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Trip Report #9: On to GeorgetownFiled from Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas23 30.49 N 075 45.66 WMarch 20, 2006
Photo: Leinster Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands After we left Becky and George in Road Town, we sailed the short distance to Jost Van Dyke, where we anchored for 2 days. We took advantage of Foxy's free wi-fi to catch up on business and email before we set off toward the Bahamas. While there, we had lunch with a delightful couple from Oregon, who were camping on the island and had done so for the past umpteen years. They were so interesting; we just didn't want the conversation to end and could have continued chatting with them all afternoon, had not approaching rain clouds warned that we had better head for the dinghy if we wanted to get back to the boat without getting drenched. We paid the bill ($38 for two grouper sandwiches with fries and 2 soft drinks!) and said good-bye, sadly knowing that we'd never see them again.
Photo: Starboard Home on a mooring in Leinster Bay We checked out of the BVI and obtained the clearance paper that our next port of call would require before allowing us entry. There were two fronts moving off the East Coast of the U.S. to our area and we decided to anchor at Leinster Bay on St. John until the weather cleared through. Leinster Bay is part of the US National Park Service and is a beautiful place. Boats are allowed to anchor there in certain areas, but most of the best spots are taken up by moorings. We took a mooring, which cost $15 per night. Payment is on the honor system. We put our money in an envelope and deposited it in a drop box on shore, which was located a pleasant 20 minute hike from the beach.
Photo: A hiking trail along the shore in Leinster Bay Once we reached the payment drop box, we continued walking up the hill to the restored remains of the Annaberg sugar mill. Dating to the late 1600s, the sugar cane plantation was once a thriving industry on St. John, dependent on the labor of slaves from Africa. Slave rebellions and the introduction of the sugar beet in Europe brought about a drastic decline in the sugar cane industry and in trade with the West Indies in general. By the mid-1800s, the slaves were free and the white population, a minority, had deserted the island.
Photo: Papaya trees on the Annaberg Sugar Plantation grounds
Photo: Ruins of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation The water in Leinster Bay was crystal clear. Snorkeling, particularly on the north side of Watermelon Cay, was very good. We saw spotted eagle rays, turtles, an octopus and so many colorful fish of all varieties. The coral is reviving, having been bleached out several years ago and we could see even large stag horn coral beginning to flourish. We were told that a primary cause of the "bleaching" of the coral is an abnormal increase in the temperature of the water, such as occurred in the Virgin Islands a few years ago. The National Park Service has been working diligently to correct other causes of injury to the coral, such as pollution and injury from anchors and anchor chain. Projects, such as the placement of moorings, the enforcement of strict regulations regarding land use, waste management, and camping, and public education, have helped to maintain the island and it's surrounding underwater boundaries in pristine condition.
Photo: Sunset in Leinster Bay, from the cockpit of Starboard Home We left Leinster Bay on the 9th of March right after the last of the fronts had cleared through. The wind had slowly clocked around to the northeast at 16-20 knots. Our course to the Turks and Caicos was northwest, so the wind was on our starboard quarter. The seas were very lumpy, however, as we had an 8 foot swell from the north and 6-8 foot wind-driven waves from the northeast. Each night, after the sun set, the wind would pipe up to 25 knots, and with a staysail and slightly reefed main, we were able to punch through the waves and maintain good speed. We met very little traffic once we got away from the Virgin Islands, as there are quite a few shoals between Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos. Our charts in this area were extremely accurate, and the GPS and chart plotter helped to keep us safely in deep water. Our route took us into the Turks Island Channel. We had originally planned to stay and cruise for a short time, at least, in the Turks & Caicos, but our time was running short and we still had miles to go. There was also some unstable weather approaching and few all-weather harbors in which to take refuge. We did stop for about an hour to anchor off Salt Cay in the Caicos to have a swim and shower and to tidy up the boat a bit.
