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June OBX Park News
Whether you are planning to visit the Outer Banks this summer, or live here and want to get to know our islands a little better, we hope you’ll make time to appreciate and rediscover our parks.
June OBX Park News: Juneteenth Celebrations, Partnership Spotlight, Ask A BioTech, and more!
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2022 Letter #4 from the Bahamas by Greg and Barbara Allard
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for once again sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in Meander‘s wake! For more this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises. For more on the OWW, see Greg Allard on the Okeechobee Waterway, June 14, 2022.
Hello everyone – This will be our last Letter from our 2022 cruise to the Bahamas. After two years of not visiting the Bahamas due to the pandemic, we were thrilled to return in March.
This trip was not without its challenges, as it was one of the windiest times in the Bahamas that we can recall.
“People who live on continents get into the habit of regarding the ocean as journey’s end, the full stop at the end of the trek. For people who live on islands, the sea is always the beginning. It’s the ferry to the mainland, the escape route from the boredom and narrowness of home.”
― Jonathan Raban, Coasting: A Private Voyage
Towards the end of May, a larger than usual number of fishing boats, center consoles and larger sportfish boats, appeared in the Bahamas from the U.S. This group had landed a beautiful yellowfin tuna. From the opposite side of the fish, they have already cut out the two large fillets which are on the table in the foreground.
Any time fish are being cleaned, sharks show up for the discarded pieces. The shark on the right is a nurse shark, relatively harmless as sharks go. However the shark on the left is a bull shark, one of the most aggressive sharks; Bahamians fear them. The bull shark has a wound on the right side of his head, likely from a spear. It is illegal to take sharks in the Bahamas.
Children on the way to school. All children in the Bahamas wear uniforms to school. With the troubled educational system in our own country, this would not seem to be a bad idea. No flaunting of expensive or trendy clothes. Every child, regardless of economic status, starts off at least on the same foot.
Bahamian Steve Johnson, the manager of the Great Harbour Marina. A hands-on accomplished professional, as well as an all around good guy.
Takiya, our waitress for lunch at the very good local restaurant Coolie Mae’s. A great smile and a terrific personality.
Once the hurricane season arrives on June 1st , cruisers in the Bahamas need to have a plan. If you are several hundred miles from the U.S., some very fast boats can “run home” if a hurricane threatens; other cruising boats do not have the speed to outrun such storms, and must find a safe harbor, dock, or anchorage. We watched as Alex, the first named storm of the season, developed into a Tropical Storm and passed over Florida. The eastern edge of Alex produced winds where we were to over 40 knots.
So it was time for us to say goodbye to the beautiful islands of the Bahamas, and begin our voyage back to the U.S. For us that meant two long passages over open ocean waters, each trip about 9-10 hours total. You can’t just leave on any day; you have to constantly monitor the weather, in particular the wind, waves and thunderstorms. Sometimes the actual weather doesn’t match the forecast, and it gets a bit “salty”, a euphemism for nasty and rough. If I am ever reincarnated, I want to come back as a weather forecaster, where I can be wrong 50% of the time, and still be paid.
After a successful passage back to the east coast of Florida, we cross to the west coast using the Lake Okeechobee Waterway. In 1937 the government created a waterway to cross the center of Florida by using the St. Lucie River (on the east coast of FL), Lake Okeechobee (a large lake in the center of the state), and the Caloosahatchee River (on the west coast). Five locks had to be built, since the lake is about 15’ above sea level, and as the boats traverse the Waterway, they have to be lifted up the level of the lake, and then down on the other side. In some places the rivers were just too small and shallow so they had to be dredged and many portions were converted into straight canals. By using the Lake Okeechobee Waterway, we save about 150 miles, instead of going around the southern end of Florida (through the Keys) and then up the west coast. With the current cost of diesel, that means a savings for us of about $1,000. The Waterway itself delivers a time-warp view of old Florida, and it’s a fascinating place.
