Drug Runners

Saturday 4/25/09 Today started like many others. Wake up, look at charts, read, wait for Pam to wake up and then listen to the weather report. Since we don't have all the high tech means of obtaining weather forecasts we rely on the daily report from Exuma Park which is read over the marine radio at 8 am daily and projects six days out. Nice of them to do that or we'd be in the dark completely. Also Highborne Cay does the same at 7:30 am but only goes out 3 days.

By 10:20 am we were ready to go! We went at trawler speed the 12.4 miles up to Normans Cay and anchored off of the west side of the island due to the strong east winds. Our first order of business was to jump in the dinghy and head down to MacDuffs at the Normans Cay Beach Club and check it out. We beached the dinghy at a sandy spot on the rocky shore and walked down the beach in search of food and drink. We found it tucked back in the island between the beach and a runway. Neat little place with good food and cold beer. Pam particularly liked the bathroom which was outside under the umbrella! No door. Just a sign that said open or occupied on front and back. Just hope the wind doesn't blow.

Sunday we went back to Macduffs for lunch and then set out to find the famous airplane which crash landed during the height of the drug smuggling days back in the 80's. As you would imagine salt water and time have taken their toll on the plane. It seems that back then Normans Cay was controlled by a guy named Carlos Lehder who was a Colombian drug lord. He used the island to smuggle drugs into the US. Drug agents posing as cruisers having boat trouble were able to gather enough evidence to arrest and convict Carlos and send him up the river.

Just so you don't think life is all play down here I'll have you know that I changed the oil, filter and sea water impeller on the generator while anchored at Normans!

Wandering

Tuesday 4/21 - Friday 4/24/09 Tuesday we left Staniel Cay area and travelled north 19 miles to Bell Island and found a nice little cove to anchor in out of the wind. One of the more pleasant nights we've spent in the last few days. No roll and no waves slapping at the hull. We've been in this area before. Cambridge Cay is just a stone's throw down the way so we didn't do any further exploration.

Wednesday the wind shifted making this peaceful anchorage a lumpy spot to stay any longer. We again turned north towards Shroud Cay. Another bumpy ride but not too bad. We arrived at Shroud Cay and anchored near the south end of the island thinking that we would be out of the waves and wind. Wrong! It was peaceful at first but then a swell kicked up about dusk that had the bow crashing into it and the swim platform slapping as the swell passed under the boat. Not a fun night although we did manage to get some sleep. One neat thing while at Shroud was the Manta Ray and the Nurse Shark that kept checking out our boat. We noticed these after I had swam out to check our anchor!

Thursday couldn't come soon enough. After listening to the weather report at 8 am and overhearing a conversation between two other boats we decided to head a few miles south to Hawksbill Cay and tie to a mooring ball. The location was supposed to be better than where we were. Still windy and choppy but not the swells that we had at Shroud. We dropped the dinghy in and went exploring. We shared the uninhabited island with 2 other boats. So running into people wasn't an issue like at Big Majors Spot. Quiet beaches, some nice coral, and a cool sunset.

Friday we checked out the Russell Ruins on the north end of the island. An old settlement dating back into the late 1700's. After a brief hike we found the ruins to be mostly overgrown. Oh well, we need the exercise. Remember. Pam likes this hiking stuff! Wind is still blowing keeping Tourist steadily on the move at the mooring.

Staniel Cay

Sunday 4/19 & Monday 4/20/09 Sunday we left Black Point and travelled North about 6 miles to Staniel Cay, home of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club (http://www.stanielcay.com/) and also the Thunderball Grotto which is a cave that you swim into and once inside it opens up around you and above you. It was used first in 1964 when they filmed part of the James Bond film Thunderball in it. Most recently they filmed Into the Deep starring Jessica Alba here. Also just around the corner is Big Majors Spot.

Once we arrived at Staniel we got anchored and took off in the dinghy to look for the famous pigs of Big Majors Spot. Not a problem. Ray Charles could have found them! Actually it's more like they find you. Once you get close to the beach they swim out to your boat looking for food. As you can see from the picture Pam made another friend! We spent some time feeding the pigs and then moved on. Big Majors is also a popular anchorage with boats of all sizes anchored here.

We finished off the day with cocktails followed by dinner of french toast and bacon. (bread from Black Pt.) It don't get no better!

