MV Big Smile

Friday morning we dropped Andrew and Nicole at the Great Guana Ferry dock. Albury’s Ferry runs regularly scheduled service to Marsh Harbor. From there a quick taxi to the airport and back home in a few hours. Our trip would take much longer. The plan was to head thru the “Whale” to Green Turtle Cay where we would spend a night at the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina. Weather was perfect and no Atlantic swells kept us from transiting the whale. Three hours after leaving Great Guana we were at the Bluff House dock. As it was Memorial Weekend a Big Bill fishing tournament was taking place. Between Bluff House and Green Turtle Club we counted over 25 fishing boats that night. Bluff House has a small but nice beach with a beach side bar. We spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting in lounge chairs.

Bluff House beach

Fishing Boats at Green Turtle Club

After breakfast we headed out for the 8 hour run over to Great Sale. The weather was good and so was the fishing. We alternated between catching Cero which we kept and Barracuda which we cursed.

A very nice Cero

Battling a “Cuda”

Last Bahama sunset

This last leg was to be our longest yet. Great Sale Cay to Charleston SC was a 385 mile run. The multi day forecast called for light winds and small, short period seas. The first 65 miles are on the Little Bahama Bank where water depths are consistently 12-20 feet. With auto pilot steering we spent the day looking for sharks and other sea creatures in the crystal clear water. It is easy to know when you have left the bank. In the span of two miles you go from depths of 30 feet to well over 1,000 feet deep. Color changes are quick and fishing, at least for us came to a quick stop. We caught only one immediately after leaving the bank but it turned out to be the largest Cero we caught the entire trip.

It is approximately 320 miles from the exit point of Little Bahama Bank to the Charleston SC Harbor entrance. It is also a straight line with a compass heading of almost due north. After leaving the bank, wind and seas remained flat for hours. Around 4:30 PM our radar began to pick up thunderstorms building to the west. We could see the sky darken and while pelting rain is annoying it is lightning that always concerns us. It never rained but what we saw at about 5:15 two miles off our bow was something we had never witnessed. Dropping out of a cloud was a large waterspout. NOAA identifies two types of waterspouts, tornadic and fair weather. We were ignorant of the distinction at the time and all we thought about was the strength of a tornado. Since our radar showed the line of storms moving to the northeast we altered course to the west and proceeded to put away anything loose and check all our tie downs. By time we were done the waterspout had disappeared. Getting back on our heading we got a camera and waited. At 5:30 another one appeared two miles or so off our bow and heading slowly towards us. This one we were able to get a picture of as we altered course to port. The waterspout only lasted a few minutes but it was intimidating.

Waterspout heading towards us

The line of thunderstorms continued for a couple of hours but we did not see another waterspout. Unfortunately the storms wreaked havoc with the seas and the rest of our trip would be much less pleasant. Seas built out of the northeast and as we approached the Gulf Stream the collision of the two elements kept our stabilizers working overtime.

This was a 51 hour trip requiring two overnites. It is very difficult to adjust your biological clock to the watch system you have set up. One night is easy. By the second night my midnight to dawn shift was tough. It was made tougher by the fact that we were approaching Charleston SC shipping lanes.

2:13 AM and 43 miles to go

At 2 AM radar and AIS showed several ships within twelve miles all heading in different directions. The Port of Charleston is big, ranking 8th in the US in dollar value of goods handled. The entrance during the day is straight forward although you do pass container ships at very close range. At 9:30 AM we pulled into Charleston Harbor Marina, 51 hours after leaving Great Sale Cay. Our friends on Silver Heels would arrive the next day having left the Bahamas 70 miles east of our jumping off point.

Two days later we left Charleston for Wilmington NC. We arrived at the mouth of the Cape Fear River at 2 AM and had to drop the hook right off the channel for a few hours sleep before continuing up the River to Wilmington.

