Our
Fluid Schedule Sloshes: April 10 2017
The
weather forecast is at it again – yep, wind.
This time - fairly quick and not arriving for a few days but the
cruisers are already strategizing and planning itineraries. Some are headed to other anchorages, some are
headed to marinas, and yet others are parking the boat and heading home for a week or
two…everyone is different. As for us - we
will stay put because we have friends arriving into Staniel Cay. In the meantime, we did a drift snorkel
through the pass between Fowl Cay and Big Majors and generally got out and
about like everyone else on the calm day (3/21). The drift snorkel was fun and really shot us
through the pass so it was nice to be holding onto the dinghy. Small errands snuck in like a bit of food shopping at the
Blue Store as well as dropping off the propane tank for a fill at Isles General
Store. It is easy to dinghy around with flat water.
Staniel
Cay Yacht Club is the hub of activity on this small island. The island is as interesting for what it does
not have as for what it does have: no for ATMs or phones…yes for a medical clinic
with a nurse in residence, a couple of small stores (think 7Eleven type) and
endless vistas of water that must be seen to be believed. The Yacht Club is a bit of community center
and celebration point with burgers and beer in a laid back bar, wifi on the porch and a
fish cleaning station that attracts sharks…and the sharks attract two legged
creatures; go pro camera wearing teens, bikini clad females and even small
children. It seems the posted sign does nothing
to deter the vacationers from jumping into the shark’s food dish and splashing
around. No thanks! As far as we know – no one has been lost…but
the future of our species may be in question (tee, hee, hee).
Today’s
the day! Friends Lino and Phyllis
arrived into the airport right on time via Watermaker's Air (3/23).
Okay, “airport” is a bit grandiose.
It is really more of a gazebo beside a long strip of pavement. Welcome back!
Not much has changed since their last visit two years ago but we hit the
ground running and quickly changed into beach attire for an afternoon on the
sand bar near the former Sampson Cay Marina (now a private club owned by a sole
individual). We wanted to start their trip
off with some fun in the sun because the winds would arrive the next day which
will keep us boat bound.
As
the winds geared up we took it easy, read and caught up on goings
on in eachothers lives over the past couple of months. The day slid by nicely. Oh, it’s four…it’s time to pour. Dinner was a bit of grazing on kielbasa
bites, hot artichoke cheese dip and pineapple chunks.
Overnight,
the winds lightened enough for us to do a bit of snorkeling off the beach
(3/25). Plus, we checked out the
swimming pigs. There has been a bit of
drama recently because several pigs died all on the same day which has resulted
in a few changes…like depositing food into a bucket ashore and a shade gazebo
for pig “safety.” The swimming pigs have
been a tourist attraction for decades but more recent popularity has seen the number of visitors positively explode. The pig beach is a non-stop
parade of boats that come to see and feed these aqua swine. As for me - I think something is afoot on the
human side regarding the pig deaths...more likely a result of Bahamian human fiefdoms
rather than anything else because the pig habits have not changed in years...so their mortality rate should not change either.
Wow - there are a lot of pigs. Their population seems to be exploding, too. Unfortunately,
the pigs were a bit of a let down. They
are getting quite lazy in their largess of multiple food deliveries each
day. And since the food is in a bucket placed away from the water they
are loathe to swim for food...bastards. But I gotta say...my opinion is that pigs walking on
the beach are not the same thing as pigs swimming...not sure how this will all
shake out. I decided to flaunt the system and threw potato peels to the
oinkers from the dinghy. This sorta
worked to get 'em swimming and I got a photo that LOOKS like a pig is
swimming. Oh well, it still remains a
spectacle…and draws even a sea plane for a visit. Holy cow?!
Another
must-see in the area is a snorkel into Thunderball Grotto. This spot has been popular with Hollywood and
pops up in several movies: in 1965’s James Bond’s “Thunderball” as well as 1984’s
mermaid Darryl Hannah in “Splash” (Tom Hanks was in the movie, too) and “Into
the Blue” with Jessica Alba and Chris Walker in 2005. There are loads of colorful fish and
beautiful coral to see as you snorkel into a cave-like room with light shining in
from way above the water’s surface through the cave. It
is easiest to enter at slack low tide so that is when we arrived…along with
everyone else. We anchored the dinghy
outside the cave entrance, donned our flippers and masks and were off (3/26). This sight did not disappoint. Not yet done with the water we returned to Barefeet for a bit more swimming
and jumping off the boat before dinner aboard.
