Reacreational Boating for boaters who love boating, want to find other recreational boaters, boat forums, boats for sale, boat photos, and boating destinations

Here is their latest trip report.

Trip Report December 5, 2008

We are currently still anchored in White Sound, Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas Islands.

On 11/24/08 we dinghyed to Black Sound to help friends pick up an outboard for their dinghy. We had lunch at Laura's Kitchen; we two couples were the only ones there. Excellent cracked conch!! Lowes grocery suggested we wait to buy veggies since the supply boat arrived the next day...no problem only a 15 min. dinghy ride. Walked the Atlantic side beach behind Green Turtle Club Marina... rough seas! 5 boats left the next day for Great Guana Cay and Marsh Harbor to the south.  This involves going across a passage between cays known as The Whale Cay Passage or just The Whale.  The sea state can get rough there because of the shallow water being whipped up by incoming wind and waves but during calm days it is no problem.  All the boats made it through OK.

Wednesday, 11/26/08 we walked the north end of the Island and prepared to come into the dock at Bluff House. We went to bed about 8pm and were awakened about 9:20 pm by very loud music coming from the Green Turtle Club 1/4 mile away. It was good music though. Found out the next day it was Gully Roosters, best music I've heard since we got to Bahamas....stuff they play on the PA everywhere I think is too commercial sounding.

On Thursday 11/27/08 we raised the anchor and motored over to the Bluff House docks.  We spent the day doing ‘housekeeping chores’ then showered and dressed for Thanksgiving dinner.  We dined with another couple from a Westsail 42 named Elysium.  There was only one other party in the restaurant, 4 adults and 2 children. We 2 couples were the only people having the turkey dinner.   The meal was wonderful and included cranberry sauce battered in coconut and deep fried, amazing!  The marina docking cost is applied to your food and beverage bill as a credit so basically the meal was free!!

We got Harbor fever and decided to stay at the BH dock another day. Went to their beach 2 days in a row and generally just hung out. Some boat chores each morning then goof off rest of the day. The staff at Bluff House have been marvelous!! The Dockmaster, Michael, has done everything to make our stay enjoyable including grabbing the garbage bag out of my hand, hooking up our water hose, seeing us walking up the hill to go to the beach he jumped into the golf cart and caught up to us to give us a ride, then said if we had brought our hand held VHF we could have called him to pick us up and on and on!!! We met Bonnie, the daughter of Laura (Laura's Kitchen), who has been our waitress, bartender and everything else needed here.

We were back on the hook by afternoon, Sunday and awaiting a 34-40kt blow that night. Three perfect days followed by three not so perfect...batting .500 would make it in the majors. A few pics.1) Sunrise White Sound, BH docks 11-28-08, 2) Sea of Abaco from BH Beach 11-28-08, 3) A shot from my Beach Chair BH Beach 11-28-08, 4) PM Rush Hour on White Sound 11-29-08. Oh, much lower tourism than usual according to staff at Green Turtle Club and Bluff House. Half a dozen boats at each marina, and fewer than a dozen at anchor. Several Moorings catamarans and monohulls came into the anchorage over the past few days though. Only 3 or 4 shoreside units rented per week at Bluff House, less at GTClub. This is likely due to the economic situation in the US.  We probably won't get to New Plymouth until Thursday after the windy weather subsides.

On Wednesday, 12/03/08 after lunch we dinghyed to the Green Turtle Club dock and walked the 2 miles or so to New Plymouth just to get some exercise.  We met 2 other cruising couples walking back from lunch in town. We all got together including a few more cruisers aboard Elysium last night for pot luck happy hour.  Deb made Italian bread in our Magma kettle style bar-b-q grill.  It was great and everyone loved it.  Some folks made conch ceviche, and there were dips and other goodies.  We also brought some of our dandelion wine and there was a great bottle of Italian Montepulciano.

There is a good weather report for tomorrow so we are planning to leave with 4 other boats and go to Great Guana Cay or Marsh Harbor for a while. There is a Bayfield 29’ sailboat going also but we are still the smallest cruising boat at 25’.  We think we will come back to Green Turtle Cay for New Years Eve and if Andre and/or Lou’s dad come over for Christmas.  Remember….all this could change in the next 2 minutes anyway!!!

