No Genny - We are not in the Bahamas Anymore

   Goodbye to the warm, sunny Bahamas, we're back in the chilly, overcast mid-Atlantic East Coast. 46deg this morning as we work our way up the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW)  back to Yorktown.
   We arrived in Beaufort, NC, on Wed after a fast 400nm, 48hr run via the rough and tumble Gulf Stream from Daytona, FL area.  Thursday we started our transit up the ICW and arrived in Belhaven, NC on Fri afternoon. Had pot luck dinner and appetizers with the marina folks this evening. Several folks from Virginia, Maryland, DC, New York, Toledo Beach (where we bought our boat) etc, all the places we have been, were here. Funny what a small world it is.  Saturday we motored up in the increasing cold to the Alligator River Marina, NC and stayed there for two days as Sunday brought even colder temps, strong winds and a bit of rain. Monday it was on to Coinjock, NC. Tuesday off for Hampton VA, then Wednesday finally the run for home with warmer, south winds forecasted for the Chesapeake.

   Back in the ICW with cold water and mud bottom versus sand, here is the new morning attire: sea boots to keep the feet and legs dry as we wash the mud off the chain each morning with our saltwater washdown system (Bahama sand never sticks to chain); double lined polyester pants and Columbia fleece over poly long underwear top with fleece watch cap with ear covers. Add waterproof gloves and windbreaker and you're ready for the morning anchor raising.

   The ICW has its own set of dangers. A very narrow channel you have to stay within; lots of boat traffic to avoid, and confusing channel markers that switch each time you transition between the true ICW and channels to/from the ocean. Just north of Beaufort we had to navigate through several fishing trawlers working the waterway. Seems like it was the opening day of oyster season??

Genny, however, with her built-in fur coat, is very happy to be back in the cool and smooth ICW.  With a nice cushion, comfy pillow, on-time meals and two ear scratchers at your beck and call. And, the potty is just a short walk up forward with no 6ft seas to contend with. What could be nicer.

Nassau - Outbound

   After leaving Shroud Cay we rendezvoused with Mirabelle and went to Norman's Cay just outside the Exuma Land and Sea Park - so we could get in one last day of hunting.
   We got 1 good size and one small lobster. Almost had a good size Grouper but he was just a little too quick. Then it was time to head for Nassau and start the transit back to good ole USA.

  We made the short 4hr transit from Norman's Cay to Nassau and anchored off Paradise Island (in front yard of the rich and famous). Had a quick dinner with Mirabelle crew, then a good night's sleep for the upcoming 36hr transit to Florida.

 Early Monday morning and our departing views of Nassau harbor and the Bahamas. We had a uneventful (almost) transit to Fort Pierce, FL, arriving at sunset on Tuesday. We had 18hrs of great sailing on beam reach, then with spinnaker flying downwind. Around midnight Monday, the spinnaker wrapped itself around the forestay in the flukey winds of a passing thick cumulus cloud with a few raindrops. Took awhile to get it unraveled, then we doused the spinnaker and motored the next 18hrs to Fort Pierce in very light winds and 1-2ft waves across the Gulf Stream. Saw 5.0kts of current for short period in the Gulf Stream, but most was 3-4kts. Too bad we couldn't ride it straight north, but the winds had died and are forecasted to be from north through next Tuesday, so we are now in the ICW heading north up towards St Augustine.  On mooring ball at Vero Beach right now for couple days to restock on fresh fruits and vegetables, plus snorkeling and hunting gear (more spear options)for next year's trip to Bahamas. So we'll have spare gear onboard for all you visitors.

Shroud Cay

 From Cambridge Cay we next went to Shroud Cay, still in the Exuma Park. The neat experience at Shroud is the salt water creek that goes nearly across the island, about 2 miles, which you can dinghy up (at all but low tide we found out). The creek is lined on both sides by mangroves. We saw lots of fish, two nurse sharks and many conch in the small tributaries.

   Initially, we were able to motor up the creek. Then we hit sections where we had to resort to poling as it was only a couple hours after low tide.

