Life on Lailia

North Palm Beach to Pendarvis Cove, Stuart, FL (anchored)

June 3, 2022

Drizzle moved into the anchorage this morning. We had hoped to dinghy to see some friends but realized that the ride was going to be miserable.

Within a mile of leaving the anchorage we had to wait for the first of ten bridges to open. The “restricted” bridges open at specific times (usually on the hour and half-hour) so if the timing is not exactly right, boaters might have to wait for 25 minutes or so until the next opening. There were four of these restricted bridges within the first seven miles. Six bridges were “on-demand” bridges – boaters hail the bridge tender who initiates an opening sequence that can take several minutes – so more waiting. One bridge, near the end (and close to a restricted bridge) was a 65′ bridge – the only one that we did not have to wait to have opened. I do remember thinking that these bridges were really cool, way back when we might see one of them in a day…

We do have really great internet here which allowed me to get some work done during the day. I had a good long phone call with a dear friend today, too. It’s the first time I heard her voice in three months.

John has to pay attention to keeping Lailia hovering while we are waiting for a bridge to open – he has to control our movement against wind and current and he does this really well. While he is doing that, I am taking pictures of things I think are cool, like ospreys and stuff. It’s pretty clear who is doing the important work.

We are riding out the storm in an anchorage off of the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Florida. This anchorage is west of the ICW and we think it’s inland enough to keep us out of the worst of the winds. It also means that we had to leave the ICW for a few miles (there were four bridges on this part of the trip).

We considered grabbing a mooring ball at the marina that is very close to us instead of anchoring so I don’t have to worry about dragging an anchor. The marina told us their corporate office will not let them rent any mooring balls or dock space due to the storm. The anchorage does have good holding and John reminded me that we have dealt with strong winds when we were in Black Point with no trouble. The strongest winds are forecast to hit midmorning tomorrow, so I can sleep tonight.

We expect that by tomorrow evening, the worst of the weather will have passed. Sunday looks to be fairly nice and we may spend some time in Stuart; after two days on the boat, we will be ready to walk around just about anywhere.

Tomorrow we will batten everything down and probably binge on some episodes of Peaky Blinders as we enjoy somewhat cooler temperatures.

Phil Foster Park anchorage to North Lake Worth, Florida (anchored)

June 2, 2022

The Phil Foster Park anchorage was fine for one evening but in the morning there were lots of boat wakes rocking Lailia. We don’t want to imagine what this anchorage is like on a weekend.

We decided to move a few miles north to a more protected anchorage that is near both a Publix and a West Marine as well as a dinghy dock. The powerboats passing us in the ICW were just another reminder that we are not in the Bahamas any more.

Another reminder was the sketchy dinghy “dock” (more like a wall) where we locked our dinghy, engine, and even our flotation cushions. I actually stored the dinghy anchor in my purse so that it wouldn’t be easy pickings for a thief. We never worried about our dinghy being stolen in the Bahamas – we usually either anchored it or tied it to something when we landed or docked.

Yesterday we noticed that the alternator was not charging the batteries (again). John tracked down today’s issue which was a break in the inline fuse wire. At least we were close to a West Marine so he could get the part.

I haven’t been in an American grocery store in over three months; going to Publix today was pretty wonderful and not just because of the air conditioning. Fruit here is so much less expensive (strawberries in the Nassau were $10 a container), as are Oreos (between $8.50 and $10 when available – they were pretty rare). We never saw my favorite Snyders of Hanover pretzels or any real beer variety in the Bahamas, either.

The more-protected anchorage here still had a knucklehead zipping around in his sporty yellow boat, sending up a wake…but he was the only person. I might close my eyes and pretend his boat was a seaplane…

We are planning to head about 36 miles north (and more inland) tomorrow to hopefully get out of the worst of the upcoming wind.

West End, Grand Bahama to North Lake Worth, FL (anchored)

June 1, 2022

A lot of cruisers wish one another, “Fair winds and following seas” when we leave one another’s company. Fair winds are ones that speed us on our way and following seas are waves that are going the same direction as the boat so they help push us along.

When we crossed the Gulf Stream in February, we did not have following seas and the trip was rough. Today we had following seas although not enough wind to do more than motor with Lailia’s headsail up.

We traveled about 60 miles in 9 hours, which is not too bad. Neither of us got sick and the ride was smooth enough that we could take some turns napping in the cockpit. We’re both still amazed by the distance flying fish can go!

