5/13/20

We're still here in the Ragged Islands, Bahamas watching the weather, enjoying time with friends, sailing between Double Breasted and Hog Cays, snorkeling, kayaking......If you've looked at the SPOT link you'll see Hog Cay and Double Breasted as beginning and ending points.  We can't sail between the two cays in a straight line.  We sail out to the west around Margaret Shoal and then sail back to the east to the cay to anchor.  If you zoom out on the SPOT page you'll get a better idea of where we are in the Bahamas. 
The 20 some boats down here are like one family and living in a virus-free bubble.  We live on our own boats and get together for activities with no worries.  We've all been down here for a month or two or three or more.  None of us have had contact with anyone else.  The 20 some residents on Ragged Island, the only settlement nearby, have been isolated for 6 weeks as well.  I know you are living in a different world.  Every day we talk about how lucky we are to be here in this unique virus-free community.  Here are some pictures of what's going on.....

The mailboat Captain C at the government dock unloading supplies.  The cruisers arrive by dinghy to pick up boxes of groceries we've ordered, gasoline, diesel, or whatever else has been ordered.  Some cruisers got together and bought some goats from the locals.  The ambitious doctor/dentist/surgeon took care of skinning, cleaning and  slicing up the meat.

Everyone wears facemasks as we wait for the boat to be unloaded.  The captain and crew on Captain C are from Duncan Town here on Ragged Island.  They don't go ashore when in Nassau and take special precautions to keep everything clean.  The boxes ride on the mailboat for 4 or 5 days before arriving here.  I suppose just like you, we sanitize everything we receive from the mailboat.

I sailed from Double Breasted to Hog Cay aboard Avalon, Andy and Charli's 55' catamaran.

Andy is Captain Morgan - he's running the spinnaker and we're going fast!

Cruisers gather at Hog Cay for a birthday party for John on Long Reach.

The Hog Cay "yacht club" hut is at capacity!

Sunset at the birthday party.  A cruiser planted 3 coconuts a couple years ago.  Fencing to keep the goats from eating them!  After the sun set the bonfire was lit and we played guitar and sang songs until wee hours of the morning.

Back to Double Breasted where Jerra, Jerry and I shuck coconuts aboard Persephone.

Jerra, Jerry and Ryan with the tree Jerra and Ryan dragged to the beach, planted and built into a throne.

A view of the "yacht" club at Double Breasted (aka TTYC).  Everyone is ready for Andy's 50th birthday party.  His theme - wear something you found on the beach.  Jerra, in the picture, is wearing a dress I found on the beach.  Jerry has Mickey in his pocket.  The Mickey Mouse we found on Buena Vista years ago.

Here's my Haitian shirt I found and a skirt made from plastic bags found on the beach.  The plastic bags were water bags distributed for hurricane relief which found their way to the ocean.  The beach is littered with thousands of them.  Brian of Delos is wearing a vest he found on the beach.

Karin, wearing her Haitian beach dress with Sierra who is loving the pork butt Ryan cooked in a pit on the beach earlier.

Andy, whose birthday we're celebrating, with his pants and shirts from the beach.  Charli is wearing shorts, a belt and a scarf fashioned into a top all found in an area where Haitians were camping after their raft wrecked back in February.

Andy and Charli are from Australia.  Here Andy is cooking "snaggers" on the barbie, sauteed onions are in the pot, tomato sauce (aka ketchup) and bread on the table to make proper snaggers.  Crikey!  They were bloody good!

The table is a wire spool dragged from the ocean side of Double Breasted and dinghied to the yacht club.  We have music and christmas lights powered by a solar panel and battery.  The 12 volt fridge/freezer you see under the table and the two ice machines are powered by a Honda generator.

Jerry with ice at the TTYC. 

We plan to stay here keeping a close eye on the weather as hurricane season approaches.  Hopefully the virus situation will improve in the US for a return at some point.  The Erie Canal will probably not be open any time soon due to construction and maintenance projects delayed because of the virus.  Please keep in touch!  We love to hear from you!

