June 12 – June 26, 2008

All Alone Away From Home

Uprooted and Washed Away

We MOVED! But of course, as evidenced by this posting, we went back again.

Shifting winds from the west made us have to haul up the anchor and travel 4 miles in a westerly direction to anchor off the eastern shore of Great Abaco (the “mainland”) where we would be able to get protection from the westerly blows aided by the land and its higher vegetation.

Friends made jokes about whether we really hauled up the anchor or just got dragged over during one of the multi directional thundershowers that have been popping up. We wondered if anyone had notified Reef Relief, the local conservation organization, that the sea bottom and all the creatures that had come to attach themselves to our chain had been disrupted when we moved.

Anchored along the shore we were able to see a grand vista northerly and southerly along the Sea of Abaco as the thunderheads formed and moved along. One time there were 3 waterspouts visible out of the same roiling dark cloud. It is very eerie watching the dark, skinny “finger” reach out of the menacing looking cloud twirling down to the water's surface, where a dark, already spinning swirl of water is waiting to link up with it. You can easily see the counterclockwise motion of the water sucking up high towards the cloud after the two halves link up with each other and quickly move along the water's surface as we hope they stay well out of our path. Fortunately they are very narrow, but still instill fear in anchored cruisers since you can't just move out of their path. Even a skinny tornado could do some serious damage. We clocked winds of 45 Knots (52 MPH) during one storm that passed over us.

We heard that a charter boat was hit by lightning and ignited into a fire while at the marina dock in Marsh Harbor, the biggest area of population south of here. That is so dangerous when there are many boats packed into such a tight area.

While we were up with one of the night storms moving through the area, we could see a couple of boats dragging anchor. We heard a MAYDAY call at 11:00 p.m. issued by a Hatteras 58' LRC anchored in Fishers Bay at Guana Cay requesting assistance because he had dragged anchor and was on the rocks, getting held in place broadside from strong winds. A local power boat from one of the nearby resorts was launched to go help him; boaters are willing to lend assistance in times of need. That is a law of the sea.

While we didn't welcome all the wind and lightning, we were grateful to get some plentiful rainfall and collected over 200 gals. of water to fill our water tanks which had dropped to about half of their 500 gal. capacity. We did not want to have to go into a marina and buy water at the going rate of $.40/gal. We also filled several jugs and buckets, 60 gals. worth!, to use to do laundry and rinse off areas of FLUKE where we track sand and salt water.

Decontaminated!

We don't go through a lot of outer clothes, but some of the more than normally worn items were getting pretty grungy; my poor fishing clothes were so stiff from salt water and fish slime they were scraping my skin when I would put them on before we went out for “The Hunt”. Despite making me initially miserable for putting such stinking dirty clothes on my clean person, I'd rather do that than have a huge pile of fish covered, salted clothes laying around. We have a rule that no salty items can stay inside the boat because it just makes such a mess. I know I would be better off if I took the attitude of my favorite pirate, Jack Sparrow, and just quit worrying about it. I don't care if I stink out Eddie and Wayne, and besides, the cat and dog think I'm better than ever with the eau de fish smell!

Doing the laundry by hand in a 5 gal. bucket used 30 gals. and took Eddie and me 2 hours. It really made us appreciate how hard Ms. Whirlpool works back at the house in Vero. We were able to hang some of the stuff out on the upper deck, while other items were put in the dryer when we ran the generator to charge the batteries in the evening.

In between manning our stations for weather alerts, we have been keeping busy. Not a lot of things are breaking down since we're not moving much, but we are using the generator every day to charge the batteries, burning about 3 gals. of diesel ($12/day). Eddie noticed a build up of water in the aft bilge and discovered one of the raw water hoses to the generator had a broken hose clamp and was leaking badly. W & E Marine Repairs Inc. made a service call to take care of that issue. Cheap labor, but they do fine work, and they are clean, cute, have all their teeth, and don't smoke. I always wish for those qualities when people come to work on FLUKE. Cruising profiling!

Wayne is studying to get a HAM radio license so we can install a single sideband radio to improve our communications, particularly for better weather data. I was supposed have done it 2.5 years ago, but never followed through. He will get a better score than I would anyway, and this is a perfect time for him to be studying all the stuff.

Wayne is also building on his baking skills. He made some English muffins that were so good Eddie declared that we didn't need to be buying them from the store any more. We gave some to other cruising friends who, initially remarked how good they looked, then, after a sample, told us the taste matched the look.

Eddie and I have been working on making some canvas covers for our water jugs to keep algae from growing in them all the time. Eddie salvaged some old canvas from our previous boat just waiting for the right project to come along to use it. I did as much machine stitching as I could (the fabric is doubled in some areas and breaks the needles), and then I hand stitched the rest. We are happy, but are not available for hire.

C & E Seafood Company

Eddie and I are continuing our regular forays out to the reef for trolling or bottom fishing expeditions. We are getting along better in the confines of little FIN. Some days I let him drive FIN at high speeds even though I know he is in one of his fantasy worlds; the wind is blowing in his smiling face, the emerald water is rushing by under us, and he is thinking of Danica Patrick. FIN is not quite an Indy car, but with the 50HP Honda we are zipping along.

Eddie "The Sea" Andretti

We managed to catch a couple of nice sized yellowtail snapper trolling. They were so delicious I am hoping we will be able to hook up a few more of them. However, it seems that we have recently entered into a weather pattern that is blowing seaweed in our direction and we haven't been able to have much fun trolling since the lures keep getting fouled with weeds.

