Author: ortolancat

by

No bread mon? we bake

Wednesday was our best sailing day; unfortunately it was also our shortest hop. All of 5 miles south to Little Harbour Cay and a spot next to Cabbage Cay for lunch at Flo’s Conch Bar. The wind was slowly wearing itself out and we were pumped for a few great days ahead. Next stop, the Berry Island Club on Frazer’s Hog Cay. But wait, cancel that- important intel from another cruiser says that the BIC was closed down and as of a week ago they had no wi-fi, but moorings might still be in use. We needed wi-fi so Benj could email his paper which was due Thursday. Internet withdrawal was creeping up on Russ and I and we needed news about his Dad.

Flo's.. and piles of conch shells

Flo's Conch Bar

Russ and I headed over to the beach while Benj finished his paper. No sooner had we anchored the dinghy, looked back and wait, that rock wasn’t there- hey, it’s a manta (?) ray! He/she was nearly 3ft wide, gliding along in  a foot of water, perhaps just curious. Of course, no camera.

No phone ability yet as the Berry Islands have virtually no shops or services. Our plan is to tackle that project in Nassau. Even Chub Cay with its nice American-owned marina (read: all amenities & pricey) offers not a single shop. The marina Island Market, described in the guide-book as “well stocked” caught us by surprise. If the shop hadn’t been so large the shelves wouldn’t have seemed so bare. We came away with a tomato, 2 cans soda and a bag of flour.  The Bahamas are known for tasty breads- you know like coconut and others that are delicious any way you want to use them. The Berry Islands are not a popular cruiser stop and now we know why; no food. Flo’s sold bread, but Flo wasn’t around, so no bread. The market suggested I ask at the restaurant which gave us hope, plus we’d be dining there. Alas, no bread that night, but perhaps some tomorrow. Not willing to take that risk (we needed to make sandwiches) you can guess our next move- yep, buy flour and bake bread. Chose an English muffin recipe for its lack of egg and would be dense enough for a hearty sandwich as well as toast.

by

Cays, Holes and More

Motor sailing for lack of wind, we arrived at what is generally known as Devil’s-Hoffman. Several tiny cays (hope you are pronouncing this “key”) are closely scattered between the two larger ones. We planned to anchor in the lee of White Cay off its pretty sandy beach in plenty of water; plan B was behind Saddleback or Fowl Cay. In the Bahamas, much of what we take for granted in our east coast cruising is a bit sketchy. Charting is not as extensive or as up-to-date and depths may not agree to the chart – paper or electronic.  Any wonder that the first page of the Explorer Chart book provides excellent photographic examples of how to read the water along with advice to have enough sun overhead to do so, especially when close to land.

White Cay was filled with depth hogging monos and Saddleback was quickly crossed off the chart as an anchoring spot when even we, with 3 ft draft touched bottom- just one hull though. Fowl Cay on the other hand had plenty of water, 11-15 ft where the chart indicated seven. We make notes on the chart and in the guides as we go. This placed us within 120 ft of Hoffman and a shorter dinghy ride to the second beach where we’d find the path that leads to a blue hole. For those unfamiliar with a blue hole, as we were, this one’s story reads like this: a round, salt-water hole about the size of a baseball infield. It connects to the ocean near the bottom of its 600 ft depth. (no anchoring for monohulls though). Explored by Jacques Cousteau, it is thought to have been formed by a natural cataclysm. I’d rule out a sinkhole that sank since the entire island is rock.

Happy Bunting hangs out at Hoffman Cay Beach

The path ends right at the edge of the overhanging rock platform and as you look down, no way is that jump only 25 ft. Scoot down the tiny path at the edge to water level. Look up and declare, “oh, that’s not bad at all.” From above, the 25ft appears more like 50, while from below it seems more like 20ft.  Benj can attest to a screamin’, exhilarating 25 ft jump that feels like 50! Russ remained in the “not brave adult” group and me- what else, I could barely look down and remained a dry photographer of the blue hole swim and float outing.

Blue Hole as seen from above

Yes! A perfect jump by the brave one

Tuesday afternoon we explored White Cay; sandy beach on the west side, rock cliffs and outcroppings on the east. We picked up a handful of sea glass, an intact sea biscuit and made faces looking at the strange gelatin-glob creatures nestled in the rock crannies; they were the aquatic equivalent to a Venus Fly Trap. As we walked along the beach to collect our stuff and thus the lonely camera, a small terrier who’d been brought ashore was barking like crazy. Took a second to realize that he was doing a couple rounds with a crab he’d dug out of its hole; the crab clearly had the upper hand- claw and finally escaped into the water. By that time I’d grabbed the camera and managed to get a couple of in-water shots.