Man O War

Made in "Man o War" traditional boat 

Doorway to a home

Pictures of Man O War.

 

We hauled out at Edwin's,  on a marine railroad that uses an elderly, rusty motor that pull the cables,  in which the railroad and our boat were attached - the motor blew black smoke and made all kinds of creaky noises - but since the Albury's who ran the marina seemed unconcerned I too took that stance,  but moved to the side out of cable snapping harms way. 

 Sorry,  no pictures of the railroad nor our haul out.

Dock with its own lighthouse

 Man O War is one of the oldest settled islands in the Abacos.  Loyalist families arrived in the 1780's following the Revolutionary War, to avoid persecution.

View of the Atlantic Ocean

 The residents (descendant's of Loyalist families) on Man O War have allowed no hotels to be built, nor alcohol to be purchased.   Families thrive here.  Mom's take their children to school, kids play outside and everyone greets each other  - their strong religious background and heritage supports the old school family traditions.

Gerry and I were purchasing some rope in the local hardware store,  I asked the owner if he was related to the Albury's who run Edwin's,  his daughter looked at him and asked if "Uncle Keith was related" - she then mentioned to us as a side note "that everyone calls each other uncle or aunt."   The father said "no they were not related".... although he had similar facial and body features of the Alburys and the same surname,  Albury.

All in all a very beautiful island, well cared for with lovely homes, gardens and people.

View of Atlantic

 Intermission, (Theresa and Brian) one of the boats we traveled from Lake Worth to Manjack with,  invited us to lunch on their boat, we had a great time.  After eating, Theresa took us to one of her favorite swimming areas on the Atlantic side of the island.   The water was so warm and beautiful and the day delightful.   We walked down the beach to where a spit of land separates the Sea of Abaco and the Atlantic Ocean -  we watched the sun set.

Very romantic.


Maggie

CLOSE TO HEAVEN

It has been a while since you have heard from me (Branko), so here it goes...In a nutshell: there have been mostly UPS with some DOWNS.

Let me begin with the arrival to the Bahamas after crossing the Gulf Stream (UP). It was a gentle crossing while mostly sailing. After crossing the abyss and entering Bahamas' territory late in the evening, we anchored in 15 feet of water in what looked like the middle of the ocean. It was surreal because there was only water in all directions and, yet, our hook was down. Our first impressions when we awoke will last a lifetime. The water was crystal clear and we could see features on the bottom like starfish, coral and white sand that made the water turquoise blue.

After traveling for the day, we arrived in Great Sale Cay, an uninhabited island which is a waypoint and safe harbour for vessels enroute to and from the Abacos. We anchored there for a couple of nights along with our traveling companions to await favourable sailing winds. We later learned that not long before we arrived, a Canadian catamaran had dragged anchor and been blown ashore when the wind shifted and they were caught on a lee shore. As far as we know, everything worked out alright because they were not there when we arrived.

We got the winds and had a terrific sail (UP), as Maggie has already mentioned, to Manjack Cay. This is where we had our first DOWN. Up until now, our anchor, a fixed-shank scoop style called a Raya, had performed like a champ, so we went through our usual anchoring procedure and hopped in the dinghy to go ashore. We did not bother to put the motor on the dink because we were so close to shore. Our dinghy is one we purchased from HMP, which was NOT one of our better purchases. Within the first hour of use, the oar locks on the dinghy had broken, so the only way to paddle the boat is for two people to do it while each straddles a pontoon and paddles commando-style (not that kind of commando!). It is quite awkward since a dinghy does not track like a canoe and can spin around on the spot. Once we got to shore and were enjoying a delicious rum punch served up by our hosts Bill and Leslie, Maggie noticed H2OBO sailing by in the winds that had suddenly piped up (DOWN).

This was not a good situation. First of all, Sophie knows nothing about piloting a boat, and secondly, it would have been impossible for Maggie and me to commando-paddle the dink while chasing our drifting boat in the brisk wind. Fortunately, others with us had the common sense to use an engine on there dinghy, so Jim from Java and I borrowed one and motored out after the drifting H2OBO. Fortunately, the anchor held before she made it to shore (UP), so Jim and I got aboard. In the meantime, another boat was launched and they raised a mooring that they knew of and guided us over to it once I got the engine started and got the anchor raised. By this time, Maggie had arrived on the boat. Once we secured the boat, Jim and I went back to the party and finished our rum punches (UP), which Maggie missed because she remained on board (DOWN).

