Governors Harbor...

Another beautiful day in the Bahamas. En route from Rock Sound to Governors Harbor we managed to hook a yellowtail snapper. He was small (16 inches) but sufficient enough to be dinner.

All was going along great when the Captain noticed that the port bilge pump light was on. Water - uh oh. The Captain started madly checking the bilges from the stern forward and finally found that we had water running in the bilge under our bunk. The water was fresh water not salt. At first he thought the port side water tank had ruptured. On further inspection he realized that the hose on the water pump had come loose and that all the water from both the port and starboard water tanks had just gone into the bilge. While this sounds devastating, the reality is that the problem was not bad at all. The Captain reattached the hose and we turned on the watermaker to again begin refilling the tanks. The biggest mess is that the space underneath our bunk is our dry goods pantry. Fortunately, we keep all our paper products in Ziploc big bags which kept everything dry except the bag itself. A bit of clean up and we were back in action.

The Admiral

Rock Sound...

One of the first things that we noticed about Rock Sound on approach was that it appeared to be a town of substance. By substance we mean that it appeared to be many buildings, even many streets which is more than we had seen at previous stops. Once ashore, we discovered that the community by land was not as large as it appeared by sea, but still large enough to have one of the best grocery stores that we'd seen in months! While our provisions continue to hold us well there were some things that we no longer had available on board. The biggie being potato chips. It was great to walk into a store with a great selection and a price tag that didn't make you cringe (too much).

The big attraction in Rock Sound is the Ocean Hole. It is a big salt water pond that has an unknown outlet to the sea. The locals use it as a swimming hole as the fresh water run off accumulates and sits on top of the salt water making for a more pleasant swimming experience.

Next stop Governor's Harbor.

The Admiral

Little San Salvador...

We found a great weather window to head north and away we went. Sailing across the Exuma Sound we hooked our second mahi mahi of the season. A bit bigger than the last - measuring in at 42 inches. A bit more challenging than the last as well as the reel began to give way and we weren't sure we would be able to reel the fish in but we managed. The Captain donned gloves and pulled the line in while I managed to get the line back onto the reel. Nonetheless, well worth the additional effort.

Little San Salvador was easy to spot on approach. It had a huge Carnival cruise ship anchored off of it. No surprise as the island is Carnival's private island. What was a surprise, however, is our second day there we had no cruise ship in. This gave the Captain and I the opportunity to go ashore and explore. The beach was great. We even found a hammock to swing in for a while.

But weather has been good which means we should continue to move rather than lazy away our time on the beach. So onward we continue.

The Admiral

Emerald Bay Marina...

We haven't stayed in a marina since our arrival in Bimini. It has been two months since we last had showers on land. Laundry has been getting done at the occasional laundramat we would find (and find acceptable) - otherwise we were resorting to doing laundry in a bucket and hanging it out on the life lines to dry. You might call it roughing it, but given the surroundings we enjoy on a daily basis, you might not.

What I am getting at is.... it was time. Time to pamper ourselves a bit and find a dock with some facilities to get a few necessary chores done. The destination....Emerald Bay Marina..... about 10 miles north of Georgetown but once we pulled in and sampled the land based accomodations it felt like a world away.

The showers are phenomenal with a wonderfully unlimited source of hot water and toiletries to boot. The laundry room even better. Equipped with fairly new big front loading machines - we did six big loads and it is so wonderful to have everything on board clean again.

For dinner we decided to treat ourselves and walked over to the restaurant at a local resort. Dinner was splendid and the poolside atmosphere relaxing.

It was a great last stop before we begin the journey north. But just because we are headed north doesn't mean there aren't new and exciting destinations in store. Stay tuned for more fun!

The Admiral

The Jumentos...

Finally - a weather window. So off we went towards Man of War Cay in the Jumentos. The journey was fast as we were pushed easily 6.5+ knots.