There have been many rain bands the last few days in the Bahamas; today we had a rainbow which feels auspicious.

A cool thing is that we were able to go through customs via an app when we were about a mile from entering the inlet at Lake Worth. We had loaded our passport information and Lailia’s Coast Guard registration number into our account. We logged in upon arrival and were cleared within about 2 minutes. Prior to this app’s launch, boaters often had to go to a customs office to clear in; the last thing we wanted to do after a 9 hour trip is to dock somewhere and wait for paperwork to be completed.

The skyline of Lake Worth is so very different than what we have been enjoying in the Bahamas and the water is nowhere near as clear. We have spent so much time exploring remote islands that all these condos and traffic are strange.

We are anchored tonight just north of Lake Worth and are keeping an eye on the weather forecasts as there is some nastiness expected. We have members of our flotilla family heading this way tomorrow and we’d like to see them – but we also don’t want to have to be anchored in high winds later in the week.

We have flown the Bahamian courtesy flag since we cleared through customs in Bimini. John wore his Abacos shirt as he took down the flag which is showing the wear and tear of 90 days of wind and (mostly) sun.

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I found some photos of Lailia at Great Sale on Facebook taken by the other boat in the anchorage with us. Their photos show how remote this anchorage was.

They also managed to get a photo of the waterspout.

Great Sale Cay to Old Bahama Bay Marina, West End, Grand Bahama (docked)

May 31, 2022

We left Great Sale Cay before any more torrential rain hit – we could see the rain bands over the island when we woke up.

Since our windlass is not functioning, John is the designated anchor-puller. Today he created a system that works pretty well: using a chain hook attached to the line so he could winch up the anchor.

Our run today was about 50 miles – one of the longer trips we’ve taken. While there was some rain around us, we were lucky that we only had some random drizzles. We had following seas to push us along, but the winds were too light to get the sails up.

Navigation in the Bahamas requires attention. We use our electronic systems but we also have to look at water color and for random markers. On our way into Grand Bahama today we had to slow down to make sure we had enough depth. There was also a pole in the water to mark a shallow spot (this is part of the reason we get where we are going in the daylight).

This marina is attached to a resort with guest rooms, restaurants, laundry facilities, and showers. The best part is that Bahamas Customs and Immigration have an office here, so we were able to clear out for tomorrow. The resort grounds are pretty, too.

Tonight we’ll check the wind reports one more time (we want winds with no northern components, so nothing from the north, northeast or northwest). We learned a lot about preparation for potentially sporty travel: we’ll have snacks and drinks in the cockpit to minimize going below where the rocking can be terrible; we’ll stash everything that can fall; and I will take a Dramamine before I go to sleep tonight so it’s in my system tomorrow morning.

The forecast actually calls for light winds and low waves, so we are hopeful that the crossing to Lake Worth is easy.

We have spent 92 days in the Bahamas and have visited Bimini, the Berry Islands, Nassau (New Providence), the Exumas, Spanish Wells (Eleuthera), the Abacos, and finally Grand Bahama. If the weather would have cooperated, we would have stayed longer.

It’s really difficult to describe these last few months without sounding trite or superficial. We can steal lines like, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” or throw out one-liners about how “everything is broken on your boat, you just don’t know it” but it doesn’t really capture the entire experience of having some of the best days in the most gorgeous settings while dealing with all kinds of challenges (physical, emotional, and mechanical). We have been awed, bored, challenged, and excited. I have been scared and anxious more than I thought I would have been. We’ve caught our breath at the colors of the water and the sky. We’ve spent time in the company of some adventurous folks who have enriched our lives, commiserated with us, and explored with us.

Spanish Cay Marina to Great Sale Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (anchored)

May 30, 2022

We had a bunch of different kinds of weather heading from Spanish Cay to Great Sale.

It was cloudy and warm when we left.

Then there was some surreal clouds and odd light on the water. We slowed down as we got to the much lighter colored water – it was just so weird to see the color change that abruptly when there was no change in depth on the charts.

It was just a sandy bottom illuminated a hazy break in the clouds. The sun was definitely not out.

And then the clouds started building even more and we could see curtains of rain all around us.

The captain added rain gear to deal with the deluge. The best mate fled down below as the rain increased and the temperatures dropped. Fortunately, there was not a dramatic increase in wind (yet).

