Landrail Point, Crooked Island, Bahamas

Another day another sail as we push on through the Bahamas, Mayaguana was 260 miles from Nassau, which we need to reach by 15th June, so we are trying to cover the distance into the Exumas group quite quickly to enjoy as much time there as possible. We have decided to do this distance as day sailing which is far more enjoyable though, so tonight’s destination is the west coast of Crooked Island, which with Acklins Island and Long Cay form a triangular archipelago surrounding a large shallow reef.

The Crooked-Acklins-Long Cay Archipelago

The sail was fairly uneventful, Kevin put in the fishing lines although the water was still thick with seaweed as it has been since we left Dominican Republic. We assume it must be the debris from the Sargasso Sea which is mid-Atlantic from here and famous for it’s weed infested waters. We therefore regularly needed to bring the lines back in to detach the clumps of seaweed “catches”. We therefore didn’t leap up quite as quickly when one of the reels ran off until it became clear that it was something far more substantial than weed. Kevin picked up the rod and as soon as the tension was applied a 8ft marlin jumped out of the water behind the boat. I was slightly less excited by the thought of reeling in this monster than Kevin and just shouted “Oh My God!!” in a slightly panicked way, but Kevin was having the time of his life reeling it in. The marlin put up quite a fight, tail walking as it is apparently know in the trade – dancing vertically out of the water on it’s fins. However, after about 5 minutes the fish bent the lure and got away which goes to show it is sporting, the hooks we use are specially designed to give the fish a chance. Kevin was extremely pleased to get that step closer to reeling in a Marlin and was reliving the experience all afternoon and evening….!

The 50 mile sail is complete by about 4pm and we anchor off the beach in front of a row of beach houses. We passed the Bird Rock lighthouse on route which we can see from where we are anchored. Bird Rock lighthouse dates from 1876 and was made from stone quarried nearby. It was built using Fresnel lenses and was only converted to electrical power after over 100 years at which point it apparently became unreliable but it was working when we were there.

Bird Rock Lighthouse

After three longs day’s of sailing we both fancied a cold beer but we had none on board, we also needed bread, eggs etc. This time it was Kevin’s turn to adventure ashore, so we dropped the dingy and he motored off round the headland into the Landrail Point settlement, where there is a small boat dock literally bored out of the rock. The town is a settlement of Seven Day Adventists who do not imbibe, so Kevin’s search was not successful. He came back reporting the shocked looks his enquires had produced, though he did manage to get bread. They had suggested the Shark Bay resort the other side of the boat, so he headed off again this time dragging the dingy up the beach. The resort is the ultimate getaway with it’s own airstrip connected by a private plane which can come and collect you. However, it’s probably not the business to have in the offseason within a community of Seventh Day Adventists and the bar was closed, the local nearby reporting that it may well not open that night either.

Invincible at anchor off Landrail Point in view of Bird Rock

We made a cup of tea and a angel hair pasta and prawns with truffle oil for tea and I finished off Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet which I had been reading before we both got another early night ready for another sail tomorrow.

West Plana Cays, Bahamas

We have a fairly slow departure from Abrahams Bay across 4 miles of shallow water to the west exit with dark patches of coral which must be avoided. The coral heads are just below the surface and are hard enough to hole the boat if hit at speed. We have good light though and pick our way gingerly across, the break in the weather emptying the anchorage as the other two boats head off through the east exit.

 

Dolphins play off the bow

   Dolphins come to visit

Although it is another lumpy sail with lots of passing squalls our journey is much improved by a fleeting visit from a pod of dolphins, the first we have seen for sometime. One even obligingly performs a full somersault just off our bow (I am too slow on the camera to catch it unfortunately). As quickly as they had appeared though they disappeared again.

The slow start means we decide to take the intermediate anchorage rather than press on all the way and so we complete 36 miles arriving to the uninhabited pair of islands the Plana Cays each only about 3-4 miles long and 0.5 – 1 mile wide. The water is amazingly clear, we can see the 20m contour line from the surface as a line of colour change to a lighter blue, the bottom plummeting to 200-800m straight down from here and to over 1000m deep within a mile of the shore. A long white sand beach surrounds the island and it looks amazing.

20m contour line clear from the boat

I am an intrigued by the present of the hutia, a small native Bahamian cat-sized rodent on the east island, however, not intrigued enough to attempt the swell in the tender to go and try and find one as I am not keen on rodents at the best of times and a cat-sized one sounds unpleasant. We manage to find a clear spot to anchor off the beach between coral heads and Kevin immediately gets in to check the anchor / have a look around. He surfaces within a couple of minutes to say he has seen a sunfish, a relatively rare prehistoric looking fish with a large body and small pointed fins, which get their name for their unusual habit of sun bathing on the surface.