Deb and Lou

We wish them the best.

 Here is the latest trip report on our friends cruising the Bahama's.

  Hi all!  Hope you are all doing well.  Haven't had wi-fi for a
while.  We are currently at the Orchid Bay Marina in Great Guana Cay,
Abaco, Bahamas.  We left Green Turtle Cay on 12/6/08 with about 5 other
boats headed for Marsh Harbor on the mainland of Great Abaco.  To get
there we all went around a sand bank in the Sea of Abaco near Whale
Cay.  To do this we had to go 'outside' into the Atlantic Ocean then
back in again between Whale Cay and Great Guana Cay through Whale Cay
Passage or as it is commonly referred to here 'The Whale'.  Any of the
passages from the Sea of Abaco to the Atlantic Ocean causes a venturi
effect and combined with the shallow depth of around 20' can cause 'rage
seas' when the wind get strong.  The Whale was calm the day we went
through.  It had to be or we could not have made the passage. Wu-Hsin
arrived last as usual but in time to get a picture of the sunset.

Marsh Harbor is a commercial port and we anchored close to the
commercial docks the first night.  The sound of engines and cranes
unloading container ships all night caused us to re-anchor further into
the harbor where it is shallower and the shoreline Is mostly residential
with a few marinas.  It was also up-wind so it was a very calm and
pleasant anchorage.  A good thing too because the weather was very windy
and mostly cloudy the whole week. Marsh harbor is an excellent place to
re-provision or get marine supplies for the boat.  We went ashore and
made stops at a hardware store, a marine chandlery, a grocery store and
of course a liquor store.  As expected the best prices were at the
liquor store and we stocked up with several bottles of different rums.  
We also attended a Christmas festival where they had great food and
local entertainers.  Also George makes the best conch salad from a stand
outside Harbor View Marina!

We left Marsh Harbor on Monday 12/15/08 about 0700 in what promised to
be a not so windy and mostly sunny day for the 2 hour trip to Great
Guana Cay.  By the time we reach GGC the wind had picked up considerably
and we were trying to outrun a line of rain showers that was moving in
over the island.  We did arrive at 0930 and put the anchor down in time
to button up the cockpit enclosure before the showers hit.  It rained on
and off all day so we just settled in and did housekeeping chores.  The
next day we raised the anchor and pulled into the marina.  The weather
had been so cloudy for the past week that our solar panels were not able
to charge the batteries with as much electricity as we were using so we
decided to make a marina stop to plug into their AC power and top up the
batteries.  We took advantage of the time to take lo-o-o-ong hot showers
and do some laundry.

We met up with the crews of two boats that had been in Marsh Harbor but
left the day before we did.  We walked around the settlement and had
lunch at the Hang Ten on the harbor side of the island.  Then we walked
a few hundred yards to the Atlantic side of the island.  We had drinks
at Nippers, a famous establishment with a terrific view of the ocean,
beach and reef.  It was very windy and there were a few surfers out.  
These same conditions kept the snorkelers and divers out of the reef.  
Some of the crew took a walk on the beach to a ledge sticking out into
the water known as High Rocks while others stayed at Nippers enjoying
the view and the drinks!

We will Celebrate Lou's 60th birthday today with a dinner of smoked pork
chops from Dietrichs in PA, apples saute'd in butter, sweet and sour red
cabbage with brownies for dessert.  We will walk the beaches and may
meet some other cruisers we met in the marina for drinks at Grabbers on
Fishers Bay a few hundred yards to the north east. So far it is mostly
sunny here today and looks like a fitting day in a proper place to turn 60.

We plan to stay here a few more days then head south to Man-o-war Cay,
Hope Town on Elbow Cay, stop in at Pete's Pub in Little Harbor then on
to Spanish Wells in Eluthra.  When? Soon.  How long will it take? Not
sure. When will we report again? Later. In the mean time enjoy the pictures.