   Finally it was no go poling and it was time to resort to dragging. Genny got to ride but Sue had to walk along with me. Fortunately, that's the end of the creek just up ahead. There is a strip of sand about 100yds wide between the end of the creek and the ocean on the other side. The ocean waters pass through the sand and come up into the creek which flows to the western shore.

 The reward for trekking up the creek (other than all the pretty fish in the creek) is the beautiful beach on the ocean shore side. Noone lives on Shroud Cay so this is your private beach for the day.

 Genny had a good time walking the beach and cooling her feet in the surf. No interesting shells on this beach as it was all deep, fine sand. The brown debris is Sargasso seaweed that washes up on all the beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Cambridge Cay

   We finally had to depart Sampson Cay and start our trek home. First stop was Cambridge Cay just a few miles north. This Cay is just inside the Exuma Sea and Land Park, so no fishing/hunting allowed, just sightseeing the beautiful sites.

Each morning at Cambridge we made the quick walk to the eastern shore and had a sunrise yoga session on the beach. Pretty spectacular scenery. Only problem was the constant breeze which blows your mat over. Of course "corpse pose" keeps the mat in place exceptionally well.

Not being able to hunt or fish leaves plenty of time for walking the beach and enjoying the views. We also went snorkeling to the impressive ocean shore caves on Rocky Dundas off Cambridge. We have a long underwater video of the caves that is too long to load on the blog. You'll have to stop by our place after 1 April to see it. Very impressive.



Sampson Cay

   We are homesteading (7 days now) at Sampson Cay which is one of the best little spots in the Exumas with lots of things to do including lobster and fish hunting, snorkeling on reefs, beach walking, refueling and a nice restaurant.

   There are lobsters here, but hard to find for us novices. I got one on Monday and missed one yesterday. The commercial fishers have no problem. This is only half of their catch, along with some good size groupers. They clean the fish, throwing scraps to the Nurse Sharks and rays, then sell the seafood to the Sampson Cay restaurant.

Yesterday we anchored the boat just off a small island off Sampson and dinghied into the beaches, first the sandy island in the background, where we saw this little protected beach across the channel.  We explored the islands, did some fishing, snorkeling and hunting for lobsters (missed one), and enjoyed the perfect day.

  Genny enjoyed her day off the big boat. She raced around the beach burning off some stored energy. Getting ready to head back to boat, Sue found a starfish near the shoreline. Genny wasn't too impressed with the motionless thing that smelled like seawater.

This is one of the prettiest and nicest places to hangout in the Exumas with lots to do nearby. We'll spend more time here next year.
   We'll spend the next week at the Exuma Sealife Park just a couple hours away, then its time to start heading back to the real world - and grandchildren - with lots of great photos and videos. We have a great underwater video to load up when we get to better wifi bandwidth.

Georgetown

  We arrived at Georgetown and restocked on food, fuel and water for the arrival of Carol and Tara. We had a fabulous time showing them the views and activities of the Bahamas.

  First on the agenda was a welcoming cold and frosty Kalik Bahamian beer at the Two Turtles bar. Carol first went for the Guiness, then switched to Kalik.

 After picking the ladies up in Georgetown at Kidd Cove, we then moved over to the Monument anchorage area off Stocking Island with better protection from the winds and better vistas.

  Next on the agenda was a seafood dinner on Tides Inn, but first we had to clean the conch. Carol and Tara got a lesson in conch cleaning and the various techniques to get them out of the shell. We had partial success with the freezing method.

   Dinner consisted of conch appetizers, lobster, several types of fish and beans and rice. All the seafood caught and prepared by Sue and Mark.

   Other than eating and drinking, we also did several hikes across the island and walks along the beaches. We went snorkeling twice and saw lots of aquarium tropical fishes and corals. No hunting allowed in the Georgetown area though.

   The time went much to fast and soon Carol and Tara were winging their way back to Yorktown through Nassau, and Sue and I were back alone with Genny on the Bahamian beaches.
   We are heading north now to meet back up with friends further up the Exuma chain.
   More to follow.