Around Town

 

  We had heard so many rumours about Luperon before we arrived here, about the dirty harbour, the corruption, and unfriendly people. We have found, none of this is true.
    Luperon, or more correctly Puerto Blanco is surrounded by mountains to the west, with mangroves all around with a tide of about 2 ft. that flushes the harbour. All the officials which we dealt with were very professional and courteous. There is a man who works in the harbour named Papo who delivers, town water, drinking water, diesel, gas, takes your garbage and arranges trips to the attractions. He recommended an outboard mechanic to fix our dinghy motor. The work was completed in under a day, and at a very good price. It was a nice surprise cause we expected it to be a write-off.

    Almost anything can be found in the small shops that line the streets. Its like stepping back in time when going shopping. Small pickup trucks drive around announcing over a large speaker what they have for sale. BBQ's set up on street corners selling delicious chicken cooked over coals for around $5.

     There is no laundrymat in town but a lady does it for you, washing your clothes in a machine then rinsing in vats before hanging on the line. Her small business is just of the main street.

    There is even a Wendy's here, not the same as the franchise by the same name. The owner is said to have the biggest.............. smile in Luperon.

   Last night we went to dinner at JR's  a local "Gringo bar" owned by a fellow Canadian.
- 8 beers
- plate of pasta Alfreado
- 2 huge chicken and vegtable Empanadas
- Great stories from other cruisers
   Cost under 685 pesos = about 17 dollars
    LIFE IS GOOD

    We spent the morning hiking to the blowholes. this attraction is caused by large waves that push under the cliffs which builds up pressure before exiting through holes in the rock. Driving spray 40ft.into the air.

 

     

Luperon

     On Monday morning we travelled approx. 40nm to a small cay called Six Hills, where we spent the night. Then on Tuesday we travelled approx. 25nm to Big Sand Cay, the last one in the Turks. We had to try to sleep because at 17:30 we would be sailing for Luperon, a 78nm journey. We would be travelling at night because the trade winds blow strong during the day, and settle down at night. I was very nervous. I had heard countless stories of strong winds, huge swells, with growling waves on top of them. The weather was forecast to be light winds with  3 to 5 foot swells, which was perfect, it was a GO.

                                                               Six Hills

  At 6nm an hour we should arrive shortly after 6:30am. With very little sleep for any of us  we started the ocean crossing. It has a bad reputation for being rough, the worst on our journey so far. We both took 1 hour turns at the helm, steering the boat to our destination.

  Well, I'm glad to tell you it was beautiful, a little rough, but that was expected.
The sky was full of stars.
We also witnessed a unusual phenomenon which occurs in these waters. Our boat wake was full of irregular flashes of fluorescent green dots that dotted the water then faded astern of us. They appeared by the hundreds. This romantic scene was caused by the courting ritual of the marine glowworms.
They gave the appearance of stars twinkling in the water, It was incredible.

LAND HO!!!!!!!!!!!!! We arrived in Luperon ,Dominican Republic, at 7:30am

On the Path of Columbus

   The Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory comprises of 40 islands and cays, and lies at the southeastern end of the Bahamas chain, 575 miles southeast of Miami, and 90 miles north of the island of Hispaniola. The islands are generally flat, with rolling hills. The highest elevation is approximately 250 ft. above sea level at Blue Mountain, on Providenciales, locally known as Provo.

  Legend purports that the islands were named from the scarlet dome of the barrel- shaped Turks Head cactus, which reminds one of a Turkish fez, and the Spanish word,   “cayos” for small islands. The two groups of islands are divided by a 22 mile wide 7000 ft. deep passage known today as the “Columbus Passage”.

The Islands aptly proclaimed, “Beautiful by Nature”, are the landfall islands of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage in search of the Far East.

    Before the Spanish conquistadores and other colonizing nations arrived, the islands were populated by the Taino and Lucayan Indians, probably from 500s to the 800s. The Indian people left their legacy in the island names. The Lucayan term for “string of islands”, caya hico, was the basis for Caicos.

