Abaco - Marsh Harbour & Fishing

June 4-5, 2016 - Day 39/40

We moved from the Hopetown Inn & Marina to Boat Harbour Marina in Marsh Harbour.  Our friends, Glenn and Laurie arrived at the boat at about 6:30 PM.  Upon arrival a boat had just brought in an 803 pound blue marlin that was hanging on the dock so that created a lot of excitement for the upcoming Abaco Beach Blue Marlin Tournament which was starting on the coming Thursday.

The next morning we all took our time getting up and having breakfast before we headed out in the tender to ride across the bay and show Glenn & Laurie Hopetown and get lunch at Capt'n Jacks.  The ride was fun but very wet most of the way over.  It is about 6 miles from Boat Harbour to Hopetown.  Luckily we had all put on our bathing suits.  We arrived at Capt'n Jacks to discover that they are closed on Sunday for lunch so we went to Harbour View instead.  It was very good.  Following lunch we walked over to the beach and around town (everything was closed).  The ride back to Boat Harbour Marina was much more pleasant. 

Monday, June 6, 2016 - Day 41

More friends arrived from Ft. Myers, Dave, David and Vicki.  We spent the afternoon at the beach and in the pool.  At the beach we experimented with the paddleboards (in the wind) and played on the trampoline float.  When we had enough of that, the sun, the salt water and sand we ventured over to the pool.  There we met the crew from Triple Net (a 92' boat).  We spent the next 3-4 hours chatting and enjoying the pool bar. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016 - Day 42

Time to go fishing.  Everyone is excited and ready to get out there and catch fish.  Unfortunately the weather was extremely breezy and the day was filled with thunderstorms so we spent the majority of the day getting the fishing gear "tuned up" and preparing the boat for long days on the water with a full crew on board. 

 Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - Day 43

We finally got a good morning and headed out early to "tune up" the crew before the beginning of the Abaco Beach Blue Marlin Tournament which starts tomorrow.  We got out to the fishing grounds early, set up and began trolling.  Nothing!  By mid-afternoon the thunderstorms rolled in again and we had more friends arriving back at the dock so we headed in to meet Sandy, Rich, Lori, and Dean.  They came to Marsh Harbour to be our cheering squad for the tournament.  That evening we all joined together to attend the tournament Kickoff dinner. 

 Thursday and Friday, June 9 & 10

We fished, and fished, and fished!  Nothing.  What is going on?  The fishing was suppose to be "red hot".  Must be all of those thunderstorms that even the fish gave up and left!!  By early afternoon each day the weather turned very bad (thunderstorms) and the seas got bad.  Even for us.  So we ran as fast as we could back to the marina.  On Friday afternoon, it was terrible.  We had been watching the storms on our radar so we were almost back when the worst of it hit but the rest of the tournament boats were not about to come in early.  They might miss a fish.  And we heard some really bad stories.  One boat was hit by lightning and lost the electronic controls to the engines.  That must have been scary.  Others did not want to admit that it was bad but had their own way of saying that they did not want to do that again. 

Saturday, June 11, 2016.

This was the last day of the tournament and today, every boat was hanging very close to shore in preparation for what was predicted to be another repeat of the previous few days.  It was, by early afternoon the storms rolled in and we headed back to safety.  Once again, no fish.  Some of the boats did catch a few fish, but it was far from the previous weeks of "red hot".  We unfortunately were not able to be one of the boats that caught.  This was very disappointing but we can say that all of the crew and the boat arrived back in the marina each day - safe and in tact.  That is the positive for this tournament.  To better weather and luck next time.  It was still a good time with our friends and the other tournament participants. 

Sunday, June 12, 2016 - Day 47

A day of rest, relaxation and clean-up from the previous week and in preparation to move on to Great Harbour in the Berry Islands tomorrow. 

Nassau to Hopetown, Abaco

http://marlinstriker.blogspot.com – to view all past blogs.

Catch Up – We finally arrived someplace that has internet that works and is included with our slip.  Internet in the Exuma ranged from $25 per day for very limited access and megabytes.  Or flat fees of $70 for anything from 1-3 days of access and that was very limited in megabytes if you could actually make it work.  Anyway, now I can catch up on a couple of things from last week. 

