The Bahamian Adventures of Jim and Meryl Felds aboard Kokomo – Volume 4

48’ Hatteras LRC (Long Range Cruiser)

May 28, 2017

This journey has come to a close. We are sitting at Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, FL visiting with Sarah who

slept over last night. Today we’re looking forward to spending a day with Becca and Matt. Our plan is to

stay at Pier 66 through Memorial Day and then head to Jupiter for the Bluffs Marina on Tuesday post-

holiday where we will spend a month refitting and taking care of various personal obligations. Our plan

is to then head North with definite stops in Smyrna Beach for a few days to have a friend help me install

Automatic Identification System (AIS). From there we will march up to Delaware to pick up our dinghy.

We hope to then get up to NY metro and hopefully up the LI Sound and then backtrack and head up the

Hudson River. From there we will take our time heading back down the Intracoastal Waterway and sight

see and visit friends and family along the way in time to make it back to Jupiter for Thanksgiving.

There is already chatter about next winter. A small group of sailor friends are talking about leaving in

December for Georgetown in the Southern Exumas in time to experience the “Regatta” and then to

potentially cruise Southeast to the Dominican Republic. That’s a long ways off but it is certainly fun to

consider and fantasize about the possibilities.

Once we begin our Summer/Fall cruise up and down the East Coast I will start writing again so until

then, be safe, be happy and live your dreams.

All the best,

Kokomo Jim

May 21, 2017

This journey is coming to a close. We are at anchor in Great Harbor Cay and have been here a couple of

days. Tomorrow at 0500 we head 85 miles for Bimini across Mackie Bank which is the Northern most

section of the Great Bahama Bank where we will stay in a marina for one night as anchorages there are

few and far between. We were planning on staying longer and enjoying all that Bimini has to offer but

with the impending Memorial Day weekend, all the marinas are sold out starting Thursday and while we

have a reservation for Monday – Wednesday, the wind Gods won’t be favorable for a Thursday crossing

(at least as of this writing) so we will keep going on Tuesday and head for Fort Lauderdale and stay at

Pier 66 adjacent to the Hyatt Hotel where Becca was married last July.

I can safely say that Meryl and I have had a wonderful adventure and we both are a bit saddened having

to leave this paradise, and we’ve only scratched the surface. On the bright side, we’re going to get to

hug and kiss Sarah, Becca and Matt. We do miss them terribly and I know that the feeling is mutual.

Among the many things we’ve learned during the last three and a half months living aboard, is that

while we can definitely make plans we can’t set a schedule. Although full time cruising allows us to

change scenery almost at will, we are still subject to the will of the weather Gods and last minute repairs

both of which can wreak havoc upon a schedule for a week or more. As a good friend of mine always

says “that’s a high class problem to have” and Steve’s right. We are very fortunate but also have been

dedicated to the ideal that we can do what we make possible for ourselves. You just have to decide

what you want and what you’re willing to sacrifice to have it. We did and we’re living it.

The next series will begin in late June or early July as we head north. Meanwhile, enjoy what follows

below as we’ve visited some beautiful places and had some great times with great folks. Hope you

enjoy what lies ahead as much as we did living it. Meanwhile, I think this is about where we left you last

time.

The entire route of the winter 2017 Bahamian Trip

April 23, 2017

Where has the month gone? I guess I’m finally starting to realize island time as it’s been a month since

my last installment.

Below is an update of our path through the Abacos. Note the red lines. They are called “bread crumbs”

which shows where we’ve been. The lapse in the red line occurred when I lost the settings in our PC

navigation system and had to rely upon paper charts and the electronic chart plotters we have on

aboard until I was able to fix the system so that it started tracking us again. What you can’t see is that

we lost the settings just as we approached an inlet called the Whale to go out into the ocean depicted

by the white water only to come back inside to the shallow water depicted in blue.

Since last time, we had a great excursion to Powell Cay (upper left on the chart where the red line starts)

with other boats and friends from Green Turtle. Shay and Elizabeth aboard Escape, Dave and Emma

aboard Five Flip Flops, Ken and Margaret aboard Rocking B and Richard and Connie aboard Sea Salt. We

spent a couple of nights in a lovely anchorage, walked the beaches and enjoyed our first “Sundowner”

courtesy of Ken and Margaret which is when one boater invites others to join them on their boat at 5

p.m. for drinks and hors d’oeuvres to watch the sun set. Typically everyone brings some snack and their

own drink.

