July 2-3, 2010
Festive Thanks
We had the anchor up by 0730 so that we could travel the 16 miles northward to Green Turtle Cay and get anchored again in time for the Stranded Naked Party which was scheduled to start at 1100. Our transit through the Whale Cay Passage went smoothly, and I radioed in the passage conditions to the Cruisers Net, broadcast each morning, so that the other cruisers would be appraised of passage conditions.
We dropped the hook in Cocoa Bay, at the northern end of Green Turtle Cay. We hadn't anchored here before, but thought it would give us a good position to be able to take the dinghy to both Fiddle Cay and Green Turtle Cay and be less crowded than the GTC anchorage. With the chance of thunderstorms looming, we would rather be by ourselves than in a crowd. I have more confidence in our ability to hold anchor than I do with that of other boaters. Holding was good, but we were subject to some wicked wakes and close passes from the many go fast boats that were headed to and from Party Central.
Stranded Naked is the kick off party for what is known as Regatta Time in Abaco; this is the 35th year. Over the course of 10 days there are sailing races for cruisers and parties at different island stops beginning with the first race held at Green Turtle Cay and ending down in the southern part of the island chain in the Marsh Harbor area.
We floated into the Fiddle Cay anchorage by 1130, and things were in full swing. We had to find a place to secure the dinghy on the falling tide so that we wouldn't be left high and dry when we wanted to leave the cay after the tide had fallen. That meant that we had to put out a bow and stern anchor in a deeper section of water, but out of the way of the bigger boats which were rafting up in a semicircle at the perimeter of the big sandbar that makes Fiddle Cay such an appealing spot.
Waiting in Line Can Be Fun
The drink and food lines were already very long and the music was cranked up. The drink line goes quickly because there are many servers, but the food line creeps along. At least you can stay cool by standing in the water, and there is always someone willing to talk to you.
You can see by the photos that most of the “guests” are of American origins, as are the people who host the Stranded Naked party. We were hoping to see our friends, Kathy and Dave, who usually come over at this time, but we hadn't heard if they were going to be in the Abacos this year. So, we were pleasantly surprised to see them waiting in the food line too!
While we did take Ursa, I didn't have her wearing her sunglasses. At least 6 people came up and asked if she was the dog that wears the glasses. Her photo, from previous appearances, is featured on the Stranded Naked website.
The standard food fare includes cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and fries. Rum punch and margaritas are the alcoholic beverage choice, and fruit punch is available for kids and people like Eddie and I who had had enough rum punch at our Guana Cay outing the previous evening to preclude the desire for another alcoholic drink within the same 24 hour period. Since all of this is free, it is easy to be able to want to spend some money on their cleverly designed, and always colorful, tee shirts. This year's has the slogan “eat cheeseburgers, not turtles” because the Bahamas finally passed legislation to protect sea turtles.
Stranded Naked Memento
Many people attend several of the parties over the week and half period. I imagine some people attend them all, but the most the FLUKE crew can handle is to get to the Green Turtle Regatta Party the evening following the Stranded Naked Party. Thus, we dinghied over to the New Plymouth public dock and were happy to see Dave and Kathy standing there, having just landed their dinghy too.
Finding $16 in the street helped buoy my party spirit in addition to the free rum punch. If party goers got tired of rum, they could have free beer or coconut gin drinks. Food booths are operated by local community groups whereby the proceeds are used to fund their special projects. Live music is provided by a local group, and there is an area for people to dance. The regatta awards are presented on stage to the winners from all the different sailing classes.
Making the Colorful Conch Salad
Eddie had already gone through one vendor line and bought a fish dinner (fish, mac and cheese, peas and rice, cole slaw). I think the most popular foods are conch fritters and conch salad, but after I saw Eddie's dinner, I decided to get one too. Plus, the portions were generous enough that I thought Wayne and I could split one. However, by the time I made it through the line and to the servers, the fish had run out and more had to be put on the grill. It was quite a long wait, and when I finally did get served, the portions were all being cut back. The worst part was finding out the fish wasn't even close to being cooked in the middle. I took mine back to the grill and asked if it could go back on, and then proceeded to have a friendly conversation with an island grill master about fishing in the bay. To make up for the reduced fish dinner portions, I went to a dessert booth and bought two pieces of yummy lemon meringue pie.
The pie came in plastic containers with a close-able lid. When we were done with the pie, we let Ursa lick the container (we all have a sweet tooth on FLUKE!). The woman across the picnic table from us wanted to save part of her conch salad for her friends, so she saw we had the plastic containers and asked if she could have them. I said that Ursa had already licked them out, but she said she didn't care and her friends wouldn't know the difference. I gave them to her and she wiped them out with her dinner napkin and dumped in the leftover conch salad. I told her that all three of us are always sharing food with Ursa, and none of us have even had a cold this year. I'm sure her friends were delighted to get the conch salad, and “ignorance is bliss”.
The “official” ending of this party is concluded with a local junkanoo parade. It is amazing how loud and deeply reverberating those drums can sound and feel when the drummers pound on them in unison. Party goers fall in amongst the musicians and bump and grind their way up and down the street.
Getting the Beat
When we left the dock area and went out into the dark harbor, all the lighted boats looked so beautiful silhouetted against the pitch black night sky. We had to carefully find our way around a nearby bluff, motoring along so slowly, but kicking up a golden phosphorescent wake that lent a magical end to a fun evening. We could finally see FLUKE's solitary mast light in the distance. Even though she is such a big white whale, the moonless night was so dark, we wouldn't have easily found her if her anchor light didn't guide us home.
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