Deb and Lou
aboard s/v Wu-Hsin, Settlement Harbor, Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

I'm working on getting the pictures up.

Hello all!  I said that I wanted to spend my birthday having a swim,
walk on a warm beach with Deb and sharing a scotch with her in the
cockpit at sundown.  The water was colder than I wanted for a swim so we
waded in the Atlantic at the beach off of Nippers bar, walked the beach
to High Rocks and back.  We shared the walk with some new cruising
friends,Fred and Sue, from "Tango", a catamaran, who we met in Marsh
Harbor last week.  We all went back to Nippers and they bought the
birthday boy a round.  Also at Nippers, lounging at the pool were Dan
and Deb from "Freedom" who we met at the Orchid Bay Marina.  Lou
suggested that his birthday dinner aboard could wait a day so that we
could have the lobster wrap special at Nippers.  We got back to Wu-Hsin
in time for drinks and sunset.

The next morning 0600 we awoke to the sounds of a large freighter/ferry
unloading cargo at one of the docks.  It was low tide and about 4' where
we were anchored. Backing out required some close quarters maneuvering
to avoid Tango but all turned out well.

Today, Lou's birthday celebration continues with his on-board smoked
pork chop dinner.  We think we will stay in GGC through Christmas.  
There are plenty of vacationers ashore partying, the weather is nice and
the harbor is well protected.  We'll just be on vacation.  And of course
a few pictures.

Deb and Lou
s/v Wu-Hsin, Settlement Harbor, Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

We have a new report from our traveling freinds.

We had a very nice Christmas here in the Orchid Bay Marina, Great Guana Cay, Abaco. There were only 4 boats in and we had the facility to ourselves. We shared Christmas Eve Ravioli with our friends on m/v Freedom and they shared fresh baked pumpkin pie with us. Deb and Lou exchanged gifts we had wrapped prior to leaving the USA and had decorated the boat with tree ornaments and lights we had also brought along.  We spent Christmas Day Walking the Atlantic side beach then back at the marina with other marina boaters at the pool. Then Lou cooked up a German Sour Broten (pickled beef) dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy and sweet and sour red cabbage Deb made.

We left Orchid Bay Marina on 12/26/08 (Boxing Day) anchored in the harbor and prepared to leave for Marsh Harbor for some provisioning. We left for MH the next day, 12/27/08.  The trip to MH from Great Guana Cay is about 8 miles and took about 2.5 hours.  That is about the same distance we have to travel from our house in the mountains to the nearest grocery store which takes about 15 minutes.  We unexpectedly met up with folks on the 29’ boat that we met in Green Turtle Cay.  They were going to Man-o-war Cay next and we decided to spend New Years in Man-o-war also.  So, on 12/31/2008 we departed MH after breakfast and sailed (our first sail only crossing so far!) to MOW 4 miles away in time for lunch.  We rang in 2009 anchored in Eastern/American harbor among several other boats.  We now have even more new cruising friends.  So far, our favorite cay for anchorage and beauty of the land is MOW.

We were discussing our plans to head further south to Eluthra and the Exumas and decided that we would have to hurry from place to place in order to be back at Bella Pertosa in time for spring planting.  We want to take more time in each place than we have left.  So we decided MOW was as far as we go on this trip.  We decided to slowly head back to West End and the USA spending more time at GGC and GTC and visiting other cays we skipped on the way in such as Allens-Pensacola and Spanish Cay.  

So, on Saturday 1/10/09 we left MOW for a morning round trip final provisioning run to MH.   On Monday 1/12/09 the weather was right for the trip so we headed for GGC about 8 miles North West and arrived less than 2 hours later.  We intended to stay through Sunday so we could attend the Sunday Pig Roast at Nippers. The weather forecast is currently unfavorable for leaving until at least next Wednesday so we will stay here until at least then. We intend to make our next stop Green Turtle Cay again then Allens-Pensacola Cay then Spanish Cay then Great Sale again and finally West end by mid February where we will leave for Lake Worth Inlet, FL.  Of course depending on the weather we may visit other Cays and/or skip all we mentioned above, we’ll see.