Great Sale Cay is an uninhabited island that’s got a bunch of scrubby plants growing on it. It’s “claim to fame” is that it is a decent anchorage that’s between Grand Bahama and the better (more fun) Abaco Islands.

We were one of two boats in this anchorage. We were in 12 feet of water and we set out 105 feet of chain wth a 25 foot snubber. We set the anchor alarm and settled in to catch up on Peaky Blinders.

And then…the anchor alarm went off as we moved in a big gust of wind. John looked out the portlight and told me that we were not dragging the anchor BUT we needed to button up Lailia very quickly. I assumed that a rain band was moving in.

After we secured all of the hatches and portlights, John let me know that he had spotted a waterspout maybe a mile from us. To our great relief, when we checked again, the waterspout was receding into the clouds.

Guess who did not sleep last night? Guess who did?

We will make the 50 nautical mile journey to West End, in Grand Bahama, in the morning. From there we will check out of customs so we can head back to the United States.

Manjack Cay to Spanish Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (docked)

May 29, 2022

The weather thing in the Yucàtan is becoming more organized although it’s still a long way out. Each of us has our own level of comfort but we on Lailia have decided that we would like to make the Gulf Stream crossing before the yuck. We are going to move a bit faster than the rest of our flotilla fam.

Lailia’s fuel tanks hold 80 gallons of diesel (40 in each tank) but we have never ascertained how air is getting into the lines on our port tank, so while we (meaning John) could rig a system to get fuel from the port tank to the starboard tank, it’s better to have a full starboard tank.

We made the decision to head to the marina in Spanish Cay so we could fuel up. The other members of our flotilla fam decided to do some shorter jumps. They would rather be someplace they like in bad weather than stuck somewhere not as interesting.

Everyone knows that good journeys start with a good breakfast, though, so we got together one last time for pancakes on SV Wild.

We had craft time, too. Nicki decorated a tequila bottle (that stuff was smooth) for Frank’s Flotilla Family – that bottle will be our contribution to the art walk. The guys practiced splicing with dyneema (really strong rope that doesn’t stretch) by making soft shackles that can be used to attach lines.

We left Manjack on a really cloudy late morning. The weather devolved: we were headed directly into some large bands of rain. We could hear thunder rumbling and occasionally see distant lightning.

I worry about a lightning strike because aside from the concern about our physical wellbeing, it could take out our electronic instrumentation. We are not sure exactly how effective our lightning preparation is but we put all handheld electrical devices in the oven in hopes it will protect them from an electromagnetic frequency burst. I pull everything out of our electrical outlets. I gave John gloves to wear and a wooden-handled spatula he could use on our metal helm, to keep him from getting shocked.

While it did rain, there was no nearby lightning, which was wonderful. The water was also very calm so I could stay below without getting seasick.

The rain stopped just as we finished fueling at Spanish Cay.

Spanish Cay Resort and Marina is on a private island. Guests can walk the island and enjoy the restaurant, too.

Lailia was the only sailboat docked there with many sport fishing boats. The fisherfolk clean their fish at the docks which attracts all kinds of smaller fish as well as sharks and tarpon. Sometimes the fisherpeople will hang a fish carcass over the edge of the dock – it’s a cool show to see the predatory fish take giant bites.

Although there aren’t many structures on Spanish Cay, the destruction wrought by Dorian is very visible from docks that are destroyed in a section of the marina to dwellings that are just broken.

There are more hardwoods and brushy undergrowth on Spanish Cay than we have seen on most of the islands. The folks who own this cay have done some landscaping, too, so there are areas that are mowed. The red-legged thrushes remind me of robins (if robins had RED eyes). They root around in leaf litter and grass looking for bugs and worms.

I also caught my very first Bahamian fish off the docks. I have been dropping lines in the water all over and finally, finally caught a fish. This was a catch and release situation.

We met our dock neighbors at Hope Town and again at Manjack. They were gifted a tuna by some fishing folks and shared it with us. We can’t wait to grill up the filets.

We’ll be leaving here in the morning and heading to Great Sale Cay, which is a remote island that will be about halfway between Spanish Cay and Grand Bahama Island. We’re working our way closer to making a Gulf Stream crossing, which is really bittersweet.

Manjack Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (anchored)

May 28, 2022

How fortunate we are to be a flotilla family with folks who also love checking out flora and fauna!  Manjack’s mangrove maze had myriad green sea turtles.

