Saturday, January 28, 2012
Rise and shiners were easy to accept since we got so much sleep yesterday and last night. It’s though out on those breathtaking high seas. We were ready to go before EOS, but not by much. The water was so calm, it was hard to believe we were actually off shore. The bottom was covered with ribbons on white sand. Here and there were starfish looking lost on the pristine ocean floor. I had never seen a bottom this white and perfect. The deck was covered with dew but that didn’t stop me from walking around Casa Mare’ to see what she was hiding under the keel. I am so glad I grabbed my camera because as we pulled anchor and started slowly moving over coral heads, I could see rainbows of fish swimming around the coral. I couldn’t stop snapping pictures. I was pretty sure I was getting some clear pictures as we sailed over the coral heads. The water was still deep and crystal clear. I felt almost like I was snorkeling. Under way in no time we had to motor all the way to Rum Cay going straight on into the wind. No sailing today. The swells were huge but the sun was shining except, as I was taking pictures of Christopher Columbus Monument from the boat, in the background there was a big, what looked to be like a thunderhead. “Look at the tornado, Fred” He studied the clouds and said, it’s a “waterspout”. I had never seen one before and thought it would not be a good thing to be in the path of one when on a boat. Fred radioed Ronnie on “EOS” and they too were watching it, trying to determine if it was on our side or the East side of Long Island. I took a few pictures and soon it went back up into the clouds. As we rounded the northern Point of Long Island Stasia did her normal thing in swells, puked between Fred’s feet. That is the only place she will puke when seasick. I think this has happened 3-4 times at the most, but always between his feet. She spent the rest of the trip in the combing locker body in and head tucked between the cushion and boat. She managed to look up once in a while and give Fred “THE LOOK”. The weather started to get chilly, which was unexpected to me, so I went below to curl in a blanket and get warm rather than change into jeans and a sweatshirt or jacket. There is something that just doesn’t seem right about not wearing shorts and a t-shirt in these islands. Later I came back up and by that time we were just coming to the point of Rum Cay. Pretty! The waters again were deep deep blue and in the distance we could see the lighter colors closer to the beaches. As I was taking pictures on the deck, I looked back and it looked like I just might have a fish. Fred said it was probably time to pull it in anyway. There was something on the end of it but, I thought I lost it. Then it was a dead stop pull in the line. Yep, another barracuda. I really don’t eat much fish unless it is a light fish and when I saw what it was, I was sure it was a catch and release. He was heavy though, much larger than the other cudda I got. Ronnie got a Mahi Mahi. It’s just not my turn I guess. We dropped anchor and down came the dink and off we went, exploring the island. There is only one settlement here on this island. Population is 96 but one fella passed this week and the memorial service is February 6th I believe. So I guess that makes it 95 now. The government pier was damaged by hurricane Irene but the tide was low and there was no way to get on so we brought the dink up to the beach and anchored there. Damage was still evident. We took a left and as we crossed a bridge we were greeted by Rasta, who was sitting in his golf cart eating out of this elaborate salmon colored fancy designed bowl. I watched him dig something out with his pocket knife, biting the edible stuff off and throwing the remains to the fish in the little canal below us. We got into a great conversation and he educated us a bit on the island, where to go, eat, shop, shell, swim...he pretty much said it all in about 3 sentence’s. He answered our questions on the local living and I just had to ask him about that fancy bowl he was eating out of. I was sure I had never seen one like it before. Turns out it was a lobster, upside down being devoured like it was a hot dog or something. ‘Mercy’ I thought. No one would ever believe me if I told this story and I asked him if he minded if I took a picture of that huge lobster. He proudly continued to eat said please, go ahead. We chatted a bit longer and he invited us to come to the Sumner Point Marina which he ran. We promised to do so and we were on our way. We stopped at the one and only “Last Chance Yacht Supply, Grocery Store and Ice Cream Parlor”, which had less food than a convenience store in the US and heavily decorated with jewelry Kaye, the manager, had made. Boxes of shells scattered here and there piled up on one another and even a back room for other shells and wares made by the locals displayed in flat card board boxes. Nothing had a price on it. We didn’t need anything today, just checking things out and she told us about a fish fry tonight at Kaye’s Restaurant and Bar. Food is free, we just have to buy our own drinks. There was dinner! No cooking for me tonight. We walked further down the road and found a clinic, behind a small house off the road but it was closed. Fred’s ear is beginning to bother him again since he fell into the water yesterday and I am running out of sea sick patches. I put them on, whether I need them or not only when going out to sea, just to be safe. A short distance down up the road, was a church I wanted to check out. I knew there were only 2 on the island and this was one of them. Before we reached the church, a golf cart came from behind and stopped, driver on one side and 2 big dogs in the passenger seat. “Need a ride?” he asked. “No thank you” Fred replied, “we are just taking a walk exploring the island”.