We have definitely improved our skills in navigating through the cuts in the reef and dodging coral heads; there haven't been any more close calls with having to ride FIN over the waves before they break on the reef. Part of that success is attributed to going out with brighter skies which enable us to see so much better into the water.

Trial and error bottom fishing techniques, loosing rigs from getting hung up on the coral, sea fans, or sponges have had us conclude that we are best off just drift fishing along the outer edge of the main reef, where the water gets the deepest. At least we have pulled in a lot of fish, mostly coney and triggerfish, and even if we don't keep anything to eat we are having fun. One day we were so occupied with pulling in fish we didn't realize we had drifted quite far offshore into the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. We finally realized our situation when we had a lengthy argument about why it seemed like our lines were drifting so far and we could no longer see the shadows on the bottom. It also became apparent why other boats that were visible in the distance were so much closer to shore. At least we figured it out before we could see the French coastline!

I Want to Suck Your Blood

I am “morbidly” fascinated by a parasite, called Anilocra ,that we find attached to the heads, generally near the eyes, of many of the pretty coney fish we catch. This isopod (a marine crustacean) is usually about 1-1 1/2” long and firmly attaches itself with a pair of grasping claw-like appendages so that it can suck blood from the fish. One day I removed a couple of them by grasping with a pair of needle nose pliers, and it was like pulling off a strong strip of Velcro; removal had a ripping sound to it! I managed to find this photo in Reef Guide, even attached to a coney.

Eddie has finally relented to help with the entire fish cleaning process now, mostly because if he doesn't, we won't eat until well after dark if I have to do all the work myself. He is doing a great job of keeping our knives in hair shaving sharpness, the key to successfully filleting the fish and minimizing waste. He thought he had it down pat until one morning I brought home an Ocean Triggerfish for him to cut up to use as bait. The skin on that fish is like a hide; he had to use our hunter's knife that is used to cut animal hair, skin, and bone. Then we wondered how we would ever get a hook through the chunks to use as bait. You can see we don't like to waste anything and willingly share with the real natives!

Nothing Gets Wasted

Whenever we come back to FLUKE, Ursa hears FIN coming from afar and rushes out hoping that we will be unloading some new fish. She and Visitor have delighted in getting tidbits of raw fish, both saying “Sushi”. Ursa will even grab the whole fish and pull it aside and then growl when we go to pick it up again.

A Taste of Civilization

Using Natural Resources

We finally broke down and went into the settlement of New Plymouth located on Green Turtle Cay. Practically all cruisers have to make a stop here for all or one of the following: groceries, alcoholic beverages, fuel, repair parts, offload garbage, get an internet connection or eat out.

When we first stopped here about 15 years ago you got everywhere by walking since there were few vehicles other than those golf carts used by the rental properties; few private residents even owned one. Now radio chatter is filled with golf cart rental requests, people are zipping by, and yet the island is only about 3 miles long, most of which has “roads” that are so poor riding in a golf cart would rattle your teeth loose if you weren't going any more than a snail's pace. Trying to use a cart within New Plymouth confines is a pain since parking areas are so limited and the streets are too narrow. We welcomed the opportunity to take a long walk on terra firma.

No Snorkel Gear Needed

We see that a lot of building is taking place in the outer parts of the island, albeit at an extremely slow pace as evidenced by how weathered the building sites look. A number of truly upscale island vacation homes have been built, with pleasant island architectural features, wild colors, and funky names. There is even a business we hear a lot on the VHF called Island Properties that manages cottages for rental purposes.

Plum Crazy Cottage Recycle Screen

New Plymouth was first settled over 200 years ago and still has some very old buildings in the settlement proper and not much room to put any more. The first thing you do is put your garbage in the dumpster on the dock, and then go eat or drink. It is a short walk to anywhere from the public dock. You have to pay attention to the day of the week and time since there aren't any 24/7 businesses like we are used to back in the states, and depending on what you want, you'll want to know if the mail boat has already arrived bringing much hoped for supplies, especially fresh vegetables.

Is This Any Way to Run a Business?

After depositing our garbage we walked through town to our destination, Plymouth Rock, a.k.a. The Liquor Store. Guess what for? Wrong! After listening to Eddie whine for at least two weeks we had finally relented to go get our out island fix, conch burgers. Plymouth Rock is really the island liquor store, but it has a small kitchen and a counter with 6 stools. The food is great and to our delight, reasonably priced, especially by island standards. While you are waiting for your food to be served (it takes a bit since everything is freshly prepared) you can peruse the shelves and look at the truly interesting selection of Bahamian and international liquors with fascinating names like PYRAT RUM and FIRE IN DE HOLE. I saw a book on a shelf that was The Idiots Guide to Pirates and wondered if it was something I should read since I only am knowledgeable about 3 pirates: Blackbeard, Morgan, and Sparrow. With our new lifestyle it can't hurt to be well-informed of all pirates!

Good Sauce for Eddie!

Eddie and Wayne took FIN with our spare gas cans into the Green Turtle Club fuel dock to get our supply of gasoline replenished since the C & E Seafood Company and Jacquelyn & Lloyd Underwater Expeditions had pretty much burned up all we had brought over with us. They bought 23 gal. at $5.86/gal. You can see those fish we are catching aren't for free, but such camaraderie is priceless! Another ad for MasterCard?