We had an absolutely great week with Jessica.  She seemed to have a great time and wants to come back to the Bahamas.  We also had a wonderful time last week.  Jess kept us very busy with several activities every day. 
 

Compass Cay Remembrance  2016

Everyone who has been to Compass Cay Marina knows that before you leave a special remembrance must be left.  So Jessica created a special design from the Marlin Striker 2016. 


For our friends and family in North Carolina – We met the Larry Parker of yachting (boat name: Aquaholic).  Looks like him, sounds like him, and even acts like him!  What a hoot!!!

Just for Jessica...

Saturday, May 28^th, 2016

Jessica left at 8:00 AM, we were not able to go to the Staniel Airport with her because there were not enough golf carts so we said our good byes at the Yacht Club and Jessica got a ride to the airport with another group from Boston.  It was heartbreaking to see her leave.  We were all having such a good time.  The seas were like glass.  Bill kept saying, “Somehow we are going to pay for this day”.  The weather and seas were absolutely amazing so we were able to travel at 30 knots plus all of the way to Hurricane Hole Marina, Nassau.    Once we arrive we immediately began cleaning up the boat.  It had collected its share of sand and salt from the Exuma islands.  Bill worked on the tender and the outside while I cleaned the inside and did what seemed like tons of wash (sheets, towels, dishes, clothes).  We then decide to take a walk over to the Paradise Island Marina.  To our surprise we ran into our friends, Bob & Lynn from the boat Cocktails and it was docked next to Wheels and Reel Wheels owned by Rick Hendricks (NASCAR owner) and Aly works on as a deck hand.  After a long day of departure, travel, and cleaning we both crashed on the couch for an hour before heading over to the Green Parrot Restaurant next to the marina for a simple dinner and relaxation. 

Cocktails beside Wheels

Wheels and Reel Wheels (75' fishing tender)

Atlantis at night

Sunday, May 29^th, 2016 – Day 33

By staying at Hurricane Hole Marina we are able to use all of the facilities at Atlantis so we headed over to Atlantis to enjoy some of the water activities.  After several rides on the Raging River we headed back to the shops for a bite to eat.  While we were there a big thunderstorm rolled through.  It lasted about an hour so during that time we sat outside one of the restaurants and watched the lightning.  There was one really close lightning strike and heart stopping thunder.  Everyone commented that was very close and most suspected that the lightening had hit the bridge.  Hurricane Hole Marina is next to the bridge and the fuel dock for the Marina is actually under the bridge.  Poor Stewart (our dog) must have been really shaken during the storm!  Upon returning to the Marina we found out that the lightening had hit a boat and the fuel dock that were about 200 yards from our boat.  The lightening had jumped from the boat and blew the electrical panel for the fuel dock right off the wall!! 

Monday, May 30^th, 2016 – Day 34

Today was time to go across the bridge to the shopping center near the cruise ships.  We asked the Marina staff where to go to get haircuts and they suggested Windermere Day Spa and Salon at Harbour Bay Village Shops.  The facility was very clean and the staff were very friendly.  One of the gals had just entered her first body building contest this past weekend and had finished second.  She had her picture in the local paper so we all enjoyed her enthusiasm and excitement.  The haircuts were not the same as home but they would have to do.  After getting cleaned up we headed across the street to the Harbourside Marine.  This is a great boating store, they have everything you could think of or need.   It is always fun to look around and we also replaced some of the ballyhoo (bait) that we had used in the Exuma Islands so we would have plenty for the fishing tournament in Abaco.  While we were in the store we ran into Jamal from Compass Cay Marina.  Jamal was there to pick up their boat which was having a new engine put on it. 

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 – Day 35

We traveled to Hopetown, Abaco.  Once again we were blessed with flat seas that had a slight roll.  We traveled at 27 knots all the way to the Man O War entrance in Abaco.  We took our time entering Hopetown as we arrived at low tide and had very little water (5 feet or less), we turned sand on the way in at times.  The channel entering the harbor is very narrow so the harbor master asked us to wait a few minutes in the open water while other small boats worked their way out.  Even then when we got in we had to go to a temporary dock to wait for the boat that was in our spot to leave.  It was a sailboat that was not able to go out until high tide.  So while we waited we had lunch at the Hopetown Inn & Marina Restaurant.  The food was marginal at best. 

