Monthly Archives: April 2014

After 90 days in the Bahamas Makai is beginning to make the final run up the islands.  After a rainy, windy day the wind turned around and blew out of the south. Gary and Sandy flew in and joined us on our northward journey to say goodbye to our favorite spots.

Off of Musha Cay a ray and barracuda greeted us in the anchorage.

We took our usual snorkel over to David Copperfield’s Mermaid statue.

Roy found a hermit crab to pose on the piano.

The mirror finish of the stainless steel prompted us to break out scrubbers and scrapers.

To all sculptures out there, I would love to see more underwater art.

The view of Makai from inside the cave is like looking through a magic window.

The islands are off limits, posted with private property signs.  Rudder Cay is also patrolled by a dog.  Some reports are that this dog is for security, other reports say it was abandoned.  Either way, this pup has been reported for over a year.  We’ve never seen any people on the island taking care of her and she was very friendly.  So for the two days we were in the area, she enjoyed buckets of water and piles of kibble.

As always, the sunsets are spectacular.

Musha Cay to Staniel Cay is a 20 mile opportunity to catch a Mahi Mahi along the drop off.  The anxiety of the possibility of having to land a Mahi Mahi makes my heart race and keeps me up all night rehearsing the steps.

When Roy yelled “FISH ON” we all assumed our positions and went into action.  The announcement that it was a sailfish and we would release it relaxed me enough to enjoy the fight.  Roy got it right up along the side of Makai and while we were discussing how we would release it, flip flop flap, off it went.

A few minutes later the alert rang out again as the reel went zzzing.  Unfortunately, the fish didn’t take a good enough bite of the balihoo.

Staniel Cay is a chance to pamper ourselves.  We met up with Dream Catcher and snorkeled in Thunderball Grotto.

Everyone had fun swimming in and out of the cave through tunnels.

The sea anemone is like a beautiful flower in a field of sand and sea grass.

Marie came by to pose for photos.

The water was so warm and clear we had fun with everything including the anchor.

Mamma got run over by the anchor.  It was great to have the freedive training so I could relax and stay down longer.

Genny and I cleaned the bottom last week, here’s a picture of Genny’s underwater art.  Oh Boy, the bottom paint doesn’t last long when we’re always on the move. One of this summer’s projects is to haul Makai out of the water and repaint the bottom.

For a treat we all spiffed up on our best clothes and went to the yacht club for dinner.

Local nurse sharks were there to greet us.

The last adventure here is to visit the pigs one last time.

Next stop is Pipe Creek.  The current was ripping by so strong everyone had to hold a line while swimming.  When Topaz got to the end of her line we would pull her in for a rest.

Roy and Ken went Pompano fishing in a beautiful snorkel spot.

With a belly full of fish, we moved into the Exuma Land and Sea Park where everything is protected.

Back to sand bars and snorkeling for the fun of it.

The protected fish grow big and are comfortable about swimming in front of snorkelers.

The strawberry grouper was beautiful and the sergeant majors swarm like butterflies.

Topaz loves to swim.

We haven’t seen many eels, this guy came out for a picture.

Across the way is a sunken airplane.

Genny swam through the fuselage.

When we get home I’ll have to find a painting of a reef.  This a common view while we snorkel.
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Conchs in the park roam freely.

We have a favorite little anchorage near the airplane, but there wasn’t enough room for two boats to anchor, so we rafted up.

Makai and Dream Catcher became a quadrahull side by side schooner.

It was lots of fun, we should have done this sooner.  Moving between the boats to visit and even eating separate yet together was fun.

The end of another great day is signaled by the blowing of the conchs.

Next stop is Wardrick Wells after a long down wind run.

Everyone got cozy with their kindle books and caught up on their reading.

Topaz has taken a liking to laying on Gary.  Either he sits in her spot and she cozies up to him or she finds a few inches of cushion to squish in next to him.

The spinnaker does a great job.  Thanks Rodney for equipping our Leopard 47 with the whomper.

Makai’s new outboard rides on the dinghy nicely while the old motor rests on the outboard mount.

