Crew Log for February 2nd – 4th, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Black Point to Little Farmers Cay
• Trip Distance of 10.3 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,879.6 NM
• Departed at 09h00, arrived at 10h45
The anchorage at Black Point was emptying out pretty fast, and when you asked other cruisers were they were headed, they all said Little Farmers Cay, which was a short 10 nautical mile sail to the south. Little Farmers Cay has been described as the ideal Bahamian settlement, with two small harbors, and a small settlement of attractive, albeit, modest homes. The full time population is less than 100, although it increases significantly for one weekend each year.
The island hosts the Farmer's Cay First Friday in February Festival (5F), a sailing regatta, which attracts a number of Bahamian racers and boats from as far away as Nassau, in addition to upwards of 100 visiting cruising boats. Celebrations start on Thursday, with a cruising regatta and a complimentary buffet and continue throughout the weekend. The regatta features traditional Bahamian race boats where they start the race on anchor. We opted out of the Thursday night party at the Little Farmers Cay Yacht Club and decided instead to take our time going down the coast and enjoying a leisurely sail.
By the time we arrived there were already a number of boats there, but there was lots of room to anchor next to the beach at Oven Rock, a mile or so north of Little Farmers Cay. The two New Brunswick boats, Revival and Cajun were close to us along with Kory on Etsia. We were also surprised to see Sensei, who we hadn’t seen since we crossed over to the Bahamas on New Year’s Day.
In the afternoon we went over to the beach to hike to the cave. As we were getting out of the dinghy, we heard familiar voices and were happy to see the crew off of sv That’s It. We last saw them in Deltaville, which seemed like a long time ago. They had been in the Bahamas for months and had come up from Georgetown for the 5F Regatta. It was nice to say hello again after so many months.
The Cave on Oven Rock is situated in a hillside on Great Guana Cay. From the entrance, a long dry chamber descends over jagged rocks below and through a number of stalagmites hanging above, down to a tidal anchialine lake. A younger couple were leaving just as we arrived at the cave entrance, although they seemed reluctant to chat and, quickly made their way down the path. As we entered the cave, there was a distinct amora of marijuana lingering in the air, which might explain the young couple’s paranoia. Not a big deal for us, being fellow Canadians.
We enjoyed a quiet evening on Anodyne watching the sunset. I had informed Corky that I was working on the blog post from Lucaya where we first me she and Alex. Corky joked that she was hoping for a positive account in the blog and asked several times what she could get me. we are not above being influenced.
The following morning we dinghied into Little Farmers Cay, where all of the island’s residents were busy setting up their booths, selling wood crafts, food, drinks and other souvenirs. There was a real festival atmosphere in town and we felt very welcomed. We made our way across the island to Ty’s Sunset Restaurant where most of the visiting cruisers seemed to congregate. It was amazing to see dozens of dinghies lining the shore line and a large crowd of people, who like us, were excited to reconnect with people we had met in our travels. In addition to Anodyne and Nomad who had come to Little Farmers from Black Point with us, we got to catch up with Willow, That’s It, Blue Jazz and Dagny in addition to meeting a number of new crews.
Like many things in the Bahamas, ordering lunch was a unique experience. You put in your order, paid for your food and then were told to come back in an hour. An hour, turned into 2, and eventually Judy figured out that you just needed to be persistent in asking for your food. At Ty's the squeaky wheel got their food! I have no idea how they keep things straight, or if they even tried.
The next morning Judy and I snorkeled off the reef next to Oven Rock. The crew from Willow joined us in the afternoon for a hike to beach and a swim on the ocean side. They were planning to start making their way north in a few days, and eventually to Eleuthera, so we were grateful to spend some extra time with them.
We ran into a group of people on the beach that we recognized, but couldn’t remember where. With a bit of coaching we finally figured out that we met Steve and his wife Debbie in Staniel Cay. They are from Maine and were on Elation, a Pacific Seacraft 37. Steve was a lawyer and worked for a solar company. He had had some serious health problems over the past year and was trying to retire. The company was reluctant to let him go, so they agreed he could work part time, while he sailed around the Bahamas. Debbie wasn't with him. She had gone back to Maine, at what turned out to be the coldest week so far this winter.
The winds shifted around throughout the night which made for very rolly conditions in the anchorage. With strong wind in the forecast, we decided to head back to Black Point where it was a little more sheltered. While anchored in Black Point, we committed a risky move, despite knowing better.
But more about that, next time.
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