Monday we went over to the grotto and while Pam kept an eye out for criminals I snorkeled into the grotto looking for Jessica Alba. We both came up empty handed but I did see several fish and some beautiful coral. Afterwards we scraped the salt off of me and went over to Staniel to check things out and make dinner reservations at the yacht club. Don't get the wrong impression. This ain't no hoity toity yacht club that requires jacket & tie. Casual is the name of the game down here! As usual the people were all friendly and from all over. While in town we stopped at the Blue Store and the Pink Store, both grocery stores with about 2 rows of shelves no longer than a VW. Pam's missing HyVee but managing to get by. Back to the boat to take a nap and then get cleaned up for dinner. Boy that shower felt good!

Dinner at the Yacht Club was the best meal we've had since leaving Ft. Myers (other than the ship board meals). Clean surroundings, attentive staff, and great food! They even have Makers Mark bourbon. Needless to say one of us stuffed themselves at the dinner table. It was hard getting Pam back into the dinghy for the ride home!

Black Point Settlement, Great Guana Cay

Saturday 4/18/09 The wind is still blowing around 15 - 20 knots making for a wet dinghy ride to shore. As usual Pam wraps up in a towel and looks like a mummy while trying to stay dry. Once ashore we strolled back to Lorraine's thinking we could go in and hook up to her internet while waiting for the bread we had ordered. Somewhat to our surprise we found the door locked. Upon this discovery we did the next best thing and went across the street to the Scorpio Lounge & Restaurant and had a couple Kaliks (Bahamian Beer). During our time in the Scorpio we met a gentleman named Willie Rolle who at 72 still does guide work on the island as well as being the proprietor of the Garden of Eden. Willie told us about the Garden and how he looks at the clouds and gets inspiration and then finds a piece of driftwood that resembles the figure he saw in the clouds and places it in the garden. Personally I thought he was on something but he was very clear eyed while we were talking to him. All in all a nice man with a very simple way of life. We were going to walk to the end of the island and check out the garden but time has a habit of slipping away.

We went back to Lorraine's and she was open. We got on the net, had lunch, and picked up our bread. Two loaves white & two coconut. I've already sampled both and they are excellent!

Black Point isn't the touristy place with Tiki Bars and and souvenir shops as you can see from the picture of Main St. The beauty shop is in the front yard of someone's home. There are 2 restaurants, 1 bar, a church and a school. During the time we spent on the island it seemed like a large number of people were either standing around various places or were walking somewhere. There are a few pick up trucks and several golf carts for transportation. There is very little protection from the sea on any of these islands which makes you wonder how they survive a hurricane? Still, the people we encountered were all friendly and helpful. Not a bad place, Just a litttle slower paced than home.

Everything's a Blurr

Wednesday thru Friday 4/17/09 We left Cambridge Cay on Wednesday staying longer than expected due to good times and weather. The wind was still blowing on our trip south to Sampson Cay with 3' to 4' waves on the bow. Not bad. Only rearranged a few things on the inside of the boat. We arrived at Sampson. Fueled and went to our dock. We were put right behind Island Time, a charter yacht based in Nassau. Turns out the captain & mate were from Barrington, Il. $36,000.00 will charter the boat for a week if interested. They have all the toys and work non stop to please their guests.

One of the neat things about the Bahamas (besides losing track of time) is the clear water. I've attached a few pictures. One of a starfish beside our boat in 4' of water, and one of the water at night illuminated by the lights from Island Time which shows the bottom at about 10'. We stayed 2 nights at Sampson Cay (http://www.sampsoncayclub.com/) and left on Friday to head to Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay. Upon arrival we dinghy'd into the town and headed to Lorraine's Cafe for lunch and to order bread for a Saturday pick up. The bread is made by her mother and is renowned among the cruising crowd we've encountered. Also at Lorraine's is an internet access point which are spotty at best out here. Temps are in the 80's during the day and cooler at night and always a breeze. I used to think Iowa was heaven but I'm changing my mind!

Still Here

Monday 4/13 & Tuesday 4/14/09 The wind picked up so we decided to stay right here in Cambridge Cay. The forecast winds didn't leave many places to get out of and find protection so we went hiking the island trails and swimming. On Monday we had our mini turkeys that we were going to eat on Sunday. Excellent! I think Pam is getting the hang of the convection oven. Not only that but she is becoming quite the hiker! She'll probably want to buy a tent when we get home to fully experience the great outdoors. Who am I kiding? She is doing well though. Eating off paper plates, Hiking. Bathing once a week. What a trooper!