Tonight was Korean ginger marinated bulgogi style chicken on the grill
(recipe below), steamed rice and pickled cucumbers.
As
hoped for – the winds mellowed even further which meant we could move the big boat
to Cambridge Cay - just a short 2-hour motor north (3/27). It was fun to share this gorgeous National Park anchorage
with Lino and Phyllis because arriving by cruising boat is the only way to
visit overnight. Stunning! We walked the ridge, snorkeled the aquarium
and had a beach day on the sand bar with snacks and cold beers. After dinner we were watching the stars come
out as m/v Theodore made an announcement to the anchorage on VHF 16…keep an eye
in the sky for the space station that will pass overhead. Wow – it moved quickly - that was cool!
Good
morning! In order to fuel up for our
walks Chris started our day with a tower of pancakes. Yum! Our
beach walks did not find many shells and zero sea beans; however, there were
plenty of sponges and sea fans. The
washed ashore items often created their own artful arrangements at the tide
line.
While
having cocktails before dinner fellow cruisers Jack and Judy stopped by for a
chat. Jack and Judy of s/v Regalita are
from Idaho but are loving their current time in the Bahamas after completing
the Great Loop. Well done! Jack mentioned that it is possible to see the
Southern Cross constellation just at the edge of the horizon at 2am. Get out of town – really?! We are not usually awake at that time but we set
an alarm in order to catch the constellation (3/28). Wow – a wonderful sight and well worth the o’dark
30 viewing time.
The
next day we headed back to Big Majors anchorage in order to stage for Lino and
Phyllis’ departure (3/29). We had
burgers and rum drinks at the Yacht Club, wandered the island, surveyed the
boats on the docks and were generally mellow and lazy. Lino was the real adventurer as he tried a
cocktail that none of us were brave enough to try…a peanut colada. Hhhuuuhhh?!
It simply does not sound appealing in any way, shape or form. Okay, but when described as a frozen snickers
bar I was intrigued enough to try a small hummingbird sized sip. It was alright but I’ll stick with my coconut
rum. Before we knew it the visit was
over and Lino and Phyllis were headed back to Boston where a storm of wintery
mix conditions would greet them. Bbbrrr! See ya when we are back to Boston later in
the Spring (after the storms wrap themselves up, we hope).
We
returned from the airport to Barefeet with rolly conditions due to a wind
shift. Time to plan our next move. Next stop – Andros. This would be a new Bahamian island for
us. New places are exciting but there is
also a tinge of unknown which gets my nerves a bit unsettled. Through word of mouth we have been told to
visit Andros; the immigration officer in Nassau (who is from there), the dive
master in Georgetown (who is from there) and a handful gushing and exuberant cruisers. However, the cruising guides and blogs are
pretty thin when discussing the area which has us playing it by ear and leaving
our itinerary even more fluid than usual.
We moved 10 hours with departure at the earliest point of sunrise
twilight (6.15am) in order to arrive in the last bits of daylight. Our path exited Staniel Cay across the
shallow Bahama Bank via the Decca Channel into the deep Tongue of the Ocean to
anchor in Middle Bight of Andros (4/1). Yikes –
the anchoring was tricky due to shallow depths, varied holding in grass/sand and
a swift current. Needless to say – it
took us a couple of tries. Chris
conveyed urgency through tone and I did not even get mad (that was a first…and
an indication of the stress of the operation).
The hook eventually set and we prepared for a pizza dinner. Very quickly we realized that the Middle
Bight area being described as “buggy” was a vast understatement; however, the five
exclamation marks should be taken seriously.
We closed all windows and doors and fast. Barefeet soon became a sauna which had us
turning on the air conditioner while running the generator. Gosh – we NEVER do that. But giant green flies, no-see-ums and
mosquitoes were all clammering to get inside.
When it was dark (and bug free) we ventured outside with a flashlight to peer into the
wondrously clear water (clear even by Bahamas standards). The ground did not look so scary now which
made us feel better. Hello! Who are you?