4/28/20

We hope that you are healthy and making the best of the current situation.  Years from now a topic of conversation will be "Where were you during the pandemic of 2019-2020?"  We spend hours reading about what's going on at home, making calls, emails, messages to check on family and friends.  Here's hoping that you are healthy and that you stay that way!
There have been 80 confirmed Covid 19 cases in the Bahamas.  A country that has few health resources for their population.  Many dedicated professionals but not many resources.  I believe the fatality rate here is 13.8%.  Luckily, most all of the confirmed cases have been contained to the 2 islands that have a "city" - New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport).  The other cases have been on Bimini and Cat Cay which is just south of Bimini.  No cases reported from the rest of the Bahamas.  Island populations here in the Bahamas have greatly benefited from living on an island and the Prime Minister's quick lock down of any travel between islands.
Our world is a bit different down here.  The Ragged Islands are so far from any settlement we don't have the worries.  The only settlement in the area, Duncan Town with about 20 residents, have asked us not to come to town.  All of the boats here, about 25, have been here for a month or more.  That means no contact with anyone on land, no trips to grocery stores or gas stations.  Here we are able to go to walk on the uninhabited islands, get together, even shake hands - all the luxuries our friends and families back home are longing for.  What's amazing is that we are able to order groceries!  Super Value grocery store in Nassau offers the service, like instacart.  Open an account, make your list.  You're connected to a person at the store who puts your order together for you.  We were on the phone for only a few minutes to clarify by words or pictures to make sure she was gathering what we wanted.  She boxes everything and it is transferred to the mailboat (2 boxes dry goods, 1 box freezer, 1 box cooler).  The mailboat delivers to the government dock 3 times a month.  Our order should be here by Friday or Saturday!  The only other thing we need to survive is water.  We haven't even used 75 gallons of the water we put in the tanks in Georgetown on 3/23.  When we do need water most boats have already offered water - they all have water makers onboard.  It's a wonderful community, everyone helping each other make the best of the situation that no one knew we were going to be experiencing!
Most boats are either anchored at Hog Cay or Double Breasted.  We call the 6 boats at Double Breasted the "kid" boats as all 6 couples are 30-ish.  We have made a couple of trips sailing from one group at Double Breasted to the other at Hog Cay.  Our plans are to stay in the Raggeds for now.  We have plenty of food, water, sun and good neighbors.
Here are some pictures...........

We have plenty of fish!  Jerry brings home a porgy and 2 snapper.  He's wearing his fishing hat and bandana to stay out of the sun while out fishing.

Jerry brings his vacuum pump and gauges to Delos to fix their freezer that died.  And while he was there he fixed the other freezer that hasn't been working for months.  They had just filled their freezer a couple days before with the food they had ordered. You know the old theme song from Mighty Mouse?  That's what I've been singing "Here he comes to save the day!"

Fresh fish Jerry caught put on a bread he baked, coleslaw, and a Non-Alcoholic beer.  Jerry is in paradise!

Jerry went shopping at the only boutique around - SV Delos to buy me a birthday present for April 1st.

A silver palm frond basket finished for my niece Sydney's birthday on 4/6.

Removing the husk of one of the coconuts we gathered.

We gathered 6 to drink the water from and scrape the coconut meat out of.

2 coconuts ready to be emptied then cracked open and then scraped/grated.

The full moon super moon rises above Hog Cay.  You can even see the sandy beach with the moonlight.

The "kids" have built their own "yacht club" at Double Breasted.  Complete with a flag - "The beatings will continue until the morale improves."

A view of the yacht club

Opening night at the yacht club. Members only.

I'm being allowed to come in!

Thanks Jerra!

The start of another "monster mash".  The 12 "kids" in 3 teams make up physical and mental challenges once a week.  What a blast!  Jerry has played the part of referee, videographer, and nautical-question challenge maker.  In order for Brian and Karin to participate they need a baby sitter - me!  Yeah!

The teams listen to instructions for the next event at the "monster mash".

Grandma Karen plays babysitter for Sierra who will be 8 months old on 5/4.