Happy Easter

Sunday 4/12/09 Happy Easter! Our plans for Easter Sunday were to have a lazy moring of hiking and snorkeling around the island. Then we were going to have our now traditional holiday meal on the boat of Kentucky mini turkeys. Pam found a couple more stuffed in the back of the freezer when we polished off the last of the Dr. McGillicuddy's! However plans change. We were asked to go with a group in the dinghys to Compass Cay Marina for a cheeseburger lunch. Not wanting to be party poopers we said yes and off we went. Compass Cay marina is tucked back into the islands so I was curious as to how to get there. I'm still curious because I couldn't see much on the way to & from. We picked up another couple from a sailboat who didn't have gas in their dinghy and I couldn't see through them. All the same they were a nice couple and we had a great time. We walked across the island to the beach on the other side and found it deserted. Nice quiet place. Might have to come back here! We had the burgers, fed the sharks, and departed. Once back on the boat we relaxed a bit. Watched some guy do tai chi on the bow of his boat and saw another Canadian guy walking around on his boat in the nude. I had to pry the binoculars away from Pam!

Island Time

Saturday 4/11/09 Today we left Warderick Wells and travelled a whopping 12.3 miles south to Cambridge Cay (still in the park) mooring field with the intent of staying a couple nights and moving on. It was a relaxing cruise down the Exuma Sound side of the islands which is a deep water route. Once we arrived we dropped the dink in the water and went exploring. One of the things we found was Johnny Depps beach cabana. Seems individuals of means can buy their own island within the boundaries of the park. When we got back to the boat the volunteer hosts of the mooring field invited us along with everyone else to a cocktail party on the beach. Pam of course went into Pamic mode since we were asked to bring a dip and our supplies in that area were running low. No need to fret. Pam is the dip queen and her creation was the hit of the gathering! we met people from all over the East coast and a few from Canada. Mostly sailboaters who were amazed that we brought our boat all the way from Illinois. One of the ladies commented upon learning that we were on the powerboat that we were on the boat that you can move around on! Sailing's not for me.

Warderick Wells, Exuma Land & Sea Park

Thursday 4/9 & Friday 4/10/09 We left Highborne and headed to Warderick Wells, home of the Exuma Land & Sea Park. Sea conditions were great. Barely a ripple. We arrived at the park Thursday afternoon after making a reservation by internet but not knowing if it was confirmed due to the spotty connection at Highborn. About 10 miles out I called the on the radio and found out that indeed we had a spot in their mooring field. No anchoring allowed! We worked our way in and found our mooring. Pam picked up the line on the first try and got us secured. Not an easy task. We dropped the dinghy in the water and went over to the office to check in. The park is manned mostly by volunteers who either live on their boat or in a house provided by the park. Beautiful doesn't describe how pretty this place is. Snorkeling over coral reefs for me and Pam looking though her viewing bucket on loan from John & Mary from Root Beer Float back at Ft. Myers. We are moored over a sunken boat with a pet nurse shark that always seems to be hanging around it. Friday we hiked up to BooBoo Hill and around the island. Part of the trail led though water due to the high tide. This was nothing for Pam. Right through she went! She did get a bit of a scare when a small lizard ran across the trail in front of her but then just kicked at him when he tried selling her insurance! (State Farm customers. Sorry!) The view from BooBoo Hill was great. We could see both sides of the island and right down into the mooring field. One of the things the hill is noted for are the signs that everyone who passes through leaves with their boat name on. We're still looking for driftwood to make ours as I write this. Tomorrow we plan on heading a little further South to anchor for Easter. We may be awhile before our next posting so to all have a happy Easter!

Highborne Cay

Tuesday 4/7 & Wednesday 4/8/09 Internet reception was spotty at Highborne thus the goofy posting sequence.

Mostly we hung out and gawked at the mega yachts coming and going. For the most part the crews were friendly. Their passengers seemed to have their noses in the air. Too bad for them! One of the yachts was named Octopussy! We tried finding James Bond but with no luck. We spent time at the beach. Watched them feed the nurse sharks at the fish cleaning station. Witnessed just how fortunate we are when the mail boat came into port. Not only does it deliver mail, but supplies too, and acts as an inter island passenger ferry. Once a week! That's It! There are no stores on Highborne except the one at the marina. Incidentally the marina employs most of the islands occupants. Only 40 miles from Nassau but very remote.