Joe, SV Desire, dropped anchor nearby, and we invited him over in the evening for some popcorn and wine. We had first met him when we were clearing customs at Spanish Cay over a month ago now (time is flying!) and wanted to hear how his travels were going. As he was leaving, the bands from the two shoreside bars were getting into full swing with the sounds blaring out across the water for their usual Friday night raucous competing entertainment. I knew that we wouldn't be staying there for Saturday night. Four miles back to the old “neighborhood” for FLUKE.

Island Flames

Our timing was lucky as Toucan Dream and Kea followed in behind us. Bob and Jerry are the best hunters and gatherers we have met, and they had a big bounty of fish (cero mackerel, amberjack, and blackfin tuna) on board that they were going to smoke on the beach and invited us to have some. I was thrilled just to be able to see how they were going to do the smoking; eating the fish was just like icing on the cake (oh, they made one of those too!).

When Smoking is OK

They had the smoker filled up with 3 full racks of seasoned fish fillets, the most they had ever smoked. They made a fire out of wood pieces and dried up coconuts to make charcoal. A big pan of spiced brine water, left over from soaking the fillets all night, was set in the bottom of the smoker just above the bed of charcoal embers to create the smoky steam needed to slowly cook the fish. From 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. they tended the fire and stoked the smoker with more embers. The result was a tasty fish treat that you could pick up with your fingers. We all pigged out to overcast skies and palm trees fluttering overhead.

Layer #1

For the Naturalist

Conch Tree in Bloom

We have continued our island exploring in some more out of the way places, where we have had to make our own paths. That is one of the joys of having time on your hands. Going slowly has paid off with seeing some of nature's special secrets and discovering Her hidden treasures.

Prickly Pear Blossom

Early on I posted the photo of the night hawk eggs. We have continued to see other nesting sites and happened upon chicks in various stages of development. This photo is certainly one of the more fascinating ones since the chick has just hatched and looks like a puff of lint. The night hawks have two eggs, with one hatching a few days after the first, and they just sit perfectly still hoping you won't see them, with their other means of protection their mother trying to lure you away with a broken wing routine.

That's Not Lint!

We have least terns come through Vero in late spring and early summer. They are a small bright white shore bird with a jet black spot on their head and black stripe through their eye. They have a shrill shriek, diving for small fish and plucking them off the surface of the water and then giving it to their mate who awaits on a nearby piling. I always think of them as being so “busy”; my type of bird.

Eddie and I had been regularly passing a rocky seaside outcropping of one of the nearby cays during our trolling forays and I saw a group of least terns and assumed by their behavior that they had a nesting site. When the fishing was poor one day I talked Eddie into going ashore to see if we could get to the site to look for tern nests, since I had never seen them before.

We had to land FIN on the opposite side of the island and there was no path through the underbrush. I didn't think it was very far to the sea side of the island and fought my way through the underbrush trying to dodge the poisonwood. Since it was low tide Eddie walked around the tip of the island, through the water, until he could climb up the rocky outcropping before getting swept over by the incoming waves. He got there first and had to yell for me since I couldn't see my way through the brush and had lost my sense of direction. I finally emerged near the water's edge, but had to claw my way clear to an open area on the sea side. I'd be in big trouble slipping on the sharp rocks.

Least Tern Egg and "Nest"

It was worth the effort to find the nesting colony and see their habitat, eggs, and chicks. It appears that they lay 1 gray speckled egg about 3/4” long in a clear spot of sand above the high tide line, but below the inland vegetation. The adult colony members were flying over head shrieking like the end of their world had come. It was a special treat to find one of the cute little chicks tucked quietly under a pretty bush. A National Geographic moment.

Watch Where You Step

The rocky ledges in the areas washed by the tidal changes are home to an interesting 3-5” long mollusk called a chitin, looking like a flat snail with segments. They have always made me think of those prehistoric creatures called trilobites. They adhere tightly to the rocks when the tide is out, and when it is dark and their habitat is covered with water they slowly move along the rock surface scraping algae as their food source. They can be removed from the rock with great effort using a prying tool. The meaty body is scraped out of the shell and used for bait or native food dishes. I haven't tried them in either case, but I did see a local collecting them on the “mainland” at low tide.

Holding Tight

I'll close this blog by reporting that there is treasure to be found out here, and it doesn't have to be hidden in an old chest buried by a bygone pirate. Sea glass collecting is at an all-time high level now that artists and books have highlighted the beauty and uniqueness of these gems of nature. I think of it as another form of recycling and have scoured the beaches we've visited searching for glass for years, always hoping to find the perfect piece of unique color and shape. There is a special feeling to be standing on a beach on a sunny day and gently roll a smooth, perfectly weathered and rounded, piece of glass through your fingers watching the colors gently change as the sun's rays dance across its surface. Where did that piece come from, how long did it take to get that smooth, and how can I find more?

Eddie and I found a speck of a seaside beach set amongst isolated rocky outcroppings on a deserted cay that has more sea glass per square foot than any where else I've ever seen. In fact, we usually don't find much at all in the Bahamas. We could only spend a short time collecting on the first day we discovered the spot because the tide was rising and we could only access the beach by wading through water which was waist deep at low tide. If we waited for high tide we would have to swim and run more of a risk getting thrown into the rocks.

