South African Armada on Manjack Cay!

Meandering slowly up the Abaco's we found another South African boat, Vagabund and heard our friends on Panache were in the area and heading our way with two other South African boats! We had a wonderful evening with Zach and Magdo on Vagabund. They told us a South African reunion was on the cards. The plan was to meet at the Manjack beach anchorage on the 31st May! This happened to be Republic Day! 

We met up with Vagabund and Panache at Tahiti Beach and we heard their friends from South Africa on Island Explorer were also on the way.

We had, in the meantime, discovered a boatyard here that could haul us out for anti fouling! marsh Harbour yard agreed to take us out first thing Tuesday morning as the Monday was a holiday here! The deed was done and went fairly smoothly with just a few shouts and screams! But all ended well and as promised they splashed us at 1700 hrs on the Friday 29th. We headed over to spend the night at Man o War Anchorage to start our sail north to Manjack the venue of the South African Armada in Bahamas!

Saturday arrived and we got a perfect wind, hoisted sails and four hours later we dropped sails and motored through North Manjack Cut. Anchored in the bay were seven South African boats, our boat made eight! It was incredible boats had come from all over. Our friends on Alleycat and Shiloh could not resist the call to party and had come all the way back up from Nassau!  

1. Rat Catcher from Gordon's Bay Yacht Club:)

2. Alleycat with Alan and Marita from Royal Cape Yacht Club

3. Shiloh with John and our honorary South African Holli!

4. Panache with Gideon and Bret from Zululand Yacht club, Richards Bay.

5. Khaya Moyà, with John and Shirley from Richards Bay 

6. Island Explorer with Doug and Ursula from Durban

7. Island Khaya with Riaan and Brenda from Durban

8. Vagabund with Zack and Magdo from Zululand

9. Leon and Wendy arrived on Sundy morning on a Motor boat they are delivering to USA! 

We had arrived just in time for a good 'Talking Heads' session and we all dinghyed over to the beach, dipped down into gin clear water with Sting Rays and fish between us listening to the laughter and chats! 

Sunday morning the dressing of the boats began! South African flags as well as sailing flags and bunting. They looked amazing! The picnic Braai area was dressed with flags and table cloths and the party was set to begin!

We actually had one pack of genuine Boerewors that was carefully braaied and cut into about 2 cm lengths so everyone got to sample it and drool! Pap tert, bean salads, braaivleis and much more was the main meal. The cooks had outdone themselves for pudding there was Melktert, Souskleitjies and bread pudding. The only regret, our stomachs were not bigger to pig out more on the Fare! 

As some us wallowed in the water stroking and feeding the resident Sting Ray others played Boules on the beach!

What and incredible day to be remembered forever! Already there is talk of another on next year!

 

Shark Dive Fowl Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

Marsh Harbour to Manjack Cay

.Marsh Harbour is the Principal 'city' (no there is no cathederal) of the Southern Abacos and the third largest city in the Bahamas. The large department supermarket Maxwells is the main attraction for cruisers as they have a full supply of everything you may need. No at USA prices but better than the convenience stores of the smaller islands. We had stocked up sufficiently so it was mainly fresh supplies we needed and took advantage!

Marsh Harbour is a busy anchorage. It seems some 'cruisers' idea of cruising the Bahamas is to sail (motor) to Marsh Harbour, take a mooring ball and there they stay for the season! Two days and we were champing at the anchor line looking for less popular destinations. 

Man o War Cay

The island was developed on boat building and William Albury built his first schooner at age 14 years. Although the he passed in 1970 the tradition lives on! The Island has about 300 Bahamian residents and 135 foreign residents!

This has become one of our favorite islands in the Abaco's. I read on young Beth Albury's page the love story behind the island. 

Quoted from Beth Albury's page : http://www.abacoinfo.com/islands/kids/bethalbury-manowar.htm

    "My island home history is a love story.  Ben Archer and his wife were from New England by way of the Carolinas.  They settled in Marsh Harbour, Abaco and he bought the land of Man-O'-War from the crown in the 1780's.  He later gave it to his daughter Eleanor.

    Eleanor and her father were farming on Man-O'-War.  During one of their farming visits a boat was shipwrecked on the reef.  The men came ashore and one of them was Benjamin Albury from Harbour Island who was a loyalist. Eleanor and Ben, although very young, fell in love at first sight.  They got married a year later.  Eventually, they had thirteen children." End quote!

