We made it to Marsh Harbor Wednesday about noon after 29 hours on the water.  We went through heavy fog in the early evening and some choppy seas as we approached the southernmost Abaco islands.  

When the moon went down it was a pitch black night.

We each did one hour at the wheel, staring at the compass to maintain almost a pure due north heading.

We couldn’t use the auto helm due to the chop so we hand steered all through the night.

No sleep for the weary.

We realized we would reach the Little Harbor cut too early, before dawn, so we continued up to the North Bar Channel into the Sea of Abaco.

Daybreak was a welcome sight.  

As we went into the channel, we rode some major swells, probably at least 6 foot seas.

I went down to make coffee and toast but as we turned into the channel the waves starting hitting us broadside.

I hung on in the galley and managed to put together a meager breakfast despite the rocking.

We decided to head on to Marsh Harbor so we could be there for Ed’s sister and brother-in-law’s arrival.  Jenny and Richard were arriving Friday and we thought there might be a lot of wind Thursday.

So we made our way around the long point of Marsh Harbor and claimed our slip at Harborview Marina.

Exhausted but thrilled to be here.

Ziggy had patiently waited 29 hours to get on land to do her business.  She leapt onto the dock and I helped her find a bathroom spot.  She lost no time in taking care of business.

We knew we were in the right spot when Melanie, the lady on the trawler beside us, greeted us.

“Welcome!  Join us at 5pm for happy hour on the dock and I’ll introduce you to everyone here.”

We had found the party dock in the Abacos!  Apparently Ed has a nose for those.  Just like tiki bars.  He sniffs them out.

After lunch at Snappas we collapsed on the boat for an hour nap.  Showered and revived, we joined the group at 5.

And saw John Barbie from Southport!  On his yacht The Office.  He had arrived shortly after us.

And we met up with Bill and Maureen from Vermont for dinner the next evening.  We met them in Black Point and saw them in Georgetown as well.

Two highlights from yesterday.  I finally found a doctor who got me antibiotics for my ear infection.  And at the happy hour on the dock the boat across from us dropped several beer and wine bottles into the water as they were unloading their groceries.

They worked diligently with a fishing net for about 30 minutes to retrieve those items.

We all cheered when they succeeded!  

You don’t let alcohol go to waste in these waters.





















We left Highbourne Cay at the crack of dawn for what would be a 24 hour sail up to the Abacos chain.

The seas were calm and we had very little wind so we just put up the main sail and motored for a couple hours.

We entered an area of treacherous coral reefs, identifiable as black areas in the clear aquamarine waters. Since the tide was rising, though, we had enough water under us so they wouldn’t pose a hazard.

After an hour or so navigating around the coral, we ran into a big blanket of fog that got heavier as we moved north. We could only see a couple hundred feet around us so we put on the running lights despite it being only 11:00 am.

As we approached Fleeming Cut, where you pass Eleuthera and enter the open seas, the fog lifted and all was well again.

We had 64 miles to go, it was 2pm. Figuring we needed to slow down so we wouldn’t get to Little Harbor before daybreak, Ed turned off one motor and cut our speed.

We can tell by the GPS what time our ETA is, based on our speed, so we will sail tonight or slow the motors to keep our arrival around 6 am.

A counterintuitive strategy since we usually want more speed! But the right one.

Now it’s almost 5 pm, just 13 more hours to go. We will do one-hour shifts at the helm and take naps. If the seas remain calm we hope to use Auto-Annie, our trusty autopilot, to steer the boat some of the time.

She’s so good that she lulls you into false confidence. Hope I don’t fall asleep at the wheel.

We have been here in the Exuma chain now for 60 days. Staniel Cay, Compass Cay, Black Point, Warderick Wells, Cambridge Cay, Hawksbill Cay, Emerald Bay, Georgetown and Highbourne Cay. We started and ended our visit here at Highbourne, coming from Nassau two months ago.

We have seen the most beautiful waters, hiked the coral-ridden trails among mangroves and palms, fed the sharks and the pigs, made friends with the locals, shared stories with the cruisers, rationed water, washed clothes and dishes in the sea, sailed in less than 3 feet of water, caught mooring balls to tie up and anchored 4 times in one day.

We have witnessed gusty squalls that blew through in 15 minutes and topped off our water tanks. We have learned how much water we use per day, fuel per hour, solar watts and wind amps per day. We have learned how to manage our waste system and our inverter/charger.

Our batteries worked great, our motors purred and our sails lifted us.

One of our favorite sights here is the amazing sunset at dusk, when the fireball literally drops into the sea. Another favorite is arriving at the next island and its special beach, watching Ziggy race down its expanse with the joyful abandon of a wild creature. And Ziggy swam out to the paddleboard and got on it with me!

There have been many memories. 99% wonderful.

We are headed for a 24 hour overnight sail to the Abacos tomorrow. We are looking forward to new places.

But the Exumas will always hold a magical place in our souls. I hope we come back.

