Heading South - Long Island and the Jumentos

After being over 3 weeks in one spot, we were finally able to pull up anchor and head out. When we arrived in George Town, Bob discovered that we had blown an exhaust elbow on the starboard engine. So that meant contacting our mechanic and asking him to order the part (thanks to Annie and Al). It took two weeks to get the part and then Bob got it replaced and all was well. However, the weather was blowing like stink and we were in a good protected location in Kidd Cove right off of George Town. That made trips into town pretty convenient. So we stayed through the George Town Cruisers Regatta.

While here we got involved in the twice-weekly games of Texas Hold’em. I found out I was pretty good at that, although I never lasted until the last 5 winners, I did make it to the last table a few times. I credit my good luck in part to Sharon on My Sharona for her great instruction on the game.

Getting to and from the games was usually challenging as the games are held at the St. Francis Resort across Elizabeth Harbor on Stocking Island. Crossing this water in 20 knot winds can be tough in the daylight. We usually arrive at the games soaking wet, even if we had on our fowl weather gear. I stated on Facebook the following: New outfit for the evening: $70; Dinner and dancing on the deck at Chat n’ Chill with friends: $90; Crossing Elizabeth Harbor in a dinghy in 20 knot winds and finding your boat with a flashlight: Priceless!

While in George Town, we caught up visiting our friends on My Sharona and Sea Fox X and made new friends with lots of boaters as there are 300 plus boats in the harbor. After the regatta was over, many boats headed south to Long Island (and other islands south), while those that needed to be back home earlier end up heading north. So closing day of the regatta is a happy (and sad) affair as about two-thirds of the boaters leave as soon as the weather provides a good cruising opportunity. Those on sailboats prefer a little wind for their sails, while those on power boats (like us) prefer water as calm as we can get it.

We were all set to leave on Monday, but Bob suddenly wasn’t feeling well, so we stayed in the harbor. Luckily, whatever it was passed by late afternoon and we took the opportunity to take in one more game of poker. It turned out that the winds did not lay down as much as we had expected on Monday, so it was probably we didn’t try to cross to Long Island anyway.

So we prepared to leave on Tuesday, only to find out that the generator would not work. So, Bob spent a half hour in the engine room. He managed to start the generator, but the bad news is that is has no clue what was wrong. It must have been the random generator gremlin acting up again. As it turned out, Tuesday was a beautiful day for our crossing.

We arrived at the north end of Thompson Bay, Long Island around 3 in time to get our reservation in for a homecooked dinner at Trifinna’s, Thompson Bay Inn. We also found out from the folks on Dream Catcher, that there was a get-together on the beach for cocktails at 5. So we cleaned up and then headed over to the beach at 5 to chat with fellow boaters. Around 6, we joined a part of the group that did the trek through the woods and up the road to the Inn for dinner. Trifinna put on a beautiful spread and we enjoyed the company of the folks on Dream Catcher who happen to be from Lancaster, VA, not far from our home in Virginia.

 

We woke the next morning to water that was “like glass.” Shortly after breakfast, we heard from Wayne on My Sharona that they were heading to the Jumentos from George Town and wanted to know if we were going there. Since it was perfect weather to make that trip ourselves from Long Island, Bob said we should go, so we got ready and headed out. It was a lousy day for sailing as there was hardly any wind, but terrific for us. The sky was completely overcast and if weren’t for the occasional island, it was difficult to make out the horizon.

 

If it wasn't for the island, finding the horizon would be difficult.

By 3:3-, we pulled into the lovely anchorage slightly behind My Sharona, who had arrived at the same time from George Town. Only a few other boats are in an anchorage nearby and a Bahamian fishing boat. It was just pure peace. Bob made us a lovely dinner that we enjoyed on the back deck. This is why we come to the Bahamas!
Well, our peace and quiet ended about 11:30 P.M. when the wind picked up. It was only about 10-15 MPH, but it seemed a lot higher. We bounced pretty well during the night. The beauty of the Jumentos is worth the bouncing. This chain of islands has no inhabitants as they are very small islands and there are very, very few protected anchorages. That is one of the reasons we traveled here with a “buddy boat” and came in a weather window with less that 20 knot winds.

 

 

Beautiful Water Cay Anchorage

 

Sharon on My Sharona in very calm water

 

At sunset, the white cliffs turned pink from the setting sun

 

Sunset at Water Cay

In the morning, Bob and Wayne decided to move to Buena Vista Cay (one of the chain of Jumentos Islands farther south.)

 

Three Sisters Rocks we passed on the way South

There is an anchorage on the opposite side of this island making is more protected from West winds, resulting in a much calmer evening. There were only two other boats in the anchorage, sailboat and a trawler. The sailboat was from Halifax, Canada, and the trawler was from Clearwater, FL. The couple on the trawler had been in the Jumentos since January. They have come to the Jumentos for several months each winter for many years. The provided some guidance on what beaches we should visit, etc.

