3-9-17, 3-10-17  Fish Stories

We knew nothing about salt water fishing.  Over time we have picked up a few pieces of information. Just enough to give us some pure dumb luck. We had been catching Spanish Mackerel regularly with a silver Clark spoon. Since being in the Bahamas I have dreamed about catching a Mahi Mahi (Dolphinfish- not flipper) We heard they like what is called a Ballyhoo rig.  It is a baitfish that has two large hooks wired into it. We were traveling the Sea of Abaco for several hours so we thought we would give it a try.  The Ballyhoo rigged fish were 3 for $17.50. We better catch something.

We drop a Ballyhoo rig with a pink skirt on it and a Clarks spoon off the back of the boat to troll while we traveled the Sea of Abaco.

I was sitting on the back of the boat waiting and praying for the beautiful sound of the reel whizzing as line gets peeled off when a fish hits.  Instead the Whzz was from a boat cuts in right behind our boat stripping off both our baits and all the line off of one of the reels.  Luckily I was able to retrieve the line on that reel. For Pete’s sake! I had 200 feet of line out and he had the entire Sea of Abaco, but he had to cut that close.  I was upset! I normally don’t wish ill on people, but I was hoping all the line was wound around his prop with big hooks sticking out and that he didn’t find it for a few days when the fish was rotting before he tried to get it off. I was pouting like a child. Scott, being the great husband that he is, re-rigged my pole.  I was still pouting when that beautiful sound Wzzzzz goes off. “Fish ON” I yell. Scott slows the boat down.  This was no Spanish Mackerel. It fought more and was much harder to reel in. As it got closer we could see it was a nice fish but we didn’t know what kind yet.  Scott grabs the net and scoops out the most beautiful Red Snapper you have ever seen. It was about weighed 5.2 pounds. Pouting and ill-wishing on the other boat abruptly stopped. We were so excited.  This was a prize fish in our eyes.  Needless to say, dinner was delicious!

The next morning, we were listening to the Cruisers net on the VHF radio where they give weather, events etc. They also give a fishing report.  That day was going to be prime fishing between 11 and 1:30 and the Mahi Mahi are running.  We braved the Atlantic. We tried different depths and cruised around dragging our one and only Ballyhoo behind. When we were in about 200 feet of water….Wzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Oh my! FISH ON!!!! Scott slowed the boat and came down to help. It was fighting so hard, I couldn’t get the rod out of the make-shift rod holder.   The fight began. This was something big!  I pulled up and reeled down more times than I could count battling his fight. My whole body was getting tired but I refused to give up.  I was so hopeful but doubts lingered that this could be a shark or some other unwanted species. I fought fish for about 20 or 25 minutes before we got a glimpse of a yellow tail.  At least it’s not a shark.  When it got closer to the boat it really started to fight. That is when I saw the beautiful green head and blue fins… I had my dream fish a Mahi Mahi! Scott originally had the net out until he saw it then he got the gaff hook out.  I got it up to the boat and Scott gaffed it but it spazzed and got off the gaff but was still on my line. I am full of adrenaline and start yelling, “just flip it in the boat don’t worry about the cooler, we can’t lose this fish!” One more swipe and he had it and flung it on board.  We landed it!  It was huge 49” long.  It was so big we had nothing to weigh it with. We put it in the cooler, but that was feudal.  Our one and only Ballyhoo rig paid off this day. Now how to clean it? It was way too big for our cleaning board.  Scott had to clean it on the back deck. We got 9 meals out of this one fish.  Once again dinner was amazing!

One last crazy fish story. We were at anchor and a boat comes by in the morning with three guys with snorkel gear.  They are diving down and coming up with lobster (they call them crawfish because they don’t have the claws)They pulled up a ton of them. Sometimes 5 at a time on their spears.  They moved close to our boat and I yelled off the back of the boat “are those Lobster you are catching?” The guy who obviously is in charge said yes.  We bring you a treat.  Next thing we know the boat is next to ours and he starts handing Scott Lobsters. They are spiney buggers and he didn’t really know how to handle them. Good thing there was a bucket right there to drop them into. We gave them 3 cold beers and they were very happy. We found out they were getting them out of traps. Crazy stuff like this continues to happen to us.  We love it!  AND once again had a fabulous dinner.