The next day we tried to set the anchor again and failed to do so. After snorkeling to see what the problem was, I realised that the issue was the Turtle Grass that grows in this area. It has thick blades and large stringy roots that can be a 1/4” thick. Our anchor is too light with not enough of a point to cut through the roots to get underneath to the sand. Our other anchor, a Bruce copy, is good for sand and mud, and also has difficulty setting in the gnarly grass. We dropped both and held our spot (UP).

We will be making changes to our ground tackle. We are in the process of ordering a 55# Delta from Florida to use while we are here. Shipping and paying the duty is expensive, but we have no choice (DOWN). Once we return to Florida, we will also purchase a 75# Rocna to use as our primary anchor, and keep the Delta as a secondary. Both of these are overkill, but since H2OBO is our permanent home, we will carry the weight and be able to sleep through a hurricane at anchor. The efficacy of both these designs are proven in independent tests and through testimonials of owners that we have met and will work on a wide variety of bottom conditions. I will let you know what our experience is once we have tested them.

On our way into Marsh Harbour to meet Terri and Drew, we ran aground in sand (DOWN). We got free with the help of Pete from Saliander. He hauled us over by attaching our spinnaker halyard to his dinghy and motoring off our beam. We slowly inched off as I gunned the engine. When we set the anchor (still the Raya since we have not received the Delta yet) it held (UP) and I had a chance to

check the engine. I discovered a leak from the LASDROP Dripless shaft seal. As the name implies, the leak was a DOWN. With some adjustments, I was able to stop the leak while the shaft was stationary, but when the shaft turned, the water would stream in (DOWN). This meant that until we fixed the problem, we would have to rely on sailing and minimal use of the engine. That was not a huge problem, but it did limit the things we could do with Terri and Drew (DOWN). There was nothing for it but to haul out and replace it. LASDROP was great to work with and they shipped a replacement out pronto. Since then, we hauled out in Man O'War Cay. Our new friends on CIVIL TWILIGHT, Gerry and Allan, were there to help and actually made it fun (UP). My forensic analysis is that, while running hard astern in shallow water, sand was forced into the stern tube and between the graphite and stainless steel faces, thereby scoring the graphite and preventing a seal.

Alain, Gerry and Branko - Man O War

On boxing day, I broke a corner of a molar off (DOWN), so now I need a cap. The good news is that I don't need a root canal (UP). Four weeks and $800 from now it will be fixed. How much would this cost in Canada? Less, I think.

All on the UP side: we have made some great new friends; snorkeled on reefs; swam on beautiful white sand beaches; hiked on charming cays; had a visit from dear friends; and we are living in a lovely, warm corner of the world for the winter and loving it. Since we might be here for a few more weeks while we await our new anchor and while I get my tooth fixed, we may go no further this winter. There is still plenty to see and do here, but nothing is cast in stone.

Stairs to a home....wow

Wild life on the island

Conks shells hanging about

Since we aren't dead nor sure that that is our final destination, I know we are not in heaven. But we are close, so we will gladly continue to take the few DOWNS along with the many UPS.

Branko

Terri and Drew in the Bahamas

Bahamas Bound!

Drew and I arrived in Marsh Harbour on December 28^th. Our taxi took us to the Jib Room and as we were unloading our bags, we and the driver were completely startled by the ecstatic shrieks of Maggie and Branko, (okay, maybe Branko wasn’t the one shrieking!) who had just come up from the dock and had realized we had arrived. After settling in on the boat, we quickly got caught up over dinner.

Before we had left Toronto, Branko had alerted us to a problem with the boat. Water was leaking in whenever the motor was running and in gear. Until it could be repaired, traveling would be limited – at least if lengthy motoring was required. Sailing would be okay, as long as wind speed and direction were favourable.  

Sailing to Treasure Cay

The next morning dawned sunny and a little cool, and quickly warmed up as the day progressed. After provisioning in Marsh Harbour, we decided to try and sail to Treasure Cay, a scenic anchorage up the coast, reported to have spectacular beaches. The tide was high enough to get us out of Marsh Harbour, and we got the sails up as soon as possible, only to have the wind die a short time later. We decided to anchor where we were. The waters in the Sea of Abaco are fairly shallow, so it is easy to anchor almost anywhere. 

