Little Harbour Continued

Little Harbour Sights

Little Harbour

We took 3 days and sailed to Little Harbour and back, the southernmost harbour on the Sea of Abaco. It was a beautiful day for sailing and we leisurely made it to Tiloo Cay anchorage Saturday night and spent a calm night there between fronts, the boat lazily going around in circles.

Sunday morning we got out of the anchorage and pulled up the sails before the rain and winds hit us. Taking a zigzaggy course around the sandbars, we came around in the lee of Pelican Cays where the surge was coming over the reef making a bumpy ride until we got behind Lynyard Cay. The entrance to Little Harbour faces north and with the strong north wind and the surge from the inlet, it looked like one of the Exuma Cays inlets, but little powerboats were coming in and out, bobbing up and down on the waves. And the entrance is shallow, 3 1/2 feet at MLW (mean low water), meaning most boats have to play the tides, and we waited until after midtide to be sure we'd have plenty of depth. Ken got out the directions to go in: head towards the large house on the west hill until in the channel, then turn and head towards the large house across the bay. I concentrated on the chartplotter and the channel and we powered through the waves until we hit the calm bay. We grabbed a mooring, rather a strange affair, looking like a flat disc in the water.

Little Harbour is the home of the late sculptor Randolph Johnston and his family. Sculptures grace the little village.

Marsh Harbour Marina

More howling winds, sounding almost gale force, would rock the boat at night and make the bay fairly lumpy during the day. It’s blowing stink, as Ken said.

The Cruisers’ Net, VHF 68 at 8:15a gives the weather and community announcements every day, plus there’s open mike if there are any concerns. I called in to ask about the lack of a town dinghy dock. One is being built for the first of the year. (Can you believe it? It’s almost 2012!!) Meanwhile there’s a small dinghy dock that the storeowner has allowed the boaters to use close to Mangoes. It’s a hike to da market but doable.

Thursday we came into Marsh Harbour Marina because we needed water and to do laundry. They put us in a slip with the wind, which makes it a little trickier getting in because the wind keeps pushing the boat. Ken said to keep up my speed to keep it on course and let the dockhands catch the boat, so that’s what I did and we were fine. Jason, the dockmaster, was there to help, plus Charles on the boat a couple slips up from us.

Off to do laundry ($6/load--$8/load if not in the marina) and take showers. This is a really nice marina with a pool and The Jib Room, a nice restaurant and bar. I think our company will be pleased.

That night we joined a group of people going to a Christmas songfest at The New Vision Ministries. The talent in this small community was amazing. One 7yo boy got up and sang ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ with a voice bigger than he was.

Marsh Harbour

We anchored in the large bay close to the NE corner near Marsh Harbour Marina. There is evidence of hurricane damage: one sailboat askew on land; the dinghy dock gone. The first day we had a good boat-washing rain. It was Friday and we were entertained by a calypso beat band at Mangos or Curly Tails.

Saturday we dinghied into the dock, now a large, study dock with one ladder and no easy access by dinghies. We walked into town to True Value and The Chemist and Maxwell’s Market then stopped to talk to South Wind, anchored not far from us.

After unloading the dinghy, we went into The Jib Room and had lunch and then walked over to Mermaid Reef. We were disappointed to see the beach enclosed by a fence with No Trespassing, Private Land signs all around. The only access by land is a narrow road with no beach. We walked around to town and stopped to say hi to Southern Heat and some refreshments at Curly Tails.

Sunday and Monday we decided to stay put with the strong NE wind that howled all night. We walked to the castle that overlooks the Sea of Abaco.

Thursday, December 8th, Man-O-War mooring

A generator ran all night. Must have been to the large tug that left at dawn pushing a huge barge through the channel at high tide. Yesterday they tried it and got stuck in the channel, churning up sand and having a hard time getting back into their space at the dock.

We went ashore and walked around to the little quaint shops and the ocean beach and ate lunch at Bradley’s on the Harbour. Spoke to one shopowner about schooling. There are 30 elementary students on Man-O-War and 15 high schoolers, some opting to take the ferry over to Marsh Harbour. Her 2 older children went to college in Florida, both US citizens having been born in the US so there is no problem with getting travel permits through the Bahamas. If not a US citizen, one has to reapply for travel permits every few months. And there are no aid programs to help defer the cost of university.

Met a couple with a Sunsail boat, she from France and he British. We see lots of the Sunsail boats in the Abacos from the Moorings in Marsh Harbour. It’s rather like a timeshare with boats. After chartering one for 5 years, then there’s the option of buying it and one can then reserve a boat anywhere there are Sunsails: the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, etc. One wouldn’t have to worry about the maintenance or storage!

Wednesday, December 7th, Man-O-War mooring

Jillian hailed us about 7:30am to say they were on their way. Then Dave hailed us to say they were leaving, too. We hurried up and readied the boat (hoisting the dinghy) and were not far behind. Out the White Sound channel we noticed more buoys and we saw better depth.

Reports were coming in on the condition of the Whale. One boat said there were 4-6’ rollers; another said 3-5’ gentle swells. It didn’t sound bad. If one’s draft is shallow enough, and ours could be at 4’6”, there is another way, the Dont Rock Passage across the bank, which is what the ferry boat does. But, if it’s rough outside, it’ll be rough inside, and it’s very shallow, 2 feet at low tide. One would only want to do that at high tide, adding another 3 feet. We did see a ketch going that way.

The rollers were big in the Whale Cay Channel, we thinking we should have taking our antinausea pills. We followed the chartplotter line and made it past the breakers and into the calmer ocean. Coming into the Loggerhead Channel was calm and easy. We were on the other side!!

The day was gorgeous, sunny and near 80 degrees. We could only think of getting to Man-O-War, picking up the sailslide, taking showers, and possibly getting on the net.

The channel into Man-O-War reminds me of some of the entrances in the North Channel where someone stands on the bow directing the helmsperson to avoid rocks. Ken directed us in and we slowly made our way into the moorings to pick up a white one with a blue stripe, Man-O-War Marina’s moorings. There were 2 available, one by a wide catamaran, and another close to the stern of a sailboat. We chose the one by the catamaran thinking we’d have more room, although all the moorings seem like they are measured to the inch. We all dance around almost, but not quite, touching.

The other mooring ball was behind Windrose, we noticed after we were situated. We met them in the Sassafras River in the Chesapeake and Steve came over to say hi. The cruising world is a small world.

We went in to pay for the mooring, $17/day, which didn’t include showers, $5/each, which we were glad to pay…needed to pay!! Did they feel good!! Ken dinghied to the sailmaker on Dickies Cay and picked up the sailslide, plus a couple of extra.

We have internet on the boat and we did some much needed business and catching up.