As you can see from the photo above, the kids recently attended another morning of school at Black Point Settlement.
Now that we've returned to the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, they're back at work learning about the animals of the Bahamas. Here's a look at some of their latest research work.
Nassau Grouper, by Drew
The Nassau Grouper is a very distinct fish. It has a big mouth and gills and dark black stripes on its sides. It ranges in size from about 1-4 feet and about a maximum of 30 pounds. Nassau Groupers live in coral reefs and probably don't live in water deeper than 120 feet. They eat lobster, crabs, shrimp and more.
The threats to the Nassau Grouper is mostly man because man is over fishing them. The Bahamas is helping the Nassau Grouper by restricting fishing seasons and the size you can catch. They also make parks, santuaries and reserves where fishing is illegal.
The Rock Iguana, by Jake
Rock Iguanas are brown and grow up to two-three feet, but in Andros they're 5-6 feet. Young iguanas eat plants and insects, then later eat plants, fruits and flowers - this equals herbivores and they don't drink!
Iguanas are like turtles because they lay eggs in the sand. They like dry places that are sandy and they love dark places like caves and holes in limestone where they can get some shade.
On Andros, wild dogs which are called potcakes are a threat to iguanas and so are hurricanes. One way iguanas protect themselves is that if you grab an iguana, its tail will come off then they grow a new one.
The Loggerhead Turtle, by Emily
A Loggerhead Turtle got its name by fisher men. They thought they were floating logs. They have a heart shaped shell and can weigh up to 230 pounds! They are meat eaters - carnivors.
A mommy turtle can lay 100 eggs then she covers them in sand and leves forever. The eggs on top in warm sand turn into girls and the eggs on the botom (cold sand) turn into boys.
Polution, poachers and sharks, crabs and potcakes (dogs) are threats to turtles. In the Bahamas you can't take turtle eggs, but you can still hunts turtles during a season. I think it is rong to hunt turtles and I wish they did not do this.
Hello from Warderick Wells. We’re back for another visit to our favorite spot in the Exuma Islands.
We’re currently on a fast track from Staniel Cay to Nassau. Our friend Eric, Pat’s former college roomate, is sailing with us for a week, and we’re trying to make sure he sees as much of the Exumas - both above and below the water - as we can squeeze into his time with us.
In the last two days, we’ve snorkeled two caves, a plane wreck and several great reefs; seen sharks, turtles, lobsters (now out of season for hunting, darn it), a lionfish, Elkhorn Coral, and much more... not to mention Staniel Cay’s famous swimming pigs!
We will soon have some underwater photos to post, thanks to our friends on Kwitcherbitchen. For now, here’s a photo album of some recent above-sea-level adventures.
The kids love to throw food scraps overboard when we’re at anchor in spots where the water is particularly clear because small sharks, barracudas or remora fish will sometimes come out from under the boat to “snack”. This was the case the other day at Black Point, where a remora fish swam at the chance to have some carrot peels.
Normally, this is a harmless fish-finding activity that goes no further than the viewing stage. However on this particular day, Pat and Drew - mostly Pat - got a crazy itch to play with Drew’s new fishing pole. They decided for reasons that will probably never been known - even to them - to put some squid (yes, Pat and Drew keep a box of frozen squid in our freezer – YUCK!) on the hook and see if the remora fish would take a bite.
By the time Jake had located the remora fish entry in our fish guide to check its food value, Pat & Drew had one on the line. As any sane person might guess, the food value for a remora fish is, to quote the guide book, NIL!
What the guide book didn’t mention - perhaps because most people aren’t stupid enough to try to hook them - is that remora fish, also known as sharksuckers, have a very effective defense technique which they employ when someone tries to pull them out from under a boat. They do exactly what they were designed to do... suck.
The remora used the suction cup on its head to secure itself to the bottom of Jubilee. Once there, it hung on for dear life. Pat nearly bent Drew’s pole in half trying to dislodge it! When he finally got it loose after a good 10 minutes of tugging (mixed with some laughing, a number of “what in the world were you thinking”s, and some foolish consideration of getting out the snorkel gear), the poor thing had sucked so hard its head was covered with our bottom paint.
Other than a rusty-colored head, the fish seemed no worse for wear when Pat finally got it released. It did leave quite a mark on the side of the boat - not sure if it’s paint or some blood, but Pat will know soon enough... it seems only fair that the “idea guy” be the one to clean up the mess! Besides, he’s feeling very remorasful about the whole incident!