Wardrick Wells was surprisingly busy.  The moorings were full so off to the anchorage  we went.

First a supply launch buzzed past us, then a sea plane took off.

Wardrick Wells is the Exuma Land and Sea Park headquarters and has the most beautiful reefs.

Huge schools of snappers lingered in the trenches.

LOBSTERS, lobsters were everywhere.  They were huge and walking around without fear of being caught and eaten.

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This ray was only about as big as my hand.

The angel fish hide behind sea fans and trigger fish glide by.

We had a glimpse of a sea turtle.

Roy’s favorite Nassau Grouper safely swam in the park protected from fishermen.

This is our last chance for a Mahi Mahi with Gary and Sandy.  We left Wardrick Wells, headed out to the edge of the park and trolled the 20 miles up to Norman’s Cay and Wax Cay cut.  Right there as we were about to turn in toward the anchorage I got internet reception and an email from Scott Aanonson.  He said after talking to fishing friends and hearing their stories, tiring the fish out seemed to be key.  Then all of a sudden  ”FISH ON!”  We all calmed down and took the advice in our email.  Makai was only running on the jib, so we pulled it in and continued along at 2 kts on bare poles for a half hour while Roy tired out Cynthia.  In Georgetown Roy met a fisherman who told him when he lost a fish it was like losing his girlfriend so Roy has started naming the fish.

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This is really a team effort.  There has to be someone to drive, manage the pole, do the gaffing, grab it with a blanket and sit on the fish while someone else fills the gills with vodka.

Cynthia, 48 inches and 17 lbs.

Roy does all the cleaning.

It’s just amazing how big the fillets are.

Now that Roy finally landed a Mahi Mahi, he can jump for joy and relax on the sand bars.

Everyone was equally as relieved after losing the previous fish.

Genny’s new selfie is pictures of her legs and feet.

Topaz is always fun to watch in the water but not much for posing for photos.

So off she swims into the sunset.

Yippeee the Aanonson family for a whole week.  For the last few years before we left California, these guys were our ‘everyday’ friends.  They’re homeschoolers that live a hop skip and a jump from our back door.  Some mornings we would bike to the donut shop before school work, meet up on dog potty walks in the morning, 20 minutes of play between school work and classes and then there is always the afternoons and evening of play, dog walks and kids running, playing and eating at each other’s houses.

Scott, Krista, Tyler and Cody Aanonson

Last year they visited Makai in the British Virgin Islands, we met up at Grandma and Grandpa Aanonson’s house in Florida this year for the New Year, and another memory for the kids to share will be the last minute vacation week in the Bahamas.

Four days earlier sad kids were passing emails back and forth because their parents couldn’t agree on a date to visit.  The weeks for Makai in the Bahamas were slipping away fast, so I send Krista an email that said, “Just come now!”  Within minutes Scott made the reservation and it was done.  After an entire day of travel their flight gave them a beautiful view of the islands.  When they arrived in the BVIs last year, it was dark but we were at the airport jumping up and down in the terminal windows.  Today all they had was the instructions to find a taxi and meet us at the Exuma Market.

The taxi driver called us on Eric’s Bahamian phone and we sent Roy to the dinghy dock to pick them up.  We’ve had quite a bit of wind lately making the dinghy ride a bit wet and splashy, but no one melted.

The excitement in the kids was hard to control.  They were all over the place, hopping around like jumping beans.

Or monkeys swinging in the trees.

First thing in the morning, as soon as the sun lit up the sky, they scurried about planning their trip to the beach. Four tired parents wandered around rubbing their eyes before casting them off.

Sand castles are fun again when you are with a buddy.

The gang went over the hill to the surf side of the beach.

The kids found an old cooler to cast Cody off in.  It didn’t get too far before tipping over. So, no need to worry about little boys lost at sea.

Then of course there’s the sand hill.  We discovered there is an updraft along the bluff.  When the kids tossed sand about, it would fall up and drift over the top of the hill.

See there are pictures of us when someone else is taking them.  The Aanonson’s photos from last year in BVI are what sold us on the Olympus T2 Tough camera.  This year I found that our friends on C-Spirit had the previous model of this camera and liked it as well.

