Crew Log for February 11th – 13th, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Black Point to Bell Island
• Trip Distance of 14.9 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,903.8 NM
• Departed at 10h00, arrived at 14h30
We had what seemed like a solid week of strong southerlies, which were forecasted to continue or get worse over the next few days. We liked Black Point, but were anxious for a change a scenery. We also had the worst meal in our entire lives the night before at the Black Point Yacht Club, which left a bad taste in our mouths. We weren’t feeling great, but decided to head back to the Land and Sea Park.
The breeze was stiff and downwind so we decided to sail on just the jib. We were also feeling a bit lazy, after 5 days on anchor in Black Point.
Arriving in Cambridge Cay we discovered the moorings were full and, given the wind direction we didn’t feel comfortable trying to anchor in relatively tight quarters. We made our way over towards Bell Island where we knew there was lots of room. A few boats were already there, including Allan and Bev on sv Dagny, in almost the exact same spot where we met them for the first time a month ago. Allan has been a tremendous resource to us and we enjoy both his and Bev’s company a lot, so we were super happy to see them here.
We were trying to anchor on the windward shore and position ourselves with adequate swing room, given the winds were going to shift 180 degrees over the next day or so. The holding here is great, but it was a little challenging to get ourselves hooked in just the right place, not wanting to get too close to the other boats.
It’s not unusual in an anchorage to get what Lesli on NoMastE refers to as, “bitch winged”, if you get too close to another boat. That’s where someone comes up on deck, both hands on their hips and simply stares at you. Sometimes you might only get one wing, but if you intrude too far into their personal space, you’ll get “double bitch winged”. So far we’ve been lucky and haven’t suffered the shame, although we have gotten some long stares a few times. Which I suppose, is a precursor to bitch wings.
I know it’s going to sound silly to anyone reading this, but we were feeling a little down today. As I write that I know it sounds ridiculous, given we are on a boat in the Bahamas. Whether it was because a lot of our buddy boats were heading off in different directions, or just the stress of dealing with constant wind that limited our movements, we weren’t 100 percent. As often happens, a good night’s sleep and the arrival of a familiar boat does wonders for the spirits. Adanaco arrived the following morning from Black Point and Steve was feeling better. A couple of other Canadian boats also arrived later in the day.
It was still pretty rolly, so I decided to spend the day making bread and rolls. It was Super Bowl Sunday, so if we were home, the day would have been spent smoking ribs and preparing food and, watching the hours of pregame coverage, followed of course by the game itself. We have had access to our cable services from home, but for some unknown reason, I wasn’t able to access the game despite my best efforts.
While we were bummed to be missing the game, we were receiving reports that the boats that had stayed in Black Point for the Super Bowl Parties, were being tossed around in 5-6 foot waves and some folks were even getting sea sick sitting on their boats. We’re glad we made the decision to leave, even if we couldn't watch the game.
In an attempt to lift the spirits of the anchorage, Judy and I went boat to boat and suggested we have an impromptu happy hour on the beach. The main beach at the Aga Khan’s island looked like it was prepped for an event, so we scoped out our own little private paradise around the corner. Out of site, out of mind, we’d hoped.
As we were leaving for the beach, Josh and Tamara from Honu Time, who were anchored at Cambridge, came by in their dinghy, having also just arrived from Black Point and decided to join us. Our gathering consisted of 7 boats, including: ourselves; Adanaco; Dagny; Honu Time; Steadfast, a Hunter 42cc from Maine; a Catalina 34 from Quebec; and Side Out, from North Carolina. Just to make sure we stayed within the law, we jokingly drew a line in the sand at the high water mark and told everyone to stay on the low water side of it. If the truth be known, we all wandered a bit.
As forecasted, the wind tracked around from the north through the night but everyone’s anchor held tight. We commented to Jim and Shari on the Hunter how much their boat moved while it was on anchor. He said it was a characteristic of the boat, and referred to as “hunting”. He apparently tracked the boat’s movement on anchor over a three day period and said it travelled the equivalent of three miles in three days. On anchor!
Several weeks ago, we received a notice in the mail from our bank, questioning Judy’s citizenship. I contacted our advisor at the Branch I have been dealing with for 60+ years and was assured “there are no flags on the file, and there is nothing to worry about”. In fact, our advisor even went so far to say, “it was likely spam”. It sure looked official to us from the photos we received, but who were we to question our trusted banking advisor.
Well, it turns out it wasn’t spam. And given the time that had passed since we were first notified, our bank was turning Judy into CRA, having her declared an illegal alien (my words for effect). Judy had changed her contact number to a Bahamian number in case the bank ever had to get a hold of her after we arrived here. That change apparently sent some over zealous bean counter in the bank to celebrate a “gotcha moment” and now our trusted advisor was in a panic to fix the oversight. The oversight we were told was "spam".
The only way to have it corrected was to return the original form, signed by Judy, back to the bank. It should be obvious to anyone reading this by now of our limitations: (a) we are on a boat, in one of the more remote areas of the Bahamas; (b) we occasionally have internet service, but if I couldn’t watch the football game I sure as hell couldn’t access a bank form; (c) we didn’t have access to a printer and a photo of the original form wasn’t adequate; and, (d) mail delivery to the Bahamas could literally take weeks, both ways, even if we used a courier service.
It was possibly already too late not have Judy locked up or at least have her “Little Leo” banking card revoked, so getting this done today was urgent. But, “…you said it was a scam…”. Doesn’t matter, it HAS to be done today! We did what we always do when presented with a problem, we turned to YouTube. But not the way you might assume.
I reached out to Josh and Tamara, from our favorite YouTube channel, Honu Time, and asked them if they had a printer on board. They did and were happy to print the form off so Judy didn’t have to get thrown in jail. Judy and I hopped in the dinghy with a care package of fresh rolls and a couple of beverages, and made the half mile or so trek to Honu Time to pick up the form.
The water races through the cuts here and when the wind blows against them, it creates ramp like waves. Going with the current propels you headlong into the wave in front of you, creating a risk of the dinghy submarining. Going against them, launches you in the air. Safe to say, it wasn’t a relaxing dinghy ride over to Cambridge to pick up a form that just two weeks ago was deemed to be spam. Thank goodness for the kindness of folks like Tamara and Josh.
We’ll know in a few months whether Judy is declared a dangerous offender by our trusted financial services provider. Until then, we’d love to hear what you think of your bank. We might be in the market for a change.
On Monday, I heard a loud roar going by the boat and looked out to see a seaplane going by delivering some VIPs to the Aga Khan’s private island. After dropping off the passengers, the plane weaved its way out of the anchorage and between the islands and left. It returned a short while later with another group. Adanaco had heard that Caribbean leaders were meeting in the Bahamas and Prime Minister Trudeau was also expected to attend, so we wondered if this was a premeeting. We had no idea of knowing who these VIPs were, but did smile at the thought of the PM returning to Bell Island 5 years after his now infamous visit.
We had a nice quiet evening on Adanaco with the Steve and Judi, Allan and Bev and their daughter Leslie who was visiting from Ontario. Unfortunately for Leslie, her week in the Bahamas was the windiest of the season and so it likely wasn’t the experience Allan and Bev had hoped. Regardless, they were in all good spirits.
Everyone knows that deep down I am a hopeless romantic. OK that might be a bit strong. OK, so it was Allan’s idea to arrange to have supper at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club the next day. When I asked what the occasion was, he reminded me it was Valentine’s Day. Thank you Allan.
But more about that, next time.
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