After the Powell Cay trip we prepared for Dana and Matts going away party. They had been at Bluff

House since late January and were leaving the following week (or so they thought but the weather Gods

ended up having slightly different plans). Saturday night she commandeered the dock and the resort

supplied tables and chairs and some great conch salad. Dana put out smoked salmon, roasted pork loin,

her famous rice and of course her Uber famous homemade bread. Everyone brought a dish as well. The

party was directly behind Kokomo so I set up music in the cockpit and we had Latin Jazz background

music throughout the evening. A great time was had by all.

By now, Dana had which as it turns out is a fabulous recipe.

http://danapitchon.blogspot.com/search?q=bread While you’re there, check out her pics and other

recipes she has listed in 2010. We have been fortunate enough to have met Dana and Matt and enjoy

her cuisine on numerous occasions. Dana is a hoot!

Most of you don’t know this but in high school I worked in a bakery every afternoon and Saturdays –

about 20hrs/wk and focused on breads and pastries (besides scraping rough concrete floors on my

hands and knees and washing two commercial sinks full of cake pans and sheets, not to mention

scrubbing the interiors of a wall of commercial refrigerators). I used to make mean Challah dough

except for the fact that it was for 200 loaves as I recall. Making one loaf is a little different but the skill

set is the same. ANYONE can make this bread – it is that easy! (FYI today is actually May 15th and I made

bread two more times at least after this first loaf and in fact made it two days ago and baked the last

loaf this morning while we were in the middle of the ocean!)

Then it’s what do we fix today or what do we maintain today so we don’t have to fix it tomorrow? And

then there’s the surprise repairs like yesterday afternoon when we brought our dinghy back from town

and decided to hoist it back onto the deck as we’re leaving this harbor tomorrow. Directly after the

dinghy was set into its cradle, the winch cable jammed itself in the crane’s wheel with lots of tension on

it – not a good thing. This required immediate attention. It took about an hour to disconnect the

winch’s heavy weighted ball and then disconnect the wheel from the crane to be able to free up the

cable. Welcome to the cruising lifestyle. Funny thing is, I’m getting good at crisis repair management

and just accept it as a way of life.

May 6, 2017

Meryl and I are sitting in Royal Harbor (see pictures below) which is a deserted island except for a couple

of worker/caretakers of some on again off again construction project. We noticed some large huts

similar to closed in Palapas as we were entering the harbor. They faced the sea and were recessed off

but near the beach. In the harbor there are some ruins of what might have been service buildings and

very old construction trailers. Looks like an abandoned Club Med but that’s just a SWAG.

All four sides of our view from Kokomo in Royal Harbor, Northern Eleuthera

Notice the work boat in the distance tied up at its dock.

Inlet access and egress Royal Harbor. Note the large rock in the middle of the inlet. The actual passage

is to the right side of the rock. Not terribly wide…but wide enough.

You know Meryl had gotten too much sun for her to be wearing her floppy!

Anyway, we’ve been here for three nights including last night during a cool storm with thunder and

lightning. We swayed all the way around as the winds shifted from Southeast to Northwest. The anchor

held so all is good.

Lots of boats (as many as ten or more) come and go as this is typically a staging area to arrive from or

leave to the Northeast Providence Channel which we crossed from Lynyard Cay this past Wednesday

(today is Saturday). Next to us is a sport fisher with super nice people aboard. They’re here from Cat

Island which is South of here more than 150 miles where they have a home they use the first two weeks

of every month. They’re from Okeechobee, FL and used to raise cows. They blew an engine and are

waiting for good weather to cross on one engine to FL for major repairs. Yesterday they brought us

fresh caught Mahi that judging from the size of the chunks came from a fish of at least 40 pounds.

Today they brought us more so we invited them for Sundowner’s today at 5. We served smoked

mackerel salad with appetizer rye bread squares we picked up at Marsh Harbor and kept in the freezer.