Sea Jewels

The next morning, at low tide, Wayne and I waded back, climbed over the rocky ledges and began picking our way through the seaside scrub to the sandy beach. Imagine our complete surprise when we saw a woman's head pop up from the other side of the rocky ledge. There wasn't another boat in sight, so we wondered if she “lived” on the cay. She was just as surprised to see us. She, an avid sea glass collector, said she had discovered the spot 4 years ago and had never told anyone about it. She has her husband drop her off from their dinghy and then calls him using their handheld radio to pick her up again. Even more surprising was when we found out they owned a Krogen, and we had actually met them in Stuart, FL 3 years ago! I didn't take a blood oath not to reveal the secret location of Sea Glass Cay, but for now I'm not publishing the coordinates of the latitude and longitude. Even if you try to make me walk the gang plank!!!

Happenings in the 'Hood

June 3 – June 11, 2008

Chart of the 'Hood

I'm writing these words in a whisper: we're still here!

Our continued presence in exactly the same spot, a.k.a. WiFi Land by the cruising community, has drawn attention from a couple of our cruising friends who have passed through here. One of them went so far as to ask us if we had broken down! This morning, in a VHF conversation with departing friends, I mentioned that we were thinking of moving in a few days, now maybe another week, and received a humorous reply that we needed to exercise prudence and caution in arriving at the final departure decision and planning our next destination. Keen advice to the crew of FLUKE who logged about 4700 miles in 2007!

I've decided to include a chartlet for you to see what our neighborhood looks like, from one of our cruising guides, The Abaco Guide, by Stephen J. Pavlidis. We use cruising guides where ever we go to help us make decisions about where to navigate and safely anchor. You can see that the guide indicates the shape and size of the island, how deep the water is, where rocks or coral may be located, and suggested places for anchoring based on the quality of the sea bottom. Some guides include topographical data about the island itself. Most guides provide text information about the islands, customs, people, laws, places to buy food or fuel, beach landing sites, snorkeling spots, wrecks, interesting flora and fauna, and miscellaneous other pieces of information.

We are anchored close to the anchor symbol located at 26º49'N latitude and 77º22'W longitude. You can see the offshore reef, nearby cays and cuts, and other points of interest that I have referred to in the blog. One minute of latitude (one horizontal line on this chartlet) equals one nautical mile to give you an idea of distance.

We have had from 4 to 12 vessels of varied sorts spend a night or more here in our little anchorage. An unusual trawler phenomenon took place when two other Whalebacks, Steadfast and Friend Ship, showed up right next to us. Since there are only 29 of these boats in existence, having 3 of them in the same proximity, with no prior planning, is a quite a coincidence.

What a Good Path Looks Like

One morning Wayne, I, and Ursa landed FIN (the dinghy) at the islander's dock and took a land hike to Mt. Manjack, the highest point on the island, elevation 18'. Since it wasn't an arduous climb, we had enough energy left to hike over to Coconut Tree Bay and the next point of land north of the Bay via another mostly well-maintained trail. One part of the path went through a giant land crab habitat where one of the residents was busy doing burrow maintenance. Our final destination was a building site where a couple from London are in the process of constructing an island home aptly named Carousel.

Bahamian Excavator

Coconut Tree Bay

Friendly, and willing to share information about their building experience, we learned quite a bit about their 8 sided island retreat. On this particular morning we were able to watch some of the work associated with putting in the septic tank in the solid rock ground and the cedar, insect and mildew resistant, planking in the ceilings. The home is built on gigantic pilings so that flood waters will sweep right under the main living structure rather than damage costly parts of the house that couldn't take to getting wet. Wayne gleaned some useful information about their solar panels, in hopes that we may eventually use solar panels on FLUKE. They currently have 1, 1000 gal. cistern in use, but will have 6, 2500 gal. cisterns placed under the house prior to completion. All the water will be collected from the roof runoff into downspouts. We were told that the spouts need to be disconnected during hurricanes so that the cistern water will not be contaminated with salt water borne up in the hurricane's fury. They have been working on the home for 5 years, for a total of about 13 months, and they hope to finish it next year. They have been aided by recent relaxations in Bahamian duty laws that enable reduced duty imports of building supplies. At least that helps to encourage construction and get the locals some jobs.

Carousel Cottage

We dropped off some carrot-cranberry-walnut Amish Friendship Bread (it was great!) that I made to Tricia and her family, the local island residents of our anchorage. She told us she had just boated over to the New Plymouth settlement on Green Turtle Cay to take her daughter to the clinic for treatment of an earache. Eddie is having trouble with both his ears again, so we may have to break down and visit the clinic. Such a visit runs $30 which includes the diagnosis and medications, really a fair price.

At 2:02 p.m. a VHF broadcast came on saying that the Amy Roberts (a LOT of the out islanders have that surname) Elementary School on Green Turtle was closing the school at 2:00 because the school didn't have any water and they couldn't keep the kids at the school any longer that day. Parents were told they had to pick up their children immediately! We were wondering what the reaction was from the locals and were laughing just thinking about what havoc that message would create back at home, especially with negative time notice. That is the way life is here in the out islands: no problem, mon. Less can be better.

Some thundershowers are in the area, but we have only managed to collect 10 gal. of nasty roof water. The first gallons are gross because they wash the salt, bird poop, and who knows what else, off the roof. YUCK!

