OK…back to the blog. I took liberty with a long hiatus from writing but am feeling very guilty about it. I thought guilt from not keeping on task stopped when you retired! Apparently not. So…on with the story. We last left Randy and Ellen at anchor in Rum Cay…a bit breezy.Rum Cay was to be just a brief stopover on our way south. It ended up being quite a bit more. More weather…more excitement….more new friends…more socializing…more learning…more patience.
As we motor-sailed in to Rum Cay, the weather was changing; bigger seas, bigger winds…still beautiful sunshine, but big everywhere else. We had huge waves coming in, breaking over the bow and onto the dodger; aqua blue, clear water but big waves over the bow. Waves don't often make it all the way to the dodger. We carefully picked our way into the anchorage. There are a lot of coral reefs around this island. Our technique in coral areas is to enter with the sun high and behind us and Randy standing on the bow of the boat, watching for the reefs, signaling which way to go to avoid them. As I left you in my last post, I noted there was only one other sailboat anchored at the time.
We dropped and checked our anchor, and we added an anchor bridle. It was suggested to add a bridle in the Rum Cay anchorage to keep from rocking/rolling so much. I inserted a picture to show this procedure.
Add the bigger winds to rocking/rolling and it becomes even more uncomfortable. The bridle should help. We were moving around pretty good out there…adjusting our bridle to find the most comfortable position. The see-saw motion offered by the bridle is more comfortable at anchor than the cradle, sideways motion.In the meantime we are joined in the anchorage …throughout the day…by 5 or 6 other boats. From listening to their conversations on the radio, some are going north and some are going south, like us. One boat, Sans Clés, a Passport 43, anchored in the late afternoon near us. I heard them on the radio asking the marina about coming in for dinner as they had a birthday to celebrate. I got on the radio and wished them a happy birthday and welcomed them to the ‘neighborhood.’ The day continued to be very windy and a little choppy. We decided not to put the dinghy down and go in to see the island. Perhaps it will be calmer tomorrow. All is well with the anchor so we relax and enjoy the evening.
Wind continues. Days are pretty, water is sparkling and clear, but it’s still windy and very choppy. We decide not to go in to explore the island yet. We are now on day two. We notice San Clés pulling up anchor. Shoot! I was looking forward to getting to know them. Ahhhh…it looks like they’re headed for the marina. Guess they decided to go in there for the duration. In checking with our weather guru…there’s no weather window opening to leave, so we’re still stuck here. Our trip from Rum Cay will get us eventually to the Dominican Republic, which is our destination for hurricane season. We plan to go to Mayaguana, then the Turks & Caicos on our way down.
Relaxing, reading our books in the cockpit on a lazy afternoon…rocking and rolling…boom! Hmmm….? Boom, again! OK…what was that? "!#$%^*! ...we're on a reef!" "Quick, El, start the engine. I’m going forward to the anchor." I look down and sure as shootin’ we drug onto a coral reef. Holy moly. This is precisely what you do NOT want to happen! OK. I started the engine and manned the helm. Randy cut the bridle loose and went forward, trying to see if the anchor will pull itself off. Try, try, try…. not to be. It’s pretty damn stuck on the coral. Crap. I decide to hail the other boats on the VHF radio to let them know our situation. My fear was if we kept banging against the coral we would eventually put a hole in the boat. Now THAT wouldn’t be good.
Within minutes I had other boats and the folks in the marina responding on the radio with concern. Zoom…over come 2 dinghies from nearby boats. It was amazing the help we got so quickly. The dinghies were pushing against Kwanesum to try to keep her off the reef while Randy struggled with the anchor. I’m trying to turn the boat to clear the reef, but the anchor held too tightly. Randy had to cut the anchor, and 250 feet of chain, loose. Heck sake…that’s an expensive bunch of equipment!!! Mind you, all this time, the seas that got us on there in the 1st place were still wreaking havoc. The dinghies were dancing around in the choppy water trying to hold us clear. With the anchor gone, I was able to back away from the reef to clear water. With my heart pounding I hailed the marina and told them we were coming in. We needed to assess the damage. Going in to this marina is not an easy task in itself. Lots of coral around that you need to avoid and the entrance is shallow in many places. A boat was sent out to help guide me in and the marina was on the VHF telling me what to avoid and where to go. And the water is still its old choppy self. Beautiful water, always beautiful… but big and choppy.