Along the St. Lucie river portion of the Waterway, we stayed for an evening at the Indiantown Marina, a true “old Florida” boatyard. There are literally hundreds of boats stored there, on land. Some are being worked on, and are in nice condition. Others, many others, like the one in the above photo, are well past ever again going to sea.
Here is a close-up of the bow of the boat in the prior picture. The boat is made of steel, and as you can see there is “some” rust in the area of the anchor pulpit. Surprised it just hasn’t fallen off.
Along the St. Lucie, we came upon this eagle. The eagles are returning to this area, and to many other places in Florida.
We were docked in the Caloosahatchee River, part of the western Waterway, when a huge thunderstorm came through; thirty minutes later, this was the view.
____________
As you know, we avoid politics in these Letters; our purpose is to let you meet the people we encounter, and to see some of the beautiful places where we cruise.
That being said, we will end this year’s Letters with this wonderful quote:
“Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.” ― Mark Twain
We hope you have enjoyed these Letters and we are pleased that you could join us on this journey.
Warmest regards.
Greg and Barbara
M/V MeanderCopyright Greg Allard 2022
FV: 6/21/2022Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Joseph
Greg,
I thoroughly enjoy your missives and look forward to reading them both here and in our DeFever Cruisers site.
-
Shared Photo – Sunset over Belhaven, NC, AICW MM 135, Pungo River
Our thanks to Brad Condon for this sunset photo from Belhaven, NC. Belhaven is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Click Here To View the VA to NC Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Belhaven, NC
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Temporary Website Issues, Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club, Bahamas
Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club is a premier yacht club in the Abacos and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR! If you cruise to Abacos and Marsh Harbour area, you should consider joining this great group of like minded cruisers.
We are currently experiencing a problem with our web site domain name. In the short term you can access the Club web site using the following sub-domain name:We are sorry for this inconvenience and expect to have the situation remedied shortly.Best regardsScott ColesCommodore Pro temRoyal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club.Be the first to comment!
Greg Allard on the Okeechobee Waterway, June 14, 2022
Once again, Greg Allard shares his photography and insights in a way that delights the eye and also provides current local knowledge about a transit that many of you must make to head north and for many of you who are making the voyage for the first time. Thank you Greg!Okeechobee Update – June 14 2022-Greg Allard, M/V MeanderThe level of the Okeechobee lake has been good, and rising with recent rains. We are in the middle of a westerly crossing now, stopped at Moore Haven. The US Army Corp of Engineers report for today shows the depth in Navigation Route #1 at 6.96’ In my experience this means that is the shallowest depth is in the buoyed cut which runs from Clewiston out into the lake. What we saw confirmed that depth. If you take that route, be certain to stay in the channel; some of the ATONS are far apart, and with a little wind you could be unknowingly pushed out of the channel. The edge of the channel is rock, not mud.There was no sign of green slime or algae. However, the Okeechobee waterway has a good many patches, masses, almost “islands” of water hyacinth drifting around. These are tightly tangled webs. One boater, who came through the Ortona lock yesterday, reported that the lock was filled with them, and some of them wrapped around his props, almost stalling the engines.Most of the time, in open water, you can steer around these “islands”, but yesterday, at both the Indiantown and Moore Haven railway bridges the floating masses blocked the passage. See photos below.We have a strategy: when we are forced to go through a bunch of these floating masses, we approach slowly, look for the weakest spot, and then apply a little power to gain momentum; then, before contact, we immediately put the boat into neutral, and let the momentum of the boat push us through the mass. We do not go into forward again until the stern is entirely clear. We do have cutters on our shafts, but do not know if they are effective on the hyacinths. Don’t want to know.In these times of high gas and diesel prices, if a cruiser wants to reach the east coast of Florida, taking the Okeechobee Waterway can save miles, time and fuel costs. Plus, it is a trip like no other.
At the Moore Haven railway bridge. The good news, the bridge was open, not always the case. The bad news: almost completely blocked with water hyacinth.
