Glory Days: Digging Deeper

If I were a gamblin’ man I’d bet on the sun,

and I’d bet on the tide to take me home.

For when the morning comes, and the day’s ahead of me

these are the only certainties...

Seagulls fly above me without a single care.

Sometimes your their target but you always have a prayer

That keeps me ever safe no matter where I roam.

Thats why this is my home.

Upon leaving the Black Point Settlement, I continued south digging deeper into the heart of the Exumas... fair winds carried me past places like Musha Cay, Little Farmers Cay and Rudder Cay where the water seemed to get more clearer each mile i traveled...

It was at Rudder Cay where I met up with Zach and Pat Krochina again aboard their vessel Guacamole... We really shared a lot of laughs and good times so we buddy boated together again.... We met at Rudder Cay to dive the site known as the Mermaid and the Piano... Evidently, rich man David Copperfield, local resident and island owner, donated this beautiful stainless steel sculpture of a comely mermaid sitting beside a baby grand piano... yep, and its all under water in crystal clear water for divers to come and view... so here we are posing with the mermaid…

After the mermaid dive we sailed our boats on to Lee Stocking Island... I took the outside route in the blue water, hoping to catch fish... Guacamole took the inside more shallow route ... we would soon meet up again... However on the way to Lee Stocking Island, I had a slight delay... its what we call running around... I had just stopped for lunch anchored at Little Farmers Cay and proceeded south…

I studied the chart and noticed there was a little “short cut” to shave off a mile but it involved navigating through some shallow waters... Since my boat only draws 4’, I figured I could make it... and I did make it, except for the final 100 yards where she kissed the sand... This was the first time I had run aground here where I could not set her free with a combination of engine power and my savvy steering technique... Certain sections like this are labeled VPR on the chart... that stands for Visual Piloting Rules.... in other words, open your big eyes and LOOK where you are going and don’t rely totally on instruments or GPs….

you can actually READ the water if you study it… obviously, I did not read it correctly... Thankfully, the tide was on the rise... so after waiting 2 hours I was able to set her free and continue on, no harm done... It was funny, because I could see Guacamole breeze by me while I was aground... they didn’t even notice me sitting there like a lump on a log.

Here’s some thoughts on “reading the water”... There are all types of bottoms, geological features, reefs, coral heads and depths here... but this general rule of thumb has held true for me so far.

TIPS ON “READING THE WATER”

Cobalt Blue : way way deep... could be 500’ - 2000’ or deeper… deeper than all get out...

Navy Blue: about 50 to 100’ deep. Good fishin’

Clear Blue: 10-25’ feet deep. (often found in channels)

Turquoise: 5-10’ deep (gorgeous and great anchoring except in grassy bottoms)

Black Circular spots : coral heads - hard as rocks - beware

Sandy tan color: AVOID! It looks pretty to see, but you WILL run around here.

Here's some of the water types you must learn to read to be successful here… or at least it's a start… you can never really be completely sure...

It spooks me when I call back home and ask friends how there weekend went only to discover that today is only thursday… I can't help it if I lose track of the days… I'm so far removed from freeways,routines, and fast food chains that it all just runs together into one big long day or what others call a "week"…

... be creative, learn new things, explore, help others.... love, smile at strangers, consider new thoughts and just sit and stare… or sail a boat into the bahamas if you like

There’ a southeasterly blowing in the bay,

and it will take me…

all the way to wherever... I might roam.

cause I don’t worry....this is my home.

This photo and the little video below were taken at the Thunderball Grotto… Remember the movie with James Bond… the REAL James Bond, Sean Connery… some of the movie scenes were shot here.

This was taken at Perry's Peak, the highest point in the Exumas at 39 meters… or 127' high… nice.

This is picture postcard beach for the trail to Perry's Peak...

I never imagined that the geology of the Bahamas would be so rocky… I figured it would be just flat sand beaches since its so close to Florida… but nooooooooooooooo…. here you will find cliffs, bluffs, rocky outcrops and an endless array of formations all formed from thousands of years of pounding the sea…

The islands are not as lush as I figured they would be…. in fact there is little rain this time of year… I'll bet I've not had even one inch of rain in the past two months here...

Interesting rock formations like this rising from the sea always amaze me… to remain in the channel, you have to skirt this outcrop just a mere few yards away… one slip of the wheel and you're toast… so i stay focused mind you… not for night sailing here, my friend.