I follow the advice, and the buoys, head around to the marina entrance and slink my way in. There are still big winds that push us as I try to dock. I got her in at the first immediate spot. We decide we need to stay in so they directed us to a berth farther inside the marina. Problem is…the wind and current are strong against us. I make Randy take it from here. I have a lot of confidence steering our boat but thought he could better maneuver her in the tight spots. I need to trust my skills more. I could have done it. With lots of help, and some missteps, we are in our spot. Actually we are in an adjacent spot, but it will do. We had an experience ala my Southport docking, jockeying foray. Missed the first spot and blown into the second spot.
This will do, thank 
you very much. Soon-to-be new friends were all there with their hands out ready to take a line and help us get in our berth. We are glad to be in here. Randy takes the box of wine (yes…box) up to the dock and offers one and all free happy hour for their help. The cruising way. 
Now we worry. Worry about damage to the hull and worry about retrieving our anchor. But we are damn glad to be in the marina, safe and, what we hope is, sound. One of the dinghies, off the s/v Wanderlust, that came to our aid out in the anchorage, motored in to check on us and let us know they dove on our anchor after we left to make sure where it was. Fortunately the water wasn’t too deep out there. They put out a buoy to mark it. They attempted to pull it up, but it was in there pretty tight. One thing that is a given in the cruising community is that all are there to help. This is a perfect example of going above and beyond to help fellow cruisers. Wanderlust certainly did not have to spot our anchor or try to pull it up, but that’s the mettle that runs through the cruising backbone…always there to help. We were grateful to Bruce and Nick off Wanderlust for marking our anchor so we could try to recover it. Grateful, too, are we, for their quick response, along with s/v Indigo, to fend us off the reef. We’ll figure the anchor retrieval out in a day or two. Right now, we want to make sure the bottom of our boat is ok…doesn’t seem to be any leaks so far, but what does it look like?!
Here’s the dilemma we'll face….sharks.
Normally Randy would put on his snorkel, mask and fins 
and dive the boat to check it out. But we’ve been warned. Sharks in them thar waters in the marina: lemon sharks, nurse sharks and bull sharks. Bull sharks are the 3rd most aggressive of the species. Oh yay! This marina sees a lot of big fishing boats…hence fish that are cleaned…hence sharks. And they’re smart, too. They make a little drive-by once or twice daily to see if any new fishing boats are in. Niiiiccee. Some big barracuda in there, too. Makes getting on and off the boat a little more deliberate. =)So, again...as this exciting day ended and the evening progressed, we popped that beer, brought up that boxed wine to share with all who helped and joined others up at the ‘Nut House’ on the dock for conversation, analyzing the day, and how we should proceed. Nice to be in the marina.
A new day. Wind still blows so being tucked in the marina is comforting. As luck would have it, there was a boat at Rum Cay we knew from Nassau. Not a sail boat, but a funky, power, work boat that is based off of an old converted coast guard ship permanently anchored in Rum Cay. Their purpose…to keep Rum Cay full of fuel at the marina. The converted coast guard ship was originally here to house employees working on major construction on the island. It has been converted to a fuel storage vessel. The work boat had been in Nassau a few days at the marina where we stayed, and in usual Randy fashion, he got to know the guys. The next morning in Rum Cay, as we are trying to decide how we can retrieve our anchor and check the bottom of Kwanesum, the work boat pulls into the marina. Randy took his coffee up to the ‘Nut House’, again for good conversation. Before I know it, a very tall young man is standing at the dock near
our boat, in his swim trunks with diving gear on. He’s going in. He’s going to check the bottom of Kwanesum. You’re kidding me?! Nope…he’s not afraid. He had his sidekick there…watching for sharks. It’s still early in the morning and the sharks don’t usually make their rounds ‘til late. O…K…… This should be interesting. In he went and very quickly made the rounds around the boat. And out he came with his side kick pointing to the marina entrance…."Shark headed this way." Those damn sharks must hear every time there’s a splash in the water! Looked like a nurse shark, which aren’t known to be dangerous, but who wants to test that one!?! Out just in time. "Kwanesum looks ok," he said. "Just some surface, cosmetic scratches." Whew! Dodged that bullet! High Fives all around. Such relief. …As the shark swam slowly by.One of the worries down. Now…will we get our anchor back? We actually thought it was a goner. However, there were two very ambitious young men on a sailboat in the marina who thought they might be able to get it. Again, the cruising community rises to the occasion. Neil and Nick off of s/v Conch Pearl said they’d try to dive on the anchor and retrieve it. Fan-tas-tic! Off they go in their dinghy. Back they come. They found it but couldn’t get it up. "But we’ll keep trying!" Fortunately it’s not too deep, but the water is still pretty choppy and the anchor is stuck in there really tight…not to mention the 250 feet of heavy chain attached to it. At least we know where it is and we have help. Excellent.