Perfecting the Art of Procrastination

I am convinced that each night we are invaded by some form of procrastination virus. The evidence is clear in that it is just difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Then, trying to decide what is going to be done each day is a monumental task, often involving arguments, with me, still having a touch of the workaholic streak that plagued me most of my life, insisting that we MUST DO SOMETHING. I think most days my two crewmates who carry the Y chromosome would not even have discussions about doing anything at all, and they would just be content to reposition themselves around FLUKE for the best napping spots in between their precisely timed feeding schedules. When I say stuff like this to them they tell me I should be banished to nearby Crab Cay, which they think must be named in my honor.

The weather plays a big part in what can be done if it involves leaving FLUKE unattended for any length of time, going snorkeling or fishing, or hiking across an island. We have our priorities, and that means that boat work is lower in importance on the list than fun activities. However, it still needs to be done.

Island Fun

How long do you think it takes to clean the shower on FLUKE? It takes 3 days and 1 hour. 3 days to think about doing it, and then 1 hour to get the job done. That is the rationale that is used for all the jobs that aren't absolutely necessary for safety or sustenance purposes.

Wayne has done a great job expanding his baking skills. Of course he is driven by his fined honed mantra “Tick tock, eat by the clock”. Since he has to have a sandwich for lunch every day, and we couldn't possibly bring enough bread from Florida, he has had to learn how to make bread. He had a private baking lesson with Carol (a skilled baker), from Take Time, another Whaleback, while she and her husband, Wayne (yes, isn't that a weird coincidence?) were in Vero for several weeks before we left. He has enjoyed it so much, he has moved on to baking another of his favorites, sweets. So, while Eddie and I are out in the deep blue sea trying to catch some nutritious fish, Wayne stays aboard FLUKE baking high calorie goodies. It is much better that I am not aboard when Wayne does his “magic” in the galley. I am one of those cooks who cleans up along the way; Wayne is the opposite, leaving a trail of debris after every step in a recipe. I was so thankful that I wasn't present when he had the great chocolate boil over. His description, liking it to an exploding lava dome on a volcano, made me shudder enough.

We've Got Bread

The whole crew had to put on their work hats to mobilize early a couple of mornings ago (after we ATE breakfast!) to change the anchor light bulb on top of the mast. It is important that we have an anchor light on all night long so other vessels can clearly see we are at anchor. While it would be difficult not to see this 60,000# white whale, the anchor light lets people know we are not moving. You are probably wondering why it takes 3 people to change a light bulb, just like that old, now politically incorrect joke? Well, we can't climb the mast, so it has to be lowered. This is a complicated, dangerous job. The mast has a lot of equipment on it and is held up by heavy duty stays and bolted to a big bracket on the back of the pilothouse roof. We have to connect a winch cable up as high as we can reach and then slowly winch it down while standing on the roof and then set it in a cradle, all while the boat moves with the wind and water. Then when the mast is finally low enough, it extends beyond the end of the aft deck, and Wayne has to hang out over the rail to remove the light cover and change the bulb, trying not to drop anything in the water, to be lost forever. When that is successfully done the mast has to be winched straight up, slid back into its bracket and bolted back in place. Oh, then it was almost time to EAT lunch!

The Long Reach

No one has an appetite when the sewer is malfunctioning. Seems like our holding tank is having a venting problem by not venting enough and having a big build-up of sewer gas rather than letting out nondescript wisps of the fumes on a regular basis. Then, when a toilet is flushed a HUGE cloud of noxious gas gets forced out the vent line, engulfing FLUKE, seeping in all ports and windows, making everyone moan and groan. Anchoring downwind from us could be a most unpleasant experience. I mean, we can't just get on the VHF and tell everyone to get ready for the big flush.

So, we've tried to take some corrective action by using our compressed air to blow back into one of the vent lines that we discovered was clogged (we're not sure with what, but there aren't a lot of possibilities) and are hoping that things will have improved. Fortunately, the ever present island breezes make the gas pass quickly.

The Two Sea Stooges Fishing Charters

Eddie and I are making regular forays out the nearby cuts, trolling, drift and bottom fishing in hopes of landing some edible, legal sized species of fish. We've started to attract a lot of flies and the dinghy stinks from blood and guts, but that is acceptable if we are bringing fish back to the boat.

When seas and winds are calm enough we go all the way out to the offshore reef which comes in as close as a half mile to shore in some places. We are pretty cramped for serious fishing in the dinghy, but we make the best of it, and despite some yelling and swearing, Eddie has wanted to go out regularly now without a lot of prompting. Some days he even catches more fish than I do! Outwardly that annoys me, but inwardly I am happy for him because that will keep him motivated.

Since I am the one who does all the rigging, and am usually doing so while underway, Eddie is now doing the driving. The other morning we were trolling (Fisherman's talk: when the sun is shining strong and bright, troll green and yellow to get a good bite) along the inside of the reef and entered a real shallow area. My back was to the bow of the dinghy, so I couldn't see what was up ahead, but I could look over the side and clearly see lots of coral heads, way too close to the surface (Sailor's talk: brown, brown run aground!). If that wasn't bad enough, I could see we were getting sucked into a wave that was pulling the water out from under us and would probably pull us up with it and push us right down on the reef if we didn't hit the bottom first and just have the wave crash over us. Eddie suggested we just try to ride the wave over the reef, but I felt that since the wave was still building, sucking too much water from under us, we weren't going to make it. I yelled at him to gun the engine to push us up the face of the wave and over its back side to deeper water. PRONTO! I wasn't worried about drowning or getting cut to shreds on the reef, but I was worried we would lose the engine on the dinghy. We managed to get up over the top and safely down the backside of the wave. That maneuver was good for some loud conversations with choice language!