Treasure Cay

The next morning, light winds allowed us to fly the jennaker (for the ‘lubbers – it’s a triangular spinnaker), and we had a beautiful sail over to Treasure Cay. Tides and timing were in full cooperation, and we were anchored and enjoying a cold beer by mid-afternoon. Here, there is an arrangement with the marina where for $10 a night, all crew have full use of the pool and showers. We spent a number of days here, enjoying the pristine white beaches and turquoise waters.

Picnic on the beach - or a' paparazzi photo'

On our last trip in Nova Scotia, Drew and Branko discovered and played numerous games of dominos. InFlorida, they found another game using dominos, known as Mexican Train. What a blast! We had a few fun evenings playing the game.

Sometime after we had arrived, a 47’ Passport called Civil Twilight, crewed by Alan and Gerri, came in and anchored nearby. Maggie and Branko had made friends with them earlier on in their travels. The six of us decided to celebrate New Year’s together, first with dinner on Water Hobo, followed by fireworks on the beach put on by the locals, and then drinks at the Tipsy Seagull at the dock. The fireworks were very impressive, but the music back at the bar was not, so Gerri and Alan went back to their boat, we went back to ours and rang in the New Year playing cards.

Winds for the next several days were not going to be favourable, but there was really no hardship since we were in such a terrific anchorage. Gerri and Alan very generously offered to take us all snorkeling the next day. An hour’s motor in Civil Twilight, with two dinghies in tow, took us to an area reported to have lots of conch. Once in the water, I located two conchs, but the supposed plentiful supply was not to be found. The water was cold, even with wetsuits, but we snorkeled in two locations, with a break in between on a small island, searching for pretty shells on the beach. We had lunch back on the boat, and a motor/sail back to Treasure Cay rounded out the day. Drew and I took full advantage of the comfy chairs in the stern of their boat, catching a few zzzzz’s.

Pedal power gear bikes

By a series if neat coincidences, the part needed for the boat repair made its way to the marina office in Treasure Cay. The problem now was that the boat had to get to Man-o-War, another port, to get hauled out. But, with all of the New Year’s holidays and lack of sufficient winds, it was becoming difficult to arrange repair. In the meantime, Maggie and I decided to rent a couple of bikes and ride over to a ferry that would take us to New Plymouth, a small island only a 15 minute boat ride away. We kept up a steady pace on the sturdy one-speed “cruisers”, and arrived at the ferry dock with about 10 minutes to spare. Not bad for an 8 mile ride – probably the two wild looking dogs chasing us down the road at one point helped us reach the destination that much quicker!

Hammock on Atlantic Ocean

New Plymouth

Once over at New Plymouth, we wandered around the town, looking at the shops and the area and then cycled over to Green Turtle Marina. Along the way, we stopped at a beach on the Atlantic side, a pretty spot with a hammock rigged up between two trees, overlooking the ocean. We lunched on conch fritters, cracked conch and grouper, washed down with an ice-cold Kalik beer – we agreed that it was probably one of the best meals ever. Back to the ferry, and while waiting for it to depart, we noticed that the locals also boarding the ferry would come on, then look around and greet all others already there with a cordial “good afternoon”. I found this to be typical of the culture there – overall, very friendly and welcoming.

Terri in New Plymouth

The ongoing dilemma of where to go (because of the motoring issue) was solved the next morning. There was sufficient wind and wind direction to take us back to MarshHarbour. The tide took us out of Treasure Cay, and a short time later the winds built and took us up to a whopping speed of 8 knots at one point. We moved so fast, we were docked in Marsh Harbour with sufficient tide to get us in, having a cold beer by noon – awesome! This time, we were at Mangos marina, with even nicer amenities (a.k.a showers), closer to the town. We spent the rest of our time in and around the town, enjoying locally prepared conch salad, our own fabulous cooking, and of course wine and beer. Thursday evening was rainy, and the marina put on an appetizer buffet for all of the boaters there.

All of a sudden it was time to leave – 6:15 Friday morning. It was a fantastic experience, spending time with our great friends.