Last Tuesday we left Marsh Harbor for a half day cruise in the Sea of Abaco due South to Lynyard Cay,

just a half mile North of Little Harbor. Lynyard and the entire area is pristine and just beautiful. It’s

inside of a preserve where you can’t take anything out – no shells, fish, etc. There is supposed to be

great diving in the area so next trip I plan to spend more time there.

Trip from Marsh Harbor to Lynyard Cay (gold line with arrows)

Pics of Lynyard Cay

Notice all the boats in the second shot. Most had come in this afternoon from the ocean from the South

exactly where we were headed the next morning

The trip from Lynyard Cay around Egg Island and into Royal Harbor

For the record, this was not a pleasant journey. The forecasts were for 3 foot seas every 6 seconds out

of the East. Instead the seas were 4 – 5 feet every 4 – 5 seconds (maybe) out of the Northeast together

with a light Northeast breeze. What this means is that instead of having the seas and winds directly on

our beam (the side of the boat) which is what I wanted because as a stabilized vessel that ride should

have been comfortable, we had the winds and seas about 30 degrees off our port bow so although we

weren’t plowing into the seas they were pushing the bow and making the ride very uncomfortable.

Leaving Lynyard should have been a peaceful event instead it was turbulent and a bit frightening for

Meryl and suffice to say she wasn’t happy. We had to cruise for a good portion of this leg at 6 knots

just to keep from getting bounced around.

Rounding Egg Island from the Northeast Providence Channel to Royal Island – follow the red line (notice

Spanish Wells to the Northeast corner of the picture where we are heading tomorrow)

Before Marsh Harbor we backtracked North to Great Guana Cay and anchored in the harbor North of

Grabbers – a famous beach bar and grill where we had a great lunch. A short dinghy ride to the beach

(bay side) and a short walk through a residential area to cross the width of the island to the beach

strand which stretches 7 miles. See some pics below. I felt like I was walking in Talcum Powder it was so

soft. The water is now in the upper 70s and is crystal clear and just feels great. FYI for those how might

remember the Fish Story of a prior installment the waters off of Great Guana Cay is where we fished.

Pics from Great Guana Cay from land see below

Nicest beach ever, like talcum powder. Can’t wait to return.

Before this 4 day anchorage we were in Hopetown in Elbow Cay which is 8 miles across a bay from

Marsh Harbor. We stayed there a week on a mooring ball which was our first time doing that. It was

very difficult for the first time but learned a lot and will certainly be easier the second time which will

probably be in a few days.

Before Hopetown we were in Marsh Harbor for a week which wasn’t planned. We arrived on a Sunday

and anchored up waiting for a marina slip the next day because the tides weren’t right. The next

morning we docked at the Mangoes Marina and planned to stay on a few days but the weather changed

and forced us to stay a week. Marsh Harbor is the third largest city in the Bahamas after Nassau and

Freeport. It’s an industrial town, not pretty but has the largest grocery store around – just like a

supermarket in the states. I also needed some prescription medicine which I was able to get there, no

problem. Just bring the empty bottle or get a prescription from the local Urgent Care which is staffed

with an MD and no problem. They also have a fabulous hardware store with a great marine hardware

section.

Sunset at Marsh Harbor from Mangoes Marine where we docked twice during our stay in Marsh and

when we went back there from Elbow for me to make a one day business round trip to FL and back.

Prior to today and for the last several days Meryl and I were anchored up at Meeks Patch, a beautiful

local beach cove. We swam and just generally relaxed in 80 degree water so clear it was like looking

into an aquarium.

Meeks Patch

Nicest water ever. I really didn’t want to leave. Just dive off the boat into the cleanest 80 degree water

imagineable.

Meeks Patch at Sunset

Full moon rising over Meek’s Patch

Full Moon setting over Meek’s Patch

May 12, 2017

Some pics entering and inside the Harbor at Spanish Wells, Eleuthera taken from our dinghy on a trip to

Spanish Wells from Meeks Patch

Spanish Wells is lovely place. The people are unbelievably nice to the point that when they see cruisers

walking by (they can tell because everybody knows everybody else) they ask if they can drive them

someplace! The first time we were walking down the main road to the supermarket and a golf cart

pulled off to the side of the road and gave us a lift to the market. The second time we were walking to a

lunch place and an elderly gent was sitting in his cart, said “excuse me, can I offer you a ride?” Just like

that….SW is very clean, everyone keeps up their properties, and according to the local massage therapist

is the safest island in the Bahamas to the extent that she doesn’t lock her doors and feels comfortable

running at 4 a.m. all alone. Because it’s a fishing village (actually most of the lobster tails served at Red

Lobster are shipped from SW) there is a good selection of marine hardware and the like and a full

service boat yard.