Thanks for listening to our fish tales.

Scott and Karen

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Sharks, Barracudas and Sting Rays — Oh My! And a Blue Hole to boot.

Sandy Cay is known for its snorkeling and diving on the reef.  There are mooring balls there for small boats only.  We took the dinghy two and a half miles to get there.  It was still a little rough but we wanted to give it a try. The charts show balls on both sides. We went to the lee side first but it didn’t look right.  There was a catamaran anchored there so we went and asked them.  They informed us the reef is only on the other side and oh by the way if you see our son’s mask and snorkel by mooring ball one and can free dive to 30 feet, pick it up please.  We all had a good laugh.

Off to the mooring balls.  The southernmost ball was the only one open. The swells were still big but we knew we just had to get in the water and all would be well.  That’s exactly what happened you don’t feel them when you are in the water like you do in a boat.

We no sooner got in the water and a huge sting ray swims across the bottom right below us in 20 + feet of water.  THEN….  a whole group of them swam by. Big ones, little ones and spotted ones.   They are graceful, fluid and stunning!  It was the thrill of a lifetime.  We saw all kinds of beautiful fish, coral, sea fans etc.  We stayed in the water until I got cold.  After warming up, we moved to the Northernmost ball to see what else there was.  Scott jumped in the water and immediately saw the missing Mask and snorkel.  He dove down and retrieved it. We headed toward the reef and once again it was beautiful. Within a few minutes, we saw our first shark.  It looked like a nurse shark so no alarm.  Then we saw another, different kind but small. Then another and another and another. Scott counted 8.  All the little fish were swimming toward us.  Time to get out of the water! They were all smaller sharks, but how small must a shark be, to be concern about a bite.  Any size!

The third time we snorkeled we went to the middle ball. Right next to our dinghy is a 4 to 5 foot-long Barracuda. He did not care that we were there.  They are a strange fish.  They give you a blank stare.  Scott chased him a way but he only moved as far as he had to. He was still hanging by the dinghy when we got back. Not a care in the world.

We took the dinghy back to the other side of the Cay to return the mask and snorkel.  They were amazed that Scott could free dive that deep.  They tried and failed many times.  We went aboard their boat for a beer as our prize.  Very nice family on a week-long vacation renting a catamaran sailboat.

We sure put our dinghy to use this day. At high tide about 4:30 we went searching for a Blue Hole.  These are holes that seem to be bottomless pits. Even at high tide we only had a foot of water under our dinghy getting into the area where this hole is. It was quite shallow only 3 to 4 feet deep. There is a stone with a brass plaque memorializing 3 divers that drown in this hole.  Many people said they couldn’t find it, but spotted it and headed that way.  There was no doubt when we found it. We felt like we were standing on the edge of a cliff but the boat took us over it. Our stomachs did a little flip it was a very eerie feeling. We got to see the memorial. How sad for the families.  Diving in blue holes is a dive certification all in its own and should be left to the professionals.

We have seen and experienced so many cool things. Our bucket lists are getting empty.

I wish I had an underwater camera. You will just have to listen to our stories of our underwater adventures.

Thanks for reading.

Scott and Karen

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Life is different on the islands.  No one is connected to their phones, mostly because there is lousy internet here. People walk and spend time on the beach and just enjoy this beautiful country.  On monday nights Marina Jacks has bingo at 6pm.  All the proceeds go to the school. Many of the events the proceeds benefit the kids. It is wonderful to see this.  We had a group of 8 to 10 of us planning to play bingo.  We got there at 4:30 and the place was packed already.  The “Have an Other Day” bowed out because they have 2 small children, but Trawler Life and Last Call were in. We found some extra chairs on the dinghy dock, got one small table from the restaraunt and one from Trawler Lifes boat.  We were set. Then “Tipsy Gypsy” showed up.  They went back to their boat and got a foldable picnic table and we squeezed in on the end of the pier.  We were cozy but having fun.  We decided if any of us won the $400+ pot that we would split it. It started to rain but the bingo cards are plastics so no worries. It only rained a short time. None of us won but we were all richer for the friendships we are developing.

