Sailing Off the Grid

Incredibly clear water of our anchorage - No other boats!

We will no longer have internet access after we leave this anchorage until we return to the US about May or June. No email, blog, phone calls, or weather online. We will have our satellite and text for communications. And all our navigational electronics, GPS, chartplotter, etc.

We spend 4 nights at this anchorage during a northern front.
A lovely pastel sunset to end the day. 

We have our grill out, scoop up, water buckets,
and extra fuel for the journey.
Scoop and grill will be stowed for the crossing. 

More beautiful water, I just couldn't swim in it enough. 

Looking straight down you can see sandy bottom and some soft coral.

Toward the stern you can see our power plant - solar panels and wind generator. 

We are sitting south of Little Exuma watching the weather. A front is expected to come tonight so we sought shelter in the lee of this island and will take the tail end of the front to sail further south to the Jumentos and Ragged Islands.  In addition to no internet access, there is no fresh water, provisions, or fuel between here and our destination in the US. We are fully self sufficient with our water maker, provisions, and extra fuel. We do not plan to stop in Cuba unless we have an emergency.

Crossing from Long Island we sail with gentle breezes and calm seas.

We see one sailboat and this fishing boat pulling 8 skiffs
on the crossing from Long Island to the Comer Channel and anchorage.

We will sail with the wind and current through the Old Bahamas Channel between Cuba and Bahamas, and up the Santaren Channel to the Cay Sal Bank for about 220 nautical miles.  We will spend about a month exploring the main islands of Cay Sal Bank, Anguila and Cay Sal Island. We were last there in 2004 and D and Jeff went there in 2006.

Paper chart of our planned passage from the lower right corner,
Ragged Island to the middle left light blue triangle, the Cay Sal Bank.
We will sail through the Old Bahama Channel near north coast of Cuba.
Southern tip of Florida is in the upper left corner. 

Only then back to the Florida Keys and enjoy the sail back. We will be back in May or June depending on provisions, mechanical operations, and weather. I don't want to get the 'going to the barn' syndrome! I want to enjoy every day of this fantastic voyage. See you later!

Stay tuned on MapShare to follow our path.  https://share.delorme.com/MargaretDaryl

Wish us fair winds and following seas!

Margaret and D
Fly Away

Long Island - Clarence Town and South

We continue driving south to Clarence Town, the main settlement on Long Island, and harbor on the east coast. It was devastated in Hurricane Joaquin and some buildings remain unrepaired. The marina was booming and there were a few boats in the protected harbor.

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church

The main attractions are the two churches designed and built by Father Jerome. He was educated as an architect, then changed to theology and became an Anglican priest.  He was in the Bahamas when he converted to Catholicism. He built St. Paul as an Anglican priest and he built St. Peter and Paul after he converted.  He has built many churches through out the Bahamas.

St. Paul Anglican Church

Half moon over the spire 

Gordon's Beach is at the southern tip of Long Island and was one of the two top beaches recommended by Samantha at the Office of Tourism, the other was Newton's Cay Beach. Gordon's Beach is on the west side of Long Island and is best for watching sunsets. You can see the hurricane damage all around, but the beach itself is lovely, like there was no hurricane. The power of nature to withstand nature!

Gordon's Beach sign propped up against a concrete structure.
We think it might be a cistern, but not sure. 

Lovely ... Gordon's Beach 

Gentle surf, white sand, clear water of Gordon's Beach

We saw other sites and stopped along the way - many salt ponds abandoned and no longer in production.  Many little churches, some interesting and some, just churches. We found the road, Queens Highway, to be fairly good, some potholes, but it was the only road on this long island from north to south, so you didn't worry about getting lost. It made driving on the left easier, no turns or roundabouts, no lights or traffic signs.  

Salt pond - we saw many sectioned off ponds to produce salt. 

All are abandoned and non operational. 

A small church on south Long Island.
Not a Father Jerome built church!

Ruins of a Spanish Church originally dated in the 1600's.
The graves show dates as recent as the 1950s. 