Bonfire on the beach at Double Breasted (before the fancy yacht club was built).

Sunset over the sand and palms anchored at Man-O-War.

Thanks for keeping in touch with your words and letters about what's going on in your lives!

Karen and Jerry

3/30/20

My view from the Hog Cay "yacht club" as I start making a basket from silver palm fronds.

How the world has changed since I last posted.  My first thoughts and prayers are for friends and family back home.  Hope all is well.  We have the luxury of internet onboard here in the Bahamas.  Please keep in touch. 

We originally planned to head back to FL and then make our way up the east coast as we usually do in April/May.  Those plans have changed.  The Bahamas seem like a safer place right now.  The Bahamian government is allowing foreigners to stay; we just have to follow their rules.  They are in lock down – only essential trips to the grocery, pharmacy or such.  All other businesses are closed.  Only 10 people allowed in the grocery store at one time.  The Bahamas has the advantage that the country is made up of many islands so self-isolating and social distancing is easy.  As of today there are only 9 cases of COVID in the Bahamas, 8 in Nassau and 1 in Freeport.  The locals here are taking the Prime Minister’s words seriously.  The restrictions were put in place promptly.  The Prime Minister is a medical doctor who was the Minister of Health previously so he is taking this matter to heart.

Since I last posted, before the COVID pandemic ramped up, we shared more dinners and played more games aboard Bluejacket with Jerry and Donna and met with others on shore.

Jerry and Susan tend the fire for the grill party at Hog Cay.

Grill party at Hog Cay!

Sierra enjoys chewing on a drumstick with her new teeth.

Donna, Karin, Sierra, Jerry at Hog Cay making smores

 

 

Karin samples a smore.

Jerry makes sure not to waste a drop of the marshmallows!

And more hiking along and on the beach. 

Hog Cay - ocean side beach walk taken from the tops of the dunes.

When I can’t find sea glass I go further up the beach, often into the tops of the dunes, to find glass bottles to break that will eventually turn into sea glass.  Look what I found! 

A glass float!

This is a glass fishing float that was used to hold up fishing nets.  According to the internet and the experts down here, they were often used in Europe and are still used by the Japanese fishermen.  I cannot find any distinguishing marks on it but it is obviously hand blown and the glass is thick.  It’s incredible to think that floats like these have bobbed along the ocean for who knows how long only to end up here in the Bahamas.  It probably was deposited at the top of the dune during the hurricanes and was safely embedded within the other bottles and sticks that ended up in a pile.   Walking around the tops of the dunes is a tricky job trying to walk around or on top of small bushes with poky features.  Jerry says my scratched up legs looked like I was attacked by a pteradactyl .  But it’s fun!  I even had something like poison ivy (poison wood tree) from one outing.  It lasted about 10 days; just like poison ivy.  My friend Susan and I have bushwhacked all over Hog Cay north to south.  Here are some pictures of the remains of a small building on the south end of Hog Cay.  The hurricanes tore the roof off years ago.

Susan, in the distance behind me, marks the trail as we bushwhack to the ruins on Hog Cay.

Stone walls from a house on Hog Cay.

A view looking north from the ruins on Hog Cay.  We can see the boats anchored at Hog in the distance.

A wash pan, fire pit, door knob and shingles found at the ruins.

When the corona virus news started expanding and rumor that there were cases in the Bahamas we decided to move to a more remote place for one boat.  Hog Cay had a record number of boats arrive from other islands and the 4 o’clock happy hour turned into a small crowd.  30 people!  Up to Nurse Cay for snorkeling/fishing and then to Buena Vista to anchor next to Blue Jacket.  

Persephone at Nurse Cay

Persephone at Nurse Cay.

Ruins from Nurse Cay. 

 

An agave or century plant.  The tall stalk comes up every 30 years or so; not once a century.

Jerry and Jerry had one more opportunity to go hunting together.

2 snapper and 1 grouper that was in the wrong place at the wrong time while spearing the big snapper.

Hog Fish

One snapper.  One porgy.

