Sprechen Sie Engine?

   And so we continue with part 2 . . .

Amid Ships On Deck For This One 

  Once we were able to maneuver out of Staniel Cay, we headed over to Hawksbill Cay.  Our sail over was slow due to the lack of stronger winds but, it was definitely peaceful.  We went "wing and wing" nearly the entire trip (The Jib/Genoa out to one side, the Mainsail out to the other). This sail configuration is really only good for light winds when you're headed down wind, but those are the conditions we had.  So, away we went!  As you can tell from the pictures, I tried to show this by taking various shots from the boat.  This produced some interesting sail pics but, didn't show the whole boat (of course).  Oh, well.  I tried.

Taken From The Stern

 

Some Interesting Rock Formations On The Beach

   After dropping anchor, we settled in for the night.  The next morning, we went with the Uplifting crew (Tom and Linda) to see the cairn atop a ridge on the cay.  It was a quick but, steep climb and the views were impressive.  We could see for miles in all directions.  The cairn is something that has been built up over the years by sailors, each adding a stone represent their presence there.  So, we (Tom and Linda and Bill and I) took turns placing our rocks on the cairn, took a few pictures/videos, and headed back down the trail.

These Shells Were Part Of The
Conglomerate Rock Formations

 

Little Pool Behind The Rocks

Lava + Colder Water = Cool Rock Formations 

View From The Edge Of The Cay

The Tide Was Marked By
A Line Of Shells

View From The Top Of The Cairn

 

Interesting Flowers

Taking My Turn With The Rocks

Bill's Turn

 
   Later that day, S/V Knotty Kat sailed in to continue the journey with us.  Unfortunately, they arrived at a time when the swells were starting to pick up.  We all had a pretty uncomfortable night and decided to pull up anchor for calmer waters.

A Snail Attached Itself To A Mangrove Leaf

 

   Our next stop?  Shroud Cay.  Yes.  Shroud, as in a burial shroud.  Supposedly, the cay was named that because someone thought the aerial view showed it to have the same shape as a shroud . . . I don't know that I see it but, like I said, someone that got their first, did.  That being said, I think "shroud" is kind of a dark name for a cay that is so beautiful.  This was, by far, my favorite cay/island for exploring.

Heading Down Through The Mangroves

 



   Hans and Laura (Knotty Kat), Tom and Linda (Uplifting), and Bill and I spent a few days just exploring.  There were many little inlets and mangrove channels to explore.  We were only limited by the tides and the depths as to where we could go.  One particular trip, the longest by far, proved to be the best spot on the cay.  We wound our way through the curving waterway and around shallow areas until, finally, we made it to a spot that opened up to the Atlantic.  It was gorgeous and, although we knew it wasn't, the beach appeared virtually "untouched".

Our Platoon

View From Camp Driftwood

   There is a place on a hill in this beautiful place called Camp Driftwood.  In the 60's there was a man who came to this spot in the Bahamas and decided to make a home for himself out of driftwood.  He brought anything he could find on the beach to make and adorn his new home and even scattered load after load of beach sand up the hill to create a better walkway.  Years after the man left (don't know where he went), people continued to travel to this site and many left trinkets there (shells, stones, boat memorabilia, etc.).  This made it quite an eclectic destination.  Sadly, during the last few years, some very thoughtless boaters started to leave, not trinkets but, trash behind.  This, of course, did not sit well with the caretakers of the site.  The problem eventually got bad enough that the decision was made to put a ban on the leaving of items and to remove what was already there.  There is a sign where the house once stood, that states that anything left behind will be removed by the staff . . . must people be so careless?

Beautiful

 

Amazing

Conch Shell On The Beach

The Inside Of An Opened Conch Shell . . . Kinda Cool

Wilbur, Knotty Kat's Dog . . . Yes, Knotty Kat Has A Dog

   While in Shroud, we also met up with a man named Roland.  Roland (on S/V Seabiscuit) pulled into the anchorage not long after we did.  The winds had started to pick up and, we noticed that as he was pulling in, he was single-handing.  Trying to pick up a mooring ball on his own in strong winds was proving to be a rather laborious effort for him.  So, since were were right beside him, we decided to dinghy over and help.  Once he was secured, he thanked us (in a very thick German accent) and explained that his engine was nearly dead . . . hmm . . . that sounds familiar. His German accent caught us off guard since he was flying a Brazilian flag but, turns out this blonde-haired, blue-eyed man had European (German and Swiss) parents who immigrated to Brazil after the war.  Funny enough, Bill actually speaks German (so does Hans on Knotty Kat) and, since Roland's German was better than his English, Bill mostly conversed with him in German and translated for me.        

   When we weren't exploring, Bill and I spent a good amount of time with Roland.  Since we were both having serious engine issues, Bill would go to help Roland with his engine and Roland would come over to do the same for us.  He actually ended up helping us to repair one of our solar panels that was damaged by a Mainsail line.  Unfortunately, his help did not result in a working engine for us but, the conversation was interesting, the help was welcomed on both ends, and we even received a bottle of wine from him as a gift for our assistance.

   Next up, our fleet of four (Roland included), sail to Highborne Cay . . .

   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)