We re-rigged and 15 minutes later, we hooked a nice mahi-mahi about 12-15 lbs. Trudie reeled him in and I put on gloves and hauled it over the side, spraying cheap rum in the gills to anesthetize the ticked off fish. We rigged the fishing table and processed some nice sized fillets, enough for 4 good sized dinners for two.....pictures to follow.
And, yes, the sailing has been great too !
Current location: 22 41.19 N 073 00.00 W Appx 31 km north of Mayaguana Island.
We are having a blast !!
On October 14, 1492, Christobal Colon (We use the name "Christopher Columbus" which is really the Anglicized version of his actual name...go figure) arrived at Conception Island. Frankly, I haven't a clue why he ever left. The place is gorgeous. But, I am getting ahead of myself (as usual).
First thing yesterday morning, Persephone left Calabash Bay for an easy sail over to Conception. As mentioned, Calabash was awful....not very pretty and had a gut twisting roll. The mast looked like an inverted pendulum as it rocked back and forth 10-15 degrees at deck level. The top of the mast was swinging in a 10 foot arc. I couldn't wait to get out of that place. In bed, you had to lay flat on your back, spread eagle, to keep from rolling around ! (The cruising guidebooks rave about how pretty Calabash is and how the roll/surge was "not that bad". WRONG.....if you haven't been, don't go...save yourself a sleepless night !!)
When the sails were set, the wind was light to moderate, but from the east; so it was a combination of sailing around the Cape of Santa Maria and motorsailing into the wind the 15 miles across to Conception. There are several reefs, coral heads and rocks surrounding the approach to the anchorage, many of which are uncharted. So, eyeball navigation is necessary to safely transit the approach. The water is so clear, you can see the bottom fifty (Yes, 50') feet below. The coral heads and reefs are dark brown against the turquoise water; so you zig-zag around them....The charts are marginal (hazards are mis-positioned or missing all together) so the electronic chart-plotter and onboard computer navigational system are worthless. There are no buoys, lights, marks or other nav-aids in this area of the Bahamas. So, navigation instruments are now eyeballs, binoculars and a pair of polarized sunglasses....pretty much what "Columbus" had 500+ years ago. Sure glad P-Girl has a ton of expensive electronics... they now make great night lights for the cabin.
Conception Island is uninhabited and has been left in it's natural state. There are a total of five boats here, all very spread out across the anchorage. The beach here is to die for....it is one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. It is crescent shaped about 2 miles long. The sand is brilliant white, and very fine....almost powdery. There are no rocks, trash or footprints on the beach. It was a bit overcast yesterday afternoon so photos would not do justice to the beauty of the island.....hopefully today will be better for photography.
There have been several mutton snappers under the boat this morning....but they don't seem interested in biting the lure....may have to get into the water with my spear and hunt dinner......probably would starve; but for the freezer !
s/v Persephone
As stated in the previous Blog, Persephone sailed over to Thompson Bay to "get otta town". "Regatta" was getting on my last nerve. Thompson Bay is a cute settlement with everything a cruiser needs; a good market, fuel, and a nice bar to enjoy "sundowners" The only down side is the beer-a-torium is a 15 minute car ride out of town. So, before the supply ran out, we sailed out of Thompson Bay yesterday, and sailed north for Calabash Bay at the top of the island. (Did NOT want a repeat of the Farmer's Cay incident of running out of beer !! Now there is ALWAYS plenty of coldies and cash aboard...lesson learned !!) When we got here, the wind was out of the NW and had not clocked around to the NE or E as predicted. So, Calabash was untenable....huge seas were crashing over the reef....NO THANKS. Didn't want to try and go in between the reefs, and once inside, the roll would have been horrible. So, P-Girl turned tail and ran the 5 miles back to Simms Bay. Simms is basically a big open harbor with little protection from anything by easterly winds. The shallow sands extend out about 1.5 miles from the shore. So, the anchor dropped 1.5+ miles off the beach in only 8' of water at mid-tide. Very strange to be anchored so far from shore...sort of like being in the middle of a watery nowhere. Several boats were hanging at Simms waiting for weather, so there was an instant beach party, including the obligatory bonfire. The cow bell was ringing pretty loudly...Did you hear it in the states ?? (The local Bahamian beer is "Kalick" and is named after the sound cow bells make....)
Got up this AM, listened to Chris, (the wx guru) and sailed north without a specific destination. We arrived at Cape Santa Maria late morning with the intent of turning for Conception Island 15 miles further out in the Atlantic. But, upon arrival at Santa Maria big rollers were rounding the Cape with HUGE breaking seas on the rocks at the tip of the island. AND, the wind was right on the nose from the northeast; exactly the direction of Conception Island. Nope....next time.....the fight (or getting beaten up) was not worth it; I again backtracked and this time made it safely into Calabash Bay and dropped the hook behind the reefs which are supposed to break up the seas. The reefs are doing a pretty poor job of stopping the swell rolling through the anchorage. It is very rolly, and you have to hang on just to walk around the boat....you certainly couldn't put a drink down without wearing it instantly.
Speaking of Cape Santa Maria, it is named after Columbus' flag ship the "Santa Maria". Apparently, the "Santa Maria" ran up on the rocks which now bear it's name a couple of days after Chris arrived in the new world. Ole Chris was so proud of his discovery, he promptly ran his flag ship up on the rocks. Guess, he gets also gets credit for the first shipwreck in the new world. The rocks are HUGE, with BIG breakers crashing over them, and are directly under a very high cliff with bright white sand. To say the danger was obvious would be the biggest understatement since 1492. Maybe Chris was enjoying a couple of Kalicks after his discovery and couldn't see or hear the surf over the ringing of the cow bells ??
Bottoms Up !!??
So, yesterday's sail was 35 miles east to Long Island. The anchor dropped in Thompson Bay which is about the middle of the island on the west side. Thompson Bay/Salt Pond appears to be a quite, small community which will be explored today. There are about 30 boats here in the anchorage (versus over 300 in G/T). The local "restaurant" (a Bahamian lady who apparently cooks out of her house) has offered to do a buffet dinner tonite for the cruisers in the harbor. Cruising friends have promised her Bahamian fare is delicious and not to be missed. The most recent head count for dinner was over 30 people and growing. It was fun listening to all the boats calling in by radio to make their reservations. (So much for getting away from the crowd !!).
The plan is to leave here tomorrow morning and sail north to Calabash Bay near the top of Long Island to spend the night. Calabash is supposed to be very remote and unspoiled. After that, the plan is to round the top of Long Island and sail 15 miles further east to Conception Island; which is tiny, uninhabited and part of the the Park System. There is a reef which extends a couple of miles north of Conception which features world class snorkeling (and hunting). Persephone will be vacationing at Conception for several days before returning to G/T (after Regatta).
As many of you know, I have to be in Connecticut for work during the week of March 15th. I will be flying to CT on Sunday and returning to G/T on Friday. Upon my return, plans will be in high gear to begin the migration south to the Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic and on to Puerto Rico. After my return and soon as the weather cooperates, the southbound trip will continue. (After nearly 6 weeks at anchor, I wanted to give Persephone a "shake-down" before heading south in open Atlantic waters).
Finally, Persephone is currently at 23 degrees 21 minutes north...."so what you ask" ??!! Well, we are 9 miles south of the "Tropic of Cancer" (23 30.00 N) The Tropic of Cancer is the latitude line that marks as far north as the sun travels above the equator during our summer. The sun sits above this line on the first day of summer; June 21st. Geographically, this line divides the true Tropics from the sub-tropics. So, this morning Persephone is finally anchored in THE TROPICS.
"Ratso Rizzo"