Port of Wilmington

Battleship North Carolina

Big Smile docked in Wilmington for about two weeks while we headed north by car. On June 17th I flew down to pick her up. I left Wilmington the next day and six days later we were docked at Washburn’s Boat Yard in Solomons, Maryland. It was my first long distance single-handed cruise and all went smoothly.

Entering a turbulent Beaufort Inlet

Made it: Solomons Maryland

Big Smile will spend the month of July at Washburn’s getting some upgrades and maintenance work completed. We will rotate between Vermont and Lake George. If all goes according to plan we will leave Solomons by August 1st and head to Martha’s Vineyard and beyond.

After a couple of days at beautiful Emerald Bay Marina it was time to move on. Prior to leaving we managed to do lots of laundry in their “free” washer and dryers, attend their Monday evening cocktail party, and make good use of the free internet. The only downside to Emerald Bay is its isolation on the north end of Great Exuma. With the nicest clubhouse we have seen since leaving the states we enjoyed the isolation. We also met a couple who docked right next to us the day before we left. While we only chatted for a short period of time our travels would bring us together again on several occasions and we would eventually become very good friends. More on that later. Cat Island was to be our first stop out of the Exumas. It was an easy 50 mile trip across Exuma Sound to our anchorage at New Bight. During the crossing we trolled out two lines hoping for a good catch. I had yet to clean my first fish and was determined to make it happen. At over one mile deep in spots the sound is known for its excellent fishing. Halfway across it happened. A line went taut and on it was a beautiful Black Fin Tuna. A keeper for sure. Once at anchor I set about cleaning and cutting tuna steaks which we ate that night. Man they were good.

Black Fin Tuna

  Cat Island is sparsely populated but does have the distinction of having the highest elevation in the entire Bahamas. Mt Alvernia, at 206 feet above see level, is directly east of New Bight settlement. At the summit of Mt Alvernia is a hermitage built by a Catholic Priest named named John Hawes. Father Jerome as he was also called lived at the Hermitage for many years and died in 1956 at the age of 79. We walked up the hill from New Bight to tour the hermitage. It is open to all and has been restored over the years. 

Mt Alvernia

Thirty miles up the coast of Cat is Orange Creek Settlement. It sounded nice and turned out to have a gorgeous deserted beach. On the ride up the poles went out but this time it was a 34 inch Barracuda that we hooked. They are nasty looking and can be eaten but also are known to carry Ciguatera. This food borne illness is caused by eating certain reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with toxins. Large Barracuda eat many of the smaller reef fish and it accumulates in their flesh. Overboard went the Barracuda.

Our original intent after leaving Orange Creek was to anchor for the night at Arthurs Town, just an hour south of Orange. Arthurs Town is the boyhood home of Sidney Poitier. The anchorage was not at all protected and after three hours of bouncing we decided to move on to the island of Little San Salvador. A pleasant three hour ride had us anchored it what looked like a Hollywood set. Little San Salvador (also known as Half Moon cay) is owned by Holland America Line. Holland America purchased the entire island in 1996 and it is a cruise ship destination. To their credit Holland America has only developed 50 of the 2400 acre island. What you see from the anchorage does make you laugh. In our two nights of anchorage no cruise ships appeared but a sailboat came in while we were out snorkeling. It turned out to be Jim and Beth on their Passport 49 “Silverheels”. As mentioned we had met them in Emerald Bay a week prior. Being the only two boats in the bay we invited them over for cocktails. It was to be the start of a great friendship.

Little San Salvador cruise ship beach front

Our next island to visit is one I have been looking forward to for decades. In 1974 we had a family vacation to Eleuthera and stayed at Winding Bay beach cottages near Rock Sound. The beach as I recalled was beautiful and so was the small resort. It was my favorite island vacation as a kid and I have always wanted to revisit the resort and beach.

Four hours after leaving Little San Salvador we pulled into Davis Harbor on the south end of Eleuthera. The island of Eleuthera has had a varied and very interesting past. Originally occupied Arawaks this native population were deported by the Spaniards to work in mines and eventually died out. The first Europeans to arrive came in 1648. Known as the “Eleutherian Adventurers” they gave the island its name.