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We left Staniel Cay Tuesday morning and headed up to look for anchorage or a mooring ball in the Exuma Land and Sea Park area.

We settled on Hawksbill Cay, known for its Osprey nesting areas. After a couple of tries we grabbed the mooring ball and tied up.

We made dinner and had a couple drinks to help us relax for what we thought might be a roly poly night.

As the tide went out the waves settled down and a shoal to the west of us helped break the swell too.

We ended up sleeping pretty well.

Next morning we left at daybreak for the 3+ hour trip to Highbourne Cay. We were able to sail part of the way and made pretty good time.

Actually we made too good time because we got there before 10 am and the marina says our slip wasn’t available yet. We had reserved one but the guy in it didn’t have to leave until 11 am.

We knew the bad-ass west winds were going to start that afternoon so we were anxious to get in. But there was no room at the inn.

As the tide was going out the waves were picking up, so we agreed our only option was to throw out the hook somewhere close by and wait.

We went into the basin nearby and dropped it fairly close to a beach and a yellow sailboat.

Shortly thereafter they came up in their dinghy. Ed starts explaining we won’t be there long, we were waiting on them to free up our slip.

I guess after having the Scottish guy in Georgetown yell at us for being too close we were gun shy.

But these French Canadians were all smiles and happy go lucky.

“Oh no worry there’s plenty of room for everybody,” they said in broken English.

Shirts off, happy to be out of Canada!
We’ve met more Canadian than American cruisers, I think Canada is empty right now.

We finally got our slip and had a peaceful sleep as the winds got over 30 knots.

We were last here at Christmas, when we came over here from Nassau, excited to be in the Exumas. It’s much cooler now but still a wonderful island.

I love Highbourne Cay.

We had a great time with Will and Lis the last few days. We started our visit at Staniel Cay, where they flew in from Ft Lauderdale.

We enjoyed the pool, the restaurant and bar that evening and hung out with our young sailing friends Roger and Hannah. They and their dog met another young couple who wanted to go to Little San Salvador, and they left a couple days later.

We spent the first night on the boat in the marina where the wind picked up big time and we were rockin and rollin in the wee hours. It was worse the next day.

After riding bikes and checking weather we decided we couldn’t stay on the boat that night. It was an impossible churn in the marina because it is so unprotected.

Rather than spend another sleepless night I talked Ed into renting a little cottage for one night.

That’s what we did. We all got a good nights sleep and I got my first bath in two and a half months.

Ahhhhhhh.

Next day we took off for Compass Cay. But first we had to visit the pigs at Big Major. We anchored off the beach and Ed took Will and Lis for a short dinghy ride to the piggies’ beach.

The carrots I had provided sunk when they tossed them. But the bread pieces floated so the hogs could pig out.

Lis got out first on the beach and the pigs swarmed around her, causing a little anxiety. For Lis, not the pigs.

They enjoyed their piggie time and then we pulled up the anchor and headed for Compass Cay, one of our favorite spots.

We feasted on Jamal’s burgers and walked on the beach in the afternoon.

Pork chops on our grill that night. The same day we petted the island pigs, probably not politically correct?

Next day we threw up the sails (Will had to do the heavy hoisting) and had a nice sail back the short distance to Staniel Cay.

This time the winds were favorable and we enjoyed a calm night on the boat.

I hated to see Will and Lis leave today! They were so helpful on the sail and just a fun pair.

I miss them already, I admit I was a little teary as they flew off on the little Watermakers Air turbo-prop.

They arrived yesterday on Watermakers Air from Fort Lauderdale about 9:30 am. They only had about 3 hours sleep because their flights from Chicago and Boston were delayed.

But we had a relaxing day, on the beach and at the pool. Spaghetti dinner on the boat and drinks at the bar.

Bad northwest winds overnight and not much sleep, rocking and rolling in the marina. We might move today to Compass Cay for better protection. We shall see.

We are hanging out at Compass Cay Marina, the most protected place for the northwest wind blow, which was all of yesterday and winding down today.

It was downright chilly yesterday afternoon as we all donned heavier jackets and convened at the marina dock for company.

Ziggy is now one of 4 dogs here. There’s Tiloo, Barry the boat captain’s Potcake, the name they give rescue dogs from the islands. There’s Echo on the catamaran who looks like Ziggy. There’s a little frou-frou dog whose name I don’t know.

Then there’s Maggie Mae, the big prancing white poodle who Ziggy growls at each time she passes. I don’t know what it is, maybe Ziggy resents her prissy looks and fancy pants attitude.

Her owner bragged that Maggie Mae’s sister won the second best poodle in Canada, whatever that means. But all the Canadians are down here this time of year so if the dog contest is in the winter she probably didnt have much competition.

We have 14 boats here now, half of which are mega yachts. The most amazing one we call the Stealth Yacht because it’s black and sleek.