Deb and Lou

Another trip report.........

We woke to another beautiful sunrise in settlement harbor Great Guana
Cay on Sunday 1/18/2009.  We listened to the weather report on the
Cruisers Net and decided that Sunday would be the last day for a week
that we could head northwest to Green Turtle Cay.  So we readied Wu-Hsin
for departure then went for a last walk on the beach and the Sunday pig
roast at Nippers.  We had our final meal with the crew of The Dove who
had also decided t leave during this window but were heading southeast
to Marsh Harbor.

We got a passerby to take our picture in front of Jerry's Hang Ten at
the Crossroads tiki bar at the entrance to nippers, then a last goodby
to Milo who sells jewelry, conch and his homegrown tomatoes (some are
heirlooms).  We departed under beautiful cloudless skies.  Our passage
out into the Atlantic and back in again through Whale Passage was
uneventful and we arrived 3 hours later at Green Turtle Cay.  White
sound is completely surrounded by land and is a better harbor therefore
than GGC which is open to the west where the bad weather was going to
blow in from the next few days.

In White Sound we saw some old friends and 3 new cruising boats under 30
feet.  There is a couple here from Waynesville, NC which is about 25
miles from our house in Cullowhee, NC.  We'll stay here up to 2 weeks
just visiting the bars and restaurants in New Plymouth that we haven't
been to yet and doing some fishing.  Beyond that is too far to plan.

Deb and Lou
s/v Wu-Hsin, White Sound, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahama

Here is their next report:

We left Green Turtle Cay on 1/25/09 and headed for Allens-Pensacola Cay,
a 30 mile leg.  Once again the weather was beautiful but no wind so we
motored all the way.  We made very good time with tides helping and
arrived 5 hours later.  APC was very nice and there were several other
boats of cruisers  there enjoying the sunshine and beaches.  The bottom
of the anchorage had some sea grass on it but unlike stories we heard
from other cruisers there was plenty of sandy bottom to give any anchor
a good bite.  The sun set into the clear horizon and at the very last
second there was a 'Green Flash' where the yellow/orange of the sun
appears to turn green.  Lou saw it but Deb missed it.  Other people on
the boats saw it and sounded air horns to proclaim it. Lou tried to get
a picture of the Green Flash but got the second before and after.  We'll
try again sometime.

We left APC the next morning 1/26/09, the first boat out, and headed for
Great Sale Cay about 37 miles away to the West.  We arrived before
sunset but it was cloudy on the horizon of the Little Bahama Bank so
there was no chance to see another green flash. There were several boats
anchored there and a few came in after we did.  We didn't see any of
them again so we assume they are all headed for Abaco.  We departed
Great Sale Cay early the next morning, again the first boat ,and bound
for West end, again to the west, about 40 miles away.  We got a decent
breeze halfway there so we raised the jib and added .5 mph to the
speed.  This took us to 6mph motor sailing which is very good speed
since the maximum designed speed of Wu-Hsin is 6.2 mph. We arrived at
Old Bahama Bay Marina at 4:10pm and tied up at a slip.  This was a calm
and uneventful entrance unlike our first entrance to West End 11/16/08.

We were prepared to remain in West End for a few days waiting for a
'weather window' favorable for crossing the Gulf Stream back to Lake
Worth Inlet in the USA so we settled in and took advantage of the
amenities  such as showers with unlimited hot water,  heated swimming
pool and  restaurant.  We met some more new friends and fellow
voyagers.  One couple on a 40' trawler yacht was actually headed back to
the USA.  In fact they had followed us through a shallow channel known
as Indian Rocks Channel just outside of West end when we came in.  Since
we were ahead of them about 1 mile we gave them readings from our depth
sounder when there was less than 6' of water.  Their boat had a draft of
4.5' so the appreciated the warnings and made it through ok.