One of the highlights was having dinner catered one night by Cool Runners catering service. I had cracked conch and Pam had grouper fingers. (I thought fish had fins?) Very good and not badly priced! One other thing. Pam made a new friend while we were there. Wilson the dock dog. We were told not to feed him but guess who can't follow the rules!

Beyond

Still Monday We left Nassau and headed towards Highborne Cay. Rock & Roll! The wind was still kickin from the SW sending spray over and into the flybridge. Normally where salt is concerned, Pam can't get enough of it. Not this time! Our course took us over an area caled the Yellow Banks which is an area of coral heads just waiting to dine on fiberglass. Navigating through these isnt a problem as long as the sun is out. They stick out like a baked ham at a jewish reception! The seas increased to 3' to 4' as we got closer to Highborne. Right before we got there a sportfisherman passed us. Cool! I can follow him in. Now normally going into a marina doesn't bother me but this one had some intricate directions. Aim for the yellow stake on the rock pile when almost there line up with the range markers beyond the stake taking care to hug the rock pile with the stake to avoid the rocks to the North. Once past the stake look to the left and find the range markers for the marina and head to them. All this while the seas are pushing Tourist every way but the way we want to go! A burst of speed and in we go. It didn't take long to realize we are one of the smallest boats here. Many are 70' to 100' with 28' tenders plus jet skis, etc. See where we are by going to Google maps and entering Highborne Cay, Bahamas.

Nassau & Beyond

Monday 4/6/09 During the night the wind shifted to a direction right off the open water making our anchorage a bit bumpy. No problem! We're leaving anyway. Up comes the anchor and in go the GPS coordinates and off to Nassau we go. Wind out of the SW with 2' to 3' waves hitting us on the starboard bow. By 11 am we were calling Nassau Harbor Control for clearance into the harbor. Let me tell you, trying to understand this guy is just as difficult as trying to understand the southern drawling lockmasters on the Tombigbee!. Once deciphered we entered the harbor right past the cruise ships. No problem here. I was close enough to throw a rock and hit them. We proceeded to the Nassau Yacht Harbor hoping to find fuel and a slip. Strikes 1 & 2. On to the Texaco sign. We got fuel @ $2.60 but no slip. We had a team meeting and decided to press on to Highborne Cay.

Bahamas

Saturday April 4, 2009 Today we spent doing a few boat chores in the morning and then strolled around the Bayside Marketplace. Had dinner at a Cuban restaurant and then listened to some guy playing a flamenco guitar (is there such a thing?) in an outside pavillion overlooking the marina. It didn't take long to realize that we were the minority in this crowd. Everyone around us was speaking Spanish. And here we thought we were in Miami. Turns out we were in Miahavana. Nice people none the less. Back to the boat to check weather for crossing the Gulf Stream on Sunday and then bed.

Sunday April 5, 2009 Up early to check weather one last time. All looks good so we cast off the lines and headed out. The plan was to go out through Government Cut past the cruise ships. That got dashed the minute we turned into the cut. A police boaat came flying towards us with the lights flashing. Friendly folks, no guns drawn. They informed us that when the ships are in port NO pleasure craft are allowed to pass through the cut. We had to go back and pass out to the ocean on the other side of Dodge Island past the container ships. Go figure! When we got into the ocean we found seas to be1' to 2' of chop on top of a 2' to 3' swell. Not bad! We also found the deepest blue color of water that we've seen on this trip.

The weather was so good that we decided to bypass Bimini and continue on to Chub Cay arriving there at 2:45 pm. We pulled into the marina and tied off to one of the docks. An employee came over to us and brought us the paper work to fill out to gain entry into the Bahamas. Once filled out I was transported to the airport by bus (15 passenger van) to the customs office. $300.00 later I was given a ride back to the boat. We put up our Bahamian flag and went to the fuel dock. Ouch! $4.10 a gallon. Needless to say we didn't top off the tanks. From Chub Cay we went another 4 miles to Bird Cay and anchored for the night. 155 miles for the day. Not bad.

Not There Yet!

Wednesday 4/1/09 The forecast still predicted bumpy seas so we dropped the dink in the water and cruised around Boot Key Harbor in Marathon, Fl. What a collection of boats!. Boot Key is most noted for it's large mooring field filled mostly with sail boats in all states of repair or disrepair. Supposedly the place has been cleaned up over the years from when it was filled with abandoned boats that had been left to rot & sink. Also even more unpleasant was the fact that most of the boats in the harbor pumped raw sewage directly into the water. No More! They now have a boat dedicated to wandering thru the harbor to pump out the holding tanks on the boats! I now know what I want to do if I need to get a job!

