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Fish On! Take Four…Five?

What’s with “that spot?” Well, several cruisers we’ve met, when asked about catching Mahi, pointed to a spot on the chart off Solider Cay. Don’t worry Todd, EVERYBODY catches one there, it’s a sure thing. So….. sure enough, about 1½ miles north of that spot, zing!

Albeit beautiful, that’s a False Albacore or Little Tunny (we had to look it up on the fly; the telltale spots below the pectoral fin are the giveaway). Good fight for a little guy, but lousy eating. So, not sure how to score this one. Todd says he’s still an O-fer. Guess so, since the fish was released to swim on.

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As we came off the Sound past the Flat Cays and got behind the chain of barrier islands that make up the huge (7 miles long by 1+ mile wide), famed Elizabeth Harbour, we shared but one thought: Honey, there are A LOT of boats. In fact…

Even a quality camera seldom catches what our eyes see, and this is a prime example. We moseyed past hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes and found a place way down on the southern end of the “pack” to settle in for the evening.
In areas with heavy concentrations of cruisers, there’s typically an organized program called a “Cruisers’ Net” held each morning on the VHF. All kinds of topics are covered, from where to get supplies, or get rid of trash and used oil, to Yoga on “this” Beach or Volleyball on “that” beach. Any question you have, someone will have an answer to and try to help. Arriving boats announce themselves and departing boats bid adieu. We had a friend compare it to being on a cruise ship. Another called it “Adult Day Care.” No doubt, there are a lot of cruisers that enjoy this kind of comradery. In fact more than 278 boats were counted by the morning volunteer and her 9-year-old assistant – thought to be a record for “this late in the season.” That’s A LOT of boats in one place.

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The anchorage? All day, the big boats moved out and new ones moved in. Including the Royal Bahamas Defence Force! Apparently, the entrance requirements were reduced slightly, because we had (clockwise from the top left): No Comment -154 feet, Never Enough – 140 feet, Home – 163 feet, and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force P303 (100 feet or so? Who cares? They’re the good guys!)

After spending the night safely protected by the military of the Bahamas, we left our peaceful anchorage among the big boats to set ourselves up for the weekend, when the wind is predicted to clock around and be more of a challenge from the north.

So, after weeks of travel, we find ourselves tucked back in Little Bay near the castle. Serious déjà vu. This time, however, there are only five other boats here and no kite boarders. We should actually be able to leave the boat and check out the pretty beach. Although…, Todd’s already mentioned an oil change on the main engine and Susie’s talking about defrosting the fridge…

The wind was going to be pretty stiff out of the south for a couple of days. You’ve seen the map of The Exumas in that they line up pretty much north/south and in between the water flows strongly in and out. So, finding a spot that has some southern protection is a challenge. If you remember Highbourne and its checkmark shape, that crook was a good spot. Problem? It’s quite a ways north. First plan was to head to “good ol'” Black Point Harbour. We bid farewell to the Land and Sea Park Wednesday and headed south, and boy howdy, it was a busy day in the popular Exumas. We must have passed 15 boats headed north and 10 boats headed south. At one point, our radar was tracking 14 “targets” within 2 miles of us. Folks were moving around, all probably seeking the same southern protection.
Our route allowed us, with the aid of Susie’s “super nocs” to peer into a lot of the anchorages along the way, and sure enough the smaller ones were packed. And to press home the “popularity” of The Exumas, we couldn’t help but snap pictures of the big girls moving around.

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Water was nice and smooth; we thought we were soooo smart. It was just us and Carpe Diem, all 191 feet of her!

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Before end of day, other boats must have noticed, because we got company, and apparently admission required that you be greater than 160 feet! Pardon me, is Harvey there? No? Well, then, Sir, might you have any Grey Poupon?

Wind was blowing, but the water was much calmer than it could have been. We thought it might be a good night for it, so Susie tried to capture the green flash at sunset by video. Almost, but not quite. Still beautiful.

The anchorage at night with these big boats is fun because most of them leave a lot of lights on. We tried to capture Carpe Diem, but it’s hard to take a low light shot of a bobbling object from a moving platform.

After Monday’s difficulty getting settled, we were totally ready for our walk in the Park Tuesday, but first we had to find the park HQ to check in. Not necessarily easy when you’ve never been there – where are the signs?

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We’d been told not to miss the hike to Boo Boo Hill. Not only is it fun to say, but there is, of course, a legend to go with it. Some say it is haunted by souls that went missing in the surrounding reefs and on moonlit nights you can hear the spirits singing in the howling wind.

Cruisers traditionally leave something behind as an offering to Neptune for good sailing and safe passage – a piece of driftwood or a salvaged buoy with the name of their vessel, a special trinket gathered on the way up the hill, etc. On top of the hill, there’s a pile of driftwood from past offerings left by others. Todd left a small rock he found on the beach.

Unbeknownst to us, the trail to Boo Boo Hill (marked by the arrow in the photo below) crosses Banshee Creek.

And here it is, the heap of stuff, I mean, the summit.

Beyond Boo Boo Hill, the trail continues to the Pentek Monument:

In memory of Gregory and Teresa Pentek
Remembering and celebrating their great love
of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
“Memories of Happy Times and Bright and Sunny Days”

From the top, we looked back out over Banshee Creek, to see SaltyMare waiting on a mooring ball.

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The winds were forecasted to kick up even more, and we were planning to leave in the morning, so we brought the dinghy up top when we returned to the boat. As soon as the dinghy left the water, this guy lazily joined us for a photo op.

He’s probably admiring the shiny stainless. 😉 Stop bragging, Susie, he’s just circling, waiting, ensuring Todd has no fish to catch…

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Speaking of Dave and Peggy, they remained in Shroud Cay when we implemented Plan Bravo to seek less-bouncy harbor at Warderick Wells Cay. Both cays are in the large Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, which has no cell service and almost no data service, so we didn’t have the chance to properly bid farewell. Until we meet again, the Olsens wish you Fair Winds and Following Seas, dear friends. Stay upright and safe! 😉

Andre, the park warden, was right. It was quiet around Normans Cay on Sunday. Since we’d had so much fun in the water at Highbourne, we wanted to see what we could find around Normans, as well.

We tried snorkeling near the wrecked drug plane, but the current was just too strong. So, everyone jumped back in the dinghy, and we went to find Normans Pond, basically on the inside of the island, almost surrounded by land. It would be impossible to get the SaltyMare through the rough, shallow entrance but the “pond” is huge, calm, and stunningly beautiful!

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That was pretty. What’s next?

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When we arrived at Shroud Cay, the wind was whipping (from the right on the map) and the water churning (Huh? from the right and top?). Picking up the mooring ball was an ordeal (mostly because it’s actually only the third time we did it), but we got it done and no one was hurt; too badly…
Thirty minutes after shutting down the engines, we had second thoughts about the anchorage, though. The boat was secure on the mooring but being bashed from side to side by a serious swell from the devil. Simiplicity looked bad, but the Mare was bucking at the bit big time! Eight seconds? No way! Each boat handles conditions differently. SaltyMare didn’t like these at all! And her crew, even less! As planned, it was still early enough in the afternoon that we had time to change plans!

Plan B (for the nautical types – Bravo)

We’ve learned good cruisers have contingency plans. Ours was to move to Warderick Wells Cay.

A wonderful night sleep ensued.