We’re sitting out several days of very strong NE winds in Black Point, which has made for some great wave watching on the beaches along Great Guana Cay’s Eastern shore. Here are some photos that include the kids’ checking out a really cool blow hole.
We’ve also included another album with misc. photos our friends on Coxily have shared with us from the many great times we’ve had together. They are ahead of us now working their way North back to Quebec. We miss them a lot!
Drew celebrated his birthday last week and really wanted to have cake and ice cream. The ice cream part might have proven to be an impossible request had we not been in Georgetown where 1) it was available, and 2) it was actually being kept in a reliable freezer where it had not been given the opportunity to melt and refreeze repeatedly.
There was no price on the container, but it was Drew’s birthday... he’s worth it, whatever it costs. Besides, it’s a half gallon of ice cream - how much can it be? Answer: $12.00!
This is just one of many examples of the food items we often take for granted in the US that you simply have to live without in the Bahamas; either that or be prepared to pay for all that’s involved in getting it here!
You can “stock up” to a point, but there’s only so much storage space on a boat. For example, we brought 60 cans of Pat’s favorite tuna packed in olive oil with us; 20 cans of lemonaide mix; 16 jars of peanut butter; 8 boxes of saltines; 4 jumbo boxes of Goldfish crackers; 20 lbs of pasta; 15 jars of pasta sauce; 50 rolls of paper towels; 300 or so granola & Clif bars; 400 AA batteries which run our GPS and VHF radio; and let’s just say A LOT of A LOT of other staples and favorites.
Still, now that we’ve been in the Bahamas for just over 3 months, we’ve started to run out of certain favorite snack items (e.g. pretzels). Thankfully, the kids like popcorn and we still have plenty of that on board. But in a moment of weakness we did breakdown and buy pretzels and tortilla chips in Long Island - at the “bargain price” of $4.50 a bag!!!
Here’s a quick look inside a typical Bahamian small-settlement grocery store (generally named something like “The Blue Store” or “The Pink Store”).
Produce: green peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, iceburg lettuce or sometimes romaine; maybe some green cabbage and even tomatoes (if you don’t mind that they’ve been refrigerated and have no taste!)
If you shop the day the mail boat arrives, these items will be lined up on the floor of the store still in their cardboard containers, but they’ll be fresh. If your timing is off by a few days, the peppers will likely be starting to wrinkle and spot; the celery will be wilting; the onions getting moldy; and as much as you’d really like to make a salad, you will be glad for whatever canned goods you might be able to dig out of the storage lockers on the boat!
Fruits: bananas, oranges, limes and if it’s your lucky day, apples!
Cereals: Have eggs or oatmeal instead... at $7 a box, plus the likelihood the cereal may be stale, just give it up.
Meat: Wait til you’re in Nassau or Georgetown. The 20 bags of freezer-burned chicken parts (or whatever they are/were) in that rusty freezer unit probably aren’t covering up anything more appealing underneath!
Cheese & Eggs: government-issued orange cheddar is generally available, along with mixed (white, brown, broken) containers of eggs (no expiration date).
Misc: Flour and rice are readily available and not too expensive. Ramen noodles are $0.40 a pack... a universal food! We ran out of maple syrup last week... a small bottle was $15.25 in Georgetown, but we really didn’t want to give up the occasional splurge of French Toast for breakfast! (Eggs & oatmeal get a little boring after a while.)
On our last trip to Georgetown’s Exuma Market, a head of cauliflower - which we hadn’t seen in months - was $3.50; a pinapple $6.95. Variety being the spice of life, we jumped at the chance for both!
In truth, we eat very well on the boat and the lack of exposure to many processed convenience foods has been a good thing. Having two fishermen on board hasn’t hurt either.
Flexibility is key; as is being at the right place at the right time... While we were in Rum Cay, a couple doing a boat deliver had extra provisions on board which they shared with us before flying back to Nassau - two families ate for a few days from the perishables they needed to get rid of. The catch of the day also is often shared among boats in an anchorage if the catch is large. Thus, you just never know what might show up on the menu!
Just tonight we had a potluck with some friends which involved homemade bread, a wonderful fish & sausage gumbo, rice, salad, and baked apple dessert. It’s fun to see what comes together when the opportunity arises for a group dinner... BYOP&F, of course! (Bring your own plates and forks.)