Tahiti Beach! Tidings of joy Trawler life and Last call convoyed there by dinghy.  It was a little bouncy for a dinghy but so worth it when we got there.

x

We played bocce ball ate watermelon, snorkeled, sun bathed, and made new friends. There was a bunch of us there. What a fun day.

Thanks for reading,

Scott and Karen,

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Hope Town has just the right mix for the perfect island place.  There are no cars or golf carts allowed in the town.  It is all walking or biking.  This is primarily a golf cart island. The few true vehicles are work vehicles or a few cars that are use to transport guest to  a restaurant on the other end of the island.

There is a beautiful harbor with a short walk across to the Atlantic Ocean.  There are two small grocery stores and a post office, police and commissioner, many rental houses. The town is set up for use by boaters.  Instead of parking lots, there are dinghy docks. Communication over here is primary by VHF radio.  At 8:20 in the morning everyone tunes into channel 68 for the daily information.  They give weather, tides, best time to fish, businesses can call in to put a plug in for themselves, Community events,  arrivals and departures, and question and answer session by the community.  interesting things happen.  During one of the blows a homing pigeon got blown to the Bahamas and they were looking for someone to take the pigeon back to Florida on their boat.

The bars here are interesting. Quite a few have pools, access to ocean, or things like bingo. Everything is very inviting.  There is little policing of the use of pools etc.  They are happy to sell you a drink or food if you want to swim in the pool. Very laid back.

I have so many more things to share, but as usual the internet just quit. Keep watching for new posts.

Thanks for reading,

Scott and Karen

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Hope Town Lighthouse. It is the last remaining kerosene fueled, hand cranked lighthouse left in the WORLD. During the night the lighthouse keeper Elvis goes up every two hours to crank the weighted system (much like a grandfather clock) that makes the light turn. He also has to pump pressure into the fuel system to keep the light burning.  The fuel system works like a coleman lantern.

If you ever get to Hope Town, don’t miss the lighthouse tour.  It’s free they just ask for a donation or for you to buy something in the gift shops. That is how they fund the restoration.

Thanks for reading,

Scott and Karen.

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We stayed at Orchid Bay Marina.  For the month of February it was only 50 cents a foot.  Score!

Guanna Cay is famous for their restaurant “Nippers”  It is right on the ocean. It has an incredible view. On Sundays they do a  pig roast.  On Sundays they do a pig roast.  We were so excited to go to.  We later found out it is a $20 buffet with pulled pork on it. It is a big party place especially later in the day. We enjoyed the beach more than Nippers.

The first day we went we knew there was snorkeling on a reef a short distance off shore.  We walked all the way to the point where it was supposed to be the best. But the waves were crashing and it was all rock.  On our way back Scott found a sandy slot to slip into and swam out to the reef.  He only was out a short time.  Being off shore by himself wasn’t smart so he didn’t stay.  We went back the next day and both were able to get into the water.  We saw our first true reef. We swam with a sea turtle.  He was little, but it was still a thrill to see one.  Check that off the bucket list.  A lot of the reef was dead.  We are not sure if it is because of the hurricanes or other reasons. Nonetheless we did see lots of sea fans, brain coral, pretty fish etc.

We went to Grabbers for lunch with Cathy and Michael on Trawler Life, our Bahama buddies. A very popular dish here is conch salad.  We had never had it. We got it fresh from the ocean.  We watched the fisherman clean them and sat at the bar and watched our own salad being made.  The fisherman were just finishing cleaning when we got down there.  After the conch were cleaned, he picked up the left over “pistols”  It is suppose to be an aphrodisiac. He picked them up and said “these will put lead in your pencil” Cathy and I got a good laugh out of it.