All the toys came out.  Everyone got Hobie sailing lessons.  The wind was a little brisk which always makes me nervous.  The last thing I want to learn how to do is right it if it flips over.  Oh, nooooo, we flipped.  Scott and Krista were on the leeward side, I told Scott to steer for Makai and then head up at the last minute so I could run over and grab the side.  At that very minute, with him turning and the three of us on the leeward side, over we went.   I guess I needed to get some experience with capsizing.  It was quite easy to right the boat.  The float on top of the mast prevents it from turning turtle, so just unclip the main sheet, grab a line off the hull that is towering above me, stand on the one still in the water, and pull back.  Easy Peasy.

Eric went off to run an errand so the rest of us overloaded the Hobie and sailed down to Chat n Chill and Volleyball beach.

Conch fritters in Staniel Cay and Conch salad here are the only local delicacies we’ve indulged in.

At the far end of the beach is a little shack next to the water.  The chef wades out and scoops up a conch (tied of course so it can’t get away).  His only tools are a special conch hammer and a knife for chopping.  I watched him squeeze lemon on the meat and slice it this way and that.  Then he diced up tomatoes, onions and green pepper.  More dicing, squeezing, chopping and scooping.  In the end we had bowls full of fresh conch salad one with a spoonful of spice and the other without.

Next to the stand is a bucket of conch bits that are trimmed off before making the salad.  The kids grabbed up a handful of slimy conch guts and fed it to the habituated sting rays.  These rays come out and greet any pair of feet that enters the water looking for a handout. This photo also shows the conch shells from previous salads.

Eric returned from his errand and spotted our brightly colored Hobie sail.  We’re pretty much the only ones in the Bahamas with this sail so we’re easy to spot.  Here it is, his new dinghy engine, delivered today on the mail boat from Nassau.  There are a few reasons for this new addition to Makai’s equipment.  First we can’t get the dinghy up onto a plane for speed and fuel efficiency when taking the family off on an adventure.  Also, when the water is choppy if you go slow the waves hit the front of the boat and splash inside the dinghy.  If we’re planing, then we’re skimming over the top of the water and the boat has moved past the splashes keeping us dry.  The final reason is that the United States no longer sells 2-stroke engines which are lighter weight than the 4-stroke engines and this is one we want for Makai’s future.

There are a few things to get used to on it.  We’ve all be driving from the port side of the dinghy but now there is a gear shift mounted on the opposite side.  So where do you sit to reach both?  We had to learn where the lever and pin are to raise the engine when beaching the dinghy, how about the strength needed to pull the starter cord (Marie can no longer do it), etc…..

Evening is a welcome time.  Everyone is tired and ready to blow the conch horns at sunset.

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Along the way we’ve found a few colorful shells without much growth to make horns.  Eric fills in the hole, where the meat was released from, with epoxy and then slices off the tip.  They’ve decided that the biggest shells are easier to blow and have the best sound.

Now that everything is in order, off we go to find some new adventure.  The wind was perfect 15-20 kts behind us.  Genny put on an audio book and the motion of the ocean kept everyone quiet and nappy.  We snacked on delicacies they brought from Costco like Kirkland Steak Bits beef jerky, mmmmm.

The 30 nm trip took most of the day, but everyone was refreshed and ready for the next day’s activities.  Musha Cay area is where the mermaid statue, low tide beach in the cave, spear fishing, and a little beach time.

Roy and Tyler have been planning their spear fishing expedition and now they’re ready to bring home dinner.

Scott grabbed the pole spear.  This used to be my favorite weapon until Roy convinced me the Hawaiian sling is much more effective.

Tyler swam off with the sling looking for prey.

At the end of the day They got a Nassau Grouper and a squirrel fish.

With the work finished it’s play time again.  The kids swung the boom over for swinging and jumping.

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There all kinds of sea creatures to explore.  The sea stars are pretty slow and easy for a bunch of kids to capture.

Tonight we’re having a little birthday celebration.  Roy and Eric have birthdays in May but we like to celebrate with friends.

