One Month in the Abacos is gone already

 Wow, where did that go? With the month of January coming to a close it was time to move for a change of scenery. Upon a rising tide and calm weather we moved down to the Sea Spray Resort and Marina where we've previously had lunch after walking South along the Atlantic side of Elbow Cay. I think I mentioned they have a good grouper sandwich here and while chowing down on a couple of occasions we took in a couple of football games. Specifically, those leading up to the Giants vs. Green Bay.
 The crowd here was decidedly pro Green Bay and being a Giants fan, I intend to take full advantage of their prophecies. We'll see how it all plays out in the Super Bowl and I am thinking it will be a good game regardless of the outcome. Eli got away with a few hail mary passes in the last couple of games. Count me as one who is not sure that tact is going to carry forward well. We'll all see.
 The ride down was uneventful except for the fact that several sailboats were heading out of Hope Town Harbour to participate in a sailing regalia on the Sea of Abaco. Fortunately as our preparations evolved our departure from the dock fit into the pattern well and we had no issues. In fact we followed the Rage ( http://abacorage.wordpress.com/ ) out of the Harbour into the Sea of Abaco. It appeared as though many sailboats were headed out for a great day of sailing in a wonderful environment. As we continued cruising along the shore of Elbow we were in calm water in spite of the fact that the wind was stout out of the East. It pays to be in the Lee where the calm waters are. Docking in at Sea Spray we found our reserved slip was taken so we moved deeper into the marina and after a miscue of getting into a slip that was too short for us we found ourselves located on the other side of the finger we occupied last Winter. So it's all good and we are settled.
 It wasn't long before the beach walking along the South end of the Atlantic side of the Cay started and our beach combing began to produce some results. We found a few shells of interest but we have to admit this year it's slim pickings for shells with all of the dune repairs. It seems as though all of the shells are buried with new sand or, they were blown away by Hurricane Irene. Regardless, one item of interest turned up and it was this message in a wine bottle. If you click on the image you can read the details. It seems like they were out in the Atlantic cruising along having a great time throwing bottles over the side. Cool. So I sent them this same photo without the omissions and sure enough we received a response. Good fun. I asked that next time they send a full bottle enclosed in floatation to our attention although I'm relatively certain they will not. I'm thinking this bottle has been bobbing around about a year. Who knows. Regardless it was certainly quite a bit of fun for everyone at the Garbonzo bar here at Sea Spray where we had the "opening ceremony". Fortunately they had a cork screw to get the bottle re-opened. I was initially surprised how long it took to locate one but in reflection it makes sense given beer and rum are the preferred mechanisms here in the Bahamas.
 Speaking of hurricanes, things here survived very well. Probably better than other locations. The coastline is still a very comfortable walk and the road past the Abaco Inn has been stabilized. While it is a lane more narrow than it was before the storm it all works well enough and traffic flows without issue. Many houses are getting repainted since the storm provided a combination power washing and sand blasting of their trim and other surfaces. There's good stimulus in hurricanes and tropical storms. Ask any of the people in the North East United States that lived through this past Summer.
 Using Google Earth if you look at Sea Spray and compare its location to the Hope Town Inn and Marina, you will see it is more protected and well inside White Sound away from the inlets to the Atlantic or Sea of Abaco. Strangely it seems there are more fish in the marina here. Last night I turned on the transom lights and to my surprise there were many snappers swimming around in the light. So I went back aboard and got some old turkey stuffing that we saved for times like this. Once back on the dock I started to throw some into the water and it wasn't long before I had the surface quite active with fish hitting on the cubes of toast. That's when the unexpected happened. I good sized shark swam right under the dock I was standing at the edge of. I'm not thinking it was a Nurse shark because the nose was more pointy than that but it didn't have the black fin tips either. I suppose it could have been a juvenile Bull shark but the water was cloudy obscuring a good view even though it was perhaps only 4 feet below the surface.
 The pool is looking better all the time.

It goes on

 Here in Hope Town things have settled down. We've had a chance to visit a number of establishments and now that the boat is parked for a while, some work items I've wanted to get underway have been started. Some have actually been completed! Occasionally I impress (even) myself because now that we are retired finding time to squeeze in projects has become challenging.
 Today in spite of the demanding schedule and brisk winds out of the ESE we took the dink out onto the Sea of Abaco hoping to get around to the new place on Elbow called Firefly. Lunch out and about was our game since we had been cooped up with getting projects underway. We were hoping to use the dink since the West side of Elbow was in the lee today and we didn't want to walk all that far. As it turned out the ride around was smooth enough allowing us to make it to Firefly easily. Looking at the first two photos one can conclude the Sea of Abaco was cooperative. I believe the owners of this esthetically well positioned place are involved with Firefly Sweet Tea back in the States. I imagine they decided to burn some cash on a place over here on Elbow. In our opinion they have done a terrific job of locating a very pleasant establishment.
 They did a really nice job of laying out the property and setting up a very cool place to have a meal. As well accommodations within various cottages are located on the property if living aboard is not and option.  As you can see from these photos taken from the bar the view is spectacular and sunset dinners will be awesome. But we were here for lunch and Deb had a bowl of conch salad. I had their tuna as well as a calamari appetizer. Yes! We found fried calamari in the Bahamas and it was very good. It came with a sweet and spicy chili sauce drizzle that went well with an ice cold beer. The tuna was also well prepared and quite tasty although I would have wanted a bit more on the plate. The conch salad was as good as any on the island and there was plenty of it. So we both had a great meal at a reasonable price (for the islands) with a wonderful view.