The populace of Spanish Wells is a very focused group of folks. They work hard, take care of their assets

– boats, houses, cars, etc. and talk about how proud they are and blessed to live there. Many we met

grew up there and have no desire to leave. Some left and came back as soon as they could.

Below are some photos of some of the homes in town.

Notice the sprinkler running. All the water is reverse osmosis and very expensive but the townspeople’s

pride of ownership rules. Nowhere else in the Bahamas had we seen this commitment to the landscape.

Politics in the Bahamas is a big deal, just like in the US. As it turned out, the election was May 10th and

this party lost. FYI, everything was closed all day except restaurants and they couldn’t serve alchohol

until 6:01 pm. They take it seriously.

May 11, 2017

We chartered a fishing boat with captain Ty for the day. He picked us up at Meeks Patch where we were

anchored and took us out into the ocean (30 minute run) where we trolled for almost three hours

without a strike which was surprising as it was a full moon tide. Nevertheless we moved further inshore

into 100 ft of water and anchored up on one of Ty’s “secret spots” and we experienced an epic bottom

fishing day. Using chunks of goggle eyes and squid we reeled in one after the other for three hours

straight. Yellowtail snapper some of which were close to 18”, trigger fish weighing in at over 5 pounds

and I finally caught a grouper – all these decades of fishing and never actually caught one – well, that

wait is over.

See below some great pics of our day with Captain Ty, aka Ty-Man.

May 15, 2017

We’re in the middle of the ocean between Spanish Wells, Eleuthera and Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands,

Bahamas. We are actually entering the Northeast Providence Channel which is the ocean body between

the Berry’s and the lower Abacos.

We left this morning 09:30 kind of in a hurry. We weren’t planning on leaving until tomorrow morning

at 06:00 but the last minute forecast showed that tomorrow could be windier than we first expected so

we jumped into action to get going. It’s a 70 mile route in the open ocean.

As we rounded Egg Island I put out two lines both with large pre-rigged ballyhoo with twin J Hooks to

which I added large Island Skirts. The reels I’m using are NOT designed for open ocean fishing, but more

appropriately near shore for fish in the 20# range with a stretch to 40# but I have what I have and

wanted to drag some ballyhoo never expecting what happened next.

I went out to the cockpit a few minutes ago (around 14:30) to check the baits when I heard my Penn

Squall with 40# mono scream! I knew there was something large running away with my Islander lure

and all my line. I tightened down the drag in an attempt to slow down the fish because I knew I would

run out of line quickly. The added pressure slowed the fish down just enough to make it jump sky high.

A gorgeous Blue Marlin had crashed my bait and was furiously attempting to throw the hooks. Instead,

he simply spooled me – took all 400 yards of line dancing across the sea until the line snapped at the

end of the spool. It was a sight to see. Next time I will be prepared. I’ll be acquiring some 50W Penn or

Shimano reels with rods to match sometime in the near future. Alas the one that got away…

Below is the map of today’s crossing. We started the day in the lower right hand corner (Southeast) and

headed West Northwest at about 300 degrees for 60 plus miles rounding Stirrup Cay and Little Stirrup

Cay (both private islands belonging to cruise ship companies) and headed onto the bank and into

Bullochs Harbour and the Great Harbour Cay Marina - all together over a 70 mile journey. We pushed

Kokomo to 1900 rpm for most of the day and at times we were making speed over ground of 9 knots!

That’s fast for this full displacement boat. Hull speed is 8.3 knots.

Below is the map of our crossing from Spanish Wells to Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas.

We stayed in the marina at Great Harbour Cay for a few days. It was OK but not our favorite. The fact is

that although it was probably the low spot of the trip, it’s still the Bahamas and it’s really nice…..no

hardship here…

So that’s it….until July. Hope all of you have a great start to the summer. I know ours started with a

bang! By for now…

Jim