We were waiting for clear weather with winds under 20 knots from the
south-east.  The forecast included this for Thursday 1/29/09 with winds
going to the south later in the day.  This sounded perfect for our
vectored course that would first take us about 12 miles SW, to
counteract the northward flow of the Gulf Stream, then due West across
the Gulf stream ending up at Lake Worth Inlet n the USA.  We departed
the marina at 0001hrs on 1/29/09 on our planned route.  The wind was
calm and soon came up at about 10 kts but from the south to south west.  
We couldn't head into this so the best we could do was motor sail WNW.  
The Gulf Stream took us further and further north until we realized Lake
Worth was out of the question.  Ultimately we were able to make St.
Lucie Inlet about 30 miles further north after 16 hours of 20kt winds
and 4 to 6 foot seas.  We called Customs and Immigration using one of
our cell phones.  Clearing in was uneventful unlike some horror stories
we've heard from other cruisers.  Lou's dad came and picked us up at the
Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina and we stayed and visited a few days
with him.  After a few days of rest and reorganization we were ready to
start north on the ICW (Intra Coastal Waterway) for our home port of
Charleston, SC.

On Monday morning 2/2/09 we departed the HIMM and headed north.  We
anchored one night in Vero Beach FL, 30 miles north, then on Tuesday
2/3/09 we made another 34 miles to Melbourne, FL anchoring again on the
western side of the ICW in the lee of a bridge. There were already two
other boats there all of us using the land and bridge as protection from
the NW winds of 10 to 15 mph.  The weather forecast for  the following
day was for stronger winds  again from the NW and 'rough on the
Intracoastal Waterway' Wednesday 2/4/09 so we decided to stay put.  The
bridge and the land with buildings on it did protect us somewhat from
the wind but we still rocked at anchor all day Wednesday and night.

Thursday  2/5/09 was forecast to be better so we left the anchorage and
headed for Titusville about 35 miles north.  Titusville held the promise
of the very good City Marina where we had stayed on our way down in
November and the prospect of a rock shrimp dinner at the Dixie
Crossroads restaurant, one of our all time favorites.  Consistent with
our experiences so far with the weather forecasts it was a little
choppier on the ICW than they predicted which slowed us down a little.
Even the sea gulls didn't like the northerly wind and used our cockpit
enclosure to draft on us for several miles each jockeying for better
position behind us. We needed to get through the Titusville swing bridge
by 3pm or we would have to wait until after 4:30 before they would open
for us and the marina was on the other side of the bridge.  We gave the
engine a little more throttle and made our goal with 30 minutes to
spare. After securing Wu-Hsin we called a taxi and went to the Dixie
Crossroads for our shrimp dinner.  We returned to our boat with an
additional 72 rock shrimp, drawn butter, lemon and a couple dozen of
their excellent corn fritters. The weather forecast called for more wind
and cold weather so we bought a space heater hooked up to the electric
service at the dock. We will remain here today 2/6/09 in the calm water
of the marina then head north again (ugh!!!) on Saturday 2/7/09. We
intend to stay in marinas the next 2 nights because there aren't many
good anchorages so we will give our new heater a workout. One bit of
consolation came this morning when we listened to the NOAA weather on
the VHF radio.  Because of the number of boats traveling to and from the
northern Bahamas they give the weather in West End where we departed
last week.  The temperature there this morning was 59 degrees. We would
be no better off there.

We may be back in Charleston, SC around 2/15/09.  We'll send another
update when we get wi-fi again.  Stay warm!!

Lou and Deb

They're home!

Just a short note to let you all know that we arrived in our homeport of
Charleston, SC on Feb 17,2009.  We offloaded as much gear and provisions
as would fit in our Explorer (Wu-Hsin now rides 3" higher in the water
than when we left in October 2008) and returned to Cullowhee on Feb22,
2009.  We're settling in and going nowhere for a while.  We're putting
together a final trip report to answer some questions we got like, "how
much did it cost, how much of your provisions did you use, where are the
good marinas and anchorages, what were the people you met like, will you
do it again etc." According to Weather Underground it was 66 degrees in
Green Turtle Cay today, not the warmest weather but here in Cullowhee it
t was 19 degrees this morning!  'Throw another log in the stove Dear!!!'

Lou and Deb
Bella Pertosa, Cullowhee, NC, USA