 

Buena Vista Cay

 

Sting Ray that circled our boat when we arrived


We put the dinghy in the water and went beachcombing with Sharon and Wayne and found quite a few sea beans and some lovely shells. It was a beautiful afternoon. We had Sharon and Wayne over for some of Bob’s lasagna. Sharon brought cupcakes for dessert and we played a few games of Mexican Train Dominos.

 

Intresting tree stumps on the beach

 

Bob strolling the beach

After a very peaceful night, we decided to go explore some more beaches for the sea bean collection. We found quite a few more. I plan on some little paintings of shells and sea life on them and these may be a little too large for that.
There are some beautiful long-tailed birds around this island and took this photo of one flying over the boat. You can’t ask for a more peaceful place to go than the Jumentos, that is for sure.

 

My collection of sea beans found while beach combing

After lunch, we pulled anchor and moved with My Sharona to an island called Double-Breasted Cay. It was a beautiful anchorage. We would Liberty and Next Exit anchored there. We had met Liberty, with their two sons, Chris and Josh, at the Dismal Swamp Park and then again in Elizabeth City, NC. We also saw them in George Town. Their sons had organized a great skip for the Variety Show in George Town.
We put out the float and relaxed in the water. There were some nurse sharks and a couple of sting rays in the anchorage, so we kept lookout for each other while we took turns cooling off in the water. Later in the evening, Side-by-Side, a boat that had been travelling with Freedom (with their son Parker and daughter aboard) arrived. Chris took the daughter off of Side-by-Side for a ride on his small sailboat around the anchorage.

 

Bob enjoying the raft behind the boat

During the night the wind changed and we had started to rock and roll a bit, so we moved to another cay called “Raccoon Cay” with My Sharona. After we were anchored, we took the dinghy to one of the beaches. As it was mostly overcast, it wasn’t a great day to sit on the beach, but it was good for beach combing. We passed the remains of a lonely house just off the beach. It appeared that in one area, someone had built a bit of a dam using conch shells. It looked like that was done to protect a small lake.

 

Man-made berm - from the age of the shells, this looked like it had been there a very long time.

 

Ruins of a house that was once used on the island

 

Following Sharon and Wayne back to our boats at the anchorage

After lunch, we went over and played Rumikub with Sharon and Wayne. A Bahamian fishing boat came to My Sharona with several dead goats on board and we were asked if we would like some goat meat. We would have purchased some Lobster or Conch, but we weren’t interested in goat meat.

After looking over the weather predictions for the next few days, we laid out our plan of attack. We expect to move back to double Breasted Cay tomorrow morning (as the winds will shift and this anchorage will become unpleasant).

Sunday morning, I was just getting dressed and noticed that we had clutter everywhere on the boat and was just beginning to straighten up a bit while Bob was in the engine room tightening a fan belt on the starboard engine, when a Bahamas Defense Force boat arrived in the anchorage and asked to board us. I called the Captain out of the engine room and we put out fenders to protect our boat from their high speed boat.

We were boarded and asked to show all our paperwork (just like the time we were boarded in Staniel Cay earlier this year). Turns out, when I returned from the states last February while I was home for a doctor’s appointment, Nassau Customs and Immigration did not stamp my passport. All turned out OK though (they just made note of it in their report), except when they went to leave the boat and the BDF boat hit the port side of our boat and made a hole in the side. We found out fenders don’t help when they come in nose first! Luckily, it is well above the water line. They gave us information of who to contact in Nassau so make arrangements for fixing it. We were just glad to see them in this remote part of the Bahamas, especially since it is pretty close to Haiti.

 

Hole in the side of our boat by the Bahamas Defense Force

The BDF boat then went over and boarded our friends on My Sharona as well. When all our excitement for the morning was finished, we both prepared to move back to Double Breasted Cay.

We found Liberty, Next Exit and Side-by-Side still in the anchorage by Double Breasted Cay. We put the dinghy in the water and went to a nearby beach and crossed over by a trail to the Atlantic side of the island. There we met up with some of the folks on the other boats and we did our search through the flotsam and jetsom for sea beans and sea glass. It is amazing the stuff you find that has washed up. Most of the stuff that is indestructible is made of plastic. If that stuff had never been made, there would be much less stuff to wash up on the beaches. The other thing we find so many of are single shoes! You have to wonder why that is the case. If there was a market for “sea plastic” like there is for “sea glass,” beaches would be clean and we’d be rich! There is too much to gather up and no place to move it to so it could be safely burned.

We took the dinghy over to another little beach and sat in the warm water and enjoyed the beach. We saw this little fish that seemed to have been caught up in the waves and it was having a tough time getting out to deeper water, but it was finally successful.

 

Bob enjoying one of the beaches

 

Interesting iron rock formation by the beach

 

Iron slats from old shipwreck we noticed on the beach

In the evening, we joined the other boaters on the beach for a pot luck dinner.

 

Mark from Side-by-Side and Dave and Chris from Liberty at the Pot Luck dinner on the beach

 

The ladies at the beach - Angie from Side-by-Side, Nancy from Liberty, me and Sharon from My Sharona

 

Sunset at Double-Breasted Cay