Terri    

To Marsh Harbour

Great Sale Anchorage

We spent two nights at Great Sale,  anchored first on the north side and then to the southwest protected by the curve of the island.   The water although beautiful,  was cold - Ontario lakes in May cold - so we would have to wait for our first swim.    Early the next morning we motored out of the anchorage and set sail in a building north west wind,   sailing (first on a close haul and then a broad reach) our fastest yet - 8plus knots.    The weather was sunny, warm and the seas flat with a 15-20 knot wind,  a lovely introduction to the Bahamas.

Peace

Peace, slowed down so that we (H2OBO and Java) could enter the Manjack anchorage together.    Which was kind of them since they had just 'smoked' us once we left Great Sale - that is one fast boat :-)  Manjack is where Peace stays for the winter, anchored in front of  their friends (Bill and Leslie) home.   We anchored as we usually do and then paddled our way across to Bill and Leslie's.  Their home is beautiful, surrounded by gardens that they created themselves - we were invited to decorate the Christmas tree that also grows in their garden.

Atlantic side of Manjack

 I was gazing out at the anchorage, enjoying a rum and lemonade and a rum ball.   Thinking how beautiful the view was;  suddenly our boat was whizzing past towards the shore - yikes,  the only living thing on the boat was Sophie and she was not at the helm.   Unfortunately, the wind had picked up,  we had paddled to shore (without the engine) and it was getting dark.   Peace (again kindly) loaned Branko their dingy to catch the boat,  Jim from Java jumped into the dingy with Branko and they shot off towards the boat.   Guests at the party jumped in their power boat,  (with me) and went out to the boat.   The anchor thankfully,  had slowed the boat down before it reached shore, and the depth was enough.  Branko motored the boat away from the shore,  Jim picked up the anchor and the 'guests' found a hidden mooring ball that Bill and Leslie let us use that evening.

Manjack 

 Turns out the bottom at Manjack is weedy and our anchor could not dig itself through these thick weeds to hold the boat.  Our anchor is 33 lbs with not enough of a sharp tip to get through and we think not heavy enough either.

We eventually put out two anchors  to work OK,  but we slept uneasily and did not like to leave the boat.  Branko got to swim for the first time,  diving down to the anchors to see how they were holding.  Good experience.   We have had no trouble with our Brazilian anchor up to this point and have been anchoring often since leaving Toronto.

Check in was in New Plymouth,  we got 90 days (visa) which is perfect for our time here.

New Plymouth

Drew and Terri were flying to Marsh Harbour so we needed to get through this Whale cut to get to Marsh.    The Whale gets alot of publicity here as it can be impassable at times.  Seemed there was a window to  get through the cut and off we went just before high tide.   We had no idea what the cut looked like,  but as we approached there were breakers crashing over the reefs from the Atlantic.    As we got closer and closer the swells built 6-8feet,  which was not an issue but somewhere I had read that the cut is only 30ft wide -  ugh that would not be pleasant to ride through the cut with these swells.  But,  we noticed a few sailboats going through and so we decided to go too.   Once in the cut the swells were minimal and we turned south with a following sea - beautiful day again with a nice sail down to Marsh.

The Sea of Abaco is very beautiful with the clear turquoise waters, pink sand and warm breezes.    We made good time and arrived at the entrance to Marsh 2 hours before low tide.    As we entered I noticed a number of boats motoring into the harbour far to the left close to shore,   we were travelling down the marked channel.... hmmm but why were these people way over there?   I reviewed the chart and the plotter to discover another channel (the one all the boats were taking) but could not visually see any buoys or pilings or indication of a channel.   First error was  that I had not checked all this out before we arrived (which is usually what I do)  second error was asking Branko to leave  the helm and have a look at the plotter,  third error was us deciding to turn right,  fourth error was motoring on to a shoal -  bam - boat stops.

We tried to get off the shoal ourselves by using our jib,  no deal since the wind was  pushing us further on to the shoal -  reversing and more reversing,  nope - nothing and the tide was going out.    We resigned ourselves to sitting there and wait for the rising tide,  but thankfully a helpful boater named Peter from New Zealand saw us and dingy-ed over.  He took one of our halyards and pulled us off the shoal - we gently and slowly made our way into the harbour and anchored.    Thank you Peter!

Maggie