Crab Cay, Little Abaco, Bahamas

 We decided mid-morning to head on a bit north as the small boat traffic over the weekend tosses our boat around unnecessarily.....first thinking we'd just head to Manjack Cay a few miles north.  We just put up the main sail as we weren't planning on going too far.  Winds were a little higher than predicted and we were having a great sail.  Decided to go on further north to Powell or Crab Cay at the tip of Little Abaco. 

 

 As we got further north out of the protection of the little cays, the wind really picked up!  At a constant 30 knots, we turned into the wind and put 2 reefs in the main. Quite a fun ride!  (Note the TWS of 33 knots!)

I made a little video of the swell coming in off the Atlantic....I don't think the video really shows the "roll" but you get the idea.  We were traveling north and the swells were from due east.

 Uneventful sail otherwise.  We decided to go on to the protected anchorage at the tip of Little Abaco.  Winds are still 20+ so it's nice to have a calm anchoring spot.

 

 

 I had the breadmaker going during the sail.  Since we're getting ready to hop off to the US, I'll put one in the freezer to have for sandwiches on the way.

 

We will likely move west over to Great Sale on Tuesday and depart for home on Wednesday.

 

 

 

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 Another semi-lazy day....we did some minor cleanup on the boat.  It's hard to keep things very tidy without unlimited fresh water.

In the afternoon we took the dinghy over to New Plymouth to get rid of some garbage and another nice walkabout.  At the public dock there was a crowd (maybe 10 folks) waiting for the ferry dressed in Sunday best.

  

Along the waterfront.

 

Walking thru town, sweet houses along the way.

 Following the road around Black Sound, at the other public dock this dinghy caught our eye.  If you zoom in you'll see it's made of thick clear acrylic.  Out in open water the view down must be amazing!

  

Tucked back in the cove and very protected, Donnie's marina is full both the docks and the mooring balls.

 

Then we walked over to the large Abaco Yacht Services boat yard in Black Sound.

 Was good to stretch our legs....on the way back a nice local man named Craig stopped his golf cart and picked us up.  Like many Bahamians, he drove slowly and entertained us with some colorful stories on the short ride back to the public dock.  We got a few more groceries and "used up" all our Bahamian currency since we won't likely spend any more cash as we will be departing soon.

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 Another day in a holding pattern.  Pleasant weather locally.  Windy but sunny enough to charge the batteries well.

I did 2 big loads of laundry which dried almost instantly in the sunny breeze.  We just did some chores and enjoyed the day.

Ross on Kohina invited us over for sundown...the only photo of the day.  Ross solving all the worlds problems!

 We'll likely remain here for the next several days to wait for a weather window to head back to the US.....

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 Still hanging out at Green Turtle Cay....the waves are running about 8-10' in the Atlantic so we're making no moves to cross back to the US any time soon.....

Winds are steady from the east and we're fairly protected where we are anchored.  

Mid-morning we took the dinghy down to go over to Kohina and talk with Ross about a problem he has with one of his engines. Duane thought he might have a part to help him.  Here they are in deep discussion- Duane is sortof invisible down in the engine compartment! 

 

 Ross has a replacement part being shipped but they measured and discussed a "patch" that could get him running in an emergency while he waits on the proper part.  

After they determined a particular bolt size/thread that would possibly work, we left, swinging by to visit/introduce ourselves to another Manta anchored nearby - Three Score.  Note the choppy seas and angry sky....not the greatest but not dangerous.

 

 

After a bit of discussion, we all decided to head over to New Plymouth for some lunch and a little walk.  Michael and Anita from So. California.  (They keep their boat on the east coast in the summer).

 

 Lunch at Pineapples was as usual...not too busy....

Fun getting off the boat again....

After lunch we took a nice walk into town.....not quite as scenic as some parts of the island.

 

But everyone is pleasant and helpful. We just wandered around the side streets.

 

And stopped by the old jail.....they'd put a "prisoner" in one of the cells since we'd been here a few years ago, haha.

We did stop by the hardware store and got a particular bolt for Ross to try and temporarily fix his engine while he waits on the correct part to come from the US.

Uneventful evening with winds not as strong as predicted.

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 We did manage a very nice long walk before the strong winds really set in.  We took the dinghy over to the very nice Bluff House/Tranquil Turtle dinghy dock.  Pretty little beach there.

 

Walking up the steep hill there are some cute little colorful cottages.

 

At the apex of the "Bluff" - the view back to Sojourn at anchor.