A “modest” size clump goes floating by.
A view at the Indiantown railway bridge (near the marina); not as dense, but enough loose ones floating around to mess up the engine water intakes. After passing through such an area, suggest you check the engine strainer basket at any sign of the engine(s) running warmer than usual.
A close up of one of the densely tangled patches.
The hyacinths will come and go but the appeal of the Okeechobee will remain. It is like a step back in time, a true time-warp, across central Florida. On a power post along the St Lucie stretch, we spotted this eagle, who had certainly spotted us too.
Just east of the Moore Haven lock are these intriguing cedar sentinels.
Enjoy the Okeechobee
Greg Allard
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Gene
Just came across the lake and to Fort Myers on June 21 and 22. Lots of water hyacinth along the shore, but none at all in the main channel or in the locks. Probably varies day by day.
-
Isle of Palms, SC AICW MM 460
The South Carolina barrier island just 30 minutes from Charleston may just be the area’s best-kept secret and, of course, is home to CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Isle of Palms Marina.
Isle of Palms Is the Coastal Getaway of the Summer | Southern Living by Tara Massouleh McCay
Southern LivingClick Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Isle of Palms Marina
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Lightning Master Strikes Back – a rebuttal of Peter Swanson’s earlier article.
If you are concerned about lightning strikes, these two articles will be of interest. Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe.. $5 a month or $42 for the year and you may cancel at anytime.
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Bromance and a Boat: The Voyage That Changed Everything and Gave Us Modern Miami
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe.. $5 a month or $42 for the year and you may cancel at anytime.
When all else fails, try journalism.
Click link for How Fidel Castro Invaded Cuba in a Yacht Named ‘Granma’ by Peter Swanson
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TopSide Marinas has Acquired North Point Yacht Club in Temple, TX
TopSide Marinas is a family owned marina company that is looking to buy and operate marinas – they are not a broker – and they would love to meet marina owners who are ready to sell. TopSide Marinas is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
TopSide Marinas recently acquired its third marina, North Point Yacht Club, located on Lake Belton in Temple, TX. The team saw great potential at this marina and the beautiful Lake Belton.
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TopSide Marinas Acquires North Point Yacht Club on Lake Belton (Temple, TX)Be the first to comment!
2022 Letter #3 from the Bahamas by Greg and Barbara Allard
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for once again sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in Meander‘s wake! For more this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises.
Greg Allard
May 30, 2022, 11:31 AM (2 days ago)
Hello everyone – Here is our third Letter from the Bahamas for 2022.
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustav Flaubert
“In reality, you don’t ever change the hurricane. You just learn how to stay out of its path.”
– Jodi PicoultWe included this photo in our Letter from 2015; it was taken a short while after this fishing boat, Summer Place from Nassau, Bahamas, had been driven aground while trying to run from a hurricane. In normal circumstances, this boat could have been salvaged and put back into service, but the complexity of the project and the estimated costs would have far exceeded its value; it would have been almost impossible (without extraordinary expense) to have the necessary barges and equipment reach the site, because of the shallow water.
The sea is unrelenting. This is a recent photo of the same wreck, showing the effects of seven years of time, tide, gales and hurricanes. There is an upside – a sunken boat such as this slowly becomes a reef, attracting all kinds of small fish and sea life, which in turn attract larger ones. As we circled the wreck, we saw an 8’ shark who had come for dinner.