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse was erected in 1864.  When first built, the lighthouse showed a fixed light and did not flash.  In 1936, the Imperial Lighthouse Service saw the need for a light which could be easily identified by ships at sea.  Thus the Elbow Reef Lighthouse was given a major refit using the lens and turning mechanism which had been at the Gun Cay Lighthouse.  The fixed light was replaced with a rotating first order Fresnel lens with a unique character described on nautical charts as  GP FL W (5) EV 15 SEC 120 FT 15M.  That is five white flashes every 15 seconds at 120 feet above sea level with a visibility of fifteen nautical miles.  In 1953, the Imperial Lighthouse Service determined that the cracks caused by lightening to the brick tower were threatening its integrity and another major rebuilding process began.  Engineers from England Trinity House poured concentric rings of concrete in steps around the previously smooth tapering brick tower, making it noticeable wider.  The brick tower is 89 feet high and there are 101 steps to the lantern room. 

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 – Day 36

After breakfast we took the Shuttle over to Hopetown.   We walked around Hopetown which is like a very small, quaint Cape Cod village.  The streets are so small that even golf carts are not allowed to operate in town.  We visited several little village shops and then settled in for a great lunch at Capt’n Jacks Restaurant.  After lunch we called on VHF for the shuttle which took us over to the Lighthouse Marina Ships Store.  We walked back to the Marina and spent the afternoon catching up on the blog, emails, and some repairs (forward bilge pump).



Capt'n Jacks Restaurant - Excellent

Thursday, June 2, 2016 – Day 37

Today we took the ferry from Hopetown to Marsh Harbour where we took a taxi from one ferry pier to another ferry pier.  Then we took a second ferry over to Great Guana Cay to visit.   

Ferry Landing

We had lunch at Nippers on the beach.  The beach and water were beautiful.  We then walked around town and visited the 2-3 gift shops, dive store and general store.  With about an hour left before the return ferry we had a drink at Grabber’s.  Another local bar and grill.  Although the view and scenery are better at Nippers, I really liked the atmosphere better at Grabbers.  Both had a pool in the center of the facility (restaurant).  That was unique, but much needed.  It was quite hot.  The ferries were a unique experience as well.  In the morning after catching the marina shuttle over to Hopetown with the school children, we rode to Marsh Harbour with another group of slightly older kids, and on the return from Guana Cay we had a whole boat full of local workers returning home after the day’s work.  The experience and conversation was interesting to hear.  After returning and taking a swim in the Marina pool we once again loaded onto the marina ferry to go to the Hopetown Lodge for dinner.  The lodge looked like Tarpon Bay Lodge (for those of you who know this location) or an old time hotel and bar.  It smelled musty, the table linen was dirty and there was a palmetto bug (cockroach) on the floor in the bar BUT the meal (chef) was fabulous.  Our meal was definitely the best we have had since leaving Cape Coral.  After almost leaving because of the lack of cleanliness but then deciding that there really so no other place to go but back to the boat and I had not taken anything out of the freezer for dinner, we were pleasantly surprised by the meal.  Oh well, what can you do?  We are in the islands!

Frank - Nipper's Restaurant Cat

 Many thanks to all of our friends and family who continue to send us emails.  We love hearing from you even when our ability to respond is limited.  Hugs to you all. 

June 3, 2016 – AM   Thank you for all of the birthday wishes. 

We climbed the lighthouse and took some nice pictures of the area this morning. 

For a late lunch we took the ferry over to Hopetown and went to On Da Beach Bar and Grill.  This came highly recommended from the waiter whom we had meet last night while walking Stew.  We meet Roger on the dock, complaining about the visitors who had docked their boat in his personal spot.  He lives behind the marina.  Rogers family had owned the property where the marina is built.  He has a Pomeranian named Diamond, she is quiet but he said that she does not like most dogs so she and Stew never really met.  On Da Beach was okay, but nothing special and it is not easily accessed as once you get to Hopetown we had to call the restaurant for a ride to the other end of the island.  Pretty view and nice beach but not really worth the ferry, and ride. 

Hopetown Inn & Marina

Tomorrow we will move to Boat Harbor Marina at the Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbour, Abaco.  Our friends Glenn and Laurie will join us tomorrow and then for the next week we will have 8 more friends joining us for the Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament.  With all of the events that will be going on each day of tournament I don’t expect that I will have another blog for at least a week.  If we are doing well fishing I may try to post some pictures with limited comment.   Thank you for all of the support we have and are receiving.  Smiles to everyone. 