  In 1841, 192 African slaves survived the sinking of the illegal slave ship Trouvedore, and came ashore to freedom, since slavery in all British colonies was abolished in 1834. The descendants of these slaves comprise 90% of the “belonger” population today.

 

   On Wednesday May 8 we arrived in Sapodilla Bay. Next morning we had to make our way to customs, which meant either climbing a hill or taking a long road around. We chose the hill which had a trail with graffiti carved into the rocks left by shipwreck survivors from late 1800’s.

We had been told by other cruisers that they did not want you here in the Turk and Caicos. They will overcharge you and not let you visit all the Islands. We found this totally untrue. At the customs office they were friendly and helpful. A very friendly customs officer named Denise, said  "come with me, I will show you the town" she was just taking her son home that was not feeling well. When we were dropping her son at her home, we pulled in the driveway. There were at least 6 dogs in front of her house. I made the comment "you have a lot of dogs" her reply was they were wild dogs called potpies, that wander around the island, they are harmless and do not worry about them.  We noticed lots of them, they all look healthy, someone is feeding them. She also told us about the Island and their past political problems. Health care is much like home. Average house $150.000, average wage is $5.00 an hour. Food is more expensive and electric bill is approx. $300 dollars a month. There is no public transit system, which they need.  It went through my mind; I could drive a bus here. There is one main highway that travels the length of the Island. Taxis are very expensive but you can wave down a little Toyota, an illegal taxi, for a cheaper price. There are lots of modern cars and SUVs.  You can rent a car for $62 a day including insurance. Taxi cost 45 dollars one way. We got a guided tour of the town, and then dropped off at the local IGA for a deli lunch with internet. We asked her to join us, but she had to return to work.  Next day we rented a car, they drive on the opposite side of the road. Claude and I decided to let Tutty drive. He did a good job, not even one close call.  We drove the whole island. Lots of great restaurants, hotels and Jewelry stores, I even got a beautiful Mother’s Day gift, a turtle made out of larimar. It is a rare coral found amongst these islands.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at the Los Breezes having resort having lunch with our daughter Angela’s, friend from high school Kelly who immigrated here 12 years ago. She now is married to a resident and has a beautiful son.

After our wonderful visit we went back to customs and checked out of the country, which would give us 48hours to travel the rest of the way through the islands.



 

Farewell Bahamas

We have sadly left George Town Bahamas.

On Wednesday May 1, we hauled up the anchor with 3 other boats, Claude, on Barn Owl a 45ft Ferro-cement  ketch, Wendy and Dave, on Simple Life, a 47ft Gulf Star, and Herman, on White Wing, a 45 Ft. Freedom. All us are sailing towards, Luperon, to sit out Hurricane season. Our flotilla had scheduled to make its first stop at Rum Cay.

On our way out of Georgetown, Dave on Simple life got a fish on the line, a large mackerel, we were hoping for a fish dinner that night. Soon after the fish was put in the cooler we got an invite, we couldn’t wait. As we got close to our destination, a large pod of dolphins came out to welcome us. There must have been about 50 of them. They were swimming under keel, darting to both sides of the boat, and jumping out of the water directly in front of us. Soon after we arrived in Rum Cay, a beautiful anchorage, but very rolly. We were happy to celebrate our first night with friends, especially when they provide the main course. We all brought a side dish.

 

After an uncomfortable night, we called each other for weather reports. The next day was going to be gusting winds and rain. White Wing and Simple life decided they wanted to do 130 miles to Mayaguana.  Claude and the two of us thought we were not in that much of a hurry; we would like to stop in some of the Cays on our way not to, sail overnight, and into the next day. So the group separated, Claude and us decided to go to Clarence Town about 30 miles away. We got there by noon and enjoyed the water the beach, and lots of turtles and large Barracudas in the anchorage, and huge hamburgers at the marina pub. During the night a storm came up with high winds and heavy rain right into the morning. We decided weather was too unsettled, so we stayed the day, had fun collecting water and doing our laundry in the rain. What a great day!