Next morning…we see Neil and Nick go out again in their dinghy. We gave them our 'look bucket' to help spot the anchor and it was well marked by the guys on Wanderlust, so finding it again won’t be a problem. Bringing it up off the bottom, however, remains the problem. I notice the workboat parked next to us go out. Noisy, old workboat. Rasta-Man and his sidekick, Billy. Yes…he looks the part. A perfect specimen of the Rastafarian style. Out they go…back they come… with smiles on their faces and our anchor in the back of their boat!! Holy Cow! You've gotta be kidding me?!! They got our anchor! Chain and all. Oh my gosh! They didn’t even tell us they were going to try. With Rasta-man at the helm, the always-smiling Billy dove in and got it. Somehow they were able to dislodge it and pull it all up. Not sure if Neil and Nick were there to help but Randy and I are beside ourselves with glee! How unbelievably lucky are we!?! We are now whole. There will be no glitches in going forward as we now have an anchor again. This is so excellent. Randy gives the R-Man and Billy a large token of our appreciation. Later, Neil told us he and Nick renamed Rasta-man and Billy the Sneaky-Rastas. Neil and Nick were trying to find a way to carefully take the anchor and chain off the reef so as not to harm it. Rasta-man and Billy just man-handled it off when the Conch Pearl duo weren’t looking. Well…not to harm the environment is on all cruisers’ agenda, but apparently not the locals’. Either way…we were ecstatic to have the anchor and chain back on the boat in working condition.
Now we can enjoy Rum Cay. And wait for the weather window. During this hullabaloo we got to know some great new friends. Terri and Lyman off s/v San Clés. They were the boat originally anchored next to us. Mike, Karen and Samantha off s/v Mschiana who have been in the marina waiting for weather for a couple of weeks. Neil and Nick from s/v Conch Pearl, ditto. All great people. Not to mention the people that live on the island.
Not much to do on Rum Cay. Not much at all. It’s a small island, about 10 miles by 6 miles. Buildings mostly sparse and plain. Beautiful beach with interesting shells. I loved walking on this beach. I found some wonderful shells. A great cast of characters occupy the island. The marina area is great. Covered shelters off the docks where we sit to chat often (the 'Nut House')…at sunset usually with a cocktail. We play the 'cruising game', consisting of a ring…on a string…which you swing…up to a hook. If you’re really good…you can even do it backwards. I’m not good. Lyman was the expert, followed by Randy, Mike and Terri. Samantha got pretty good at it, too! There’s a nice restaurant and bar here that is not often open except for happy hour and dinner…if you let them know you’re going to be there.
If you’re not there…they’re not open. 
Still… a great place to gather when we do all show up.Terri and Lyman rounded us up to take a taxi tour of the island. And why not, since we had so much time on our hands. George’s Taxi…the taxi on the island is George’s Taxi. Not sure why they need a taxi on this island but we were glad to acquire his van and his knowledge for a tour. $40/hour… but if we share it, it’s manageable.
I’m going to digress right here a moment to say we learned a lesson. Cash on hand. Cash…not credit cards. We have a coffer of cash we keep on the boat. We should have beefed it up before leaving Nassau. You never know when you’re going to get stuck on a remote island for 2 weeks. An island that doesn’t have a bank... and can’t give you a cash advance on your credit card because there’s no expendable cash on the island... and the mail boat comes in only once a week, if it can get in,... and the cash it brings is for payroll. Dammit. Ok…we need to watch our cash. This lesson will creep up several times on our stay at Rum Cay.
But…back to the tour. We’re all now in "Us Against the Weather" mode, as Mike would say, so having a tour of the island is a great way to pass the time.
The land in the Bahamas is rugged and rough. These islands are made from atolls, which don’t offer a lot to foster flora and fauna.