 It was a refreshing break from installing a new outlet in the galley for the microwave, a stereo on the bridge, and some work with DirecTV that spanned several hours.
 Nothing goes into Freedom easily. Well, nothing of substance anway. To get the new outlet from a stand alone breaker associated with the inverter, I had to pull all of the paneling off the starboard interior wall. It might look easy but it isn't. The paneling fits into a groove under the window sill and another groove in the floor. That means paneling that has aged since 1985 has to bow out in the middle for its entire length to facilitate popping out of both grooves. If it cracks, the finish is ruined and it's in an obvious location. Anyway this portion is the comfortable zone of this project and it went very well. I was able to get the cable into the A.C. panel and pull it through under the inverter I installed in 2008. Once that far it went into the bilge where dwarfs have the advantage. Dan does not fit well down there. If you look closely at the photo (click on it) you will see the outline of the hatch over the starboard engine. That engine would be a Detroit 6-71 turbo charged inter cooled diesel with a 400 pound gearbox. The cable goes down into the bilge just aft of the floor mounted battery selector switch under the inverter. From there it goes across the salon floor and down into a conduit up to the bow where it then goes through the floor up into the galley. Cake. Not. But it's done and I can enjoy morning coffee without having to get up and reactivate a breaker that pops because the coffee maker and microwave are on the same circuit. I've had the parts on the boat 2 years now.
 What can I say?
 She finally wore me down.
 Anyway along with this, the stereo that has been aboard for a while also got installed. You may have noticed the grey wire hanging out of the vent opening above the inverter? They go to the speakers that have been muted by removal of the stereo to make room for the inverter. With this latest surge of activity the stereo has been relocated to the helm and we have speakers up there now as well. Once this grey cable gets pulled up a very narrow raceway that is loaded with control cables, A.C. freon lines and all sorts of other "trivial" stuff, we'll be able to listen to the Door's album (inside) I down loaded from Itunes the other day. Something like 40 of their best on a single album. I'm thinking the folks on the mooring balls would appreciate our keeping the volume down so the inside speakers are probably a good idea.
 As for DirecTV, I have to hand it to them. We have been down here the past three Winters and the basic antennae has worked flawlessly. We can order movies over the internet, and the picture only pixelates during stout wind storms or thunderheads when I don't have the tracking system up and running. This year we switched our install address to be that of Miami Florida coincident with our departure from the NYS residence. You guessed it, right when the playoffs started, the company (Sunbeam) owning the station that broadcasts FOX decided they wanted more money to transmit their infomercials and local news. DirecTV said no. Sunbeam pulled the plug. As a result everyone here as well as in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale using DirecTV missed the Giants game this past weekend. Last year we had good reception for the NYS stations all the way down to Staniel Cay which is the rumored limit so we knew based on past experience that we could watch FOX if we were not associated with a rogue local network. Even though we are no longer resident in NYS, DirecTV let us use the old address so we could watch FOX. Thank you DirecTV!

Finally a break in the wind!