Mutton Snapper, When Baa'd Is Good!

Trolling has yielded several species of fish so far: almaco jack, yellowtail snapper, blue runner, and a prize mutton snapper (8-9 lbs.). We managed to hook the mutton right when we were headed back from sea passing through the cut. Fishing is so much luck. I couldn't help but think of what my favorite golf pro used to say when I hit a great shot: even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then! So, it goes for the two sea stooges.

We are using varied sorts of cut bait for our drift and bottom fishing expeditions. We have to go out and catch our own bait now, so that is an extra step to the whole process. We like to get grunts, but if we aren't getting much, will use about anything that has some meat on it. Eddie hooked into a scorpion fish. I wasn't positive it was one when he first brought it into the boat, but I had a feeling that ugly fish, that not even a mother could love, with all those gobblygook projectile growths on his head and lips was something we should exercise caution with. They have venomous dorsal spines that can inflict serious injury. Another Dr. Suess fish.

Scorpion Fish

Queen Triggerfish

When we aren't spending our time trying to get untangled from the bottom, we have caught coney, triggerfish, porgey, and undersized grouper. We go out for 3 – 4 hours at a time, to make it sure we get back in time so as not to miss a feeding event.

Getting a Piece

We had a couple of friends from the deep visit us after we cleaned the big mutton snapper one day. We figured our resident barracuda would like a free meal, so we tied the fish carcass with a string attached to the swim platform to watch him feed up close. To our surprise, he didn't just take the whole thing all at once. While he was taking his too slow of time, a 6 ' tiger shark (just a baby, adults average 11') came by to have a little snack. It was fascinating to watch how the shark made passes around FLUKE, coming up to the carcass several times for little sniffs, to the consternation of the barracuda no doubt. Finally the shark engulfed the whole thing in its big jaws, cutting through the string like it wasn't there, slowly gliding into the sunset. Tiger sharks are known as “wastebaskets of the sea” because they eat anything. Besides all kinds of fish, seals, birds, tires, licenses plates, and even antlers have been found in their stomachs.

The Big Guy Finishes It Off

Eddie would not go in the water around FLUKE for 4 days after that. I keep telling him there are scarey things in the sea that come and go all the time whenever we're out there. We just don't see them. Another example of when ignorance is bliss.

Searching For Davey Jones Locker

Lloyd and Jacquelin continue in their quest to uncover mysteries of the sea bottom.

One afternoon we were snorkeling just off the south end of Crab Cay and decided to let the fast, incoming tide push us through the cut between Crab and Fiddle Cays while we dragged the dinghy along with us. We floated a good bit of the way to Crab Rock and then snorkeled all around the shallows of Crab Rock.

We saw several good octopus lairs, holes where octopus live and hide in during the day. At night they come out to hunt for their prey which they take back to the lair. Octopus eat mollusks and crustaceans and deposit the shells and exoskeletons outside the lair in nice neat piles called middens. We love sorting through the middens, looking for shells, most of which have no damage to them. I saw hundreds of hermit crabs in 1/2” shells crawling around at the entrance to one lair. Depending on the depth and shape of the lair we are able to peek in at the octopus.

Tools & Treasures

We found a just killed green sea turtle, actually just the head and shell. The entire body had been stripped out. Locals have always used the turtle meat for food, but next year new fishing regulations are supposed to put a stop to that. We have no idea how they will ever be enforced as fishing police are seldom seen in the out islands.

Eddie's Culinary Art, A Memorial to the Slain One

We have seen some premium mutton snapper, one of the easiest targets for spear fishing. However, we haven't pulled out our spears yet. We really need someone to give us some good pointers. Plus, two of our other cruising friends who spearfish a lot keep telling us stories of their close encounters with too aggressive bull sharks in these waters. While we haven't seen any of them, it seems like whenever we're out, there is a big barracuda close by over my shoulder that could make short work of any fish we could spear before we could manage to get it in the dinghy. More to come on this subject!

Life in the Out Islands, Native Style

May 28 – June 2, 2008

Posted on a Little Used Path

The fact that we're still at Manjack Cay, where we last posted from, indicates we have settled into a groove. Once upon a travel time, I would have been whining to move on, see the next island, snorkel a different reef, drop a line at a new coral head, or hike another path. Now we just let the hours pass, do what we want or can, and aren't concerned with having a schedule to adhere to. We've been in these islands often enough to have a good feel for the big picture; now we are focusing more on the little things. I think this is the longest we have ever been in the same spot over here without having been broken down or held up by weather. We haven't even discussed moving somewhere else yet!

I've had several conversations with the island caretakers, and they have kindly answered my questions and shared their local knowledge. The island homestead is so interesting to visit. The house itself is raised off the ground, open on 3 sides to capture the breeze, with a large, wrap around porch to cool the air. Air funneled through the house is sent out the central, windowed cupola at the peak. They catch rain and store it in cisterns. Electricity comes primarily from solar panels, although there is a generator for additional power needs. Composting toilets handle the human wastes. There are compost containers which cruisers are invited to deposit all their fruit and vegetable waste in. Soil is not plentiful on these arid, rocky islands, so anything to add to what little there is can make a difference. There are raised beds, made of native rock, filled with soil in which are grown a variety of different fruit and vegetable crops. Chickens lay eggs. The grounds are planted with numerous species of citrus and topical ornamentals and fruit trees.