However, parts of this island found a way. What does grow is interesting and beautiful and often useful! Many of the plants are used for medicinal purposes. Terri and I had many questions about the plants we saw and George was very forthcoming in telling us about them and if they were useful…or dangerous. We learned of the island’s past…locals are descendants of slaves. Of yesteryear…plantations…cotton. Still a few remnants of cotton plants here and there. More recently…several attempts to make tourism prosper on the island, to no avail for various reasons. The latest attempt left big scars on the island where a huge marina was to be developed. Very sad when you look at the large dredged areas just left there. Expensive equipment sitting, rusting. An airport that doesn’t see much action. But the locals prevail with their wonderful attitudes.George took us by the local grocery store…The Last Chance…so we could provision before returning home. Again, the money coffer rears its head. We buy just what is necessary.
“Welcome to the Hotel Rum Cay….
You can check-out any time you like,
but you can never leave!”
We wait. We form the Breakfast Club…or Coffee Club. Every morning at 6:30am we gather on Kwanesum for coffee and to listen to our weather guru, Chris Parker, on the single side band radio. (Glad I brought lots of Starbucks French roast.) We need to find a weather window to carry on. For reasons of location in the marina, our boat is able to pick up the broadcast on the SSB better than the other boats. We all need to get moving, but we want to have good weather and the tropical wave that went through is still hanging on with big winds and chop. As a matter of fact, 4 other boats that have been waiting at anchor decide to come into the marina to wait. The anchorage is getting uncomfortable. Now there’s a full house at the Hotel Rum Cay.
We learn a lot while we’re here…waiting. We learn more about weather. Karen on Mschiana is very skilled in the weather department. We learn more about our single side band radio and getting new weather reports using that medium. Lyman is skilled and experienced with that. He’s very tech savvy. Nice. Mike and Karen have many years of experience cruising beneath their belts. They share their knowledge. Terri shows me websites that are useful for my needs on the blog. We all become fast friends and it’s fun. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We watch the big sport fisher boats come in, clean their fish, and ‘play’ with the sharks. Then fill their tanks with fuel and leave again, $7,000 added on their credit card. (We were hoping they paid in cash.)
Randy carves his conch horn. There are many, many, many conch shells on the beach at Rum Cay. Randy chooses one, George (the taxi man of many talents) carves a hole in the end, Randy taps it out and the conch horn is born. Quickly, the conch blowing talents go from sick cow to… it’s 5 0’clock somewhere! Hooray! We have our official happy hour horn.
Still waiting….things happen: >>a cruiser falls in the water, missing his steps as he tries to get off his boat onto the dock. Not an easy task, that...getting off onto the dock. Not a young man, and sharks are about. He quickly scurries out of the water. Whew! >>A boat slams into the pier. And it wasn’t one of us! The fuel boat…reverse didn’t engage…wham! Another exciting moment. >>Nick catches a mahi mahi and fries it up as hors d’oeuvres for the evening happy hour…excellent. >>The South Africans, both boats of which were the dinghies that helped us when we were caught on the reef, come by to check on us. To see if we’re ok. Such delightful people. The guys off the S African catamaran Indigo come aboard for drinks and tell us great stories while enjoying wine. The delightfulness of times like these is hard to explain. What a rich life we lead. Even while stuck on a remote island…waiting for weather.
Hang on to your hat folks; I think we have a window of opportunity. The Morning Coffee Group…or whatever we decided we were…has spotted a weather window…of more than one day. And it’s been consistently forecasted for a couple of days, which is a good sign. If the weather states the same forecast for at least two or three days, it’s a good indication that it might be stable. So we set the date to leave…finally. Since we’ve been here so long Randy and I decide to forego the Turks and Caicos and head straight for the Dominican Republic where we will stay for hurricane season. San Clés is going to do the same, but they will then go on to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after stopping in the DR. Mschiana and Conch Pearl will head to the Turks. Mschiana will leave their boat there for the season. Conch Pearl will continue on but want to see the Turks first. But we’ll all leave together. The other boats are leaving, too, but are heading North. Their weather window hasn’t been any better that direction either. They leave before we do. We wave goodbye to our fellow cruisers and wish them fair winds.
The plan is to leave first thing in the morning. The plan fails. We wait another day. The plan works. We’re all up early, getting ready to go…to peel off the docks one by one. We are being eaten alive by mosquitoes and noseeums…ugh. But we’re excited. The morning is calm, the water very still. This will make it easier to get out of the not-so-easy-to-get-into marina. Conch Pearl in the lead, then Kwanesum, Mschiana, and San Clés. Our next journey has begun.
The Hotel Rum Cay has let us go.