 We were worried about our friends on the ocean in the bad weather with a 24 hour crossing. We were very happy when we got a sailmail, which is an Email sent through the radio, telling us they made it. They were exhausted and Herman lost his steering, and had to get out his emergency tiller. They arrived around 3pm on Friday.

On Saturday we headed for Landrail Point in the Crooked Islands an anchorage with a beautiful deserted beach, Approx. 40 miles away. The wind changed direction, the swells increased, and we spent all night rolling and banging. Not so good!!!!!!

In the morning it took us a while to get the anchor up. We sailed to Attwood Harbour in the Acklins. About 45 miles, then in behind a reef, we set our anchor between 2 mega yachts. We were all set to head over to Claude’s boat for a Barbeque when another mega yacht showed up and decided to anchor beside us. We watched on as they struggled to release an anchor that would not go down. Finally after 5 deck hands played with it, down it went it was very exciting to watch the captain hold the boat still between us and the other boat.  We rowed over to Claude’s boat, our dinghy motor died the night we left George Town. It will have to wait to Luperon to see if it can be fixed. So Tutty now rows everywhere.

Next day we headed out to Mayaguana, 60 miles away, there was no wind, the ocean was like glass. We saw pilot whales dancing beside our boat. There must have been at least 20 of them; we could not believe our luck. We have seen so much ocean life. It is very exciting to see them swim so gracefully, they come so close to the boat to have a look.  Life is Good!!!!!  Anchored for the night, too tired to eat, we had a sundowner and toasted farewell to the Bahamas.

Next morning up at 5 again, while leaving, we noticed hundreds of star fish on the way out of the anchorage. The water was so clear. Next stop, Turks and Caicos, 60nm away. Light winds on the nose, but we put up the sail and headed south. We arrived on the Caicos bank at 1500 hrs. and had to slow right down because of coral heads everywhere. I was standing on the pulpit, directing Tutty through the coral and rocks. By the time we were anchored it was after 1700 hrs. We have made landfall in another country. Put up our quarantine flag and tomorrow we will check into the country. Claude, from Barn Owl came over and we had a little celebration. We will stay here till a weather window opens, because of the trade winds, it will be our most difficult crossing 130 nm . to our resting place for hurricane season, in Luperon.

Island Life

  

    As we continue living our Island life, I would like to share some of the hardships we have had to put up with. The hustle and bustle of the city has never made it here. Everything here is on “Island time”, meaning…   “ when I get to it ”.  

  Stores  or businesses that have posted opening or closing hours,  are just used as a guideline. We stupidly went to the laundry that said, “open 8:30 am”, and showed up right on the dot. Only to find it still closed. After calling the owner and told he would be there in 15min. we were let in at around 11:00am

Remember:  ISLAND TIME

There are some things that are hard to get used to.  After numerous close calls attempting to cross the road, I think it has finally sunk in that they drive on the other side.

   Some of the other things that are different are:

·        Laundry and the meat market  pick you up and drive you there, in the back of a pick-up truck (note: you need a seatbelt if you are in the cab but not in the back)

·        Best baked goods and vegtables are sold under a palm tree.

·        Marine charts, sold at the boutique

·        Garbage collection, at the gas station

·        DVD sold at the hardware store

·        Seafood, sold at the hair salon

·        Internet, at the bar

·        Water at the grocery store dinghy dock

·        And best of all AA stands for alcohol appreciation

Last week here in Georgetown they held the Family Island Regatta. It was started in the fifties by a group of working fishing boats who joined for a race, and a party afterwards. From its humble beginnings this event has grown into a yearly gathering for the last 60 years.

Sailing is truly part of the Bahamian heritage, they showcase it well. We were rooting for the boat, Lady Muriel, last year’s champ, who this year was overtaken by Red Stripe.

 

We had a meeting today with other cruisers, it is sad but it is time to hoist the sails and head further south to sit out hurricane season. We will be heading to Turks and Caicos, then on to Luperon, in the Dominican Republic. We will miss the beautiful beach, which we have renamed, “Our Beach” because we are usually the only ones on it. We can walk five miles of beach and never see another person, very good for taking baths and naked snorkeling. I guess it’s the hike over the hill which serves as a great wind barrier from the strong east wind, that also keeps people from enjoying  the ocean beach.  Another one of our favorite places is the blue hole which is full of fish. We feed them every day. I know they will miss us.