Krista brought balloons and banners, gifts and treats.  At the end of an active day the kids play Minecraft. I don’t really understand the game, but everyone has their own device and can all access the same game.  So, if they’re playing together, what’s the difference if it’s on an electronic device or a piece of cardboard with plastic pawns.

Our special dinner is cheeseburgers on fresh baked buns with lobster and vegetables.

Our secret treat is See’s Candy.  Mmmmm, the kids got a back of Milky Way bites, but we got See’s Nuts and Chews.

The evening is wrapped up with brownies and a sparkler.

Last year Roy turned 12 in the Port Canaveral anchorage. He got to celebrate with his family, but he didn’t think it was so special.  This year we’re starting his 13th birthday celebrations early, I’m sure you’ll see a few more birthday pictures in future posts.

A week goes by fast, now we have to head back to Georgetown.  The blow hole on Boyse Cay was blowing so we stopped to check it out.

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Surf crashes against the rocks, under the ledge and shoots out a whole on top.

Ok, here’s the worst moment of our entire trip.  About 10 miles to our waypoint we decided to pull in the jib and motor on course so we wouldn’t spend the whole day tacking back.  I looked over at Roy’s pole and the line was out in front of Makai instead of dragging behind.  FISH ON! I figured it must be another barracuda, but that would be fun for Tyler to reel in. The gang started chasing the line around the boat as Roy reeled in.  A MAHI MAHI, yippee yiperoo, just what we’ve been waiting for.

 

Today our first guest arrives and our last guest departs on April 29, in that time we’ll only have 2 days to be lonely.  The Aanonsons were emailing with me trying to squeeze in a date sometime in May, but it just wasn’t working out.  So I said, “How about NOW?”  A few minutes later Scott said, “Done, we’ll be there on Tuesday.”  That’s what I like flexibility and a thirst for adventure.

After returning from the Jumentos we rested up, organized our thoughts and then got to work.  Eric ordered a new outboard engine for our dinghy.  Fifteen horsepower just isn’t enough for the dinghy to get up on a plane to conserve fuel and skim us along the water’s surface.  We often leave some people behind where there is someplace far for us to go or else we just putt along with a full boat.  The new 30 HP engine is due to arrive tomorrow and everyone is excited.

Next is the crappy corners that I’ve been overlooking for months now.  Marie sorted out the sticker books, magazines and puzzle books.  We put together a load of trash and a pile to donate.

The piano buried under Marie’s clothes was dug out.  For the first hour everyone fought over who was going to bang out some favorite old song, then it pushed aside and forgotten.  Every few days I open a song book and slowly attempt a new song.  Once it’s noticed they all take a crack at it.

Fishing is not allowed in Elizabeth Harbor where we are anchored.  This is stressful for Roy who is only comfortable with a pole or spear in his hand.  There are two scavenger remoras living under our boat who come out to suck up any scraps that are tossed off the back. Genny had fun with Cheesits tied to her line and a little Topaz teasing.

One day Roy pointed out the excessive mold growth over the book shelves.  Ick, it was pretty bad.  I took all the books off and scrubbed the area with softscrub and bleach.

We managed to thin the library out a bit and reorganize so most everything fit on the port side.

We anchored off of volleyball beach and the Chat n Chill restaurant for a few days. A bunch of kids came by for volleyball, swinging in the trees and petting the sting rays who come by the conch salad bar for handouts.

I started joining a bunch of regulars for afternoon Mexican Train Dominos.  Everyone has an interesting story behind how they happened to get here.  We’ve met people with seasonal jobs like commercial fishing in Alaska, editors, people on sabbatical,  and of course retired folks.  One guy told me he thought the retired folks who live and sail on their boats are healthier than their friends back home.  Sounds like we have to keep doing this. It’s also impressive to hear about previous careers, like the dominos guys: a phd level marine biology professor, biochemistry professor, and fireman, to mention only a few.  Most people don’t really talk about work, conversations more commonly revolve around fishing, making water, getting supplies, and future travels.

Roy and Eric have been bugging me for a little sewing work.  Roy even went and set up the machine just to get me to make his spear fishing poles a bag.

