Clarence Town, Long Island, Bahamas
 

We ended up staying in Clarence Town for five days as a front stalled over us and blew 25 knots out of the north. It was a pleasant harbor with the marina as the center of attention. It had only about 12 slips, but Mario and his wife were very nice and helpful.
Before the Blow Started
Our next task was to get checked into customs. Bad planning on our part but Clarence Town does not have a customs and immigration office. Fortunately Mario had already arranged for the officials to visit the marina on Monday morning for another boat so we planned on just tagging along clearing in at the same time. When Monday morning came the winds were blowing 25 knots right out of the north and we had about a 1/2 mile stretch of water exposed to the north we had to go across to get to the marina. The waves were 3-4 feet high, which is huge when your in a dinghy. After several calls on the VHF we found out that everyone had to fill out their own immigrations form. So I volunteered to go across, get the forms and bring them back for everyone to fill out. It was quite an adventure with spotters on either side watching in case I had problems. After going airborne a couple of times I decided to slow down a bit. Finally the strategy that worked best with the sea on the beam was to scoot in a trough of the waves as long a I could then slow down and head up into the wave. Heading down the wave was a scary proposition since I had very little control of the dinghy once it started surfing, even at full throttle. I made it OK but is was quite an adventure.

La Bona Vita crew after trip to the marina

Then we found out that the immigration official requires everyone to come to the marina in person. That was not going to happen. La Bona Vita only had a small non-planning dinghy and three people to get across. So Peter decided to brave the trip on his own and Debbie and I went in our dink. Peter was very persuasive about risking lives and such and with a little help from Mario and his wife we got through the process. What an adventure. A whole day spent risking  our lives to check into customs.
At a local resturant in Clarence Town
While we stayed in Clarence Town we were able to go to a beautiful Catholic Church in a very prominent spot on top of the hill. The architect designed it to withstand any hurricanes and he did a great job. It was very solid. We also had a very nice beach all to ourselves right next to the boat. Clarence Town was a very nice harbor and we will come back again. Hopefully with better weather next time.

Clarence Town to Georgetown

The weather finally cleared and gave us an opportunity to make the 70 mile sail from Clarence Town to Georgetown. We had a nice 15 to 20 knot breeze from the ENE which allowed to to sail at a close reach at about 7.5 knots for the first couple hours. When we finally reached the top of Long Island where we made the turn to the SW for Georgetown the wind lightened up slightly but was still very sailable.

Shortly after our jibe we got a hit on the fishing line. Our 100 lb. test line just snapped right at the bungie cord. It must have been something big and it took our new favorite lure, a green cedar plug with a skirt. About five minutes later we see La Bona Vita start doing some strange maneuvers. As it turns out they hooked and landed a Mahi Mahi over 5 feet long! They claim it didn't have our cedar plug in its mouth, but we are still not sure if we can believe them or not!

Georgetown

We hit the entrance to Georgetown about an hour before it got dark so we entered and had no problems with the cut or the series of strange turns needed to negotiate the shallow entrance. About an hour after we came through the cut we were safely anchored just off of town.

The next day was spent showing LBV and SP around town. Not a long tour but we showed them the highlights like the grocery, liquor store and hardware store. In the afternoon was a Church Festival where they would pick us up in a school bus and take us to a nearby community. The first bus was full so we had to wait for the second bus which did not come for almost and hour. Once we got to the 'festival' we realized they had a little different picture of a festival than we did. No rides or games. Just a $8 per plate lunch. Oh well, at least we got a tour of the island for free.

On Sunday, Ann, Debbie and Fred went to church. We were delighted that the Archbishop from Nassau was visiting and did a wonderful job with mass. We even had the opportunity to talk with him for a while after mass. In the afternoon we moved over to volleyball beach and participated in the sing along and played some volleyball. Simpatica and Alembic were there as well, two boats from the Caribbean 1500. It was fun catching up with them and hearing some of there stories from Eastern Caribbean.

Georgetown to Staniel Cay/Big Major Spot

Once again the wind angels were with us. We had a great sail up to Galliot cut. I was a little concerned that we needed to average 7 knots to hit the cut at slack water but no problem. When we got there we just lined up the GPS waypoints and drove her through. Once through it was incredible to see once again the contrast in water color. Outside the cut a beautiful indigo blue. On the banks, inside the cut, a bright aqua for as far as the eye could see. With the islands to protect us from waves we had a great broad reach sail with only the genoa out in perfectly flat seas. We made it to Big Major Spot near Staniel Cay by 3:30 PM, way ahead of schedule!