 

Invincible at anchor off West Plana Cays

I get in next and am amazed to be able to see the full length of chain to the anchor from the stern of the boat as soon as I jump in. I snorkel for a while and see lots of smaller fish, but the sunfish has swum off. We are quite excited to be anchored in our first ever uninhabited island with only us in the anchorage. It is quite overcast still and we are pretty tired and get an early night.

Our own desert island

Abrahams Bay, Mayaguana, Bahamas

Today, the rain finally abated in the early afternoon and everyone started to emerge from their cocoons. Our neighbours on the monohull beside us, Ann-Marie and Larry on Loafer’s Glory II, popped over to say hi. They are on route to Turks and Caicos and then Luperon on Dominican Republic, with the catamaran also in the anchorage, whose son has apparently already arrived before him but they have both been delayed by the weather. We exchange a few tips on places to visit etc before they head off to the shop. We decide to go for a snorkel, the water is an amazing aquamarine blue now the sun is out and it is like being in a swimming pool it is so shallow. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a swimming pool with little stinging jelly fish, but we still have a swim round. We see lots of pits dug by rays and Kevin saw one mdeium sized dark colour stringray but again I miss it, a large barracuda, some conch, sand dollar shells but little else. However it is lovely water clarity and we enjoy getting off the boat for a while.

 Abrahams Bay - After 

Later, we we are having a drink in the cockpit and Kevin spotted a round shape moving along beside the boat that appears to be a big ray. He is off again before we can get in, just came to torment me I think as I am really keen to see one and haven’t yet.

Abrahams Bay, Mayaguana, Bahamas

We had been hoping to move on quite soon from Mayaguana, as there is little of interest on this island, however the weather has other plans. Overnight the rain continued and during the day we are treated to amazing thunder and lightening all round us. The thunder is so loud and close that the coach house roof shakes with the force of it. We put all of our electronics into the oven in case of a lightening hit and settle down to read again doing what few jobs are available indoors.

Abrahams Bay- Before

Abrahams Bay, Mayaguana, Bahamas

We arrived into Mayaguana and the Bahamas about 4.30pm yesterday after completing a 67 mile sail and negotiating the coral strewn entrance to this natural harbour successfully. We dropped our anchor near two other American boats, one catamaran and one monohull in about 2.5m of water, the average depth in this end of the 4 mile long bay surrounded by coral on one side and land on the other with entrances at the east and west ends.

Mayaguana, Bahamas

 

This being our first point of call in the Bahamas we needed to check in, which has been designated as my job, being more suited to paperwork and being female generally get less hassle from the officials. It was pretty blowy in the morning with grey overcast skies creating a swell across the bay that was creeping over the reef. The government dock is about 1 mile from where we are anchored and we decided that as our tender is at best a wet ride and struggles to get on the plane with both of us, it will be safer and more comfortable if I go alone. I managed to get fairly soaked just detaching the lines from the davits, but have my Kag-In-A-Bag on ready for the deluge so I head off.

I have obviously misunderstood the instructions in the pilot book about how to miss the reef on the way up to the dock and diverted too far because about 200yds off the dock I finally come to a stop, the dingy now barely floating in the rapidly shoaling water. Luckily it is just sand so I bow to the inevitable, take of my flip flops and walk the dingy in. There is a local standing on the dock watching me and as I approach he makes what I consider to be the fairly obvious statement that I have come across the bank. He tells me I needed to have come between the posts (which I had understood to be avoided as reef markers). He turns out to be very helpful and instructs me to moor next to his opening fishing boat along the dock. There are no steps here, but there is a steel hoop to tie up the only one on the pier. I look at the sheer wall which is about my shoulder height dubiously and consider wading back to the steps further up the dock but the fisherman very courteously offers me his hand if I would like it and I scramble up the wall. He is really polite and tells me he lives on the island and grew up here, one of only 500 inhabitants. He offers me a lift but I decide not to trust his courtesy that far and start the ten minute walk to the Abraham Bay settlement.