I asked what they did with all the shells.  He showed me a pile and take whatever you want.  Cathy and I picked out 3 particularly pretty ones. After we watched our conch salad being made and had it customized to our tastes, we were walking back to the table and Scott teased Michael because Cathy was carrying 2 and I was carrying one.  The joke was on him when he found out they were all mine. One for me and one for each kid. Hee hee.

When we were watching our salad being made the Angelo, the chef, told us about the orange part of the conch, which is the best.  He handed me a raw piece and I tried it.  I wasn’t overly impressed but slightly grossed out about eating raw conch.  He brought up the pistol  thing.  His saying is “Spilly Pistol puts lead in your pencil”  He was a showman as well as a chef. He had lots of fun little saying.  “Feel the flavor, Mango give it the sweet. The core of the pineapple gives it the crunch” and on and on.

The beach off of Nippers is stunning. The water color is amazing you can’t even describe it or capture it on film.

Thanks for reading,

Scott and Karen

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2-25-17  The Whale Pass or Don’t Rock

In order to go from North Abaco to south Abaco you must either go through “The Whale” or “Don’t Rock” due to the Sea of Abaco getting very shallow.  “The Whale” is a pass that takes you between two Cays out onto the Atlantic Ocean.  As with most passes, the water surges and can be treacherous or just fine. You just have to watch the weather, listen to the radio and be prepared to abort trip if it gets too rough.  Don’t Rock passage, is shallow!and if there is too big of waves coming in from the ocean the surge sucks the water out of “Don’t Rock Pass” and can cause you to bottom out. You must go at high tide and should have a fairly shallow draft.  No sailboats with a keel will go  through here.  We had been watching the winds and thought we could make a go at the Whale.  We also met a couple on “Water Music” who were going to make a go of it also.  They started to loop 2 years ago and never left the Bahamas.  We can almost understand.

Trawler Life and Last Call had our engines fired up and ready to take on “The Whale”.  We were in the process of throwing off our lines when we received a radio call from Water Music that they are aborting their pass through The Whale due to 6 foot waves.  We aborted our trip also.

After discussions, we decided to leave the Marina and go anchor at Treasure Cay Airport anchorage. Marinas get expensive, and we always find the best stuff at anchorage. We were not disappointed. There was a rocky area and an inlet to explore. I decided I need more experience driving the dinghy. We got to a rocky area where Scott decided to to snorkel.  He found lots beautiful fish and his first Baracuta encounter.  He said it just sat there and stared with all the teeth showing. No matter where he went it felt like it was still staring at him.  I stayed in the dinghy and followed  him as he snorkeled.  I didn’t even run him over. 😉

The next morning we took it easy. When we turned on our radio we heard from Trawler Life that they made it through “Don’t Rock” with 3 feet under keel.  We had originally planned “The Whale” but we quickly pulled up anchor and headed for “Don’t Rock” The  tide was just at high and starting down.  So we had to giddy up. We  had a few pucker moments with only 2 feet under our keel but we made it and avoided going out into the Atlantic.

We just wanted to share some of the things cruisers deal with.  It is much like our Michigan Family trying to decided to drive when there is a snow storm. However, there is usually more decisions on which beach,snorkel spot or rum drink to experience than  which passage to take.

Thanks for reading,

Karen and Scott

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2-21-17 to 2-24-17 Green Turtle Cay. It is inhabited!

Although there were people living on Manjack Cay, there was no town. Green Turtle Cay is our first stop where there is a town……oops they call them settlements.

We stayed at Leeward Yacht Club.  It was really nice, in pristine condition, with showers, Laundry a pool, bar and restaurant. They also had several very nice places to rent.

We took our dinghy across Black Sound to the settlement of New Plymouth.  It is tiny. Only a few stores.  The grocery stores were no more than our convenience stores and the prices were similar.  Expensive.  We should have provisioned more food.  Live and learn.  Scott desperately needed a haircut and the locals told him where to go.

This is where Scott got his hair cut. This is the view from the street. We almost missed it because it was hidden away.

We walked the entire town in about 10 minutes. We had our first conch fritters at a little stand that had great food.  Our friends from Trawler Live Cathy and Michael went with us to a tiny place to get a Bumbay Smash….yes a Rum drink.  The gal took over the place from her mother and claims her mother made up this drink.  They were pretty good.