Staniel Cay/Big Majors Spot

We were looking forward to showing our buddies on LBV and SP some great snorkeling at the grotto and treat them to some fresh conch from a huge bed we knew from last year. Well, we struck out on both fronts. The grotto can only be snorkeled at low tide and it was always the wrong time when we wanted to go. We took them all on a long dinghy ride to where we knew there would be conch, but there were none. We searched and searched and couldn't find a single one. We did get a brief snorkel  in at a small reef with a big barracuda which really took a liking to me. Most barracuda follow you around at a reasonable distance. I almost ran into this one several times when I changed direction. Finnally I pointed my spear at his head and he got the message and left.

That last thing we wanted to show them was the huge swimming pigs on pig beach. Last year they would hear your dinghy coming and swim out to meet you. This year we landed on the beach and they never showed. Strike three, our credibility as tour guides is totally shot.

Staniel to Bell Island

We heard a front was coming through so we needed some protection from the west which Big Major Spot does not provide. So we moved up to Bell Island. A place new to us in the Exuma Park. We were completely exposed to the winds from the west but with very shallow water in front of us to break the waves it was quite comfortable during the two day blow. We got together with LBV and SP and played UNO. It is amazing how excited a bunch of laid back cruisers can get in a screw-your-neighbor kind of game like UNO.  We had some good laughs about the game on the radio afterwards.

It was finally time to for us to go our separate ways. La Bona Vita and Silent Passage were heading to Allens  Cay, then Nassau and on to Miami for Easter with Peter's mother.  We on Early Out had to negotiate a new cut to go back out into the deep water of Exuma Sound on our way to Eleuthera while they were going to spend a few more days on the banks picking their way through the shallow water and coral reefs. Up to this point they had Early Out to follow at each of the critical points. Now they were on their own. We must have prepared them well since they had no problems getting through Nassau and off the banks to Miami. We were very sad to see our journey together end. But we will catch up with them again I'm sure.

Bell Island to Governor's Harbor, Eleuthera

Our sail across the sound to Eleuthera was once a again a very enjoyable one. A nice sunny day, light seas and a close reach. We had Exuma Sound all to ourselves. We did spot one pilot whale just a couple boat lengths away, but the visit was very brief. Our original plan was to sail into Rock Sound which is well protected on all sides and had a very nice grocery store and other amenities.  On the way we came off the sound into the shallow waters about 10 miles from Rock Sound and the wind was still quite favorable. When we got to a critical junction where we actually needed to head south for a few miles to get to Rock Sound we checked the wind direction and it was very favorable to continue on another 20 miles to Governors Harbor. Why motor south when you can sail north? Another reason we wanted to keep going was the next day was Palm Sunday and we knew there was a church in Governors Harbor and none in Rock Sound.

The sail up to Governors was magical. Completely flat seas, turquoise water and another close reach. We were moving along effortlessly at 7 knots. The wind angels definitely wanted us to make it to church the next day.

Governor's Harbor

When we arrived in Governor's we were hoping to grab a mooring ball since the holding stinks. But when we got there, there was nothing that looked commercially available even though the anchorage was virtually empty. In fact it was a little spooky how empty  the anchorage was. So after looking around a little we noticed a boat anchored just behind Levy Island about a mile away. It seemed well protected and the holding had to be better than in the harbor. So like sailboats often do, we went over and anchored by this lonely boat. Once we got settled we noticed a dinghy coming from the harbor. It was the owners of the lonely sailboat, Victoria. We introduced ourselves when they stopped by and and woundn't you know it, we knew their very good friends that were only a few anchorages up the way, Jim and Loraine from Yaquina. We got to know them in Vero Beach over a year ago.

Anchored off Levy Island near Govenor's Harbor

The next day was Palm Sunday, so we went into town where we saw what we thought was a Catholic Church the year before. We did not know what time mass started so we went into town early and as it turns out the service at this church didn't start until 11:00 AM. With time to kill we walked around town and stopped at The Buccaneer for breakfast. Nice little place with lots of stories that pirates used to hang out there. After that we walked around town some more and found something odd, another Catholic Church. Very strange for such a small town.

When 11:00 AM came around we went to the church we thought was Catholic. We picked up a palm branch and sat down and started looking at the hymn books.  They did not say the word Catholic anywhere. We looked and looked and finally we saw on the front of the prayer book Church or England. Oops, wrong church. We quietly walked out before the service started and headed down the street to the "other" Catholic Church. It was much smaller and simpler building. We walked in and we were welcomed by one of the locals who asked if one of us would like to do a reading. Debbie looked at me and I got the job. It was a beautiful service which started outside with a procession around the church and then back into the building where I did magnificent job on the reading, inspiring all :-).

We did a little exploring by dinghy that afternoon around Levy Island and its caves. We didn't find a good place to snorkel so it was time to move on.