Kingsley K. Charles – His eyes say it all – windows to his soul.Every so often you encounter someone who fits the category of “One of the most interesting persons I’ve met.” He is known as “King” and he’s a native of Great Harbour Cay; his parents live here, and they had eight children. Some of his brothers and sisters now live in Nassau, Freeport, and a couple are in the U.S.He is far from typical. His father, a minister, wanted him to be a lawyer, and he received a scholarship with help from an ex-pat on the island whose company provided it. He attended Liberty University in Virginia for three years, then began working in a bank and eventually for a brokerage company, all in the U.S. While in the U.S. he married and moved to Nashville, but the union did not work. At one point in his life he toured around the world.He returned to Nassau, and began serious work on the passion of his life which is music. He is an extremely talented and creative musician, who then worked in Nassau for three years in the industry, including the creation of an album, which he has not finished. He was engaged to a Bahamian woman in Nassau, but that broke off.So many young men and women who grow up on small Bahamian out-islands follow a pattern: when they finish high school (or before), they leave the island and do not return. This is where King differs: after his music work in Nassau, he said that he “Wanted to come home” to Great Harbour Cay. He mentions “home” often; this is his home. This is where he feels most grounded.He just turned 40, is smart-smart, reads philosophy and has a high level of intellectual curiosity. He is looking for his next path in life, but he is not in a hurry.Currently he is the Assistant General Manager at the marina on Great Harbour, a job he does extremely well.And finally, he is a truly nice and good person. It has been a pleasure to know him.
King, performing a number of his own songs at a Friday night bar-b-que event at the marina.
Most of our photos are taken with a Nikon D7000, a superb professional level camera. But our back-up camera is….an Apple iPhone. It has one big advantage over the Nikon – it is light, goes in your pocket (so it’s always with you); plus it takes really good photos in most situations. It also has a panoramic feature: press the button, and start to pan slowly from left to right, standing in one spot and only moving the phone with your hands and arms. This photo shows a 180 degree view. When you are done scanning, the camera seamlessly stitches the whole thing together into one photo.
The mailboat has arrived, the lifeline to the cay. Yes the water is shallow for such a large boat, which is why the captain prefers to arrive and dock at the upper half of the 3’ tide. Sometimes offloading takes too long, the boat starts to sit on the bottom, and it has to power its way back out. There is a mini-van on the midship deck, being transported to some island.
When the boat docks, dozens of trucks and cars descend on the government dock to take away their goods. It is organized bedlam. This pickup truck, heavily loaded with food, is one of the last to leave the dock area.
Few restaurants in the out-islands of the Bahamas look like a major American chain restaurant. This charming but unassuming place is called Brown’s Garden, and the owner Ronnie is the excellent chef. He has no inside tables, just a bar under the blue umbrella, and a table on the other side of the road, from which this picture was taken. Fortunately for the rooster and some nearby chickens there was no poultry on the menu.
Ronnie Brown. He served us some excellent cracked conch, and a delicious salad. Unfortunately we learned that the lease on “this old building” was soon to be up, and he would not be continuing his restaurant. The pandemic was particularly hard on him, as there were almost no visitors to the island, and the economy affected the locals who had less to spend on locally cooked meals.He intends to return to his prior career in fishing.
One day, at the Beach Club, our waitress Clinique (whom you’ve met in prior Letters) offered for us to taste a dilly. A dilly?? It is a small fruit which grows on trees, and once it is ripe it is delicious. We’ve never had one before. It’s full name is Sapodilla. (We ate it so fast we forgot to take a picture of it, so this is not one of our photos.) You can see a full sized dilly under the open one.
This is Leonard Wright, who has a long and talented career in art. He recounts that while in school he was always drawing things, and was bopped on the head by the teacher more than once for “doodling and drawing” and being distracted from “real learning.” When he was young, he went for six months to a specialized art school in Freeport, on Grand Bahama, which is the only formal art training he received. He has self-taught to work in all media including painting, (oils, acrylic, water), drawing, glass etching and wood carving.He is 59 years old, and has four children, two boys and two girls named Bernice, Bernette, Bernard and Jeremiah. He has a private pilot’s license. He and his wife are passionate about the need for their children to have an strong education. His oldest daughter just finished law school and is preparing to take the bar exam. Two of his others are in college, one studying construction and engineering, and the other electrical engineering/aerospace. His youngest son is in high school.He has developed a fine specialty in creative engraving on bottles. His work is superb. A truly creative, well-spoken, talented and engaging man.