Scott has been dieing to spear a fish and we never see any or can get close enough for him to spear them.  We were fishing one day and there were snapper all over and they would go after our bait but wouldn’t bite.  So Scott decided to try spearing. He got this one and shot two others, but they got off the spear.  Being the beginner spear fisherman he isn’t sure why that happened.  He was just so happy to have speared a fish!!

We had a lovely stay here in our first Settlement. Interesting way of life.

Thanks for reading. We love to hear from you! Drop us a line.

Karen and Scott

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2-21-17 Best Day Ever in Piggyville!

No Name is not considered inhabited except for the wild pigs….that aren’t so wild anymore.  No one knows OR is saying how the pigs got there. They have been relying on boaters to bring them fresh water and food. If you are the first ones to the island, they will swim out to meet your dinghy.  When we were there, there were already people on shore feeding them.

There are 21 pigs on No Name Cay also known as Piggyville.

Brendall’s Dive shop on Green Turtle Cay takes tours out to the island, but during slow seasons, they go feed the pigs. Craig Russell nicknamed the Pig whisperer along with his wife Jan also visit to make sure the pigs are getting what they need. They purchased and installed a 2000 gallon water tank to provide fresh water for the pigs seeing there is no fresh water on the island. Wade and Martha Cash owners of Sunset Marine, keep the tank filled.

When we landed the dinghy, it didn’t take long for the pigs to realize we could be a new food source.

I was so excited to be able to feed them.  I had three of the larger sows come right up to me.  I  brought lettuce, bananas and grapes.

My excitement was quickly squashed when the pigs, who had been eating cooking wouldn’t touch the lettuce and grunted in disgust to me.

I discovered, however, that the big pigs chase away the little pigs for food they want.  Once they realized I was feeding lettuce and others were feeding cookies, I was free to go feed the little ones which actually make my day.

It was the best day ever!

Thanks for reading.  Drop us a line, we love to hear from you.

Karen and Scott

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Love the Razorback flags place by the signs.

2-20-17- 2-21-17 Manjack Cay

We left Manjack Cay North, went to Fiddle Cay for a small trip and settled for 2 days at Manjack Cay anchorage. First thing in the morning we heard a call on the radio about a missing dinghy from “Joy Sea.” It would be devastating to lose a dinghy. It would be extremely expensive to replace here in the bahamas.  When we anchored, we realized we were next door to the people who lost their dinghy.  Their friend “Gee” had a smaller boat and took Frances to look for his boat. They found it five miles down the coast beating up against the rocks.  Luckily there was no damage to it.  They were so relieved!

Although there is no settlement, there are some special people that live on this Island. Bill and Leslie build their home and everything they have everything they need.

They have a gorgeous  bay that they open to boaters at anchor.  Leslie told me they used to be cruisers and were turned off by all the no trespassing signs.  When they built the house they put up a “Please Trespass” sign.  She said it has deteriorated but everyone knows they are welcome.

There is actually a community of people living on their boats. They help Bill and Leslie with all kinds of things.  Some we met fish or go lobster hunting daily for dinner. We want to find the lobsters too. Not enough time, or knowledge where to find them. I asked Leslie if they were self sufficient here on the island.  She said no we can’t grow coffee or peanut butter. In other words yes they are.

They built a trail a mile long across the island to the Atlantic.

They have a work-shed from which they collect rainwater for their garden.

The land is all rock, so they had to build raised gardens.

They raked up seaweed, collected scraps of veggies, and anything else they could find that worked well to compost and made all the dirt for the raised gardens. The garden has all the usual veggies herbs etc..  Leslie grows strawberries in her hydroponic creation. They had papaya trees, and several different citrus trees. There are chickens to provide eggs and goat to provide milk.  In fact we got to see 1 day old baby goats born on the farm.

We met several of the boaters. They were all so friendly and nice.  Loved it there!

We hope the winds are kind to us so we can get back there and stay longer.

Thanks for reading. Drop us a line.  We love to hear from you.

Karen and Scott

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