Governors Harbor to Glass Window

As has been the case on the trip North from the Caribbean, we once again had very favorable wind. A nice close reach on a sunny day and no hurry to get to the anchorage since it was a relatively short sail. The Glass  Window is named for what appear to be a window to the ocean side of the island from the sound side underneath a bridge about 40 feet high. Once we arrived on this beautiful sunny day we anchored with only one other boat nearby, a catamaran named Paragon. We dinghied over to the window to take a closer look and the contrast was stunning. On one side the deep indigo blue of the ocean with white caps and waves crashing on the rocky shore. On the other side a serene aqua water as clear and pretty as we have every seen.

The Glass Window

Beautiful Bahamian Water

Crack in the bridge!

The other interesting thing about The Glass Window was that the bridge was hit by a large wave and one end moved several feet. This is a 40 foot high concrete bridge! There is a few inches of gap on one side. So what do the Bahamians do? The move the road a little and continue to use the bridge! We saw to large truck go over it while we were watching. In the US they would let anyone within 50 feet of it let along cross it.

Governors Harbor to Royal Island

The trip to Royal Island is one of timing. The Current Cut on the northern end of Eleuthera  is narrow and a little tricky on the banks side. You need to follow a group of rocks close enough to almost scrape the side of your boat. Then make a hard left before you hit the other bank. It is a little nerve racking so you definitely want to wait for close to slack tide so your not getting pushed around by current. Tidal information is variable and not posted by any official organization so it is a little guess work and listen to your friends. We made it through ok but it always gets your attention.

Royal Island

When we arrived at Royal Island we found two boats that we knew in Kotchka and Yaquina. Kotchka had been there 10 days waiting for a good weather window to get up to the Abacos, about 60 miles away over open water. Both boats had tried the day we arrived but turned back because of bad conditions. We invited both couples over for cocktails and had a good time catching up.

Royal Island to Lynyard Cay, Abacos

The forecast for the next morning was not looking good so we went to bed with no plans on leaving the next day. Well I happens to wake up at 4:30 AM and download a weather fax that says we have a one day window to go. I called Yaquina and Kotchka on the VHF. Yaquina is up but not really convinced they want to try again and Kotchka is sleeping like normal people. Well Early Out decides to give it a try and report back. By the time we got around the corner to head north a couple miles away we had 5 boats following us. Debbie had put in the request to her Dad for good wind and he came through again. I am starting to believe. We had a great trip and even got to sail the spinnaker for a while! The funny thing was we never talked to Kotchka before they left. They saw us leaving and in 10 minutes were on their way. I'm sure glad it we had a good passage.

Abacos

After a quiet night at Lynyard Cay we decided to move on further North to get situated for Diane's arrival. However, we had heard that snorkeling at Sandy Cay should not be missed. So we stopped for a few hours and checked it out. Unfortunately is was a little rolly and partly cloudy so the conditions were not optimal. However, we were very impressed with this huge protected reef and saw several large nassau grouper and some beautiful fans as well as barrel and brain coral. We'll be back again sometime.

After some lunch we pulled the anchor and moved further North to an anchorage around the corner from Tilloo Cut. In the morning we did a quick tour of the area by dinghy. We saw a beautiful bay and some interesting restaurants but nothing to keep us there another day. So up with the hook and off to Marsh Harbor.

We had a really nice sail to Marsh Harbor. It is a zig zaggy course to get there to avoid several shallow areas. But Early Out was up to the task of sailing on all points of sail during these several enjoyable hours of flat water sailing in 10-15 knots of wind.

Marsh Harbor

When we arrived in Marsh Harbor we were surprise to see channel markers. We had been in a out of here several times last year but all of  a sudden we were unsure which route to take. So we did the right thing and followed the channel markers about half way in then took a more easterly course to the anchorage. We saw several boat take the channel all the way to the end then go to the anchorage. This always ended up with the boat running aground.

Marsh Harbor is not the prettiest anchorage in the Bahamas but we were very happy to be there. It had been our goal to be there in time for Debbie's sister Diane's visit. It had been scheduled since we left Grenada a month and a half earlier and over a 1000 miles away. We made it with several days to spare.

Everyone visits Marsh Harbor from time-to-time since it has the best grocery stores, laundry facilities and hardware stores in the Bahamas. They also have one of the nicest churches that we have been too in our travels which worked well since the next day was Good Friday with Easter Sunday right around the corner. We went to both masses there and the Easter Sunday celebration was a very joyous event with lots of clapping, singing and dancing. Yes, dancing in a Caltholic Church if you can believe that.

Diane's Visit - Treasure Cay, Great Iguana and Hopetown

Deb wanted to write this section and some day I am sure she will.

In the mean time, here are some pictures from Diane's visit.
 
 

The Beach Church in Hopetown
 
 
 

Having some cocktails overlooking Hopetown Harbor
 

Diane on the beatiful beach at Treasure Cay
 
 

The sunset on our way from Guana Cay back to Marsh Harbor