Jessica's Vacation

We have several new bloggers with this issue.  For those who are just joining us, you may view our complete blog at http://marlinstriker.blogger.com.

May 21, 2016 – Saturday – Jessica Arrives!

It was a long morning of waiting for Jessica to arrive at the Staniel Cay Airport.  We killed some time by working on the cockpit seat that Bill had installed earlier for fishing.  The seat worked but not well and some additional parts needed to be installed so the seat would close easier.  What was thought (by Bill) to be a short job ended up being a very long and complicated job (as usual).  In order for the seat to slide in and open easier some plastic slides needed to be installed.  This meant moving the seat about a ½ inch toward the wall of the boat.  When we did that, the seat now hits on the outside of the side step.  This is definitely a problem and not acceptable.  Thus it took Bill about an hour or more to figure out how to fix the problem, move the cabinet slightly and then reattach the seat.  Meanwhile I had to keep holding up the seat, which was very heavy so he could keep checking the measurements.  After all of that, we ran out of time so we went to Staniel Cay to meet Jessica without finishing the seat.  The seat is re-hung but the slides to make it open easier which was the original project is still incomplete.

Jessica finally arrived right on time.  It was great to see her!  Jessica said that they did not go into Black Point as the schedule indicated, but came directly from Nassau.  She got a kick out of taking the golf cart to the marina and then our tender to Compass Cay Marina which is about 7 miles away.  She immediately loved the water colors and the adventure.  Upon arriving back at the boat we all took a swim behind the boat and enjoyed the “aquarium-like” adventure and the nurse sharks. 

Staniel Cay Airport - Flamingo Air

 

Sunday, May 22 – Day 26

Today we took Stewart over to a sandy island on the southern end of the Land & Sea Exuma National Park and let him run.  To our surprise, Stew found the sun quite hot and decided that he was not interested in a flat out run today, walking was just fine.  He even decided to cool his feet in the water.  For those readers who are not aware, Stew hates water and never thrilled with getting wet so this was quite a surprise. 

After a few minutes at Stew beach we headed over to Rachael’s Bubble Bath on the northern end of Compass Cay.   We walked the creek to Rachael’s and enjoyed a cool swim. 

 

Rachael's Bubble Bath, Compass Cay

Monday, May 23 – Day 27

What a great day of fishing.  The seas were calm and in about an hour and a half we had 2 Blackfin Tuna and 2 large Dolphin (Mahi).

Black Tuna



Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 24 – Day 28

Morning we headed to Staniel to get fuel for both the Marlin Striker and the tender.  After that we headed out of Staniel to do a little more fishing.  This was not a very fishy day for dolphin or tuna.  We could not find a bird in sight and the seas were beginning to get rougher.  So after a couple of hours we headed in closer to shore to go after some Barracuda.  The barracuda make great bait for deep drop fishing which we hope to do in Abaco with our friends Glenn and Laurie.  We had great success.  Jessica caught her first barracuda. 

Wednesday, May 25 – Day 29

Today was off in the morning to the Sea Aquarium.  After the sea aquarium we went over to check out the caves.  These caves you have to swim underwater to get into them.  The wind and waves were pushing directing into the opening of the caves so Bill decided he would check it out before we all got in.  To his surprise it was not the waves that sent him back to the boat, but an about seven (7) foot barracuda that was guarding the entrance.  Given the circumstances we decide to try the caves another day and returned to Rachael’s once again.  Today the ocean waves were rolling right into Rachael’s so we thought it would be a little more interesting for Jessica.  She enjoyed the “bubbles” and crashing waves. 

After some threatening afternoon thunderstorms we headed back over to the caves for another try.  This time the tide was very low and there were many rocks showing along with the easterly wind and waves rolling into the entrance.  Tomorrow is another day and that may prove a better and safer experience. 

Thursday, May 26 – Day 30



Sea Aquarium between Soldier Cay and O'Brien Cay

The wind is still quite strong out of the east so we gave up on going to the caves again this morning.  We had a restful, quiet morning which bored Jessica but there was not much else we could do as we planned on leaving Compass Cay late morning and moving to Staniel Cay Yacht Club (Marina) for her last couple of nights.  Although we called to see if our slip was vacant before we left Compass, we ended up waiting over an hour idling once we arrived at Staniel.  While waiting for some people who had decided to pull in and go to the bar for the afternoon, we topped off our fuel and unloaded our tender.  Once we finally got our slip, we immediately headed over to Big Major with the tender to “feed the pigs”.  Jessica loved the swimming pigs. 