Here’s the lastest weather forecast for the Bahamas, compliments of Chris Parker, the cruiser’s best friend. He comes on the radio (single side band) every morning at 6:30 am to share his wisdom, then we receive an email copy of his forecast about 10:00 am (via satellite phone). Thus on any given day, we can get completely overwhelmed with weather details in two different formats!
Chris broadcasts weather six days a week from his boat, Bel Ami, in Southern Florida. He’s very accurate and thus has many fans/subscribers who tune in before finalizing any travel plans. It’s particularly fun to listen in on Sundays (the day he doesn’t broadcast) to see how many cruisers have forgotten what day it is - something that is easy to do out here!
For an extra fee, cruisers can call in and ask questions specific to their travel plans. We choose to just listen in and hope there’s someone going our way....
Sample conversation:
Boater: “Chris, we’re in Allen’s Cay and want to go to Nassau in the next day or two. You said the winds will be strong from the NW until Friday, but we’d really like to leave tomorrow... what do you think?”
Chris: “It could be a great trip for you if you enjoy winds on the nose at 30 knots and 10 foot seas. Otherwise, I might suggest you wait until things moderate on Saturday.”
He’s always really nice to everyone... there’s no such thing as a stupid question if you’re paying your monthly fee (of course, if you’re just listening in on the radio there are plenty of ‘em); plus Chris tries to respect that everyone has different ideas about what makes for a “good” sailing day.
Now for your quiz: Using the forecast data below, on what day should Jubilee plan to leave Black Point (Exumas/Southern Bahamas) to head North along the Western banks of the Exumas? Keep in mind, we don’t like to travel in seas greater than 4-6 feet or winds greater than 15-20 knots. Certain members of our crew get seasick if it’s too rough.
There’s a “junior weather ranger” certificate coming your way if you get the correct answer!
(Drew did this same exercise recently for his science lesson thanks to an online resource we came across called floatingclassroom.com - a website set up by a “teacher turned cruiser” from Canada.)
Wx Update, Bahamas, TueApr1, 10a
Morning Graphical QuickScat: Strongest winds lie mostly N of SE Bahamas
/ E of C Bahamas, with E@25-30-40k, with a few squalls SE of T&C to
40-50k. SE Bahamas varies from E-ESE@15-20 to 30k in scattered squalls
/ C Bahamas mostly E-ESE@15-22, with isolated 25-30k squalls / NW
Bahamas ESE-SE@15-20.
IMAGERY:
Strongest squalls continue to lie NE of FrontalTROF...NE of line
20N/70W...GreatInaugua...CatIsland - this area includes T&C and
Mayaguana and waters N of Acklins, and SWNA waters as far N as 25N / as
far E as 70W. Isolated showers & milder squalls elsewhere. Strong
squalls near GulfStream off Carolinas, E of 80W seem persistent.
SYNOPSIS:
Today...HI NE of Bermuda this morning flattens into E-W-RIDGE 32N,
centered E of Bermuda, extending to FL-GA border. TROF S Bahamas. LO
GreatLakes trails ColdFRONT to Louisiana.
Tomorrow...Squally ColdFRONT exits US late tonight, with 25-35k NE winds
behind FRONT N of 32N. RIDGE 32N, but W extent shifts ti N FL &
weakens...allowing NW Bahamas winds to moderate & keeping ColdFRONT
along of 32N. RIDGE forces Bahamas TROF S-ward, bringing peak wind &
squalls S&W into the C & SE Bahamas tonight & tomorrow.
Thu3...weak reinforcing RIDGE exits NewJersey, beginning to merge with
weak RIDGE 28N. Squally FrontalTROF persists 32N. Bahamas winds become
more-uniform...moderating some C & SE / rebuilding NW Bahamas.
Fri4...TROF along S Bahamas weakens or dissipates, allowing slight
additional moderation C & SE Bahamas. Strong LO Pennsylvania trails
ColdFRONT to possible 2nd-ary LO Louisiana. NW Bahamas winds clock but
do not moderate. SE US clocks SW, but builds over 20k.
Sat5...Squally ColdFRONT along US E Coast from FL-GA border NE-ward,
preceded by SW winds to 30-35k in GulfStream N of 30N or 32N. RIDGE
persists ENE of Bahamas. Continuing gradual moderation C & SE Bahamas /
clocking but no moderation NW Bahamas.