There was a large 3-foot+ fish guarding our anchor. Thanks fella.
We are not sure what type he was but maybe a cobia.
Andros
Island is northwest of the Exumas, west of New Providence (Nassau) and southwest
of the Berry Islands. It is by far the
largest island in the Bahamas group at 2,300 square miles; however, the population
is modest at 8,000 people. IN a nutshell: most of the
island is water consisting of creeks and shoal inlets, land is covered in
forests of pine and hard woods as well as farms (many worked by Menonites),
bird life and insects are more prolific than other islands, deep blue holes dot
the waters, it is the bonefishing capital of the world and paralleling the island’s
east coast is one of the largest barrier reefs in the world (over 140 miles in
length). We want to see more but these
biting bugs are again the protectors of paradise and require a strategy…slosh
goes our fluid itinerary.
We
will move north to Morgan’s Bluff anchorage (yes, as in the celebrated pirate) in
the hopes of better options to get to shore and explore the island. It was a gentle ride but again a long day of
motoring (4/2). Also, it again took a few tries to
get the anchor to set. As the water cleared it might have finally stuck
because it looks like we snagged a sunken boat.
Gulp. Well, the sun is going down
so we will address that in the morning.
Thankfully, we were not alone.
There were a dozen cruising boats which created a comfy community
feel. But we did not see anyone on our
journey from the south. What was their
route?
It
was another fitful night’s sleep due to rolling conditions that ramped up as
the night went on. Eegads! We really tried to ignore the rolls but there
was nothing for it – we needed to move and tuck closer to shore (4/3). We gingerly raised the anchor and left the sunken
boat (or wall board as we later learned) on the sea floor. Moving closer into the anchorage had us
chatting with boaters and apologizing for getting so close. Everyone understood and commiserated with the
tight spaces and the poor holding…really just a veil of sand.. Oh
my. We prefer to back down on the anchor
to confirm that it has set but that was not an option here.
The
uncertain anchor situation meant we needed to leave one person on the boat to
keep an eye on things at all times. Our
fluid itinerary sloshed yet again into another direction. Chris would stay on the boat and I would get
myself to the Androsia batik factory in Fresh Creek 70+ miles south of Morgan’s
Bluff. Rental cars were fully booked and
no phone numbers could be found for taxi cabs so I started walking…thumbing a
ride seems to be the norm. Soon a
mini-van pulled alongside and asked if I needed a ride. I started by making excuses about wanting to
stretch my legs because I only saw two men in the front seats but then I spotted
the outline of a woman and a child in the back seat behind the tinted
window - I'll take the ride. Okay, take me where you can –
thank you. Making small talk I asked how
they had fared in the October hurricane.
When the response came that 90% of Lowe Sound Settlement was wiped out I
was embarrassed at my ignorance and tried my best to recover by asking how
things were going. Not well but they
were moving forward. My end point was a couple
miles down the road at a three-way intersection. Thanks for the lift.
Virgil
said we would go to the airport first where I could ask about a taxi fare but
he would charge me less than what was quoted.
Positive point. Virgil sipped a beer throughout the ride. Negative point. On the way to the airport he lightly tapped
the horn at every vehicle we passed and was greeted in return.
Positive point. We passed a woman
wandering aimlessly on the side of the road and into it from time to time. Traffic was light on the two-lane road but it
looked odd. Virgil made a call which I
only caught bits and pieces of due to a strong accent. It seems he was calling the police to come
pick up the wandering woman who needed her medication…or else she would become
delusional…which was the state she was in at the moment. Positive point plus some.
One step at a time but
the positives were piling up for Virgil.
We had our chat with El Jefe cabbie at the airport and $80 was
agreed upon between Virgil and me. Later
we picked up Virgil’s friend who was walking along the road. He sat behind
me. Negative point and my nerves
tensed. Thick accented conversation
ensued but lots of laughter and friendly banter kept me feeling (mostly) at ease. Virgil provided some life advice that seemed
on-point for his friend’s situation despite the fact that his friend did not
want to hear it. Positive point. His friend got out where he needed to and it
was just me and Virgil again. We had
stunted conversations but he seems like a good human who genuinely cares for
others. It was about 1.5 hours until we
arrived at Fresh Creek.