We left Marathon around noon and headed out to start working our way towards Miami. We first tried the Hawk Channel route which is on the Atlantic side of the Keys. The wind was whipping out of the South which made for a wet and uncomfortable ride. Water was spraying up over the entire boat! At one point Pam thought she could reach out and touch the water we were heeled over so much. No one got sick and nothing broke but even still we decided to cut back to the Florida Bay side at Channel Five near Lower Matecumbe Key. What a difference! We continued on and anchored near Islamorada for the night.

Thursday 4/2/09 Last night we planned on taking the dinghy into the Lor-e-lei restaurant for breakfast this morning before leaving. We had a change in plans when we got up and realized that we had drug our anchor for about a half mile away from shore. At first I thought that all the other boats that were around us when we anchored had left since I couldn't see any of them. WRONG! Once my eyes cleared and I looked back towards shore I could see that they were still in place. Turns out that I had not understood Pam when we were letting out the anchor chain and thought that we had passed the mark on the chain that we use for a gauge for that depth when in reality we had not even reached it! Check and double check! Needless to say we were too embarrassed to motor back in to the anchorage so we skipped breakfast plans and headed out to the channel. The only casualties were a bruised ego and one crab pot which got caught in the anchor chain while dragging across the bottom.

We followed the marked channel of the ICW to Card Sound where we anchored for the night. This time we let out more than enough chain and when the wind picked up all we did was swing from side to side but remained right where we started! Forecast seas for crossing to Bimini are still too high for comfort. On to Miami!

Friday 4/3/09 Very windy today with a 2' chop on the waters of Biscayne Bay. We checked rates at the marinas around Miami and chose Miamarina (http://www.miami-marinas.com/) which is right downtown Miami. when making our reservation I asked if they had fuel. No such luck. But Pam found that Crandon Park Marina did have, and since it was in our path we pulled in and fueled for $2.01 a gallon. Considerably cheaper than the $3.00 at some of the other more well known marinas. Turns our Crandon Marina is owned by the Dade County and we have found that the govt. owned marinas are usually cheaper.

Our marina is right downtown Miami just at the foot of the bridge that goes to Dodge Island where all the cruise ships dock. If you ever went on a cruise out of Miami ours is the Marina on your right as you cross the bridge. It is also the home of the sail boat section of the annual Miami Boat Show. The area reminds me a little of Navy Pier in Chicago with plenty of activity at the shops and restaurants. You can check it out at http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/ . The only draw back is the music and activity until late at night but then that's also part of the charm! the view out our back door is of several 80' to 90' yachts tied up on the other side of our dock. These aren't the mega yachts you see in Ft. Lauderdale but they are still impressive! Looking out our side windows we see the American Airlines Arena where the Miami Heat play (basketball). Also located in the harbor are several excursion and fishing boats one of which is a Skipperliner which is made in LaCrosse.

Moving Again!

After waiting for Mike Nelson (Scot from Dependable Divers) of Sea Hunt fame to show up & check for barnacles on our running gear and intakes and two bad weather days (it actually rained!) we are underway! After many goodbye's to our new friends at Legacy we were able to untie the dock lines and get moving. We followed Broulee down the Caloosahatchie and learned what true "trawler speed" is. Bare minimum idle speed for Tourist or 7.4 mph. Very relaxing! Once into the gulf we popped it up to 10 mph and headed offshore toward Naples. We decided to go back inside at Gordon's Pass and wind down the shallow inside route towards Marco Island to our anchorage for the night by Little Marco Island. This was the first test of our new anchor. It passed with flying colors!

Tuesday 3/31/09 Partly sunny and warm with 2' seas. Back offshore and headed for Marathon 109 miles away in the Keys. Other than dodging the thousands of crab pots it was a relaxing trip. We decided to exercise the twin Cummins a little and cruised down to the Keys at 19 mph arriving at Poncho's Fuel Dock at 3:05 pm. This was our warm up shock for fuel prices in the Bahamas with fuel here being $2.73 a gallon. We last paid $1.91 in Ft. Myers!

Our plan from here is to work our way North today and hopefully cross to Bimini tomorrow. Forecast seas for today are 3' to 5' offshore. A little to bumpy for us rookies!