The island prospered for many years and several well know American industrialists including Arthur Vining Davis, Juan Trippe and Henry Kaiser invested in various businesses. Unfortunately due to changes in foreign ownership laws when the Bahamas gained their independence in 1973 all of the large resorts or agricultural businesses were abandoned or forced to be sold to government favored Bahamian interests. The Bahamians did not know how to run these businesses and corruption, greed and incompetence closed many of them. Today some resorts are coming back but alas Winding Bay Beach Cottages no longer exists. It was not government takeover though it was the forces of nature. Hurricanes have taken their toll and Winding Bay Beach Resort was destroyed decades ago and the successor resort Venta Club was destroyed by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

We rented a car for a 24 hour period to find my beach and other sites that I recalled from long ago. The beach we found but it is not as nice as I remember. No signs of the resort we stayed out exists and the Venta Club is boarded up.

Winding Bay

Eleuthera is 110 miles long and averages maybe 1.5 miles wide. One main road runs north/south. We did not drive the entire length but it was fun to visit some of the old towns that I remembered. They included Tarpum Bay, Rock Sound and Governors Harbor.

Heading back south to the marina we stopped at a small road side restaurant for a late lunch. There we met the owner Gigi who had recently lost her husband to a motorcycle accident. Gigi is a delightful woman. Her fresh conch salad and fritters were superb.

Coc Plum’s

Cath with Gigi and her nephew

Coco Plum’s beach side Tiki Bar

There is an Ocean Hole on Eleuthera in Rock Sound. While on my 1974 vacation I was able to borrow a scuba tank and remember well the fish and turtles I chased down the walls. The Ocean Hole is a natural “blue hole” and connects to the ocean hundreds of feet down. It of course is still there and a small park has been built to provide access to the clean waters. We were told by Gigi that this is where local children learn to swim.

Ocean Hole

We left Davis Harbor marina and cruised north to Governors Harbor. With a large well protected anchorage Governors Harbor should not be missed. It is the capital of Eleuthera, the largest town and has many beautiful, Victorian era homes. The anchorage proved tough for us as we could not get it to bite into the grassy bottom. On our second attempt we actually hooked some sort of underwater cable. When I dove on the anchor and saw the situation I was reluctant to touch it as I could not see the ends of the cable and had no idea if it was energized. After five attempts and moving around the bay we finally got it to stick.

The town is very steep. After dinghying ashore one walks up a long road to the “summit” before descending down the east side to the Atlantic. It is a very nice walk however and eventually brings you to the nicest beach we have ever seen in the Bahamas. French Leave Beach is both long and wide with exquisite sand and water. Towards the south end is a bar/restaurant called “The Beach House”. It is on the beach and offers not only a fantastic view but awesome food too. There was once a Club Med on the north end but no sign of it could be seen. Hurricane Andrew wiped it out in 1999 and it was never rebuilt.

French Leave Beach

Beach House Restaurant

Beach House Restaurant

From the top of the hill above town one can see the harbor and Cupids Cay, a tranquil section of Governor’s Harbor. Heading down from the top you pass numerous pastel painted homes that date to an earlier era.

Big Smile anchored in Governor’s Harbor

Farther up the island is a place called the “Glass Window Bridge”. It is here where Queens Highway crosses what is sometimes referred to as the narrowest place on earth. It is where you can stand and view the dark blue waters of the Atlantic and turqoise green waters of the Caribbean. The “Glass Window Bridge” was painted by Winslow Homer in 1885. At that time it was a natural stone bridge created by nature. That bridge was destroyed by storms in the 1940′s and subsequent bridges have been built and destroyed. It is fascinating to visit. We anchored for a few hours just south of the bridge and took the dinghy ashore. It had been 40 years since I last stood on the bridge. Just south of the bridge we found a small sign pointing to a historic area on the Atlantic side. We found no buildings but did discover a sensational carved rock bay/canyon. It was low tide so we were able to easily and safely climb down to enjoy the hollowed out caves and pools.