As always while in deep water, the lines were out in hopes of catching dinner. Fortunately, as the sun began to fall in the late afternoon one of the lines took off. You could easily see the brillant green and yellow coloring of a mahi on the end as it zipped through the waves attempting to free itself from the hook. But no, today the mahi would be ours - a new first!

We cleared Man of War Cut after sunrise and found our way to Flamingo Cay where we dropped the hook. Once rested, we opted to check out the fishing opprtunities and managed to snag a few conch for supper.

From Flamingo we moved onto Water Cay where the spearfishing ensued. Each day for days we went out trying to snag a fish and after three days of trying our only reward was a triggerfish that the Admiral managed to spear. It was a challenge to fillet, but was a fine meal.

The Captain and I have decided that if spearfishing was the only option that we would starve. More practice is definitely required. For now we will depend more on rod and reel in hopes that a second mahi may be in our future.

The Admiral

The Acklins...

Well after a great adventure, we have returned to the world of internet accessibility. There is much to share....

When we last left you we were leaving Georgetown and headed south towards the Acklins Islands. We awaited high tide and off we went through Hogs Cay Cut with full sail up zipping along to the tip of Long Island where we dropped the hook for the night. Day two of our sailing would be a bit more challenging as the winds shifted and began to really kick up as we approached the Acklins. We would spend our first night in the Acklins in a bouncy anchorage as the winds whipped around and water splashed along the hulls.

Yet the next day would prove to be well worth the struggle. The winds quit and we hoisted the hook and sailed to North Cay (part of the Acklins chain). There we would stay for two nights enjoying the calm waters and the sealife. We took in our first spearfishing lesson from our friends on Phoenix and would come home with two lobster. Unfortunately, we speared neither of them (Karen did) but Dave found the larger of the two so we took home the prize. From the photo, I know it is difficult to determine size, but know that the smaller lobster yielded a 6 1/2 inch tail so the larger - oh my!

Despite the fun, weather would continue to be our nemisis. We headed inland to the protection of the islands as more wind came. In fact we would spend several days aboard, just waiting for the weather to break. Our highlight throughout it all was that the Captain and I would see our first green flash! About a week into our journey, we received an invitation from two other boats in the area to do a land tour of Acklins Island. After several days aboard it sounded like the perfect getaway. So off we went, with Bernice as our guide, we discovered every bonefishing lodge and bar on the northern part of the island. We also met Auntie Maude one of the young at heart senior residents who has no fear of speaking her mind.

Finally the weather would calm and the fishing would once again proceed. We'd find four more lobster for the freezer - the Captain three, the Admiral one. The key difference this time is that the Captain and I without aid from others would harvest them - SUCCESS!

With the wind from the north returning to Georgetown would not be possible so instead we turned west and headed to the Jumentos.

The Admiral

Georgetown - At Last!!!

We made it - finally - to Georgetown!!! Known as the winter cruiser playground, Georgetown hosts about 350+ boats each season. The community, while the largest in the Exumas, is small but has everything a cruiser needs - water, fuel, provisions, hardware, internet and ice cream!

Our arrival coincided with the start of the two week Cruiser Regatta which includes lots of activities. We've opted to keep participation rather low key as this is our first visit. We've enjoyed the weather seminars and several of the infosessions. We've left the more 'entertaining' events to others and have very much enjoyed just observing. One such event is the coconut harvest - in which teams paddle out to coconuts launched in the harbor and race to collect them . Understand, of course, that your paddle is a swim fin and you are limited by having to wear an inflated PFD. Furthermore, I think many of the participants may have been rum impaired. Nonetheless, fun was had by all.

Somehow, two weeks has past. We can hardly believe we've been here that long but we have. So it is time to move on. Our next stop is the Acklins islands. We will be out of touch for several weeks but hope to have some great photo footage - both above and below sea level on our return.

The Admiral

Photo 1: Around Georgetown

Photo 2: The Anchorage

Photo 3: Entry to Lake Victoria

Photo 4: The town Dinghy Dock