We anchored in front of the once-home of Edward Lockhart.  His family used to live on Buena Vista years ago and he decided he wanted to return there to live and he did so for a number of years.  But the years and hurricanes took their toll.  The roof blew off his house during the last hurricane.  He survived – he tied himself to a tree.  Locals and cruisers helped Edward prop the roof against his house so he’d have some shelter.  But with failing eyesight and other health concerns the family said no.  You’re coming to live with us in Nassau.  So, Edward is well taken care of though I imagine longing for his simple, self-sufficient, hard but peaceful way of life back at Buena Vista.  There are still 2 roosters and a hen (and eggs), a peahen (the peacock is gone), and goats that are surviving somehow.  I’m sure any cruisers, such as ourselves, stop by to feed and water the birds when we’re there.

Edward's place on Buena Vista after the hurricane.

his is the tree Edward tied himself to during the hurricane.

Lots of conch were processed and consumed here.

Looking out from Edward's causarina tree towards the water. 

Edward's bible, saw and a stuffed animal someone found along the beach.

We found an egg.

Edward's goat pens - the goats are now roaming the island.

One of the two roosters and one hen on Buena Vista.

Edward's water collection method for the animals.  We fixed things up and made sure that it would still work.

A very lonely peahen

Jerry and Jerry stand next to Edward's boat on the beach.

From Buena Vista we had to make a trip back to Georgetown.  We were low on propane, water, fresh fruits and veggies, and we had to go to immigration to extend our stay.  We happened to arrive the night the Prime Minister gave his speech and set restrictions.  We were still able to do laundry, stock up with fresh food for ourselves and others we left in the Raggeds, buy gasoline for the dinghy.  Those are considered essential.  We filled up our water tanks (120 gallons) by taking our 5 gallon jugs to the dinghy dock, filling them from the hose, hoisting them on deck, and putting them in the tank through the deck fill.  Lots of work but that will last us a long time at 2 gallons per day.  We dinghied to shore north of town, carried the empty 20 lb propane tank up and over the hill to Sun Oil where they filled it for us.  Yes!  We have propane!  We will be able to cook!  There have been many times that propane was not available on island.  Glad they still had some!  The only thing we didn’t accomplish was immigration.  The sign on the door said “Closed – Until Further Notice”.    So off we sailed to Thompson Bay, Long Island.  Jerry rented a car and drove to the airport to extend our immigration.  Officer Smith met Jerry outside in the breezeway wearing mask and gloves, put the rubber stamps in our passports and sent him on his way.  Now – ready to head back to the Ragged Islands!

2 stalks of bananas from the farmer's market.  Grown on Exuma!

Bananas from the grocery store.

 

We had a nice sail from Long Island – 13 hours in total to end up at Buena Vista where we had left from 6 days before.  We anchored next to Jerry and Donna on Bluejacket, put on our masks and rubber gloves and delivered some fresh produce.  Later in the afternoon Brian from Delos arrived with someone to video his grocery pick up.  (We were helping out, as other boats did, so Delos, with a 7 month old baby on board, didn't have to go to Georgetown for provisions.)  When you have a YouTube channel your life is consumed by recording footage to edit and publish including a pick-up of groceries!  Brian arrived with a scuba respirator, mask, gloves and a scan gun to check our temperatures.  We loaded their dinghy with their grocery wish list we had picked up in Georgetown of fruits, veggies, cans of beans and tomatoes, rice, flour, and more. 

Brian, of Delos, brings a scan gun and checks our temperature when he boards.

Brian, from Delos, with a thumbs up and a dinghy load of food.

Hey Brian!  You forgot the potatoes!

Then onto Hog Cay to deliver more bananas!  For the next 14 days we are considering ourselves somewhat quarantined – no boarding any other boats or joining the gatherings.  As a matter of fact, there’s a cold front approaching Wednesday (no joke!) and we will have to scurry out of wifi range for a few days where we will be isolated anyways. 

Please send news when you can….and it seems that many of you are “stuck” at home for the time being.   We’d love to hear from you!