Hunters and Collectors

Bristol Rose raising the main as we sail out of Royal Island, Eleuthera. We're a US flagged boat but we're flying the Australian flag in honor of Australia Day, January 26.

Hunters and Collectors are one of our favourite Aussie bands and I thought the name was a fitting title for this post. We're enjoying fishing and fossicking in the Bahamas.

This series of photographs is especially for Owen and Elliot and Robert’s family who are always interested to know, “what’s biting?” and for our sailing mates on the high seas. Wishing you, Tight lines!

A dolphin fish (mahi mahi) on the hook

Once aboard, the dolphin fish loses much of it's vibrant bright color.

Gloves are a good idea for handling this Mutton Snapper with its spikey fins.

You can tell by the look on Robert’s face that catching fish for dinner gives him a great deal of satisfaction. He’s been catching fish since he was knee high to a grasshopper. Some of Robert’s best memories are of camping at Woody Head on the New South Wales coast and tagging along as just a tot with his Dad and Grandpa to fish off the beach and rocky headlands.

Sailing through the cuts between islands from relatively shallow water, over the drop offs and over water that's at times 14,000 feet deep gives us a great opportunity to catch fish. Watching the rich diversity of small, colorful tropical fish in the shallows is also a lot of fun.

Can you imagine a more idyllic spot for a cabin?

Tropical fish swim and hide around the rocky shoreline below the cabin verandah. The bright blue and yellow fish were about 4 inches long and very shy.

The water is so clear we can see the fish very easily. The water in the Abacos has been a little cold for snorkeling so we enjoy motoring the dinghy around the rocky shoreline to try to see what’s underwater. The shots from the bobing dinghy are not the sharpest but you’ll get the general idea of the wide variety of colorful fish, big and small from these "above water" shots.

We are told that the lion fish are an introduced pest and should be killed to prevent their destruction of the grouper population. Even so, these two make a strikingly beautiful pair.

The one picture I wish I had was of a spotted stingray about 5’ across, swimming directly in front of us when we took the dinghy to shore at dusk in Governor’s Harbour. 

The shot that got away! My quick sketch - I'll stick to photography.

Life in the Abacos

Life in the Abacos varies from island to island with each having it's own character. We spent a few days in Man-O-War, where boat building is not only history for the descendants of the early European settlers; it remains an important industry on the island. Most of the current residents share the name Albury which is synonymous with boat building expertise in the Abacos.

Robert goes aloft, 63 feet, in Marsh Harbour!

Marsh Harbour is a major population center for the Abacos. Electronic stores seem to dominate the commercial landscape. There are a number of marinas and the harbour also accommodates a large number of boats at anchor. We anchored safely for a few days as a cold front passed.

Hope Town Lighthouse

The road on the hill, at Hope Town Harbour Lodge

View from hilltop Tiki Bar

Hope Town on Elbow Cay must be the sweetest spot in the Bahamas with it's picture postcard perfect cottages all decked out in pretty pastels and contrasting shutters. A predominate landmark is the red and white candy stripe lighthouse built in 1862. It's one of the last of only 3 manually operated and kerosene fueled lighthouses in the world. Most of the cute cottages appear to be available for rent. The Tiki bar at the Hope Town Lodge sits on a hill overlooking the ocean. It's hard to imagine a more perfect spot to rest for a while.

Although on many islands we see boarded-up houses, still standing but damaged by hurricanes, this cottage is a rare sight in Hope Town.

Pete's Bar on Little Harbour

Peaceful Tilloo Cay provides anchorages from which to dinghy into Little Harbour where sculptor Randolph Johnston settled with his young family in the early 50s. Today his son Pete keeps the foundry operating and producing sculpture depicting the life of the sea. We happened to anchor just outside the shallow Little Harbour and dinghied in for a drink on the day Pete was celebrating his birthday. He celebrates each year with an art auction to benefit a local children's organization.

The Gallery at Little Harbour

After a bumpy night at anchor just outside Little Harbour, we headed off to the ocean side through the Little Harbour cut to begin our cruise down the western shore of the island of Eleuthera.

Slow Down Squalls

Calm days in the anchorage, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas

Marsh Harbour looking West.

Marsh Harbour, looking East

A commercial vessel makes it way into harbour on western side.

The squall we've been expecting from the west with winds in the 20's and gusting 30 knots plus.