 

 

Big Major - Swimming Pigs

 

Friday, May 27 – Day 31

This was a full day of going back to Rocky Dundas caves.  The weather and seas were perfect today for this adventure.  We then cruised back to   Bitter Guana Cay where we got a lot of laughs watching the iguanas.  These are the endangered Cayman iguanas which now only exist in the Bahamas. 

Bitter Ghana Cay - Iguana Beach

 

 

Saturday, May 28 – Day 32

Jessica leaves to go back to New Hampshire at 8:50 AM and we are head to Hurricane Hole Marina in Nassau. 

A Restful Week at Compass Cay

May 16 -20, 2016 (Days 20-24)

The past few days have been very restful with very little planned each day.  On Monday, May 16^th we took a tender ride to Staniel Cay to pick up the Johnny Cake Bread that we had ordered from Rhonda a couple of days ago.  The “bread” turned out to be very different from what we had received last year in Spanish Wells.  It turned out to be good, just not what we were expecting.  On Tuesday, May 17^th we once again traveled to Spaniel.  Our friends, Randy and Laurie (Wastin’ Away) needed to get fuel in their dingy and were not sure if they would make it that far so we offered to travel with them and that would give us the opportunity to top off our fuel in the tender as well.  They ran out of gas about 200 yards from the fuel dock so we towed them in with our tender.  It was a cute site, a tender towing a tender.  No big deal, we all got fuel, had some lunch, visited the local General Store (bought nothing) and then returned to the Compass Cay Marina.  It was a very nice ride.  Back at Compass I decided to take a little swim.  Compass Cay Marina is the only place that I know of that you can swim with the sharks and at the same time see all kinds of reef fish.  There is live coral right under the docks in the marina.  I got to see Queen Angel fish, Parrot fish, Squirrel fish, Nassau Groupers, Barracuda, and lots of other reef fish.  After my swim, it was time to prepare for another Compass Cay Pot Luck dinner.  This is the last night for our friends, Bart and Nat (Dusty Seas). 
On Wednesday, May 18^th saw off Nat and Bart and then we headed out with Jamal, Randy, and Laurie to do some fishing.  With 5-6 foot seas we quickly decided that this would not be a pleasure fishing trip, but something that could become dangerous for the crew on the deck.  It was not worth someone getting hurt so we turned around and returned back to the marina.  After cleaning up and turning the boat back into our “camper” we took another swim and an afternoon snooze. 
On Thursday, May 19^th we saw off our friends Randy and Laurie who headed to Nassau to meet their family and visit Atlantis for a few days.  Bill and I took our tender over to Rachael’s Bubble bath.  It was interesting to see it at low tide.  It looks quite different at low tide.  Because the tide was low we were able to climb up on the ridge and see the Exuma Sound side.  It is hard to explain but it was very cool to see how deep the trench is that overflows into Rachael’s.  At high tide the bubble bath is much more interesting and fun, but it is not possible to climb up the ridge at high tide.  The view was fabulous as it is 360 degrees of beautiful scenery, colors, islands and flats.  After Rachael’s we cruised over to the “caves” but did not go in because it was beginning to rain and looked very threatening.  We did not want to be out in a storm so we headed back to the marina.  We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out our guest room and preparing the boat for Jessica (our daughter) to arrive on Saturday.  We put together the fighting chair and packed away all of the fishing gear so our guest room is now available.  It seems nice to be able to pack everything away and neaten up but I am not thrilled with having the fighting chair filling the cockpit.  I loose most of my space for an outside dinner table, the hammock, and just plain chairs for sitting around.

Friday, May 20^th is a day of finishing up the laundry, making beds, and fixing the spreader lights in the morning.  In the afternoon we took the tender on an excursion of checking out some nearby islands and a trip up toward Warderick Well to “the aquarium”.  The aquarium is an island structure that has live coral heads on the inside that houses just about any kind of reef fish imaginable.  I will have more about this location next week as we intend to take Jessica up there. 

