We've had a topsy-turvy week-plus since we last blogged. We came very close to leaving the Abacos with a group of friends, then decided not to go about 30 minutes before anchor up time; the weather has been all over the map, with strong squalls and waterspouts one day, bright sun and flat calm seas the next, followed by days and days of overcast skies with heavy rain, and now back to spectacularly calm weather; and we've enjoyed some of the most calm, laid back, family sailing in the islands yet, cruising here and there with our friends on Osprey. If you're looking for the short version of where we are and what we're up to, here it is: we're still in the Abacos, heading to Moraine Cay later today, then to Grand Cay with an eye toward heading to the US East coast (hopefully Charlestown or Beaufort) on Tuesdayish, depending on the weather. If you're interested in the longer version, read on . . . .
When we last checked in here, we were in Green Turtle with Osprey, Zusammen, Celilo Dharma, Cookie Monster and Makana, watching the weather for a possible crossing window and waiting to say goodbye to Mike and Roberta on Celilo, who were heading for Beaufort. Mike and Roberta ended up leaving that afternoon, but not before several humdinger squalls tore through the harbor, complete with waterspouts and 40+ knot winds. The winds sent quite a few boats dragging through the harbor -- which is already a snug harbor to begin with – and banging into each other. I was on Zusammen during the two strongest squalls (John had thrown out his back; I jumped on his boat to alternatively help and poke fun at him), so Betsy was left to "man" the helm as Chere swung this way and that through each blast. Luckily, our anchor held. Pretty exciting, though, especially when John and I watched as a big funnel cloud started to drop down right behind the boats. After the "drag races" in the harbor were over, Celilo left for Beaufort, a mere 480 miles away. I think we were all impressed that they stuck to their game plan – which was very sound, safe and well thought-out – despite the morning’s squalls. Most of the rest of us opted for a shorter trip, heading across the harbor to jump on a slip at the Bluff House for the night.
The next morning, our little fleet split in two and headed off, with Cookie Monster and Makana going to Alan’s Cay and the rest of us heading back to Powell for a last night with Osprey. We had a great dinner on Chere with Zusammen, Osprey and Dharma, complete with an early 50th B-Day celebration for Wendy (she’ll officially turn 50 after Osprey pulls into Bermuda). The next morning we all listened carefully to Chris Parker’s forecast on our SSBs and checked the various weather models. We had all planned to leave for northern Florida in a few days, but the window we were counting on was narrowing, and a new, shorter window had opened up starting that day. After some radio chit chat, the group (Zusammen, Dharma, Makana and Cookie Monster and Chere) decided to head out that morning to central Florida, and everyone started getting their boats ready for a crossing. It was a decent crossing window, but neither Betsy nor I felt good about leaving that day; we just weren’t emotionally prepared for the Bahamas portion of our sail to be over yet, and we also didn’t have any of the time restraints that were motivating, in part, some of the other boat’s schedules. So, after a long family walk on the beach, we decided that it wasn’t time for the Davenports to head back to the states. On the dingy ride back from the beach, we said our goodbyes to Zusammen and Dharma, and told Osprey (which is heading to Bermuda at the end of the month) that we were staying for a while. We were thrilled when Osprey said they’d keep cruising around with us for another week. We’ve had a great time ever since.
After sending off Dharma and Zusammen (they, along with Makana and Cookie Monster, arrived safely in Vero Beach the following afternoon), we headed back to Powell for another night – if you haven’t already guessed, we love Powell!! –and caught a couple of huge Mutton Snapper on the way. Another phenomenal dinner of snapper and conch followed. As an aside, I can't say enough about how well we've eaten down here. Just this last week, our dinner themes included "Conchapalooza", "Tacorama" (with fish tacos), and "Snappermania". In any event, Osprey and Chere then headed to Alan’s Cay for a few nights. The weather turned squally again for the next few days; nothing serious, but the wind shifts and lighting didn’t make long, fitful sleeps possible. The boys and I had a couple of good spearfishing and conching trips while there. Next, we sailed back to an anchorage inside of Crab Cay/Angelfish Point. This is an interesting area just off of the mainland island, right where a channel separates Great and Little Abaco Islands. Just to the south of our anchorage were hundreds of small, long islands that paralleled the mainland, forming narrow cuts and lagoons. Hundreds and hundreds of turtles cruised these lagoons, along with lots of other critters. The fishing was good – Win and Ben caught Mutton and Grey Snapper while casting shrimp lures along the mangroves – and the exploring was fun. The weather was another story. For two days we had overcast skies and fairly heavy rain. The rain was a good thing – our watermaker is down, so we need to fill our tanks with rainwater. And having the Osprey crew nearby helped stave off cabin fever. But, once again, nighttime squalls, wind shifts and lightning kept everyone from getting a decent sleep.
Eventually, the skies cleared and our two boats headed back to Cooperstown to re-provision, and then over to Powell for more conching, fishing and snorkeling. Friday was an especially good day; warm, clear skies and little wind. After chasing a few tarpon in the morning, I returned to Chere and decided to rig up a rope swing for the kids. Twenty minutes and a little trial and error later, we had a first-class water swing hanging from the end of our spinnaker pole. The Osprey and Chere crews, grownups included, spent the next four hours swinging, jumping and flipping off Chere, with tunes playing in the background and the occasional waterspout passing by on the horizon. After things wound down on the rope swing, Johnny, Wendy, Ben and I ran to the backside of the island to get some conch for conch salad and conch pizzas that night. We then had another great dinner on Osprey, our last together until they arrive in Massachusetts at the end of June.
This morning, I ran over to Cooperstown for propane and a few odds and ends. (Mr. Tinker drives his propane truck through town twice a week, beeping along the way much like an ice cream truck in the states; if you need propane, you simply flag him down for a fill). The trip was typical of other errands I’ve run during our stay down here; a long, long dinghy ride, followed by an even longer wait for whatever it is I’m there to buy, during which I’ll meet some fascinating people. Today, I had the privilege of meeting and talking with Edward Rolle, an 85 year-old native of Cooperstown who spent more than 50 years as a freighter captain and bonefish guide in the Bahamas. I listened intently as he told me about growing up in town right across from the bench we were sitting on, about the German mines that he had to avoid while running small boats in the region during WWII, about steaming banana boats from Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, about his 10 children, all of whom still live in town, and about all of the changes he’s seen during his time in the Northern Abacos. He was fascinating, and humble to a fault. As I shook his hand and said goodbye, I realized how much I’m going to miss these seemingly mundane trips, and how much everyone in our family is going to miss these islands . . . .
That’s all for now. Again, we plan to head to Moraine Cay, then Grand Cay and then to the US. Unless we can find an internet connection in Grand, which is doubtful, this will be our last blog entry from the Bahamas. Our cell should work until we leave, though, so feel free to call it. Also, we’ll be checking in with several boats on our SSB radio during our crossing. Once we’re in the states, we’ll activate one our cell phones and will be back on the grid. Although we’re sad about leaving the Bahamas, we can’t wait to see all of the friends in the states and back home!
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