Once
at the town Virgil asked me what I specifically needed to do. One thing - visit the Androsia Hand Made Batik
factory (http://www.androsia.com/). No
problem. He knew the place and was a
classmate of the woman who ran the factory store, Lorraine. Lorraine greeted him with a big hug but
hastily informed me that the only reason she let him greet her that way was
because they were classmates from primary school onward. Positive point (the Bahamians are conservative in dress and behavior). Okay, I was relaxed and was glad to be
shepherded around by Virgil…no more counting pluses and negatives.
Androsia
batik are handmade textiles and garments that are made in only one place –
Fresh Creek on Andros. In the beginning
(1973) the fabrics and garments were hand painted with wax and dyed on the beach
at The Small Hope Lodge (which Androsia co-founder Rosi Birch and her husband
founded in 1960…http://www.smallhope.com/).
Since then the process has been refined and is now executed in a few small
buildings; however, the process is very much the same as it was on the
beach. The sponge and wire molds for
application of the wax are handmade and kept.
Older molds cover the walls from floor to ceiling in the wax room. I arrived at lunchtime so Lorraine
volunteered to walk me through the rooms and explained the process from start
to finish. It is fascinating! The designs are cheerful and the colors are
vibrant! I took pictures and asked
tons of questions but Lorraine never seemed to be impatient.
Founder, Rosi Birch, enjoyed the creative outlet of the batik process; however, she was even more
passionate about the employment that the factory would provide for local women. This is a wonderful story. We wrapped up at the factory store and a couple of purchases by me. Thank you – Lorraine.
Virgil
and I were back on the road chatting about food and this and that. He asked if
there was anything else I wanted to see…like the Blue Hole or other island sites. Nope – I’m good. Well, he insisted on one visit – a drive
through The Small Hope Lodge. Yep, that
sounded perfect. During the long drive
back I asked Virgil about the hurricane damage.
He said it was bad and made a short detour to Lowe Sound Settlement to
show me. It was very tragic to see:
tanks thrown across roads onto houses, buildings completely leveled, all
restaurant take-aways swept away, trees smashed onto cars and buildings. It had been about six months since the
hurricane hit but it will be much longer until things are back up and
running. Additionally, the previously
sandy anchorage at Morgan’s Bluff was nearly scoured clean (explaining our poor
holding). Back at Morgan’s Bluff I
called Chris on the VHF but Virgil insisted on shaking Chris’ hand before continuing
on his way. Thanks for a great day
Virgil!
Back
aboard Barefeet and I prepared an artichoke cheese dip for sundowner cocktails
and nibbles on the beach. The whole
anchorage showed up and most of the folks were new to us. We all stayed chatting as long as possible
swapping future itineraries and former paths to Andros. Three of the boats have just arrived from
Florida – oh, that is why we hadn’t seen anyone coming our way. The end of the festivities came abruptly when the
mosquitoes swarmed. No kidding – Chris
said I must have had twenty buzzing around my head. Ick!
Our
fluid itinerary began to slosh again. We
wanted to spend more time in the Bahamas but there is a window to cross to
Florida…followed by strong winds…followed by an unseen window to cross to
Florida. We
had hoped to check out the
Berry Islands but there is nowhere to hide from the passing winds (and
no room
at the only inn - Great Bahama Cay Marina). After the hurricane
what little was in the Berrys has been badly damaged...but will be
re-opening soon. Mother Nature has spoken - we will
depart Andros...pass Bimini in the early AM (double-check Gulf
conditions)...come
in the Port Everglades Class A inlet in the afternoon…and anchor in
Lake Boca.
We are not in a hurry to get back to Boston so we will dawdle in
Florida...eventually getting to Stuart to put the boat on the hard
before
flying back to Boston. It's a bit squishy.