A Leonard Wright creation – a beautiful beach scene on a repurposed tequila bottle. My favorite is the hogfish in the lower right. This is only one of the three sides he engraved on this square bottle. After engraving, he uses a white engraving compound to highlight the drawings.Two of the cruise ship lines have nearby islands they stop at, about five miles away. He and his wife have a small booth there, where he sells his beautiful engraved bottles to the passengers. He can customize existing ones, or create new designs in an hour or two. When they depart, I hope they appreciate that they have left the island with an authentic craft by an extraordinarily talented Bahamian artist.
A nice home, owned by the family that runs a good local restaurant, Coolie Mae’s.
There is still a great deal of poverty on these islands. This house looks better in the photo than it does in real life. Curious how the color of the car matches the building.
One day, while visiting Ruth Adderley-Rolle’s neat little Bahamian shop, this gentleman entered. He’s Chief Sherman, Assistant District Superintendent of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. He is the responsible for all of the Berry Islands, a large area with multiple islands stretching thirty miles from Great Harbour in the north to Chubb Cay in the south. He does so with 5-6 officers. He has been with the RBPF for twenty-five years. He rotates throughout the Bahamas on assignment, and his current one has him in the Berrys for two years. Police Officers here patrol unarmed, and their 4WD Jeep police vehicles don’t have flashing lights – and likely not even a siren. There are no traffic lights here, only a handful of stop signs
A few days later, while at the outdoor Beach Club tiki bar and restaurant, Chief Sherman remembered us, came over to our table and chatted with us for a good while. He was not in uniform, but likely was on-duty. He has an engaging personality and from our observations, has built strong relationships with the people he serves.
The next time you are boating in the U.S. and complain about how the Aids to Navigation (buoys and channel markers) are inadequate or improperly placed, remember this photo of what passes for a channel marker. These are quite common. The problem with this one is that there is shallow water all around it, for some distance. Perhaps it is just a reference point, and the locals know to “go 50 yards to the west.” In some of the larger harbors there are good channel markers, but this one adds local flavor, if not navigational aid.
There are hundreds of these private little beaches.
No words necessary.Warmest regards,Greg and BarbaraCopyright Greg Allard, 2022Final – 5/30/2022Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Alan
The photos and the definitive explanations accompanying each of of them of this sojourn through the Berry Islands are non-pareil!
Thanks for your generosity in sharing them!AVC
-
Hurricane Season Port Condition Definitions
Along with Watch and Warning designations, these alphabetical listings, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee and Zulu, are used to indicate the anticipated severity of an approaching storm. And while the port restrictions are directed primarily at commercial traffic, the same port conditions allow recreational boaters to gauge the level of risk from the storm. Obviously, the further along the alphabet, the more severe the forecast for a given port or coastline. The official hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30.
HURRICANE SEASON PORT CONDITIONS AND CATEGORIES
Port Conditions are set by the Captain of the Port and are used to alert the maritime community to changes in port operations needed to prepare for the storm’s arrival.PORT CONDITION WHISKEY: Gale force winds (34 knots or 39 mph) are predicted to arrive within 72 hours. Port Status: Open to all commercial and recreational traffic.
PORT CONDITION X-RAY: Gale force winds are predicted to arrive within 48 hours. Port Status: Open to all commercial and recreational traffic.
PORT CONDITION YANKEE: Gale force winds are predicted to arrive within 24 hours. Port status: Closed to inbound traffic and vessel traffic control measures in effect on vessel movements within the port.
PORT CONDITION ZULU: Gale force winds are predicted to arrive within 12 hours. Port Status: Closed to all inbound and outbound traffic.
PORT CONDITION RECOVERY: The storm is no longer a threat to the area, however, some damage may have occurred and response and recovery operations are in progress. Port status: Reopened to outbound traffic at the completion of the port survey. Vessel traffic control measures remain in effect on vessel movements within the port.