Long Island - World Famous Dean's Blue Hole

Dean's Blue Hole
Classic picture from the rim 

Dean's Blue Hole is the deepest inland blue hole in the world. Professional free divers dive for world records here from the platform that is anchored in 663 feet. We talked to a diver who free dove 125 feet and could see the surface. World records are up to 300 feet! Its risky and there is a memorial to some of the divers. On July 30, 2008 3 women divers died. One got in trouble and in assisting, all three died.  Apparently, on ascent oxygen deprivation causes divers to black out, and that is the main risk. 

Sunrise over Salt Pond on the Atlantic Ocean side.

Second day of our rental car we arose before dawn and drove to the Atlantic side of Salt Pond to watch the sunrise.  What a great way to start our day!

White sandy shore of Dean's Blue Hole.
The pale blue water quickly turns deep blue. 

We got to the blue hole about 9 am and we were the only ones there! It was quite a ride down on a sandy road.  When we saw the memorials we felt the dark side of something natural and beautiful.

Memorials to lost divers at the entrance to the blue hole.

Midlevel trail around the blue hole

The rim trail at the top of the blue hole. 

D is on the right side top. 

Long Island - Flintstone Cave

We visited this cave because we had heard about it from the Long Island rally. They had a dinner in this cave and described it as the Flintstone Cave. It's located in Stella Maris on North Long Island at the resort.  They only do dinners once a year at Christmas, unless special arrangements are made, like for the group from George Town in the rally. They say its too much trouble and work!

Entrance to the cave

 We found the cave well marked on the side of the road. We walked down a concrete sidewalk less than 1/4 mile to the entrance to the cave. It opened up to show a stage, stone tables and chairs, a bar and a cooking area.

We immediately hear the chatter of bats and then saw them all over the ceiling. They will leave to hunt food at night, so they probably weren't there when the group had dinner, but maybe they stayed and enjoyed the music, too!

Bats!! All listening with those big ears. Adorable. 

Long Island - Newton's Cay, #1 most beautiful beach

Newton's Cay Beach

According to Samantha at the Office of Tourism, Newton's Cay Beach is the most beautiful beach on Long Island. It's her favorite, too, and Gordon's Beach for sunsets, but we'll see that later as we go to the south tip of Long Island.

To get to Newton's Cay you must cross this foot bridge
We decide to cross one at a time!

 Newton's Cay is located on the northeast side of Long Island. We drive from Cape Santa Maria east to the end of the road. We park in a park and cross a collapsed auto bridge to hike a trail that emerges on to this gorgeous beach.  It's a secluded and quiet beach and cove that is rimmed by islands that have palm trees trimming their ridges.

Small islands just off shores of the beach

Land side of the beach is rugged brush and small palms

D explores the rocky shores to find Frontline, flea control for dogs.
Frontline was one of the items on the El Faro that continues to wash ashore.
We have found them from Little Harbor in the Berry lslands to Long Island.
He gives them to residents with dogs. Others give it to animal control. 

We parked at a nature park to go to the beach and found it amazing. It had plants that Long Island grows in its thin and rocky land. The plantations brought most of the plants but found they could not be grown on a large scale. Long Island grows sisal plant, corn, papaya, watermelon, and cotton for subsistence and to export to other islands, although the major packing house in Clarence Town was destroyed in the hurricane and is not operational. 

Sisal plant surrounded by decorative queen conch

Plant processed to make sisal that is shipped to make rope

Corn on the cob 

Papaya

A decorative tree that shows the struggle for survival
in this beautiful but harsh environment.

Cactus 

Watermelon vine

Cotton

Long Island - Cape Santa Maria

Columbus Monument

Cape Santa Maria is at the northern most tip of Long Island and is so beautiful. It has white cliffs, private beaches, rugged off islands, bonefish back water, trails, Columbus Monument, and an old lighthouse.

D reads the memorial plaque on the Columbus Monument

Really!?! Gentle people ... AND the arrival of Columbus.
I love that Bahamians can honor both.  

 Spectacular views from the top of Cape Santa Maria -

Lighthouse and Columbus Monument side by side on the Cape