Grassquit Snacking

Native birds flock to the house to feast on seed. They are so tame they eat out of your hand, land on your shoulder, and hop into the house! Their chirps and chatters blend with the rustle of the island breezes through the leaves of the trees. The hanging, cup-shaped nest in the photo belongs to a grassquit; the featherless, newly hatched babies were about the size of a dime the first time I saw them. Even the big curly tailed lizards visit the porch area to “beg” for a squished tomato treat, right out of your hand!

Babies in the Nest

Informative Art

Signs made from palm frond leaf bases point to a well-maintained path to an oceanside beach. The mile walk is pleasant because the path is shaded and well cleared so we don't have to worry about brushing up against the dreaded poisonwood plants that are so plentiful on some of these islands. Somehow I've managed to brush up against one and have a 2” patch of extremely itchy blisters on my leg. Native miniature orchid plants about the size of a half dollar can be spotted on certain species of trees. We have just missed their blooms, but I am happy to see them growing wild. Sandy areas of the near oceanside dunes are pocked with 6” wide holes. Peering deep inside we can see the legs of the giant land crabs. Some islanders capture these crabs, house them in cages, feed them grain and vegetable matter, and then cook them up. I wouldn't dare ask if we could set up a crab pen on the aft deck!

Giant Bromelliads

Walks to the ocean side beaches always bring thoughts and hopes of finding some interesting flotsam or jetsam and enjoying whatever surprises nature has to offer. A seaside gazebo festooned with treasures washed ashore caught our attention. Eddie is of the mind that we can't have too many lines aboard, so he was all excited when he found a tangled pile of line that look good enough to spend the time (like we have a busy schedule!) to unravel.

Sea Treasures

We spotted nests of night hawks, containing one or two mottled eggs, laid out above the high tide line and below the dense growth of dune vegetation, making it easier to defend from predators. We startled Plover chicks who went running with their parents shrieking at us. The tiny chicks look like 4” high miniature ostriches because they have such long legs and necks and fat little round bodies.

You Call This a Home?

We walk along sandy beaches, over rocky shorelines, through lowland areas with mangrove swamps, all the while enjoying the island sights and sounds. Sometimes the path doesn't come out where we expect, and we have to take a detour; I always hope it is low tide because Wayne isn't going to take care of me like he does Ursa!

Seeing Out to Sea

When the Path Ends

The Continuing Adventures of Lloyd and Jacquelin

You readers also know these two as Eddie and Carol, but they use these monikers in honor of the legendary Bridges and Cousteau when they don their snorkel gear for another great undersea adventure. I keep asking Wayne if we look like a couple of baby Orcas since we are wearing our black skins to help keep warm and provide full body sun protection. He assures me that no graceful Orca would ever mistake us for one of its own kind!

There are 3 shallow wrecks nearby, and I wanted to try snorkeling them as there is usually a lot of fish life amidst the debris. We had snorkeled the site years past when we were here and it was full of eels, so Eddie said he didn't want to go back and deal with them again. I must admit they can be intimidating with their mouths full of teeth poking out of the dark holes in the debris. However, I figured it was worth trying and whined long enough to convince him to go.

The wrecks have broken up a lot more, and we didn't see any eels. Since the structures had opened up we were able to swim through a lot of the debris instead of remaining on the outside just looking in. We were also swimming along a rocky shoreline with overhanging ledges at high tide, so a lot of fish had moved into feed. An overly “friendly” 4' barracuda that seemed to be just as big around kept close tabs on us. He would get to within 2' of me to where I could clearly see little parasites running around on his nose and chin. I knew as long as we didn't try to catch something else he would leave us alone. We saw 2 huge lionfish that had to be adult breeders; they were a deep maroon color, 10-12” across. We floated over a couple of large stingrays laying on the bottom; poor Steve Irwin, now my hero in heart only.

The most exciting find of the day was seeing a Flying Grunard for the first time. When we first came upon it, it was on the bottom with its pectoral fins slightly open, enough for us to see that they looked like they would be able to open up quite a bit. Looking rather a drab brown with blotches of white we wouldn't have given it much other attention, but we wanted to see how the fins would open up. Eddie put his hand toward it, and the fins opened all the way up to reveal a beautiful scalloped fan with rows of iridescent blue lines on this otherwise plain fish. The fish darted off by retracting the big fan and compacting itself into an arrow and darting away from us. I have to catalog it with my Dr. Seuss creatures!

Flying Grunard

Not Just Another Fish Story

I had begun to get antsy from not doing any fishing. I was really motivated to get a line in the water after seeing the fish on the wrecks. So, I waited for a rising afternoon tide and headed over in the dinghy to fish by the wreck I thought my underwater snorkel reconnaissance had revealed the debris field that would cause me the least amount of trouble for getting my tackle stuck. I was using bait cut from finger mullet I had caught in my cast net from the dock before we left Vero. I had a lot of bites, mostly small stuff and even managed to catch a couple of grunts to use for bait. I brought in and released this beautiful strawberry grouper. My prize catch was a Nassau grouper. He put up a fun fight and went into a hole, but I was able to pull him out. I sped back to FLUKE and told the guys that we wouldn't be grilling the steaks; fresh fish was now on the menu! Eddie always helps me clean the fish by setting up the fish cleaning table and cleaning the cockpit while I go inside to cook. Ursa and Visitor reap the rewards, too, by getting little tidbits of fresh fillet. Wayne helped by turning on the AC, thinking I would be hot in the galley while I prepared the meal. Such a crew effort, huh?