The women in the liquor store will be able to take some time off, now that we are gone.

We have just gotten used to the wet dinghy rides 1 ¼ miles across the harbour to Georgetown to get water, groceries and, most important beer and rum. We have learned to do this in bathing suits because we will be soaked anyways. The harbour is usually very choppy, no chance at staying dry.

We're still here in Our Paradise

Everyone keeps asking us, where we are now?

We are chill-axing in Georgetown, Exuma Island  The pirate Captain Kidd came here in 1699 and made it one of his favorite places to hang out. You can see why. We have dreamt about sailing to a beach in paradise for many years before we started this trip, why should we rush?

   All the way here I thought I did a fairly good job to keep up this blog. But as soon as we got here, to the Bahamas we fell under, what they call...."Island time".  Internet her is very slow, but available at the local bars by ordering a drink.  Kalik, the local beer is my choice. Start the computer go to your email reader. By the time you get through your messages you've consumed let say, more than one beer and you don't remember a damn thing your read or done.
    Our days our spent on one of the most beautiful beaches, approximately 5 miles long , usually alone, searching for treasure the tide brings in.

   Seabeans are actually seeds from common trees and vines that grow in the tropics, washed out of the rainforests these seeds are carried to the ocean by streams and rivers like the Amazon. Floating in the sea only the hardiest of seabeans endure the long voyage in the ocean currents which may finally bring them to rest on a foreign shore. Seabeans are known as symbols of good luck and longevity. There are two types, Entada gigas or sea heart and Mucuna sloanei or hamburger beans, with a variation that is flat on the top called purse beans. Native to Africa, Central and South America and many Island nations of the South Pacific which all distribute themselves by floating in water. Some for many years. We have found quite a few since we started looking for them.

     Another interesting find is sea glass which is pieces of a broken bottle that are washed up on the shore polished smooth by the sand . Sea glass or beach glass is physically and chemically weathered glass found on the beach. The weathering process produces natural frosted glass.

    We also have collected beautiful shells too numerous to mention. Also we have collected lot of beautiful pieces of coral in very different shapes. Muriel hopes to make jewelry for everyone.

    Every afternoon at 2pm, the cruisers meet underneath the Casuarina trees on Volley Ball beach to play or listen to the talks that are put on. Last week we attended one, on Re connective therapy, so we both got reconnected back to the grid on Mother Earth.

There was a big gathering this week with fellow cruisers who are going  on to the Dominion Republic. In the evening we attended a huge pot luck held , where else, on the beach.

 Life is Good.

What the heck you been up to?

       We arrived in Georgetown, Exumas , more correct Elizabeth Harbour on Febuary 6th. The harbour is approx. 5 miles long by 1 1/2 wide, protected to the east by Lee Stocking Island, and beyond the Exuma sound and the Atlantic. Most anchorages were quite full by boats that have been here since early winter, most waiting for the Georgetown Cruising Regatta to begin. We got here at the perfect time, one of about 280 boats( 600 cruisers). The majority are Canadian, but Americans and Europeans had a turn out also.

   We quickly moved into island life and got ready for our first visitor, our son Jonny who was spending a week with us. With the beach just off our anchorage, we spent time walking looking for shells, snorkeling , or fishing.

   The week after, the Regatta started, which had many activities for us to join in. One of the highlights is the big boat races, which I agreed to crew for our friends on Ismael a trimaran.

 First is a, "Around the Island", second "In Harbour" race. We finished a respectable second in both.  Muriels' sister and husband came to visit, so the highlight was racing along side Lloyd, who served as time keeper in the second race. He then went on to place 3rd in volleyball.  Muriels' team took 2nd.

Our days here are spent most days on the Exuma Sound side which has one of the most beautiful beaches, the whole length of the island . Also there are trails that criss-cross to both sides, some we have hiked many times.
It sure will be hard to leave.