Tonight we had after dinner cocktails and Bahamian salad on Cronulla, Portsmouth, NH  with Heather and Richard.  It was a fun night of Portsmouth stories, boating adventures stories and lots of laughs.  Heather and Richard spend their time between Badgers Island Marina, Portsmouth (Bow Lake), Atlanta where Richard has a business and the Bahamas in the springtime.  The M/V Cronulla is a custom built Selene.   It had cherry interior and was absolutely gorgeous.  The name Cronulla came from Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia. 

This week has been fairly quiet with many of our friends heading back north or onto other locations and resting for what we expect to be a very busy adventure next week while Jessica is here with us.  We have a very busy and adventure packed week planned for her so it was good for us to have some down time. 

 

Compass Cay

May 13 – 15 (Friday – Sunday) – Compass Cay

Compass Cay is an island that is privately owned by Tucker Rollo.  The marina is currently managed by his son, Jamal but Tucker can be seen helping out at the marina office every day. 

Friday was a day of clean-up the boat and laundry after spending 4 days on a mooring in the marine park.  It was fun to catch up with our friends and get all of the latest happenings in their lives.  We discovered that Peter’s wife, Pam did not make the trip with him because she just had rotator cuff surgery thus Peter is going to return to Naples early next week instead of staying to until the end of May.  And Bart and Nat are planning to take their boat north this summer to Block Island for Bart’s daughter’s wedding.  Then they will travel to Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and a few other stops before heading back south. 

Bill joined Bart, Peter and Andrew for some afternoon fishing and they returned with a couple of dolphin (mahi).  Not bad for a short trip.  Just enough for the marina wide Pot Luck dinner that was planned for that evening.  Nat does a great job of rounding up all of the boats and getting everyone to bring something different so we have a wide variety of appetizers, vegetables, and desserts to go with the fish the guys caught.  The Pot Luck dinners are always a good time of food and stories.  

Saturday, Bill and I ventured down to Staniel Cay in our tender to get fuel (for the tender) and at the same time we had lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club restaurant.   Now this is not a fancy place or the kind of restaurant that one would expect at a US Yacht Club.  This is the local hangout with a bar, restaurant, and quite the mixture of clientele from the locals to the mega yachts.  You just never know who you are going to see (celebrities) or hear.  On this day it was fairly quiet for lunch although we still saw very unusual stuff that is not fit for my blog.  After lunch we headed back to Compass Cay to be back in time for the afternoon high tide fishing again.  This time Bill caught a very nice Black Tuna.  Black tuna is excellent eating. 

On Sunday, after seeing Peter off to first Nassau to pick up his Captain and Mate and then on Tuesday he will travel from Nassau to Naples (302 NM), we fished all day.  First from our tender and then as the seas started to kick up a little and it was coming up on the high tide we went back into Compass and immediately Bart came over and wanted to go back out on his tender.  Bart’s tender is a 28’ Rampage that he tows over to the Bahamas with his 55’ Viking Sportfish, so that is not quite the same as fishing from a 12’ Rigid Boat.  Jamal, the son of the Compass Cay owner, also joined the group on this trip and they slaughtered the fish.  They got 1 Black Tuna and 11 very nice Dolphin.  The excitement was bountiful as in the first pass over the fish, 4 rods went off all at the same time and with the experience on board they were able to land all 4 fish.  The Bill and Jamal fought the same fish to the boat.  Now you ask how that could happen.  Well, the fish took one bait and before the line came tight, went over and took a second bait.  Thus they both fought the same fish to the boat and landed it.  Then Jamal lost a fish part way to the boat when a big shark came along and “stole” the fish from him.    Upon returning to the docks at about 7:30, Jamal began cleaning the fish and Greg from The Ring Leader (54 Nordic Tug) used the electric fry pan to cook up some fresh Mahi for everyone.  It was well after dark before Jamal finished cleaning the fish and everyone got a taste. 