Before crossing over to the Abacos to meet up with our son Andrew and his girlfriend we had one more island to stop and explore. St Georges Cay lies just to the west of the northern tip of Eleuthera. The entire Cay is comprised of the settlement of Spanish Wells and most people including us only knew it as Spanish Wells and had never heard of St Georges Cay. Spanish Wells is a charming little community measuring 2 miles long and a half mile wide. It is predominantly a fishing village. Golf carts are the way to get around and so we rented one for the day. We also happened to be in the same marina as our friends Jim and Beth and joined them on board for cocktails the night before departure. They, like us, were meeting their kids in the Abacos. They had arranged for a guide to take them thru what’s known as the “Devis Backbone” on the north side of Spanish Wells. This is an area of difficult to see and navigate reefs and most captains elect to hire a pilot boat. Jim asked if we wanted to follow them out the next morning and split the cost. We jumped on it as we had not made any prior arrangements. I think every boat at the marina was leaving that Tuesday. Forecast called for calm seas and a northeast breeze. We had not seen calm seas in over a week and the crossing from Spanish wells to the Abacos is open water with nothing between you and Africa. We pulled out of the marina following Jim and Beth on “Silverheels” and our guide boat “Little Woody”.

Spanish Wells fishing fleet

Following Silverheels and Little Woody

The crossing was smooth and the fishing was superb. I caught my first Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) but as Cath and I were bringing it into the boat our tackle broke and we lost a gorgeous fish.

Mahi- Mahi

Many boats chose this day to cross as the weather was perfect.

Silverheels getting ready to raise sails

Defever trawler “Sea Pearl” side by side with “Big Smile”

Approximately 7 hours later we motored thru a benign Little Harbor Cut and anchored behind Lynyard Cay.

Following Sea Pearl thru Little Harbor Cut

The Berries are everything beautiful about the Bahamas and Nassau, well it’s not the same. Our 38 mile ride from Little Harbor in the Berry Islands to Nassau on New Providence Island was uneventful. We were approaching Nassau Harbor from the West, the same entrance used by all the cruise ships. Nassau Harbor Control keeps tabs on all comings and goings and it is required to hail them to obtain permission to enter the harbor. The entrance cut is not big and Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney,  etc have the right of way. No ships were entering or leaving and permission was easily granted after supplying Harbor Control with our ship and destination information. It was noon on a Friday, one of the three busiest days each week.

Nassau Harbor entrance with Atlantis in background

Unlike main passenger ship harbors in the states Nassau Harbor lets everyone make there way. We saw no Bahamas Defence Force boats around the cruise ships and we were able to get as close as we dared.

Norwegian Getaway

Our destination was Nassau Harbor Club and Marina. Located on the east side of the harbor we had to pass under two high bridges. These bridges service Paradise Island and in particular Atlantis Resort. Atlantis officially opened in 1997 but was further developed and expanded over the ensuing ten years. During our week in Nassau we visited Atlantis twice. It is huge. “The Dig” is a series of aquariums located beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers and is the world’s largest open air marine habitat. It is fascinating as is the entire resort. Many parts are closed to the public unless you buy a day pass which we did not. However we found out The Dig is open to all at night so we got to visit it and the casino of course.

Atlantis Resort

Our marina was perfectly situated across from the best supermarket in the Bahamas. While it was named “Fresh Market” it was not to our knowledge related to Fresh Markets found in the states. It did carry a large selection of food and we stocked up. Our departure from Nassau was delayed as we waited for a part for our watermaker to be flown in. We took full advantage of the delay and did quite a lot of wandering about both on foot and by local bus. The bus (jitney) rides were fun as the bus route layout is a large circle. Your route into town depended on which bus number you chose. We had three choices on the one way road (all heading away from town) outside the marina and all took about an hour to get to the main downtown where the cruise ships are tied. The bus drivers are all characters and play whatever station they want on the radio system. They also take shortcuts as they decide. To get off just shout “bus stop”.