Most of the residents of the island can trace their roots back to this couple. The island is spotlessly clean and beautifully layed out! We also discovered 'Island Treats' most delicious ice cream. There is a different flavor everyday. So far we think the Sour Sop made from the fruit of the same name is our favorite!

There is everything you could want here, either made by the locals or brought in. The locals are extremely religious and there are three different churches on the island.  We have been told there are no resident blacks living on the island, they come to work by ferry and have to leave by 5pm.  The only item you can't get is alcohol, it is a 'dry island' and none is sold but we believe they don't mind you bringing your own. 

Fowl Cay (Some strange names here with no explanation I could find as to how they got them)

This small island with a natural 'jacuzzi / swim pool' that occurs at high tide when the waves break over the reef into the little pool! So far we have only snorkeled in the Abaco's but heard scuba was well worth it on the National park reef at Fowl Cay! We were not disappointed we dived with Caribbean Reef Shark, Huge Groupers and a grandpa of a Barracuda a well as the usually reef fish! This was a record dive for us, 1hr and 20 minutes under water!  Video to be posted!

Treasure Cay has to be our second favorite! 

 We 'discovered' Treasure Cay when we looked for a place to hide from Tropical Storm Anna. Protected from wind and seas we anchored in their harbor. We discovered the best cinnamon buns we ever tasted at Flo's. 

It boasts one of the top ten beaches in the world. We loved it. André even got a chance to kite surf and did well considering he has not done it for a year! 


 Man O War Cay

Fowl Cay

Treasure Cay

 

Talking Heads: Long Rock Sandy spit reunion

Our favorite past time. Talking heads! Usually accompanied by sun downers.

Southern Bahamas - to Hope Town.

Having waved goodbye to our friends we bumped and bounced around the point until we turned North up the Eastern side. With the wind behind us we launched the spinnaker and glided over the seas.

Suddenly the whizzing of the fishing line grabbed our attention. Something big had taken the bait! Flying along at about 8 knots with the kite up we were unable to slow down and he took almost the full line. Watching his fin break the water we couldn't quite figure out what it was and then he jumped into the air twisting and turning trying to break free. A beautiful Mahi-Mahi (dolphin fish). They are so beautiful I always feel a little sad seeing them on the line. Their colours are magnificent emerald green yellows and blue. He put up an amazing fight and we knew there was no way to land him with the kite up. I managed to release and douse the kite while André held on. It still took another 20 minutes and ended with him tail walking around the sugarscoop before we got him aboard! A tot of good Bacardi Limon Rum for Mr Fish and he went to fish heaven with a smile on his face! Fresh Mahi steaks for dinner and a freezer full of fish! 

We relaunched the spinnaker and reached Little Harbour where we dropped anchor off the beach for the night!

Little Harbour was 'developed' in 1950 when a Canadian decided that he and his family; a wife and 3 sons, were escaping the 'rat race' to relax and create art! He lifted anchor and dropped it in May 1952 in Little Harbour! They lived in caves and off the land until he built a home and a bronze art foundry for his work! Thats about all there is now is homes, Pete's Pub and the foundry/ Gallery. Apparently they even have their art in Vatican City! The rest, as they say; is history. His son Pete developed Petes Pub. we discovered Blue Cheese Burgers to die for there!

The tiny harbour surrounded by cliffs and dotted with caves is beautiful. clear shallow waters with an abundance of Turtles.

A couple of days in Little Harbour then our trek North took us to a day anchorage at Bight of Old Robinson and we dinghy'd over to see the Blue Holes. the memorial nearby to 3 young men who drowned there, poor visibility and a whirlpool of water put us off exploring the deep blue water.

As with many of the Abaco; Bahamas the restaurant we dined at at our next anchorage off Baker's Rock; Tahiti beach has a delightful story behind it. "Cracker P's" is named after a 'Paul John Simmons' aka 'Cracker P'. He was from Lexington, Georgia and was born in 1879. He was a Veteran of the Spanish-American War.

In 1915 a very unfortunate incident occurred. The families duck (yep duck no error) was terrorizing the neighborhood and cause a fight between Cracker and the local law, Sheriff Cartwright. In the ensuing struggle a shot went off and the Sheriff lay dead! Cracker was now a wanted man. He made his way to Florida and jumped aboard a schooner heading for Abaco's. He made his way to Lubbers landing knowing this would be his home for the rest of his life. He fished and farmed and planted Sapodilla trees, the fruit of which they still make their BBQ sauce with. A cooking fire burned fro the day he arrived until the day he left in 1954; 39 years.