OUTLOOK:
ColdFRONT enters NW Bahamas Sun6, with 15-20k clocking winds, higher in
squalls, followed by moderate N-NE winds thru Mon7. FRONT should weaken
& stall near N Part of C Bahamas late Sun6, with further moderation C &
SE Bahamas. As FRONT stalls & dissipates Mon7 into Tue8, SE Bahamas
probably becomes light E-ENE, providing excellent opportunity for
ESE-bound vessels. NW & C Bahamas mostly light E-quadrant winds. LATER
next week..."Zonal" flow with slow-moving LOs/FRONTs N of area prevent
any strong HI pressure, and next LO/FRONT doesn't move into E US till
weekend of Apr12.
F'cst:
Precip:
Abaco: isolated showers & a few squalls thru tomorrow, but unstable
atmosphere tomorrow could support isolated squalls to 30k-or-more.
Little activity Thu3 thru Sat5, but squalls Sun6 with FRONT.
Exumas: increase in coverage of scattered showers & squalls to 30-40k
thru tomorrow, then little activity.
SE Bahamas: scattered showers & squalls to 30-40k thru Thu3 morning,
then little activity.
WIND:
Abaco: 110@20 & gusty this morning; 120@16 late, 14k tomorrow; 110@16
tomorrow night into Thu3; 120@17 Thu3; 150@17 Fri4; 180@15-20 Sat5.
N Exumas: 100-110@20 today, 17k tonight, 20G23k tomorrow, 19G22k Thu3;
130@19G21 Fri4; 150@16 Sat5 morning, 14k afternoon.
S Exumas: 100@20 today, 22G25k tomorrow into Thu3; 110@21G24 late;
120@20G23 Fri4; 135@19 Sat5 morning, 15k afternoon.
SE Bahamas: 090-100@20 this morning, 23G27k afternoon thru Thu3 morning,
22G26k Thu3; 110@22G26 Fri4; 120@21 Sat5 morning, 18k late.
SEAS:
Abaco: 11'/9-sec from ENE-E today, 9' tomorrow, 8' tomorrow night, 7-8'
from E Thu3, 6' Fri4 & Sat5.
C Bahamas: 12'/9-sec from ENE today, 11' tomorrow, 8-9' Thu3; 6-7'/8-sec
from ESE Fri4 into Sat5; 6' late.
SE Bahamas: 13'/9-sec from ENE today & tomorrow, 10' Thu3, 9' from E
Fri4, 8-9' Sat5.
CROSSING:
Tomorrow may just work for some, with mild ESE winds, and just a little
isolated squall activity...problem is 6' seas N of 27N for vessels
heading N-NW. W-bound sailors may also do OK Thu3 & Fri4, with settled
conditions, and moderately-strong ESE-SSE winds. E-bound sailors could
do better late Fri4 & Sat5 as moderately-strong winds clock SSE-SSW,
though risk for squalls increases Sat5.
N ROUTE: 120@17, 5' today, 12k, 3' tonight & tomorrow; 120@16, 4' Thu3;
150@17, 5' Fri4; 170@20, 6' Fri4 night; 200@15-20, 5-6' Sat5. Isolated
squalls to 30-40k tomorrow & again Sat5. N of 27N ENE swells 8'/9-sec
today, 7' tomorrow morning, 6' late, 5-6' thereafter.
S ROUTE: 110@19, 6' today, 13k, 4' tonight & 3' tomorrow; 15k, 4'
tomorrow night, 18k, 5' Thu3; 140@18 Fri4; 190@15, 4' Sat5. Similar
squalls.
N AREAS:
General: more-favorable conditions possible after Sat6's ColdFRONT thru
most of next week.
N FL & GA: SSE@10-15 today, S@5-10 tonight into tomorrow; ESE@10 late;
SE@10-15 Thu3; S@20 Fri4, 25k & squally Fri4 night, SW Sat5...persistent
5-6'/9-sec E swells, plus wind-chop, resulting in confused seas.
Carolinas: S@20 & squally today, SW tonight; NE@25-35 & squally tomorow;
SE@20 Thu3; SSW@20-25 Fri4, 25-35 & squally late thru Sat5...persistent
6-10'/8-sec seas from ESE, resulting in confused seas.