 

Walking along the road overlooking White Sound.

 

Wandering along the side streets.  There are some houses with stunning views!

 

And lots of normal "Bahamas houses".

 

The marinas at White Sound were busy.

 

Up and down the hills - the roads were cut thru rock in some places.

We made a long loop back to the Tranquil Turtle just in time for lunch.  I had my first (and probably only) mixed drink of the season - a yummy frozen pina colada.....we had a nice lunch but just as we were finishing we saw the gust front of an approaching rain event....so we quickly paid our tab and scooted back to the boat for a blustery afternoon and evening.  

We did hear a couple of boats on the VHF during the evening in a bit of distress with the high winds.  We were not near them to offer assistance.  I believe everyone eventually got settled for the night of 30+ knot winds.
 

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 I'm not gonna lie....the weather is a bit depressive....just too much wind from the wrong direction this season....

The view most of the day on the boat with intermittent showers.  We had planned on a bit of a shore walk around New Plymouth but ended up just staying on the boat.

 

In the late afternoon the wind died and the sky did eventually brighten.  We'll get ashore tomorrow.....we will likely be here for about a week waiting on the strong east winds to abate so prepare for me to whine about it daily, haha.
 

Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 The strong east winds finally subsided and allowed us to go north through the Whale Cay cut.   We parted ways with Kohina for now as Phyllis has a flight to catch in Marsh Harbour.  We'll likely see Ross again in the next week as he makes his way north solo.

Kohina sailing towards Marsh Harbour.....my cellphone camera just doesn't take good photos at a distance.....

 

 

 Ross sent me this much better focused photo of Sojourn at about the same time.

 Sailing with one engine on low rpm in fairly light winds (8-12 knots).   Always fun to see progress on the island just north of the ritzy Baker's Bay resort.  What I can gather, this private island in part of Baker's Bay - and hosts the normal amenities that you would expect plus a single golf hole....strange.  When we first came thru here in 2018 the construction had just begun.

 

Very uneventful passage through the Whale Cay cut.  Just a gentle ocean swell and no breaking waves.  

Approaching Green Turtle Cay, busy on the water with small craft enjoying the Easter Monday holiday. 

We will be here for an extended amount of time, waiting for a weather window to cross to the US. 

Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 In keeping with the theory "when it rains, it pours"....Duane spent a good while in the starboard engine compartment changing out the alternator.  There was some corrosion on some wires that rendered it toast.  Glad we were able to do it while in calm water and not on passage, and glad we had the new spare as well!

That done, we went ashore for a final walk.  This time about a 2 mile loop to the northern end of the island.

Coming into the harbour, one of the ferries.

It's Easter Sunday and the town is very quiet.

Just a lovely day for a walk!  Enjoying the sweet houses and pretty flowers.

 

View from the cart path/road.

There are some "estates" on this tip of the island.

 

The ocean side on this one..it has some beautiful views.

 

Something you don't see much.... next door is a vacant sandy lot......

And it's for sale - I've included a phone number - if you buy it and build a house, we'll be happy to come visit!!

 

Back to the boat for a few hours - we went over to Kohina for another relaxing sundown with Ross and Phyllis.

 Tomorrow we'll be moving on north, thru the Whale Cut and probably anchoring at Green Turtle Cay for some nasty winds in the next few days.

 

Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

 We've got some tentative plans now for the next few weeks.  On Monday the winds/waves will allow us to transit the Whale Cay cut northbound.  But then a really strong weather system will blow thru keeping us anchored in the northern Bahamas until it passes us hopefully sometime early next week.....

So we decided to got back into Hope Town and pick up a few groceries and top off the jerry cans with diesel. 

 

Being close to Easter, we were glad to see Vernon's little grocery store open.  We got another $50 of groceries and tossed them in the dinghy so we could take another little walk.

 Fun to see some of the small vehicles on the island in addition to golf carts.  Since they have a lot of "cart paths" instead of roads, most of the vehicles are really small.   I don't think this vehicle would pass US safety requirements.....

 A very blustery beach walk compared to yesterday.

 

 And I couldn't pass up a photo of these cats - they're lounging at the public school playground.  I sent this photo to Robert as they are spitting images of Robert's cats Cheshire and Alice.

 

And to finish off the day, Duane had noticed a small drip from the starboard engine water pump....luckily we had a spare on board so he spend the afternoon with his head down in the engine compartment!  All done.  But when he cranked the engine for a leak check, he noticed the alternator was making a good whiny noise.....that will be a problem for tomorrow.....