Cracker had a very limited wardrobe having fled and was therefor the first naked person many locals had seen. He would pole (no pun intended) his was to town once a month for supplies. There he would exchange his vegetables for fish and meat. He was not a good fisherman!

In comparison 'Hope Town' our next stop is extremely busy! In Bahamas 'busy' is of course relative! No cars or golf carts; the main transport on many islands; are not allowed in town. Walking and bicycles only! Hope Town has one of the last operational Kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world! Built in 1862, it became operational in 1864 and can be seen from 43km away! It needs to be hand cranked every few hours to keep the light sequence of five white flashes every 15 seconds.

There wer a number of transient fishermen, wreckers and pirates using Hope Town harbour in the 17th and 18th centuries but no permanent settlements until 1785 when a small group of loyalist refugees settled. Among them were Wyannie Malone and her four children. They tried farming with little success and wrecking became their chosen existence. luring ships on to the rocks and living off the salvaged cargo. This was one of the reasons the lighthouse took so long to become functional as the Malone family kept vandalizing the building as it would stop them from wrecking and the resulting treasures.

Little Harbour old lighthouse

Caves

Art

Tahiti Beach

Cracker P's

 

SAfrican Abaco Reunion!

Alleycat and Shiloh sailed away from St Augustine last year in July we waved them a sad goodbye not knowing when our paths would cross again!

It happened here in the Abaco's. Hearing we were on our way they changed their route and joined us at Moore's Island! What a joyful reunion, it was fantastic to see them all again! The first night was fish and crab on Alleycat! Delicious and wonderful company. Laughter and stories filled the evening and of course plenty of wine :)

Moore's Island is spelt in a variety of different ways, even the locals spell it differently between them. There is More's and Moore's. The town of Moore's Island is 'Hard Bargain'. Hard Bargain has the dubious reputation of being the least visited town in Abaco's. We not sure why but most likely is it is slightly off of the beaten track! The people are super friendly and as we wondered around the village school was out. Every child from tiny tots to the seniors greet us with a clear 'Good Afternoon'. There are apparently 950 people living on the island in two settlements. As we walked the 'U' shaped road from shored back to shore there were at least five 'Convenience' stores. We had to smile at the variations in spelling there too. Convenience and Convience. We also enjoyed the sign for 'Home Maid Bread', sadly it was sold out by the time we got there. 

We believe the town was called Hard Bargain as this was the last stop of the Abacos before heading South and by the time the boats got there they were out of water and fresh goods and the locals drove a 'hard bargain' taking advantage of the need!

Gorda Cay was our next destination and en route we were reminded why we love cruising with Alleycat. He spotted a rocky island off our port side and decided he was going to explore. Hidden behind 'Long rock' (we found its name), he discovered a sand spit exposed by the low tide and a shallow blue anchorage. We could not resist and followed him over. 

The afternoon was spent doing "talking heads" chatting and laughing sitting chin deep in gin clear water; followed by a snorkel on the sea side of the Rock. Wow we swam around the point into a school of Big Eye Jacks, they swam lazily around us checking out the strange 'sea creatures' in their water. A huge Remora (over a meter long) set his sights on mine and Marita's tummy and every time you looked down he was six inches or so below you waiting for an opportunity to attach. They usually attach to a sharks tummy and live off the spill oof of the sharks meals; They are known for their habit of attaching to divers and are easily pushed off. Hidden safely in the coral watching us go by a small Spotted Morey. 

A delightful afternoon before we resumed our trek to Gorda Cay a short way away. Gorda Cay is owned by Disney and everyday the Disney Cruise ship arrives and spews thousands of cruisers on their beach! They could not stop us from going in the water but we were not even allowed to walk on the beach below the high water mark. This is usually the rule on private owned islands. Apparently this island was the 'vegetable garden' of the nearby Sandy Point Town. They planted their crops there and would boat over daily to work the fields. It was intimated that locals would benefit when Disney bout the island but we heard one a few for jobs there and no one else is allowed or benefits from the new ownership at all! They too are not allowed on the island anymore!

From Gorda Cayy (disney's Castaway Island) we headed for Sandy Point. We had visited this little town of friendly people on our way up to the reunion and were greeted warmly when we returned with two boats of friends in tow. This visit we discovered Sunset Bar where we said farewell to our friends on Shiloh and Alleycat! 

Safe sailing guys see you on the pond sometime!

Stone Crab leg dinner on Alleycat!