Either these are the friendliest people here on this island or they just want us to know, they know we are here, in case we had any criminal ideas. Conversations flew again. He told us more about the island, he was from the US and moved here 15 years ago. He even had some land to sell because his wife was sick and they had to sell and return back to the states. A beach front piece of property is $250,000. 100 feet of waterfront. Probably less but that was the starting price. There is no industry here except fishing and lobstering. Other than that, they make jewelry, cook for the cruisers have a bar and that’s about it. I didn’t even see weaving done here but then again, I didn’t see many palm trees either. There are no snakes on this island. Glad to hear that. Then Bill said, hop on, I will give you ride And show you around. I could see he was proud of this island and had lots of idle time. So did we, so we jumped on, listening to him chat and tell us about the area, who lived where, and a bit about how he ended up here. The mail boat comes in about every three weeks. I am still not sure how this mail boat works but I am assuming people order stuff and have it delivered, although, I have heard they sell things off the boat also. I guess the locals hitch rides from island to island at times because Bill, our new tour guide and friend said the owner of the gift shop is out of town so her store is not open but she is returning with the mail boat. He took us to see the old airstrip. There is a new one now but only private airlines fly in, although commercial planes can land here because the runway is long enough he said. He showed us what a Nano fruit was, taste terrible, he said, but very good for you. Looked similar to a sugar apple. I didn’t taste it, decided to take his word for it. He said he lived “down the road a bit, at the house where the last telephone pole is and if we wanted free internet, bring our boat closer to his house”. He lives on a road they “call” the American road. All Americans live there. Small homes, nothing like a beach resort on this island, I don’t believe. He let us out at this home in the backyard...beach back I guess you would call it and we walked back to our dinghy. We went to the Sumnar Point Marina & restaurant where we met Ronnie and Monica. Free internet there also, which we will take advantage of tomorrow. Turns out Rasta is the chef and bar tender there also. No one was tending the bar and the boaters said you just grab a beer or soda and pay them later or leave the money on the bar. This is certainly the “Lost In Time, Island!” Coral art was everywhere. My heart was pounding at the site of the beauty. It reminded me very much of going into the mountains and seeing a local chain saw carver making a bear or some statue out of a log, but this was out of coral. Huge pieces. I could see Fred letting me bring one of these back to the boat. It would probably sink it. I have my eye on a candle holder though. I hope to take some pictures of this stuff and post them. Incredible work. He just needs to know how to market them. The sun was setting and Fred came up to me and said, you have a few minutes to see the “Green Flash”, something I have never been fortunate enough to see at sunset. We all wandered out, I was the only one who brought the camera and we waited in great anticipation. Lesson learned...leave your camera behind if you want to see a green flash! Period. Every one cheered and smiled and were estatic! “Wow, that was a bright one” someone said. Smiles were plastered on all the faces. Me? I missed it, trying to get a picture. I can promise you this, I you will never see a green flash in any of my pictures. I am not going to miss it again by trying to get a picture of a green flash at sunset. That was the third flash one lady had seen from there in 10 days. I am not giving up hope. I was thinking the water spout was a great first for today and we headed back to the boat to get ready for the fish fry back on the island. We followed EOS’s dink as they plowed their way through to their boat. I noticed the water getting a bit shallow and was just turning back to suggest to Fred to slow down because of that reason and I could see us approaching what may well be a coral head. I got my head turned and that’s it. Kerplang...the bottom hit and bounced a few times, then the motor hit, twisting the dink and it completely tore the motor off the back of the dink. Fred was holding onto it for dear life, not to let it drop in the water. This is one time I didn't laugh. “Lean over Fred so I can get the radio out of your pocket” He did and I was immediately calling making a call. “EOS, EOS...Casa Mare’ would you please turn back”. No answer but I could see them ahead of us almost to their boat. I repeated the same message, still nothing. Fred was still struggling with the motor and I grabbed the pump and started pumping the unrepaired dink. No way was I going to sink as it turned dark. Fish eat things in the dark. Nope, I was not laughing! Then a message came over the radio, “Casa Mare’ Casa Mare’...EOS”. I was relieved to hear Ronnie, thinking we were going to drift into the ocean if we didn’t sink before anyone heard us. We had no flashlight because we didn’t plan to return when it was dark. New rule, Flashlight stays in the dink permanently! “Hey Ronnie, would you turn around, we hit a coral head and it tore the motor off the back of the boat.” “I’ll be right there” he answered. He was too! Just as he pulled up Fred had the motor back on, not straight or tight but it was on the back of the dink and not in the water. I prayed it would start because it all happened so fast I wasn’t even sure it was under water. I was holding on to the painter and didn’t see it come off. I was just worried I was going to be in the water, in a few seconds. Didn’t even get wet! I never would have imagined how hard coral was. It’s like a rock. We are very lucky. God was certainly looking out for us tonight. I hate to even wish for anything but I wish we had a new or good used dinghy. This one has done it’s fair share of troubling me on this trip, I confess.