  This last week we had a real blow out with 50+ mph winds in the Abacos. Freedom was moving side to side and around in her slip testing the lines to their limit causing some sudden stops that caught us off balance on a number of occasions. It was enough movement that it reminded us of crossing the Gulf Stream at the end of December but only in an amusing way. It wasn't like we had to crawl around on our hands and knees to prevent injury but it was enough that balance and composure were challenging to maintain. In spite of the rocking and sudden stops caused by taught lines, we managed to get the stereo installed, the electronics station on the bridge cleaned up and its face repainted.
  We did not hear of any damage being done but we all had to make certain the boats were adequately tied up. Those out on the hook moved to more protected areas like Marsh Harbour or the West coast of Abaco to be in the lee of shore thus mitigating the affect of the winds. It was a time to hunker down and keep an eye on the boat. Along with the wind the temperatures got down into the 40's and we were fortunate to have reverse cycle air conditioning aboard Freedom. At this point of Winter we think we have used the heat more often than we have in all years past. Hopefully this is not an indication of how the Winter will continue once this break from the cold fronts has concluded.
 Given the opportunity with this recent calm and warmer weather we were able to get a good walk along the Atlantic shore from Hope Town down to the Abaco Inn for some of their specials. It was comforting to learn they still make darn good conch fritters and their seared tuna is still a stand out special that can't be beaten. Others may try but the Abaco Inn has a lock on this dish.
 Since the weather window was good for a second day, and the second day was more calm, we took the dink out to the reef at the North End of Elbow Cay and looked around. It was calm enough we didn't need the look bucket or need to snorkel. The water was clear and calm enabling us to merely putt around looking at the coral heads and the fish living near and within them. There were a few encounters with nurse sharks and some large snapper that made us wish we had gear with us to capture some good eats. While we did not see any lobster antennae I'm thinking we might have found a couple if we were to throw the hook out there and dig around under the coral heads.
 Eventually we had seen enough and I pointed the dink at Snake Cay where we were hoping to see some of the large spotted rays but the sun hid behind the clouds by the time we got there and we could not see deep enough into the dark water to pick them out.
 Perhaps if  we had not stopped to help a sailboat that ran aground in Tilloo Cut we might have had sun light at Snake Cay but boaters have to help each other out if they can. They were hard onto the sand and grass with the tide going out, and they had a mess of kids on the boat with them. We pushed and tugged on their boat with all we had but we could not budge it. The captain elected to spend the day there waiting for tide and we moved on after wishing them good luck.
 Regardless it's all good and on the return to Hope Town we stopped off at Sea Spray for some of their awesome conch salad and blackened grouper sandwiches washed down by a couple of ice cold Kalik's.
 Days like this are tough to beat.

 The garmin data is up to date.

Happy 2012 and Goodbye 2011!

 Finally we can kiss off 2011. It was a rough year for the market, and for us, a difficult year to cross the Gulf Stream. We've been in Hope Town a full week now and the notion that we are here has crept into our minds allowing us to relax. We don't have all of the concerns over the weather and the boat delivered us safely.
 So we struck out to see how Elbow Cay fared in consideration of Hurricane Irene. I know that between Irene and Tropical Storm Lee many lives were left in waste, and we saw plenty of it when we drove out to Sayre Pa. just after Lee left that area. A major arterial Route 17 was underwater in many places and closed to traffic between Vestal and Elmira NY. The devastation that was brought upon so much of the East Coast and inland areas of the United States by those two storms is mind boggling. Our hearts go out to those that have and are still living a nightmare as a result. But now we are in a different environment and let's face it, a direct hit by a hurricane here is as significant but fortunately it does affect less people.
 However Elbow Cay seems to have survived in style! From what we have seen the beaches have some weak spots and serious erosion but by and large they managed to avoid destruction the likes of which New York and other New England states saw. The worst of this storm damage is focused at the cliff road leading South to the Abaco Inn, and the beach area just North of Sea Spray. The roads are safe and open but there are some pot holes and other repairs that are still needed. The locals have responded quickly to make restorations that can be depended on.   
 In spite of the bad weather, the Hope Town Inn and Marina is quickly taking shape and we look forward to the point that it comes online completely. It's going to be a very special stop for mariners willing to make their way to the Abacos and for a number of reasons. It is well located with regard to Marsh Harbour and it is in central Hope Town. Everything is a short dink away across the Hope Town Harbour and there are many facilities within the harbour that cater to travelers. It's going to put a stamp on the Abacos for sure.
 Since we were held up in Florida for an extended stay we had some extra expenses and we have to curtail some of the extra spending on dining out. In support of this we immediately ate out at the Edge, Sea Spray, The Reef Bar, Cracker P's and we also celebrated New Years Eve at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge. Maybe next week we'll settle down but some steam had to be let out and it was worth it.
 Friday evening we were fortunate enough to hitch a ride down to Tahiti Beach where many folks reviewed the fireworks display John Bull puts on for everyone. It was a great show and a lead in to the New Year's Eve festivities that take place in Hope Town. Up at the Reef Bar we had dinner and a D.J. along with all sorts of party favors revolving around a theme based on the Blues Brothers. Everyone had stern faces and cheap sunglasses on making for a fun evening. At midnight we sat on one of the porches overlooking the harbour and were treated to a great fireworks display put on by the Lodge. It was full of color and noise and right in our faces. Once in a while the wind shifted carrying the display overhead.
 After the fireworks everyone joined in with the Junkanoo parade that marched all around Hope Town and then back to the Lodge where free champagne was waiting for us. Not too shabby.
 With that, we hope everyone has a Happy Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Let's all make 2012 better than the past!
  Some extra photos are in the bucket here Photo Bucket Link
 The Garmin Tracks are up to date excepting perhaps the Lubber's dink ride. I have to create a new file for 2012 yet.