2012-01-12 to 14 Allen’s Cay – Highbourne Cay Marina

On Thursday we spent a lazy day enjoying great weather. Went to the beach at SW Allen’s Cay and just enjoyed the tranquillity of the place. Tranquillity occasionally shattered by the high pitched squeals of laughter from Luther and Zeke

We got chatting to another Canadian Couple, off Polar Bear, who had also dinghied to the beach. Most discussion seems to revolve around the weather and what each boat was planning. So we were discussing the wind and cold front that was approaching although there was no indication that it was coming!!

So, every morning it’s up at 6.30 for the weather forecast and then decision time about what to do for the day – move or stay? Today, we booked into the marina for a few days while the cold front and the associated high winds pass over. The forecast for the rest of the month seems to be very favourable

Later that day Leanne and I dinghied around Leaf Island and inside Allen’s Cay and found this tiny little beach very close to where we were anchored but couldn’t see from the boat. So, later we went around there and Mary and I snorkelled – optimistically looking for conch and lobster. What we found was a graveyard of conch shells. Obviously others had been there many times over the years!

Given the forecast yesterday we thought to move to an anchorage off Highborne Cay. So we headed there to look and decide. At one anchorage there seemed to be a raging current and at another we weren’t sure of the holding. So we dropped anchor at the northernmost anchorage but I couldn’t get the anchor to set – despite the various cruising guides indicating excellent holding. Further off the beach there seemed to be great holding in sand but the area would have been very exposed to the forecast winds. So we simply hightailed it back to Allen’s Cay for the night.

We dropped the hook at the same place that we had departed from. Here, the chain jammed in the winch, so I had to deploy the second rode and sort out the problem. Cleared the jam but then found that the windlass had stopped working. Further testing seems to indicate that it’s the motor that has packed a sad So, this morning it was a manual hoisting of the anchor

Also, on looking at emptying the holding tank, I found it was absolutely bulging!! Doesn’t take long for 3 adults and one child to fill a 40 gallon holding tank! Then while emptying it, it seemed to be on the verge of imploding!!! So, I deduced that the air vent was blocked. Loosened the air vent pipe and the pressure in the tank equalised and I was able to empty it fully. Of course, this left me with the problem of trying to see where the air vent was blocked. I mean, how do you find a blockage in 10 feet of pipe that runs in all awkward areas through the bilge of the boat? That took the whole afternoon but eventually got it sorted. Of course, it had to be at the other end from where I started looking!!

Goodness knows why I seem to always have issues with the toilets!!!

Today we got the weather which indicated 15-20 knot winds which we thought wouldn’t be too bad in Allen’s Cay. The guides do indicate that it can get rough when the wind pipes up. Later we heard that 3 other boats in Allen’s Cay were booking into Highborne Marina for the next 3 nights. Upon reflection, we then decided upon a more conservative course and also booked ourselves in. So manually up anchored and headed to Highborne passing 2 of the sailboats that had left before us. Sometimes I miss a sailboat but this was not one of those occasions

So here we are, with internet and all facilities.

Bought a litre of milk at the shop – which is pretty well stocked – for $9.00 and a loaf of bread for $5.75. Guess this will be the last time we buy fresh milk in the Bahamas! Powdered milk and coffee creamer from here onwards!

Very nice marina but pretty expensive – everything is charged for: the slip, electricity, water, even the showers at $4.00 for a +/- 7 minute shower

More tomorrow… with photos.