The one manmade object we saw was the remains of a trimaran tied to the mangroves.  Mangroves provide a good deal of protection from wind so we are assuming this boat was tied there to protect it from hurricane damage.  It had clearly been there for an extended period: it was missing its mast, lines, and electronics.

After we completed the mangrove tour, we beached our dinghies on another sandy spot on the Sea of Abaco side. There were mangrove saplings growing here that caught shells and other cool things.

The soil was sandy here with an agave-type plant and lots of barrel cacti growing wildly.

We also found sea biscuits, including one that was still alive (live ones are covered with short bristles). This might explain why there were so many painted sea biscuits on the art trail.

A few small conchs were feeding in the shallow water here. They have some googly eyes!

I found a really cool shell that would have been added to my collection except it was a hermit crab’s home.

John did some snorkeling and spear fishing with our friends that afternoon near a wreck while I chose to recharge with some solo time. John speared a trunkfish.

We are keeping our eye on the long-range weather forecast. There’s a possible tropical disturbance forming in the Yucatan that could possibly become a thing (I am refusing to say anything because I don’t want to speak it into existence). We will be making decisions about getting across the Gulf Stream with this weather in mind.

Green Turtle Cay to Manjack Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (anchored)

May 27, 2022

After a quick breakfast in town, we let go of the mooring ball in Black Point Sound and did a quick sail to Manjack Cay. This cay is privately owned by a few gracious folks who provide access to their island and several walking trails.

The art trail winds its way through the woods. Boaters leave artifacts – some really elaborate – along the trail. I don’t know if cruisers bring these completed objects with them or make them on their boats. With all of the tools and stuff we carry, we really don’t have room for art supplies (but I wish we did).

We escaped the art trail mosquitos by hanging out on the beach on the west side of the island. There are a few picnic tables there as well as coconut palms and even a machete. Andy decided we needed coconuts, then the boys used the island machete to open them.

The beach trail was one of the best trails we’ve been on in the Bahamas. Instead of the sharp, pitted rocks and narrow clearances, this trail was wide and mostly sand. It cut across the island to the east side, on the Atlantic Ocean.

There were actually wild orchids along the trail! Wild. Orchids.

The beach on the Atlantic side did not disappoint, either (it never does).

Tonight is a quiet night with a little rain – we’re going to watch the mdseason finale of Better Call Saul We’re hoping to do another dinghy tour through the mangroves with our flotilla family tomorrow and maybe walk a few more trails. We’re all keeping our eyes on the weather for the next week.

Black Point Sound, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (anchored)

May 26, 2022

(This entire post – except for photos – was lost last night when the internet went wonky).

Once again, we were foolhardy and made plans. The original plan was to go to town walk around for a little bit, grab coffee and maybe a pastry at a local coffee shop, and make the 3 mile hop to Manjack Cay.

What really happened is that we liked the town so much that we explored, grabbed brunch, decided we could easily go to Manjack tomorrow, explored some more, stopped for drinks, and walked a little more. It’s such a delight to change plans because we are having fun and not because of something breaking. Having our flotilla family (they started as boat buddies and moved up the hierarchy) just adds another layer of happiness.

The town of New Plymouth was established around 1786 by English Loyalists who left the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Like the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Loyalists were fleeing persecution for being on the wrong side of history.

New Plymouth, like most of the Abacos and Grand Bahama, suffered a great deal of damage from Hurricane Dorian in September of 2019 and the husks of buildings in varying levels of damage are all over.

The folks of New Plymouth are proud of their history. They’ve erected a Loyalist Memorial Garden containing busts of prominent Bahamians and explaining their significance to the history of the area. There’s also a historical marker identifying the persecution and verbal abuse the Loyalists experienced in the United States after the colonists won their independence. American history classes don’t spend time discussing this at all.

I can’t imagine how tough and determined the Loyalists were – those who traveled to the Bahamas not only were forging new ground, but they had to know that they would probably never set foot back in either the United States or Britain again. They cut lumber on Abaco Island, fished, hunted turtles, and over time built cotton plantations on the islands – and yes, the folks that came here were probably fairly prosperous already and were no doubt granted favors from England.

A more delicious historical moment for Green Turtle is that the Goombay Smash was invented by Miss Emily at the Blue Bee Bar. This recipe is often imitated (in fact there is a very popular canned soft drink of the same name) but the recipe is a family secret.