Roy designed this protective pouch for the pole spear and two Hawaiian slings.

The whole week has been excessively windy. There are only two things to do on a windy day, fly a kite or go sailing.  One day I took about 10 kids from the anchorage out sailing.  We had a rotation where one would steer, one would ride and two would be towed on surf boards.  That’s always a miserable mess.  Anytime a kid falls off, you have to go back and get them.  It is often hard to turn around and get the rope back to them and kids dragging slows the Hobie down to a crawl.

After everyone got a turn, they decided to try riding by themselves. I suppose they thought I must be doing something wrong.  So all 10 of them went out and tried to tow two kids on each board.  Hmm, I think that didn’t work either.  Finally, no one rode on the surf board and fewer kids rode on the Hobie and everyone had a great sail.

Don’t forget Topaz. She likes to swim around off the back of Makai.  Her retriever instinct drives her to grab her harness and carry it back to the ladder.

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Roy made her a toy by tying interesting knots on the ends of floating line.  Eric was posted on the back step for the afternoon tossing the toy.

I decided to rub out some of the scuff marks we’ve collected this season and continued on to waxing the hulls as far down as I can reach from the deck.  Eric polished the stainless steel and now we shine on top.

For a final night with all the kids they all came over after dinner for popcorn and a movie.  I’m sorry we didn’t spend more time with this crew, but everyone was going here and there.  Maybe we’ll see them up the road.

Back to company cleaning.  Marie has been elected to move out for guests.  I’m not sure why her room is always turned into a guest room, but it’s a good idea.  Marie’s room is always the biggest mess of the entire boat.  Last year I just stacked up boxes on her floor and said to scrape all her belongings into the boxes so we can find her bed.  This year we’ve managed to cut back on her possessions but it still looks like a tornado at a rummage sale.  Guests on a regular basis forces us to clean up the mess.  Wow, look!

Genny also straightens up because from the guest room the view is a straight shot into Genny’s room.  Genny probably uses her room more than anyone else.  At first she called it her hidey hole, now we call it her lair.

For years Roy has seen the stress of the sister mess.  Mom pulls her hair out and the sisters fall to pieces in tears because their so overwhelmed by stuff. I’ve told him over and over that ‘stuff’ is an anchor. When you move you have to transport your stuff and find a suitable location to store it. Stuff piles up and you can’t find useful stuff at the bottom of the pile.  Stuff crowds your space and requires care.  So Roy got rid of the stuff.  All he has in his room is a few pillows and blankets, Diary of a Whimpy Kid books (the first series he read), and his fishing gear neatly organized and displayed.

As for the rest of the house, we did our best.  Homework is also at the top of our list this week.  Roy just signed up for a writing class with WriteGuide.com.  Maybe I can get him to take over posting on his fishing trips.

Yesterday was business in town.  Our 90 visa in the Bahamas expires next week, but the good news is that it only takes a little paperwork to get another 90 days.  We all marched over to Immigration to take care of this important detail.

Then the truck that takes us to Prime Island Meats and Deli comes by at 10:30.  This is a photo Eric found on www.galleywenchtales.com, one of the 90 or so blogs he follows. If you are bored reading about Makai’s adventures, just email us and Eric will pass a few blog links on to you.  A few weeks ago I piled into an over stuffed pick-up truck.  Since then many of the cruisers have left and Roy and I managed to get in with four other people.  Next week when we come back to Georgetown I’ll pack the freezer with hamburger, chicken and pork chops to get us through the rest of the season.

The cruising season is coming to a close.  Most people’s boat insurance require them to be at some point north by June 1st and many people have plans to be in the USA by May 1st.  Every day a dozen or so boats head out on the East and South winds we’ve been experiencing.  This morning the group of kid boats we’ve been hanging around with left.  Boat cards were exchanged with promises to keep in touch and find each other in the Chesapeake Bay.

Adios friends see you all in the Abacos, the Gulf Stream or the Chesapeake Bay.

Back to waiting for guests.  The cleaning is almost finished, with nothing to do but wait, Marie decides cartwheels will take her mind off of things.

Weeee.