The French speaking crew and guests don’t really mingle with us. As we watch them come and go with their slightly affected children and grown men with shorts too short and tight, one of our friends here says it’s like watching a reality TV show.

This friend, by the way, is engaged to a guy from Washington NC. He played guitar for us the other night; his boat is appropriately named In Concert. They met on Match.com. She lived in Annapolis at the time and thought he meant he lived in Washington DC. Oh well they got together anyway!

Ed helps dock boats often. He helped with a cat yesterday who came in the big wind on just his port engine and hit the dock pretty hard. We hope there’s no hull damage.

Jamal the owners son tells us he wants a blue pit bull from the States. He has a female at his home in Nassau but wants a male for here. We are looking at websites for the dog. Ed said he could possibly fly back here with Jamal’s dog, if he finds one he likes.

Would they give us a deal on staying at Lily’s Place on the hill if we did that? It’s got gorgeous views but is $4000 per week.

Maybe. But if we flew with a pit bull puppy Ziggy would probably elect to stay home.

We came up north from Staniel Cay to a mooring field at Cambridge Cay, part of the Exumas Land and Sea Park.

It’s a pristine beautiful area of several hundred acres. You can’t fish or take anything away -plant or marine life.

We were one of two boats on mooring balls in the morning, by the time dusk arrived all 14 balls were taken.

We grilled ribs for dinner and celebrated Ed’s birthday on the boat.

No birthday cake but that’s ok. A memorable birthday surrounded by the beauty of the Exumas.

Well we’ve been on the boat over three months now and I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.

But it scared the bejeezus out of me!

My puppy has jumped on and off docks, climbed 3-foot ladders to dinghy docks, swam to the dinghy from shore and jumped on and off the dinghy from the boat.

She’s developed her sea legs when we are anchored or docked. But when we travel I always tie her for fear a wave or wake might knock her off balance, and she usually lies quietly the whole way. She has a life preserver but hates to wear it.

In a word, she’s pretty confident these days.

But late yesterday afternoon at Staniel Cay, a big black cloud approached and the wind picked up considerably.

We left the gazebo where we were enjoying a drink with fellow travelers and headed back to the boat to shut the hatches.

Yikes, the boat was pulling 4 feet away from the dock, and, since it was low tide, it was probably 4 feet below the fixed dock. The wind was picking up big-time, which happens here we’ve found.

Ed started pulling the spring line to get the boat closer and I jumped on the bow.

Ed was still pulling the line when I saw Ziggy sizing up her potential leap to the stern, which was a bigger drop and farther away.

We both yelled “No Ziggy,” but she ignored us and made the leap.

Her front paws made it but not the back, and she went in.

I called her frantically to swim to the stern where the steps are, which she’s used many times getting on and off the dinghy.

But she headed toward the bow, apparently due to the current pushing her in that direction.

I was trapped on the boat, the wind was increasing and both Ed and I were yelling at her. Probably confused her more.

She was swimming the wrong direction toward a big yacht.

Now I know she’s been wanting to be a yacht puppy but why go to this extreme?

Thankfully neighbor down the dock in the right direction got involved. He started calling her toward his boat which was closer to the marina. He was a big trawler with a nice swim platform on the stern.

She turned and went swimming toward him, where Ed had joined him to coax her there.

Finally they grabbed her there and pulled her onto the platform.

Oh my God what a relief.

Ed returned to the boat hanging onto our wet and shivering pup, ready to try to get on the boat again.

NO NO! I said take her to the marina and wait for the cloud to pass. I was adamant.

He agreed. They waited it out in the restaurant and after the cloud passed they eventually got back to the boat.

Our little swimmer went right for her food and water. Seemingly nonplussed over her watery excursion.

Her mom however not so.

Had a good cry, then I bucked up and made pork chops for us. A nice bone for the baby.

Then Ed mentioned he had been worried about the nurse sharks lurking around the docks.

Oh my God I hadn’t thought of that!

This morning the marina owner, Dave, assured me that the sharks wouldn’t have bothered her. He says they’re more afraid of dogs than vice versa.

I’m not testing that hypothesis, though. Sharks are sharks.

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The pretty beach at White Point is also an anchorage, in the area where there were once plans for a marina and resort development.

The developer ran into financial problems in 2006 and the plans were put on hold. Two enormous houses were built near there (one is a castle) in anticipation of the marina-to-come. Now they stand at White Point with amazing views but very remote location.

We walked the two miles there and enjoyed reading on the beach.

Wrapping up our visit today, washing clothes and getting my hair colored/ cut by Ida who runs the laundromat. It’s ash blonde by Nice ‘n Easy.

I’m scared! But anything is better than gray roots.

One more time with our buds at Scorpios this evening. They had an awesome buffet for the Super Bowl- ribs, chicken, peas and rice, macaroni, fresh fruit, chocolate cake!

DJ is going to download some cool Bahamian music for me too. Then I’ll burn the CD and rock em mon, as we head to Staniel Cay tomorrow.

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