Just
one more hop for us and we would stay put for a few days in an anchorage with
enough protection that winds would be (practically) a non-issue. Trump was in town (and just fired missiles
into Syria) which had added security zones on the ICW in the area of
Mar-a-Lago. We slowly passed through the
zones and anchored in Cocoanut Grove in West Palm Beach – between the Royal
Park and Flagler Bridges (4/6). Nope –
that is not a spelling error…it’s how cocoanut is spelled here…some sort of
historical spelling but it’s on the street signs and many written
histories. We were back in the land of
the big PX (as Bill and Louise say) so off we went to the floating dinghy docks
for an anchor cocktail at lively Bradley’s Saloon. Our brains are always a bit jumbled as we
move from disparate lands in short periods of time: two nights ago on a beach for
BYOB sundowner cocktails at Andros with cruisers and meager resources ashore
following a destructive hurricane to tonight in vibrant West Palm Beach where
there are restaurants galore, plenty of public trash cans and a Publix
supermarket bigger than the batik factory.
Let’s jump into our new destination!
Industrialist
Henry Morrison Flagler (cofounder of Standard Oil) first came to the Lake Worth
Region in 1893. He described the area as
“a veritable paradise” which he quickly built into a booming resort town which
quadrupled in size from 1920 to 1927 and never looked back…especially with the
advent of air conditioning for year-round living in Florida. Today, West Palm Beach has a population of
100,000 full time residents. We started
our education on the island of Palm Beach at the Flagler Museum, originally
named Whitehall and built as his residence in 1902 (http://www.westpalmbeach.com/attractions/flaglermuseum/index.html). The structure is massive and impressive
despite a Flagler residence for just six weeks per year. The inner courtyard was more than simply beautiful
because it provided added ventilation and cooling to the interior rooms. And check out the four cheeky fellas peeping
at the bathing nymph in the corners of the fountain. THere were only a handful of people exploring
the museum which made it a relaxed and enjoyable experience (4/7).
The
next day we continued our discoveries of West Palm’s history by walking our
feet off on the island of Palm Beach (4/8).
But first we had another soft and flaky Parisian breakfast at Paris
Bakery & Café on South Olive Avenue in downtown (http://www.parisbakerycafe.com/). Okay, back to the island which is easily
accessed via drawbridges for pedestrians and autos…but looks pretty sci-fi with
street lamps at 90 degree angles when raised.
The Breakers Resort (founded in 1896 by Henry Flagler) is another
stunning building (https://www.thebreakers.com/). Despite fires in 1903 and 1925 it reemerged
each time more opulent and luxurious than before. The 1926 iteration was modeled after the
Villa Medici in Rome. Wow – every inch
of the hotel is gilded and opulent with potted palms, sumptuous seating nooks
and calming exterior landscaping. Word quickly
spread and the resort’s reputation grew with year-round visitors from European
nobility to the Rockefellers to the Vanderbilts to Walt Disney to Greta
Garbo. What amazing glitter and glamour!
The
area churches and synagogues are also stunning pieces of architecture. We stepped inside the Church of
Bethesda-by-the-Sea (Episcopal) after bypassing the Roman Catholic Church
because a funeral was in progress for Yveylne “Deedy” Matrix – a political path
finder and the first female mayor of Palm Beach (elected in 1983 and served for
10 years). The main road on the island
of Palm Beach is South County Road which is a charming street crowded with chic restaurants,
the Classic Bookshop, stylish children’s boutiques, places of worship and a
thrift shop. What?! Okay, a “resale”
shop. The Church Mouse is a resale shop
whose donations originate from the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea (http://www.bbts.org/about-us/church-mouse/). They have everything from clothing to
furniture to china place settings. Of
course I checked it out…after depositing Chris in a shaded garden with his
book. Two lovely summer blouses will
return with me to Boston. That’s it for
today and we headed back to the boat. We
were pooped.
2
Tablespoons sesame oil
1
Tablespoon honey
1
Tablespoon vinegar
1
teaspoon ground black pepper
3
scallions, thinly sliced
3
garlic cloves, minced
1
Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2
Tablespoons sesame seeds
1.5
lbs chicken breasts
2)
Grill
over moderate heat, turning once until lightly charred and cooked through. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds, slice
thin and serve.
3)
To
use remaining marinade – heat on stove to boiling. Serve beside chicken.
4)
Accompaniments
include: lettuce, steamed rice, kimchi, cucumbers, sriracha chile sauce.