Underwater
Beauty in the Exumas: January 22 2019
So long Eleuthera - hello
Exumas! We departed Rock Sound in conditions so still that they seemed
more like the ICW in the Carolinas rather than an island in the Atlantic –
we’ll take it (1/14). The photos are
near Powell Point in nine feet of water – stunning! It was a smooth 6.5hr crossing from Eleuthera
to anchoring in Cambridge Cay (between Staniel Cay and Warderick Wells). We
had a fish-on which looked like a colorful mahi but he got away. Next time.
Cambridge is just as lovely as its neighbors both above and below the
water and we could not resist an immediate exploration. The underwater
photos are at a place called the aquarium. The ray on the ocean floor
never budged during our snorkel but the fish were very curious and inquisitive.
Looking ahead on the weather shows some fairly strong winds that will clock around
360 degrees arriving in a few days which will likely have us tucked in at
Emerald Bay Marina (near Georgetown). When the winds lighten we plan for
more traveling.
Until then we will enjoy a bit of
living on the hook and snorkeling the nearby areas. Dang – looks like there is shenanigans at the
Exuma Land & Sea Park. The entire
area of the park now requires payment to anchor. Yes, it is only 50 cents per foot but that
quickly adds up to $700/month. And that
fee comes with nothing – no wifi, no trash disposal…absolutely nothing. Sorry to get on a soap box but this feels
like a money grab of greedy proportions.
Another tip to the greedy is the online price sheet for park
fees…including $1,000 for a beach setup fee.
Really?! A mega yacht can enter
the park and put a disco at Conception Island for the night?! It’s a shame and sure leaves a bad taste in
our mouth. We hope at least some of that
money finds its way to help the park rather than building a swimming pool for
an official in Nassau. Enough
ranting…back to the beauty.
Before
the day got too hot we headed ashore for a hike across and atop the island
(1/15). Wow! The water color looks unreal…like jell-o…and
never ceases to amaze us. Later we
headed back to the aquarium closer to slack current for a second look. Striped sergeant major fish darted, grouper
loped and parrot fish nibbled the coral.
The coral was hard and soft and colorful. Gosh, the ray remained nestled in his spot
and another floated past above the rippled sand floor. Heck, there was even a turtle that checked us
out.
We
departed Cambridge Cay out Bell Cut for our next hop along the island chain (1/16).
It was a bit jerky and rolly that made me feel a bit woozy; however, not
too bad and I still made a breakfast of chicken, refried bean and cheese
quesadillas. We re-entered the Great
Bahama Bank at Galliot Cut to anchor off of Cave Cay. It is a bit cloudy today but should be clear
and sunny tomorrow which tells us to snorkel the mermaid and piano
tomorrow. For today, we will check out
Safe Harbor Marina at Cave Cay (http://www.cavecay.com/). This is one of the few all around protection
spots in the Exumas for a safe option if weather gets rowdy. There are no shore amenities (like a restaurant or bar or market) but you have the run
of the island trails and beaches. At $3.25/ft/day it is not
free but losing your boat in a storm is also not free (reduced rates for longer
stays). This is a safe spot and we will
keep it in mind if needed. For now, our anchor
spot has a bit of surge but it is okay.
Tonight, we sat on the top deck with sundowners and watched the lights
turn on at David Copperfield’s island – Musha Cay. Cheers to a lovely corner of the planet,
David.
The forecast
for clearer skies arrived so off we went to the mermaid and piano (1/17). Wow – we really are getting the right weather
at the right time. We have wanted to
snorkel the mermaid ever since our first trip to the Bahamas in 2006;
unfortunately, not until now have we had the right weather for it. David Copperfield installed a stainless steel
statue of a life-size mermaid sitting beside a grand piano. We have seen photographs but it is even
cooler in person. Well done, David. The statue sits in about fifteen feet of
water so it is pretty hard to spot from out of the water amongst scattered
grass, rocks and coral heads. Not
leaving anything to chance I found the lat and long coordinates online:
N23’52.163 W76’14.157. Holy cow – just
me and Chris and the mermaid.
Awesome! Back aboard Barefeet and
it was not yet noon. Should we move
along or stay? Hhhmmm…the surge seems to have
lessened so we’ll stay another night.
Time
to go but the wind feels more brisk than expected (1/18). Aaagghh...the cut. We exited Cave Cay
cut with definitely more wind than forecast so it was a raucous wind against
tide exit. Once outside in the Exuma Sound conditions remained stronger
than expected with 3-4 foot waves close together and a stiff 15-17 knots of wind
(rather than the 8kts forecast). So it goes. Many folks were
suckered into traveling, too, so we heard numerous yucky cut exit stories as we
moved along the island chain. Also, there was much shared disappointment
about getting covered in salt water after a wonderful, strong fresh water rinse of rain
before the sun came up. All said it was only four hours and we were tied
up at Emerald Bay Marina (https://www.marinaemeraldbay.com/). Emerald Bay is not quite as lux as it used to
be but it is still pretty darn awesome; we are in the $1/ft per day for water
but no power slips (power slips $2.25/ft per day), all docks are floating, good shower rooms (but no complimentary
products anymore), great lounge (with a TV for sports), free laundry, propane
fill service, morning complimentary coffee and everyone working at the marina is super friendly. Winds
are crazy for a bit so not sure when we will leave...maybe next Thursday, six
days away...still too far out to say with any certainty. Sundowners were a bit of commiserating about
the cut and travel day with Eric and Lisa (s/v Music & Lyrics). Many cruisers strolled the docks and we all
raised a glass to being snug and tied
up.