Downtown Nassau is a typical cruise ship venue. Duty free shops abound and overweight tourists line the streets. Shops close up around 6 and the buses actually stop at 7PM. We had read about a foodie tour, Tru Bahamian Food Tours and signed up for a three hour walk and food tasting. It was a great time and we lucked out by having the owner, Alanna, do our tour. In her 20′s and full of energy she provided running commentary and history. She is a Bahamian native who went to college in the states and loves her country. 

Our guide “Alanna”

Docked next to us was a sailboat named “Serenity” owned by Mike and Mary Jo. They graciously asked us to join them snorkeling off their boat on a reef outside the harbor. It was loaded with Bahamian reef fish and one shark. Lots of fun.

Cath and Mary Jo

Nassau has a small zoo with gardens named Ardastra. We decided to walk there one afternoon and arrived in time to catch two late afternoon events. The first was Parrot feeding. After cleansing our hands we were let into a large Parrot cage and given sliced apples to feed to the birds. Hungry and tame they were.

The best event was the trained Flamingos. A zoo trainer paraded and marched them around a ring in near precision timing. He allowed a couple of guests to join and Cath jumped right in.

Cath and the Flamingos

Of course Nassau has a lot more Bahamas culture to enjoy and Potters Cay is not to be missed. It is a huge, noisy and vibrant fish and vegetable market under the exiting Paradis Island bridge. You can buy meals to go or sit and eat at any of the stands. A constant parade of cars cruises thru to look and buy.  A great place to experience and eat wonderful food and drink the local beer, Kalik.

Conch salad at Potters Cay

Potters Cay

Our watermaker part finally arrived and I got it installed. The watermaker now works but now there is a seal leak meaning we lose a gallon for every 15 gallons we make. A problem we can live with. March 29 had us clearing out of Nassau Harbor to the east and on to the Exumas.

A month of skiing in Vermont was wonderful. The conditions were near perfect and from what I have read more snow has arrived. However we have left the cold behind and are now in the Bahamas.

Our flight from Newark to West Palm was easy as usual and after several days of intense provisioning in Stuart we fueled up and headed out of the St Lucie inlet for a full day run down to Ft Lauderdale. Perfect FL weather had us anchored in Lauderdale by dinner time. The Lauderdale inlet was busy with three cruise ships departing within an hour of each other. We slipped in behind the second and just made it thru the turning basin when cruise ship number three headed out. We were politely moved along by a well armed Coast Guard tender.

Ft Lauderdale Inlet

Anchored in Lake Sylvia Ft Lauderdale

A gorgeous early morning departure out the inlet started our two and a half month Bahamas cruise. We had been to the Bahamas the prior two springs but only to the Abacos and only for a couple of weeks each. Our first destination was Bimini. It is an easy 56 mile crossing when the weather is right. And this day was perfect. The Atlantic and more importantly the gulf stream was glass smooth. Numerous boats chose this day to cross as it was the only perfect day in over a week of testy weather. We were accompanied by loads of flying fish.

Leaving Ft Lauderdale inlet at sunrise

Bimini is one of the many ports of entry into the Bahamas. Our destination was Browns Marina and we made the crossing in 8 1/2 hours. After filling out customs, immigration, and vessel paperwork provided at Browns a quick trip to the customs office and a $300 dollar payment gave us permission to enter and stay for 90 days. Bimini is a popular fishing destination and hosts several large tournaments each year from the Bimini Big Game Club.

Bimini Big Game Club

Since the 1920′s many celebrities have ventured to Bimini for it’s world class fishing. Zane Grey and Ernest Hemmingway are two of them and apparently Ernest liked drinking and brawling along with the fishing.