Photo: The settlement at Salt Cay, Turks Islands We then sailed through the Turks Island Channel into the Atlantic. The waves in that area were some of the roughest we've encountered, reaching heights of at least 8-10 feet from the northeast and very close together, along with wind-driven waves from the east. The good news was that we were sailing wing-on-wing down wind at that point. We were using the Monitor wind vane to steer and that had been working very well. On the evening of March 12, we noticed that "Bob", the wind vane, seemed to be having a very difficult time steering. Tom leaned over the stern rail to check it out and was dismayed to find that the paddle had broken off, rusted from the interior. We switched to our Alpha autohelm, which had just been rebuilt in St. Thomas, and within an hour, it too broke down. There was nothing left to do but hand steer for the next 2 1/2 days.
Photo: Tom hand steering on the way to Georgetown The first night we took shifts steering 1 hour off and 1 hour on, and both of us were exhausted in the morning. We then decided that we could handle 2 hour shifts, which would give us each a little sleeping time. We stopped at Conception Island the night of the 14th and were thrilled to be able to get a full night's sleep in a beautiful setting. We then hand steered the 41 miles into Georgetown the next day in calm seas and very little wind - the first calm day we had on the entire trip. The total mileage for the trip was 746 miles, longer than our trip from Beaufort Inlet to Bermuda.
Photo: Anchorage off Regatta Point, Georgetown It has been 10 years since our last stay in Georgetown and although it has changed quite a bit, it is still, in so many ways, the same. The Exuma market still provides all kinds of service to cruisers, but it is now stocked with wonderful produce and any kind of delicacy or ingredient that one might need. The dinghy dock in Lake Victoria is still the same, but now has hoses for cruisers to fill up water jugs with R-O water (not brackish water as in the past). The cruisers' net is still on the VHF radio every morning on channel 68 and there are still all kinds of activities that cruisers' can enjoy - volleyball, bridge, book exchanges, taxi sharing, etc, etc.
Photo: The dinghy dock in Lake Victoria, Georgetown
Photo: Administration Building, Georgetown
Photo: St. Andrew´s Anglican Church
Photo: The main road in Georgetown, past the Straw Market There are several new internet centers in town that were not here 10 years ago, but 10 years ago, we did not own a computer and we certainly were not "computer literate". The prices at the computer centers, however, are very high. We paid $0.20 per minute and one center charges $0.25 per minute. One of the internet centers has wi-fi, and for $3.00, you can sit there all day working on your own laptop. The wi-fi does not yet reach into the harbor.
Photo: Man at work, on the boat but not on the internet And we have met again friends from the past and present. Rodney and Sue and Trini aboard Glen Lyon, an Antigua 44, crossed the Atlantic in 1999 and we met them in Bermuda. We've been trying to catch up with them for 7 years and finally caught them here in Georgetown. They are so much fun and we're so glad we finally got together again.
Photo: Rodney, Trini, and Sue aboard s/v Glen Lyon Our friends and Oriental neighbors, Keith and Sarah, aboard Breese, sailed into Georgetown a few days after we arrived, and seeing them really makes us feel like we are almost home. It's been great to hear about their journey south and catch up again. We're hoping to be able to share a few anchorages with them on our way up north.
Photo: Keith and Sarah, aboard s/v Breese With the help of son, Garth, who ordered a new paddle and tracked our order through the Fed-Ex shipping route to the Customs Office in Nassau, we will have our Monitor wind vane up and running for the trip to the Abacos and on to North Carolina. Before the Fed-Ex office in Nassau could send the part on to us in Georgetown, we had to fax them a copy of our Cruising Permit, which we purchased here in Georgetown for $300 when we checked into Customs. We also needed to verify that the part was needed for safe operation of the vessel. Because it is part of the steering system and therefore a safety item, we will not have to pay duty on it. But we will have to pay about $50 in Bahamas taxes and fees.
Photo: The tube that previously held the paddle from
the Monitor, We will be here in Georgetown for a few more days before sailing on to the Abacos, where we will rendezvous with more of our family. Grandsons Nathan and Avery are packing their snorkels, swimsuits and fishing rods, and we can't wait to see them. 73s, 88s, love & hugs- Peg & Tom Maynard s/v Starboard Home
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Grand Daughters' web pages: Anna's Home Page, Anastasia's Home Page Isabelle's Home Page
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