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The latest news for you from Marv’s Weather
Our thanks to Perry McDonald for sharing this sad, but hopeful, news with us.
Marv’s Weather
Marv’s Daily Virtual Buoy Weather & Tropical Weather ReportsSpecial Message From Carol Market By now most of our current email subscribers to Marv’s Weather Service have received the new, reformatted newsletter and seen the new website; now we would like to give you quick update on what has been happening ‘behind the scenes’. Beginning late last year Marv began working with Pierre Narath in an endeavor to make the weather site load faster, mobile friendly and less labor intensive to produce.
With the onset of Marv’s cancer diagnosis we needed to step up the pace considerably and the site was developed into what you see today. Sadly, Marv passed peacefully in his sleep on May 22, 2022 but he was able to favorably review the site before that time came. With the help of Pierre and Buoyweather.com we are so pleased that Marv’s legacy will continue to be of service to our cruising community and that his mission of keeping pleasure boating safe and comfortable carries on in his name.
Wishing everyone fair winds and smooth seas!Blessings, Carol Market and Family
We will try to have our buoy and tropical reports updated twice a day.
Tropical weather reports will be updated as determined by weather conditions.
You may have to refresh the webpages to see the latest updates.
BuoyWeather Reports Buoyweather’s point-based marine weather forecasting system empowers users to make informed decisions about their offshore navigation and recreation. Click here to view the latest reports
Tropical Weather Reports Tropical Weather Discussion for North America, Central America Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, northern sections of South America, and Atlantic Ocean to the African coast from the Equator to 31N. Click here to view the latest reports
Marvsweather.com has been sharing (as a free service) via email our offshore daily
virtual buoy reports and our tropical weather reports with other boaters and non-boaters.Marv’s Weather Service | 950 N Collier Blvd., Suite 419, Marco Island, FL 34145 Be the first to comment!
A Souvenir of Florida’s Nearly Forgotten Past by Ginger L. Pedersen
In Rochester, New York, a little wooden box lay forgotten on an estate table sale; a knickknack bought by a Florida tourist more than a century ago.
A souvenir box made in Mauchline, Scotland, depicts a banyan tree on Pitts Island, now known as Munyon Island, near North Palm Beach. That’s Singer Island beyond. PHOTO BY GINGER L. PEDERSEN
A souvenir of Florida’s nearly forgotten past
Ginger L. Pedersen for Palm Beach Florida WeeklyBe the first to comment!
Maritime Safety Guide
Although focused on maritime workers, this safety guide has ideas for use on private vessels.
Maritime Safety Guide
Lanier Law FirmBe the first to comment!
GADNR: Coastlines Georgia Quarterly Newsletter
Coastlines Georgia is the official quarterly publication of the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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USACE: Oregon Inlet Unnavigable by Most Vessels
Cruisers Net has long advised navigation of Oregon Inlet only by shallow draft vessels with current local knowledge.
Oregon Inlet unnavigable by most vessels: Army Corps
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2022 Letter #2 from the Bahamas by Greg and Barbara Allard
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for once again sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in Meander‘s wake! For more this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises.
Hello Everyone – Here is our second Letter from the Bahamas for 2022.
Several of you did not receive the photos with the last Letter. It may have to do with the capacity of local internet service; if you do not receive the photos, please let us know.
This from a recent news report from the Bahamas:
“He said as he approached Grand Bahama, he realized his fuel was almost empty and immediately knew he was in “problems.”
-Andrew Rolle, a Bahamian, upon being rescued after several days at sea, when he ran out of fuel.”
It is a rare cruiser to the Bahamas who doesn’t at some point realize that he is “in problems”, an appropriate Bahamian expression if there ever was one. Stuff on boats always seems to fail no matter how much rigorous preventative maintenance has been done. The worst situation is breaking down while in the open ocean.
This young Bahamian, Stephen, found himself “in problems”. Fortunately he was not far from help. While in our dinghy, we came upon him in his disabled boat – the outboard motor would not run. We took his boat in tow, and learned that he was from a fishing boat named My Rebecca from Nassau, and they were going for conch. They hoped to take 7,000 conch to market.
