloting for sure.  We were able to hike a bit  over a part of the island which is narrow and allows for great views of both the shallow Exuma banks and the deep Exuma Sound.  The next day we wiggled our way to one of the cuts a bit further south and made Georgetown for reprovisioning.  Weather was closing in.  On our way into Georgetown more engine problems.  We are wondering if there maybe some kind of algae problem in fuel but who knows.  Entered harbor under sail sailed into anchorage with about 100 - 150 boats.   Big anchorage.  Never the less it felt to me a bit crowded for anchoring under sail.   But Tom  was totally unimpressed by close quarters, found his spot headed into the wind.  Down sails,  down anchor in short order.  Changed filters, which did not have too many hours on them  and backed down on hook  a couple of hours later.  It held well and for the next two days  we sat while it blew a solid twenty to twenty five with a few higher gusts.    Finally got to stores when things calmed down a bit.  Thank goodness since we were out of rum! 

Pipe Creek

We spent a good deal of time with the kids in the Land and Sea Park at Wardrick Wells and at Cambridge Cay.  We had a ball there although it poured and howled.  Varied places to hike and snorkel  and great protected anchorages.  We all had a ball there.  After our children returned home, we anchored in Pipe Creek for a few days.  Pipe Creek is a hidden place.  It is an area of sandbars, coral and narrow deep channels where swift currents  rule.  It is a bit of a challenge to find enough swinging room as the rocks and sand bars do close in on the deper water.  But, what a spot!    Amazing water as always, but the varied depths provide so many different colors the deep blues of 20 feet  right next to a sandbar . Coral and hidden, tiny beaches make swimming a pleasure.  Windy and cool (well for here) but the water still called. One night there were only 3 boats sitting under the full moon and over absolutely transparent water.  The boat heads into the current not the wind and it took a bit of doing to tie down the halyards.  On one tide they would be silent but as the current changed,  a cross breeze brought a familiar and unwelcome clanging After a midnight raid on the mast and a spiderweb of tiedowns finally quiet ruled.   It is a gift to be here.  

Bubble Baths

At the north end of Compass Cay there is a shallow tidal pool. High coral cliffs surround and separate the pool from Exuma Sound which is miles deep and frequently wild. Waves surf in from the sound and crash against the coral cliffs. In the middle of these cliffs there is a jagged depression which is low enough that at high tide, especially if it is windy, waves crest over the wall and are stirred up by all the coral edges. Waves , slightly diminished in size, but all stirred up and bubbly hit the tidal pool sending concentric circles of foaming bubbles into the tidal pool. It is a blast to swim there. People say that sometimes there is a foot or more of foam on the water but we have only seen a few inches. When the tide goes out it is scenic and placid. Not a bubble to be seen at low tide. A small tidal river runs to the Exuma Banks, shallow water where we generally cruise, or can anchor the dinghy. Makes you wish high tide lasted all day.

More Sharks

The nurse sharks seen all around this area are theoretically non aggressive.  Tucker Rolle, who owns Compass  Cay  and its marina calls  the ones around his docks "pets".  We fed them our left over Christmas turkey carcass as I declined to make soup (again).  They inhaled it in big, big bites.  The bones presented no problem at all. It is a kick to feed them as they circle about and swim over one another to get at the food.  jacks and bone fish swim all around them and sometimes beat them to a morsel.  One shark always swims up to the surface and opens his mouth like a baby bird.  It is all sort of endearing so maybe they are a bit like pets.   However, we watched a young man dangle a fish skeleton over the water dipping it and then trying to pull it away.  One of these "pets" got  the carcass in its mouth and tore it in half in less than a second.  He came a few feet out of the water to accomplish this.   I can buy the  non aggressive status but I still am not interested in swimming with these guys.  Tucker  landed this small lemon shark right in the marina during the early evening.   I am not sure why nurse sharks are welcome and lemon sharks not but so it is.   Plenty of excitement during that happy hour!

Happy Holidays

All of us are having a ball in the Exumas.  Our Christmas decorating was very casual this year.  Searching for the perfect pine was just impossible so we found the perfect palm.  Dragged it home behind the dinghy and decorated over rum drinks---- no eggnog.  We toasted all our friends and family and miss all.  Wild and windy but we are still finding sheltered shores.  Besides after hearing about the weather at home we wouldn't dare complain.  Happy New Year!