It is either mangroves or bare earth each side of the road and not particularly attractive, the islands highest point is only 41m high. The Battelco (Bahamas Telecom) buildings are the administrative centre of each island, usually under the Battelco Tower mast and are the first buildings I come to. The Bahamian government crested sign outside declares this collection of three small buildings to the tax office, local court, customs & immigration, telephone service and just about everything else you could need to do I think. I complete the three forms – cruising permit, fishing licence (apparently mandatory) and immigration clearance fairly quickly only to discover that the fees are rather more than I anticipated - 300$US and I don’t have enough with me. Arrgghh! I ask about banks – none on the island (or infact the next three islands) and no they don’t take cards. I bow to the inevitable and head back to the boat.

The trip there and back despite correctly taking the route between the poles is arduous, the dingy can barely keep to the 6ft wide deeper water channel with the prop on the tilted position required due to the shallow water because of the strong cross wind. Kevin is sympathetic and gives me the cash but I realise this is my error for not checking before heading off so off I go back to the office. As the fisherman is not there to help me up the wall this time I have to tow the dingy along from the steps, that done and now fairly soaking wet I start the walk back to the office. I am passed by two trucks, the first smile and wave, the second with two local men on board stop beside me and then drive at my walking pace literally hanging out the windows telling me I am the most beautiful girl they have seen, asking me where I am from, do I need help to find where I am going etc etc. This line of patter is becoming rather a broken record for me in the Caribbean and I am neither flattered nor amused as this is quite intimidating on a deserted road. Luckily the Battelco buildings come into sight quite soon and I see a lady stood outside so I say she is waiting for me. The driver looks round and amusingly says “Oh my god, my wife is watching me!” and drives off rapidly presumably to try and explain! Obviously one of the downfalls of the small populations.

I am feeling quite smug that these guys have been caught out and told off for their behaviour… until that is, the same woman comes into the customs and immigration office and is obviously the head of the office, oops. Another guy come in and asks her how she is, she says she is pissed (from her tone she means angry rather than drunk). I do not look up to see if she is looking at me when she says this. I do not however feel guilty as I was certainly was not doing anything at all to encourage them. I quickly pay the fees to her assistant and depart.

I get back to the boat where Kevin has made me a nice fresh coffee and I get an extra ginger nut biscuit for my efforts. Shortly after the heavens open and I am pleased that I have got that over with but tell Kevin after that intimidation I am resigning that job. The rain does not let up at all day or evening, so we both settle down with a good book listening to the rain hammering on the roof. Reading a book being one of the only four suggestions in our pilot book of things to do in Mayaguana. However, it is quite cosy and reminds me of England!

Turtle Cove Marina, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

We were up early this morning and left the dock successfully between the menacing poles by 7.15am. We then went to the fuel dock and filled up, checked out of the marina. All ready to go, we are then left sat on the fuel dock waiting for the electrician to turn up to disconnect our pigtail adaptor which is wired into one of the pedestals. It is 9am and I am typing this up as we still wait, with 56 miles to go today this is not what we had in mind for departure…

The weather looks good though and we should be able to the clear in to the Bahamas in Mayaguana, then we will day hop to the Exumas island group where most of our cruising will be. The Exumas are 365 islands over 100 miles stretching to within 40 miles of New Providence where Nassau is located.

Turtle Cove Marina, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Today we were preparing for our departure early on Sunday morning for Mayaguana, Bahamas. We were up early and decided to improve our usual planning by walking the mile or so to the nearest supermarket in the cool of the morning rather than the heat of the middle of the day as we usually seem to manage. Fresh bread and vegetables bought and back at the boat before 9am we got all of our electrical items recharged whilst we were still on shore power.

The Customs & Immigration official came down to the marina and I was able to check us out at the same time as a large monohull who also leaving. They are on route to Fort Lauderdale, via Great Exuma, though because of their draught they were having to leave at 2am to get out of the channel on high water.

I then set about the paperwork for the US visa appointment we have next month as this has to be done online. Many of the Bahamian islands are uninhabited and we are not sure how regularly we will get internet access. So I diligently completed all the questions…are you coming to the US to commit terrorism etc (I suppose if they don’t ask it would be in all the papers when someone did do). We tried to gather what documentation we could to prove that we were intending to leave and that we can support ourselves whilst we were there, just in case we needed anything sending to us which could take some arranging.

Finally, I looked into travel requirements for Cuba which we would like to visit whilst we are in the area. A visa is also required and must be collected in person (as we can’t do postal) from a Cuban Embassy. As luck would have it there is actually an Embassy in Nassau, so we will be able to arrange this while we are there too.

Quiet night in with a game of dominos ready for an early start and our departure for Bahamas.