Bill, Bart, Andy, Jamal

 

 

11 Large Dolphin and 1 Small Black Tuna



Other Compass Fun

Warderick Well Exuma Land & Sea Park

May 9-11, 2016 – Days 12-14   Warderick Wells – Exuma Land & Sea National Park

Marlin Striker, I’m Doin Alright, and Caliente spent 3 days on mooring #19 at the Exuma Land & Sea National Park.  Each of the days we toured the islands by both land and sea.  On the first day we traveled by tender up to the Hog Cay mooring field.  My brother, Bruce and sister-in-law, Lori also went along with their tender.  Along the way we saw beautiful scenery, water colors that are just indescribable, and explored Johnny Depp’s home from a distance.  Johnny Depp has done an incredibly great job of building out an entire island that is in keeping with the Bahamian architectures and very fitting. 

 

Johnny Depp Island Home

Each night we all joined together for dinner with each boat taking their turn at cooking.  It was great to get a night off from preparing a meal and all lots us had lots of fun and friendship.  On the night that it was Marlin Strikers turn to cook we finished dinner and then as in Marlin Striker fashion we enjoyed a night time fish/shark frenzy.  Even the non-fish people among the group seemed to have a good time watching the numerous sharks, big-eye jacks, and other fish in the underwater lights. 

 

 During our first night while taking Stewart to shore to do his business we discovered the Bahamian Hutia.  This was quite an experience in that there were many, many of them and they are not afraid of people or dogs.  In fact they were overly friendly from my perspective.   On our last night we decided to take a late night excursion ashore with the tender and my camera to get some pictures of the very rare (except on Warderick Wells) Bahama Hutia (Hoo-tea-ah).  The Hutia is a plump, brown, and rabbit-sized member of the rodent family.  Hutias are unique to the West Indies. The average Hutia weights just over one and a half pounds.  Hutias are nocturnal and are the only land mammal native to The Bahamas.  The Hutia is on the endangered species list and currently only exist on East Plana Cay, Little Wax Cay, and Warderick Wells.  These three locations now host the only known populations of this particular species in the whole world. 

 

Bahamian Hutia

Warderick Wells has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  The water colors are fabulous and the environment is pristine!

Highbourne Cay Marina

Friday, May 6, 2016 -  Highbourne Cay Marina

Today we came straight down the Tongue of the Ocean! The seas were 2-3 feet down the tongue and settled down to about 1 foot as we crossed the shallows into Highbourne Marina.  The trip was very enjoyable.  To our surprise when we pulled into Highbourne, my brother and sister-in-law were there.  And we ended up in the slip right beside them.  What are the chances of that???  We were aware that we were both in the Bahamas (on boats) but we had no idea of each others float plans.  As it turns out, we will be travelling very close to one another for the next couple of weeks, until Bruce heads back to the US and we head to Abaco and Grande Bahama.  Well this should be fun!  As it stands now, Bruce will be here for 2 nights and we will be here 3 nights then we are both moving on to Warderick Wells. 


Marlin Striker, I'm Doin Alright, Caliante

Tonight we unloaded the tender and took a little ride out through the entrance and back.  We checked out the Nurse Sharks that guard the entire entrance.  We also saw an Eagle Ray behind our boat.  The water is very clear here and lots of fish in the underwater lights.  

Depart:  Chub Cay - 10:45 AM
Arrived:  Highbourne Cay - 3:27 PM
Travel Time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
Average Speed:  23.8 kts
Maximum Speed: 26.9 kts
Distance traveled:  82.1 NM

Saturday, May 7, 2016

We loaded the tender with lunch, umbrella, fish pole, and snorkeling gear and headed out to the little lagoon at the end of the island.  We tried a fishing, but only a little as it was too rough to go to the deep side of the island with the tender so we stayed on the shallow side.  That worked great for getting to the lagoon, but not so well for fishing.  We were the only ones in the lagoon so we had the beach and the cabaña all to ourselves.  We did some shelling and swimming then had our picnic lunch.  About mid afternoon we headed back to the boat as we did not take Stew with us so it was time to go back. 

Dolphin Striker

We had a wonderful dinner at the Xuma Café with Bruce and Lori and their friends, Chris and Sean.  The Xuma Café is one of the few restaurants in the Xuma's so we figured we would take advantage of not having to cook and call it a Mother's Day dinner a night early. 

Sunday, May 8, 2016 - Mother's Day

It is time for us to start up the watermaker.  So the morning was filled with housekeeping while Bill started the watermaker.

After lunch we all took a dingy ride over to a nearby island, Allen's Cay to see the iguanas. 

Bruce (my brother) & Lori (sister-in-law) at Allen's Cay

Iguana Island - Allen's Cay