A couple of days later, at the mouth of the entrance cut into the harbor, we saw the fishing boat Stephen was working on, anchored with the stern placed in very shallow water near some rocks – a strange place to anchor. We went over, and Stephen explained to us that the propellor shaft on the boat, which connects the engine and goes through the bottom of the boat to the propeller, had broken. They had ordered and received a new shaft, and they installed it, which explains why the aft end of the boat was in shallow water – to allow them to pull the shaft out of the boat while the crew was standing on the shallow sandy bottom. When they installed the new shaft, they found it was too short, so they were waiting for a shaft extender piece to arrive. Incredibly resourceful.
Five fishermen live on this boat. They had their laundry out to dry.
Yet again, a few days later, we found My Rebecca tied up at the government dock. The man in the red shirt is the diver – he is the one who retrieves the conch from the bottom, breathing compressed air from a pump on the surface. Stephen Sands, whom we towed in, is in the rear of the small boat.
Stephen wasn’t so anxious to have his picture taken but eventually agreed. On his arms were tattoos with the names of his three children: Stephenelle, Stephenique and Stephanos. In the rear pocket of his jeans was a flask of something, likely needed to survive on the cramped quarters of the old fishing boat.
In our last letter, you met Alvin, who found a perfect hose for a repair on our boat. This is Alvin’s son Quincy – Alvin’s second youngest of his nine children. Quincy has a full row of beautiful gold teeth on top. He is a smart, affable young man with a good sense of humor. He has solid experience around the water, which shows as he assists boats entering the marina, and helps them to safely and securely dock their boats – which is quite an art. A bad dock-hand can cause damage to a boat in an instant. Quincy just had a new daughter in Nassau, and he flew there this week to see her for the first time. This highlights one of the realities of the Bahamian economy – many families are split when (usually) the father has to travel to a distant island for work. Moving between islands is expensive – usually by local small aircraft.
We explored the sand flats off the west side of Great Harbour Cay. The water is shallow, especially at low tide, and there is much wildlife: sting rays, fish, conch and juvenile black-tip sharks about 2-3’ long. Barbara is in the dinghy behind me. Our friends who were with us said that they wondered if she was paddling away…
This year there was an abundance of these beautiful Cushion Sea Stars, which can grow up to 20” across. It has a thick body and knobby spines which form geometric designs. Some are tan; this one is orange-brown. We don’t keep them and it was returned to the water.
One of our favorite adventures while at Great Harbour is to do a “dinghy expedition” a number of miles south to an island called Money Cay. Legend has it that a hermit found a trove of money there, years ago. The entire area has to be one of the most spectacular places on earth. Pristine beaches, sparkling water and total solitude. One day we saw a local fishing boat there, but the majority of time we are totally alone.
It’s a bit of a challenge to reach Money Cay – you can go there only on the top half of the tides over the sand flats. Otherwise there is barely enough water to float the dinghies, let alone run them at any speed.
In this photo, our friends Jim and Ellen have just explored a secluded bay. The water under their dinghy is about 12’ deep. Both of our dinghies are equipped with bimini tops to provide shade from the Bahamian sun.
Here is a Queen Conch, with the most exceptional range of colors we have seen. This one is live – you can see the little critter poking out. We took its picture and returned it to the water.
This is the same Queen Conch as shown in the prior photo, and how it looks in its normal place on the bottom. The sea growth on the top of the outer shell serves as camouflage, making it difficult for most predators to find them. They use a big single claw to drag themselves across the bottom looking for food.
One day while exploring some remote islands, we spotted this bonefishing boat in the distance. The man standing on the platform at the rear of the boat is Percy Darville, one of the most famous bonefish guides in the Bahamas. He is 69 years old, and has served as guide to Jack Nicklaus, who has been a regular at Great Harbour.