The blues of the water, the abundance of flowers (including roses, which seems unusual), and the brightly colored buildings here are visual treats. The Exumas were more wild than the Abacos, with fewer buildings and far fewer flowers. My guess is that the colonists who tried to recreate their European gardens changed the landscape. Those rose bushes growing in yards are not at all native to these islands.

The British influence is still pretty apparent, by the way. Some of the busts honored folks with OBEs or MBEs (Officer of the British Empire/Member of British Empire). The directions for heating beans on the hob were another reminder.

We will get up in the morning and grab breakfast sandwiches before we head out on the 3 mile jump to Manjack Cay, where there is supposed to be some walking trails and snorkeling spots.

Great Guana (anchored) to Black Point Sound, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas (mooring ball)

May 24 & 25, 2022

May 24

Our friend Jen told us to look for the white-tailed tropic birds in Great Guana, which was great timing because they were flying and diving all over our anchorage. We had only seen them at one other anchorage – Shroud Cay – in the Exumas. These birds have really long, thin tails that can look like jet trails behind them. They’re really hard to photograph because they fly fast and they dart all over the place.

A cool fact about these birds is that their legs are set so far back on the body that they can’t walk upright on land. For the rare times they need to move on land, they use their chests, wings and occasionally their beaks to pull themselves along. Those rear-set legs make them good swimmers.

A barge hovered behind the anchorage for a bit while we were eating breakfast. When stuff like that happens it’s unsettling – the charts don’t have this area marked as a shipping/mailboat route. We turned on our VHF radio to see if they would hail us, but in the end, the barge just moved off.

We’re currently traveling in the company of two other boats: SV Wild and SV Luna. We dinghied over to Grabbers Beach Bar and walked to the beach on the Atlantic side of Great Guana.

The easiest access to the beach is through the steps at Nippers’ Beach Bar. The names of the beach bars are really interesting…

John snorkeled off the beach with Andy, Eric, and Nikki while Casey and I got beach time with Frank the greyhound. This was the first time I just sat on a beach in the Bahamas. We’ve walked on beaches, explored beaches with caves and blowholes, and even hung out with lizards and other boaters at beaches, but for some reason, I haven’t just enjoyed sitting on a beach towel with my feet in the sand until today.

It was absolutely perfect.

Dinner and drinks were on SV Wild. John has created this year’s “John drink” (rum. Kahlua, and Bailey’s) so he was the mixologist. We made plans for our next hop through the Whale and to No Name Cay, which is about 10 miles.

May 25

Teamwork is a gift. As we made water for SV Luna, they traveled to shore to get rid of trash and grab ice. Our mainsail had been getting hung up in the furler so we had a team of guys to fix that.

Ever since we crossed over to the Abaco island chain, we have been in the Sea of Abaco. This body of water has Abaco Island on the west and chains of smaller cays to the east (Atlantic Ocean) which keeps the water fairly shallow and the waves pretty small. As we travelled north, we had to go through the Whale Cay Passage, also known as “Crossing the Whale.” The water in the Sea of Abaco near Whale Cay is too shallow for most boats so we have to leave the Sea of Abaco and travel outside (in the Atlantic) for about 2 miles and re-enter the Sea of Abaco on the north side of Whale Cay.

Guidebooks mention that this area can be prone to swells if the prevailing winds are strong enough to push water against the tide. We checked the tides and waves before the three boats in our flotilla made the passage.

We were the last boat out of the anchorage which meant that we benefited from information that the other boats were transmitting. Last night we planned to spend some time at anchor in No Name Cay but the first boat in our flotilla found the anchorage to be too rolly. We all changed course to Black Sound in Green Turtle Cay.

The short hop – less than 10 miles – meant that we had time to sail. Sailing can be slow if the wind isn’t just right, but we had lots of time to get to our anchorage. It’s incredibly peaceful to turn off the engine and move with the wind, especially when the seas were at our back.

Tonight we are on a mooring ball in a very protected harbor and we may stay here for a few days.

We’re planning to explore Green Turtle Cay tomorrow and possibly sail in one boat to Manjack where we can explore some nature trails and a dinghy trail.

Sharing our resources with our boat buddies (now renamed flotilla friends) has been one of the better decisions we have made: we have other folks who share knowledge and excitement, which builds our own. It also allows us to not do an activity – John can snorkel while I sunbathe, for example, because each of us has friends who are sharing that activity.