This One Goes Back

Dinner Tonight!

The next afternoon when I announced I was going fishing again Eddie said he wanted to go. I told him he could only go if he behaved: no whining, no complaining about being bored, no criticizing my driving, no complaining about the flies, and he would have to be extra careful not to loose fishing tackle by errant casting around the wreck. As soon as we arrived and got the anchor set he said he thought he needed to poop! Too bad, he would have to leave it in the compacter until we got back to the boat. Then, he wanted me to cut the bait and put it on his hook, on the line I had already rigged for him! Now you should see why I had to make all those stipulations before we even left FLUKE.

As luck would have it, Eddie caught the first fish. Even though it was a grunt, we needed more bait, so it would be of good use. Things were slow until I got a BIG hit. I tried keeping the line taunt to keep the fish from pulling it toward the wreck, but I failed, and the fish dove into the wreck. I tried to pull it out for a long time, but couldn't. Eddie said “How about if I go in and see if I can see it and pull it out?” Instantly forgetting all those misgivings I had about taking him along in the first place, I readily agreed it would be a great idea.

So, Lloyd stripped down to his underwear, dove in and followed the line to the wreck where he could see the fish wedged in head first into a hole. I stood watch holding the pole hoping that the big barracuda didn't show back up to try to lay claim to his fair share of his neighborhood. Poor Lloyd was in the water with no gloves, no mask or snorkel, and no fins. He came back to the dinghy to put on his sandals (he didn't like having his bare feet touch parts of the wreck) and get a towel to use to grab the leader and fish. 45 minutes later Lloyd was heading back toward the dinghy, swimming on his back, holding the fish out of the water. I didn't even loose my tackle! I declared it his snapper and have awarded him a Bahamian gold star. I may even let him use the big pole next time.

Lloyd's Catch

As a side note, Eddie is supposed to be learning how to spear fish (just like Lloyd). However, after this episode, if he can just dive down and pull the fish out bare handed, I'm not sure he even needs to learn how to use the spear.

Eddie's Gold Star

It's Not All Play and No Work

When we're not being hunters, gatherers, or explorers we have plenty of boat chores to keep us occupied. FLUKE doesn't care for herself, and I don't want you to think we have just become people of leisure.

I've been engaged in cleaning the overheads. While they are a smooth fiberglass finish, they still accumulate grime and mildew in some areas. I've done some laundry in a 5 gal. bucket of rainwater, floor and bathroom cleaning, writing the blog, and meal preparation.
The guys have jointly changed the oil in the generator and done some sewer maintenance.

Fiddle Cay Business Meeting

Eddie has taken breaks from napping and watching satellite TV in his luxury stateroom to scrape the growth off the bottom of the hull. That was a big job; he uses a compressor we have aboard to supply air for him to breath with while underwater. Now FLUKE's underside is nice and clean and if we ever move again, we should get better fuel economy.

Eddie is also in charge of garbage collection and maintenance. He suffered a real set back in his efforts when he discovered some maggots in his garbage storage area, the first time ever. It is odd since we don't put anything “dirty” in the garbage, and Eddie has a real system for segregating and compacting everything. He moped for a couple of days, not being made to feel any better as he was given another moniker, Maggot Man.

Wayne has been busy trying to design a new freezer box that we hope to put in the third stateroom (now called the Cat Room because that is where we keep the litter box) which is slated for a makeover more suited to our cruising lifestyle than to accommodate overnight guests. He is also doing extensive research on how to reduce and improve efficiency of our power consumption. Wayne is the official blogmaster and is the one who formats and posts my updates. He is also trying to improve his bread making skills, and just made 2 loaves of some yummy half and half whole wheat/white bread.

We're Not Moving, but the Scenery Still Changes

The light, or lack of it, makes all the difference in how our world from FLUKE's deck looks each day. The colors of the water range from white to black, with all the shades of blues and greens in between. Some nights are filled with so many stars you never knew could be there. When there is phosphorescence in the water at night it looks like there has been a liquid metal spill, with streaks of gold and silver sliding through the black water. Puffs of clouds float slowly overhead to the mainland of Great Abaco where they may spill out an isolated shower. The shades of green vegetation on the shore are changing as time pushes to summer and trees are getting their new leaves.

Then there are the boats that come and go each day, sailing and motor vessels of all sizes and shapes with interesting names and places of origin: Brave Turtle, Killer Bee, Jonny Wasabi, Toucan Dream, Kea, Chantal Ma Vie, Aye Doc, Desire, and many more.

We know our cruising lifestyle may not be what you would like to do, but there are other ways to be out here having fun. You could travel like our neighbor who pulled in yesterday. This attractive 152', fully crewed yacht is for charter for only $65,000/week. Inviting your family and friends aboard for a little trip would hold you in their favor for a long time. Or, just keep following our travels and we'll tell you how they live.

Our New Neighbor, Chantal Ma Vie