The harbour waters become bumpy.

Gently waving palms turn to violent flapping.

Fellow sailors ride out the squall, watching anchors and hoping all efforts at setting anchors and securing boats will pay off to ensure there’ll be no dragging.

During the squall the ferry Donnie V passes between us and our neighbour Wild Card.

As one squall passes ahead of the cold front the usually vibrant colors of the Bahamas are drained away. Now it's just plain cold - hopefully just for a day or two!

Squalls and cold fronts just have to run their course. Meanwhile all we can do is wait. Waiting gives us an opportunity to slow down and spend more time with fellow sailors. Time too to hatch new plans and learn from those who have more experience sailing the Bahamas!

Shallow Blue Waters of the Bahamas. Landfall The Abacos.

To whomever sent the congratulatory balloons we received as we crossed the Gulf Stream... thanks! Nice touch, we really appreciated it. One question; how did you manage to place them in just the right spot on the Atlantic Ocean? Actually, it's no joke, we appreciate efforts to prevent things like this from ending up in the world's oceans. 

Bahamas Sunrise Monday, January 12, 2009

Funny coincidence, Jan. 12, 22 years ago, Robert started work with the company he has just retired from!

Bristol Rose's bowsprit is reflected in the turquoise waters of the Little Bahama Bank

On Sunday evening, we sailed into Bahamian waters. We drop the hook off Green Turtle Cay in The Abacos on Monday at 11:00am. The sail across Little Bahama Bank was great with a full moon to guide us. We raise the yellow quarantine flag and Robert must dinghy alone to shore to clear Bristol Rose and crew through customs. All our paperwork, including Daisie's certificate from the Bahamian Government (thanks Betsy and Jim for your knowledge and help!), is in order so we expect Robert to return soon. Daisie does not understand why he's taking her dinghy without her.

After about 26 hours under sail, Daisie waits impatiently for Robert's return.

Once cleared, we waste no time getting our feet on Bahamian soil.

Picket Fences, bright pastels, shutters, golf carts on narrow concrete roads. Welcome to The Abacos!

The first thing we did once ashore on Green Turtle Cay was to buy a homemade ice cream. The peach ice cream brought back fond memories of my Grandmother's ice cream, made from evaporated milk. It's hard to believe we are only about 100 nautical miles from the U.S. as the crow flies. From Florida, it feels like a hundred years away. The horizon was full of boats just outside Lake Worth Inlet when we left. There was a blimp, helicopters, racing boats, container ships..... super busy! Here we are in Green Turtle Cay where the lady at the Post Office calls the Customs Officer back from her lunch break to come and check us in, roosters roam the streets, kids go to high school by ferry, and the bank is open two days a week.

The tide is in at the Tiki Bar when we go ashore in the morning to check out the beach.

We spend a blissful night at anchor at Manjack Cay, just north of Green Turtle, and dinghy ashore in the morning. A small sign on the beach reads "Pet Chickens are roaming free. Please leash your dog."

Tuesday. We listen to Chris Parker, the cruiser's weather guy, and make the decision to head south to Man O War Cay, the traditional boat building center of the Bahamas, where we hope to find a mooring in the well protected little bay. There's a cold front coming bringing winds from the south today and swinging around to the west tonight and the north tomorrow with gusts of 30 knots. We'll have to leave early if we want to make it through Whale Cay Passage and into Man O War with its shallow entrance before low tide. According to the Abaco Guide Whale Cay Passage is downright dangerous when seas build up. It has a history of wrecks. "You don't need strong winds for a rage to occur here".

The squall brought only light rain with winds of 25 knots and gusts over 25.

The five and a half hours crossing from Manjack to Man O War took us directly under a squall at one point. Bristol Rose handled the seas (a little bumpy) and the 25 knot winds with ease providing a comfortable ride. The most testing part came at the narrow entrance to Man O War (about 20 feet wide) with 6 feet of water and rocks either side. Again we are very thankful for the hull design and shallow draft of our Shannon 43!  Once inside we found a narrow bay with a minimum of water between boats either anchored or moored. We'll hunker down here for a few days while we wait out the weather and enjoy exploring the area.

We bought some bread from a lady driving a golf cart around the streets of Man O War. She told us that this candy bright building houses the equipment for the children's sailing school.

Not sure how the boat is launched.