Percy is using a long pole to push the boat through the flats while his client, standing in the bow, scans the water for the elusive fish. Bonefish are between 1′ to 2 1/2’ long and live in the shallows; they are considered a premier gamefish, and give the angler an extraordinary fight. It has been said that if a bonefish were as big as a battleship, it would take a battleship to land it. All bonefish are returned to the water, both out of sportsmanship and since they are difficult to eat because of……
Barbara anchors the dinghy, ready to explore a new cay we just landed upon.
Since our first letter, we have received several questions about how the Bahamas may have changed, post pandemic. Masks are to be worn any time you are inside (except while eating), and it is enforced. We met one cruiser who was asked to leave a food store because he had no mask. All of the dockhands, even outside, are masked.
Diesel fuel at our marina is now around $7.50 a gallon, about average for the Bahamas.
There is a good deal of construction going on here, mostly higher-end vacation homes for foreigners. But the economic downturn and possible recession have appeared to put many of those plans on hold.
There aren’t really food shortages, just gaps in time as to when the food is available. The mail boat came in again yesterday (on-time two weeks in a row) so the stores should be re-stocked by now. Few are going hungry but people often run short of things they would need.
There are three food stores on this island; two of them have a limited selection, and one of the two has no fresh produce or dairy products at all. This is the third, and best one, A & L.
Since the mail boat had just arrived, the A & L store was well stocked with fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese and breads. Most meats are frozen, and consist of chicken, pork and some goat.
A price list on the refrigerated case at the A & L store. Virtually all food comes from the U.S., and the higher costs are reflective of the significant shipping and handling expenses from Florida. Much of what is shipped needs constant refrigeration. Everything from the U.S. goes through Nassau, and then is transferred to mail boats for delivery to the remote islands. Inflation has hit the Bahamas too. A box of breakfast cereal is $7.00. The Bahamian dollar is on par with the American dollar, and both types of currency are accepted everywhere.
On these remote trips, miles from anywhere, we always value having another dinghy exploring with us, in case we find ourselves “in problems.”
While cruising on a boat, approaching storms may soon get you “in problems.” But it’s all worth it to be in such a beautiful country.
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“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson
Best regards to you all.
Greg and Barbara
Copyright Greg Allard, 2022
Final 5/20/22
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Charleston County Parks’ Summer Entertainment Series, Charleston, SC
Charleston County Parks, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is proud to announce the return of Summer Entertainment Series beginning in June. Fun for kids and grandkids at James Island and Wannamaker County Parks.
Charleston County Parks’ Summer Entertainment Series is back in June
Sarah Reynolds Public Information Coordinator Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission 861 Riverland Dr , Charleston , SC 29412 Primary: 843-762-8089 sreynolds@CCPRC.com | CharlestonCountyParks.com Be the first to comment!
Get to know the Edenton Museum Trail, Edenton, Albemarle Sound, NC
A longtime CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, historic Edenton always has an exciting calendar of events! Edenton is at the mouth of the Chowan River on the northwest shore of Albemarle Sound.
800-775-0111 • info@visitedenton.comHello!You’ve certainly heard about the Edenton Trolley Tour and Captain Mark’s Edenton Bay Cruises.Both are surefire “can’t miss” experiences when you come to Edenton.But there’s a third one, perfect for a lazy afternoon.The Edenton Museum Trail gives you an up-close and personal look at many of the most exciting and iconic places in Edenton.It’s the perfect way to kill some time before dinner or walk off a big lunch.So, when you schedule your next trip to Edenton, make sure you put it on the agenda.Erienne,Tourism directorPS-Want a little more information about the Edenton Museum Trail? Click here to find out about it.
Visit the Prettiest Small Town in the South* Shop * Dine * Stay *STAY CONNECTED WITH US!800-775-0111 • info@visitedenton.comChowan County Tourism Development Authority | PO Box 245, 101 W Water Street, Edenton, NC 27932 Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Edenton Harbor City Docks
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