Today there is a large casino and housing/condo development under construction by the Malaysian firm, Resorts World. Not all are on board with this change to the low key Bimini life style. We ended up staying four nights on Bimini due to a weather front that brought strong east winds and small craft advisories. We agreed four days was plenty on this island.

Browns Marina

Tied up at Browns

South Bimini

We finished our month at Sunset Bay and are heading back north. In fact we currently sit in our room at the Best Western in Santee, SC waiting for the start of the Super Bowl. New Jersey is our next stop for a couple of days then on to Vermont for a month of skiing.

But it’s Stuart FL that this entry is about and it was a great, albeit quick month. It also was cooler than last year with temps in the 60′s many days and dipping into the high 30′s several nights. We also had plenty of rain including one deluge that dropped over 10 inches in less than a day. We did get the good weather often enough and thoroughly enjoyed the month.

Most people would not think of Florida as a hot bed of good and entertaining theater activity. Stuart has a renovated historic theater and just north of us is the Sunrise Theater in Fort Pierce. Early in the month we visited the Sunrise Theater and had the pleasure of seeing Garrison Keillor. We knew he was a great story-teller but had no idea what a live show would present. For over two hours he talked about life in Minnesota comparing it often (tongue in cheek)  to life in Florida. He talked non-stop, without any notes, and without ever taking a sip of water. A packed house had a very enjoyable evening.

The following Wednesday we got together with our long time college friends Sandy and Rick and another couple for dinner and a show at the Lyric Theater in Stuart. This time it was an Irish band, Gaelic Storm, whose high-octane lead singer and accompanying musicians got the theater on its feet. Both theaters offer a varied menu of shows and the Lyric is just a five minute walk from our boat.

Gaelic Storm at the Lyric Theater

We met a couple down the dock who told us how good the Ft Pierce farmers market was. We were surprised to hear that as we have spent quite a lot of time in Ft Pierce tied up at Harbor Isle. We had never been to the Saturday market and drove up to see it. Well it was huge, crowded and full of vendors of all styles and qualities. As bread lovers we look for vendors selling fresh specialty breads. Importico’s filled that wish. Their Kalamata Olive and Rosemary, and Asiago Cheese Bread was superb. As good as the bakeries we know at the farmers market in Dorset VT and Dogwood Bread in Wadhams NY.

We also found a vendor who is a painter. Lisa P. Young is based in Stuart but exhibits every Saturday at the farmers market. We had been looking for some art to liven the walls of Big Smile and thought we found a piece or two. We asked if we could meet with her at her studio in Stuart, which we did, and ended up purchasing one from her studio. We also commissioned her to paint another which was actually a copy of one should had done but that was too big for our space. She agreed and two weeks later Lisa and her husband Bob delivered “Tropical Diva”. A perfect compliment to the one we purchased from her studio.

Tropical Diva

Ft Pierce farmers market

We really like getting together with cousins and January didn’t disappoint. My cousin Deb and her husband Mark visited and spent a Saturday night with us. Coincidently Sandy and Rick and Ricks brother Rob came to Sunset Bay by boat and joined us for beer and wine on the bow. Later that evening we walked to town for dinner and ended up closing the bar at Sailors Retreat, the restaurant attached to our marina. It was fun to have Deb and Mark on board as we don’t get to see them very often.

On the bow at Sunset Bay

Cath, me and Deb

Sunset Bay is named that for a reason. The beautiful sunsets attract mariners from all over and provide gorgeous views and lively crowds

College roomies on the bow

They call it Sunset Bay for a reason

January was a fun month and it was tough to leave. It’s halftime now and Seattle is leading 22-0. Peyton Manning is on his way to another super bowl loss. We don’t have a horse in this race but really enjoyed the National Anthem sung by Renee Fleming. She nailed it.

Time to upload this post. A few more views of our January home and Cath in her new immersion suit.

Sunset Bay Marina

Early morning fog

Cath in her new immersion suit