Ronnie and Monica stopped by and offered us a ride back to shore for the fish fry and we took them up on it. Knowing how that government dock was earlier this afternoon, I told them I was pretty sure we would need to beach the dink. They found a way to get up and even though I didn’t get to climb rocks today, I did climb up to the pier from their dink. I have one knee to use so I decided to boost myself up there and just lye down and roll on, which I did. I should have crawled. As I turned to push myself to my feet I felt what I thought to be a net of some sort. It was dark up there and both flashlights were being used on the boat. Curious what I was rolling onto I felt it and thought ‘wow, someone has put a rug up here but it is wet.’ When everyone else got up, we were helping another couple from the boat do the same thing and I said, “Would someone shine their light on this? What is this I rolled onto?” We took guesses, examining it closely, but no one knew what it was. The gal on the other dink said “Oh, that’s a goat skin. They were gutting and cleaning it here on the dock today. They left the skin here to dry out”. I glanced around thinking ‘Perfect...and I just rolled a few times in this to get up here, eeeeeeewwwwwww!’ “I have to be one only one who would climb and roll on a dock just used to gut and skin a goat in order to go get a free fish dinner. Heck, I don’t even drink.” Everyone looked at me and laughed. (The dinner cost all of $4.00 for our drinks which were 4 Cokes plus a healthy tip). We walked to the purple house lit up like Christmas, colored lights strung everywhere, all the way out to the beach. It’s called Kay’s Restaurant and Bar. Kay and her 80 year old mother, Doris cook on a two burner stove and one oven. I think we came in the front door, not too sure but the floor was beach sand. Stools at the bar, I think a few matched, customers on both sides of the bar talking to one another over the loud rake and scrape music while Kaye and her mother were busy in the tiny kitchen frying up fish and served it with very spicy peas and rice buffet style on the bar. It was interesting seeing people in there well on their way having fun, knowing I used to do that. I was glad I was having a coke. We chatted with Bill, friendly tour guide on the golf cart and his wife, and met several other cruisers as well as other locals. One lady, Donna is from Wrightsville Beach, NC of all places. She is visiting for a month with her boyfriend. They flew in to stay with friends who live here. I tasted the fish, didn’t like it, scraped it on Fred’s plate and decided to have rice and peas for dinner, which I really loved. So much I had three helpings. Although we were really enjoying the evening, it was a long day and we all opted to leave early. About 10:00 pm I guess and the rake and scrape music still blaring and the party just starting. The 4 of us make a promise not to wake each other up in the morning, we were sleeping in. I would like to say I am getting too old for these adventures but the truth is, I am having the time of my life and have no intentions of giving up anytime soon! Fred and I are enjoying every bit of it, By the time we leave here, I will have probably met most of the local residents. I think I have met all the cruisers sometime during the day here and there. I do need to thank God for sending his angels to us today as we went airborne in the dink and gently landed after the last bump. I wonder how badly we damaged that beautiful coral. I have no intentions of going back to see. There are lots of coral heads around and they are definitely something to stay more than an arms length from. Looking back at that, I am still not laughing! Go figure. My brain is shutting down for the night. I am liking Rum Cay, which by the way got it’s name after a ship full of rum hit some coral reefs, hence the name, Rum Cay. I wonder what Rum is made out of. Pretty popular here on the islands though.
The swells are big tonight, great night to rock to sleep!
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