Guana Cay, Abacos December 15, 2008

Our Dinghy too far from the water!

The beach outside Nippers

Sea Star, Windsong and others anchored at Guana Cay, Bahamas

December 15, 2008 Abacos, Marsh Harbor and Guana Cay
Hello Everybody,

Today Sea Star and Windsong are waking up at Guana Cay in light, easterly winds after a rather bumpy and raucous evening. We moved from Marsh Harbor yesterday around 10:00AM in moderate breeze, 15-23kn and had a sail to Guana about 8miles away in the Sea of Abaco in three foot swell. Our sail with reefed jib was over before we knew it. We pulled into the dark, turquoise water and anchored at Fishers Bay to the west of Settlement Harbor, in grass or maybe sand. There were other boats in the harbor first, so we were left near the entrance in a 13 foot deep spot where some swell wrapped around the island and rocked us when the wind blew stronger at night- but we did hold.

Strange things seem to happen when cruising. Where else could you be bailing out the family car (dinghy) as it was filled with water by another boat’s generator water? Dan, Jamie, off Windsong, and I went to explore Guana after we anchored. It was a lovely, sunny, windy day and Dan was in search of Patriot’s football. We jumped in our dinghy and visited Grabber’s, an island bar and grill, then continued up a winding path to Nipper’s, a second sports bar and grill. Nipper’s overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and has a rocky reef close to the beach. Yesterday, because of the windy conditions, awe inspiring waves were breaking on that reef. The entertainment of the afternoon was watching a kite sailor swoop and glide and jump at least 30 feet in the air while playing in Atlantic ocean surf. We watched him for about an hour off the deck, then had dinner at Nipper’s famous Sunday pig roast. The food was plentiful and tasty.

Then it was time to return to our boats before dark. We had to push and pull our dinghy back down the beach and into the water, as the tide left us high on the sand. We watched in amusement as another dinghy group tried with eventual success to return their dinghy to the water, but in doing so, two members of that group fell in the water and as they all laughed and had a great time getting back out to their boat, I started snapping pictures. They were anchored just behind us in a 46 foot Moorings catamaran.  Dan and I went to get an email to send the pictures of the adventure to them and were welcomed aboard. We chatted with them for about an hour and it was time for us to go back to Sea Star.

Well, when I looked down into our dinghy from the deck of the catamaran, I saw that our dinghy, tied onto the stern of their boat was chock full of water so that the gas tank, oars, my backpack were all about to float away. I thought surely it would sink and should have already sunk! I called to Dan and he jumped in and started bailing with a small dinghy bailer as the gear still floated around inside. We soon realized that someone on the catamaran had turned the generator on with us tied right where the cooling water shoots out from the boat-and therefore into our dinghy. With much laughter and joking someone else produced a bucket and one of the women and I jumped into the dinghy along with Dan to bail. When we were close to bailed out I realized our backpack had been soaked along with everything else. Dan started the motor, relieved that it did start, and we motored back to Sea Star in the dark, where I discovered I had more bailing to do from the front bow locker. What a mess! But everything is in the process of drying out and we met some more great people and had an experience not really possible on shore!!