Emerald
Bay is a nice spot but it is a bit all alone at this end of Great Exuma
Island. We took a morning walk with
coffee for a walk down Queen’s Highway (1/19).
Yep, pretty empty – the only retail in sight is a duty free liquor store. That’s okay because the water is clear and blue,
the palm trees are catching the wind and we have a sea turtle for a neighbor. Back aboard and we did a few boat projects
like changing the house water filter and making orange cinnamon bread for the
Marina Staff (and Chris, too). Thanks
Erika, Shane and the gang. Getting
cleaned up for sundowners I managed to forget my towel when I went to the
shower…oops…the outside of my “dirty” shirt worked just fine. It was nice to get to know Gary and Betty
(m/v Laa Dee Dah) over sundowners. And
they were also up for watching a Duke basketball game in the lounge. Hhhhmmm…looks like a lounge lizard is
watching “his program” so we played pool until he got tired and
scadaddled. Andrey and Natalia (s/v
Bella Vita) stopped by, too. It was a
fun night.
A
morning squall of wind and rain barreled through as this period of winds slowly
gets started (1/20). A fellow cruiser
stopped by and asked if we wanted a quick lift to the Convenience Store while
he kills some time before picking up family at the airport. Cruisers are the best – thanks Dean (s/v
Chaos). I picked up a couple of fresh
veggies and some eggs as well as learned where this store is located. Okay, time to think about the game. The Pats playoff game is tonight and we are
bringing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
I have all the ingredients but needed to start early because my
easy-bake boat oven is not speedy. We
settled into the Marina lounge with cookies to share and a Mediterranean meze
plate for us (dolmades, cucumber, hummus and crackers). There were Chiefs fans and Patriots fans with
friendly ribbing but mostly just happy to be on a sofa watching the game with
snacks and football camaraderie. Sheesh
– it was a great win but an exhausting game.
We will sleep well tonight.
We
are settling in and the day dawned dry with bright sunshine (1/21). We did a load of free laundry, fixed the
shade on the hatch above our bed and checked the weather. Eureka – Chris found his favorite flashlight! Technically, he has two but one has been lost
since last season. He was sure he would find
it in a nook or cranny of a previous boat project but he did not find the exact
cranny until today – under the bed in the bilge. Oh, and the bilge looks great, by the way. In an effort to do my part of reducing our
power draw (by turning off the second freezer sooner rather than later) I made
Korean ground beef lettuce cups for sundowners (recipe below). We laughed and told lies until the dark of
night with s/v Music & Lyrics and s/v Odyssey – thanks guys. And we have a new sundowner recipe – simple and
flavorful – a slice of summer sausage, spread of cream cheese and a couple
slices of pickled jalapeno all secured like a taco with a toothpick. Thanks s/v Music & Lyrics.
Yep,
the first front has arrived (1/22).
There might be white caps in our coffee but Barefeet is snug in her
slip. Winds will stay strong and shift
to various directions for the next few days which means we will stay put. The first moving opportunity looks like it
might be on Friday (four days away) but we will not rush it. In the meantime, we walked out to the
entrance of the marina to remind ourselves why we are here. Gulp, it looks rough out there with curling
rollers into the mouth of the marina?! While walking the docks we saw a TINY lizard. He should be careful in the wind not to blow away. Another
fun distraction we have lined up is a bit of land travel in two days. Two years ago we rented a car and drove south
of George Town to the tip of Little Exuma Island. This time we will rent a car and head north of George Town to the tip of Great Exuma Island (Berlie’s Car Rental 242-336-3290). There is no way to rush the weather so we
will settle into the slowed pace.
Korean
Ground Beef
(https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/)
Korean
Ground Beef has all the flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ but made
budget-friendly with ground beef. It's delicious served over rice or wrapped in
lettuce leaves!
Prep
Time5 mins; Cook Time15 mins; Total Time20 mins; Servings: 4
Ingredients
1
pound ground beef
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
2
cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1
thumb size ginger, peeled and finely minced
1/4
cup low-sodium soy sauce
3
tablespoons brown sugar
1
tablespoon sesame oil
1/2
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4
cup green onions, chopped
sesame
seeds
Instructions
In
a wide pan over medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook
until aromatic.
Add
ground beef and cook, breaking apart with the back of a spoon, for about 3 to 5
minutes or until lightly browned. Drain excess fat.
In
a bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Stir until
sugar is dissolved. Add to the pan.
Continue
to simmer until beef is cooked through. Add green onions and cook, stirring to
distribute, for about 1 minute.
Transfer
to serving platter and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve hot.