Marsh Harbor Junkanoo

Last night we went to the main street with Linda and Bill Daley to watch a childrens junkanoo. this is a lively and colorful parade of the different schools on the island. Each school develops a themed float followed by children dressed in handmade costumes, dancing, playing drums, and horns. The parade was slated to start at 6PM but island time had it starting at 8PM instead.  Apparently when the American loyalists who settled in the Bahamas celebrated  Boxing Day (day after Xmas)  the black slaves also had the day off and started their own celebration of junkanoo.  The adult junkanoo is tonight...starting at 8PM but with island time I don't think we will make it. Enjoy the pictures!

Mermaid Reef

Stoplight parrotfish

After returning to marsh Harbor we found 2 good days to dingy to Mermaid Reef located outside Marsh Harbor on the eastern side. We went with Bill and Linda from s/v Ceili. The first day we snorkeled Jane forgot the camera but since it was cloudy it was not the best for pictures. Our second trip to the reef was a sunny day and a picture is worth a thousand words. These are some of the fish we were able to identify.

Blue tang
Remember the forgetful fish in Finding Nemo?

The two larger fish in the middle
Stripes is the small mouth grunt
Spots is the white grunt

Foureye butterfly

Bluehead wrasse

Needlenose

Yellowtail snapper

Rainbow parrotfish

Blue parrotfish

Sergeant major

Blue chromis

Queen angelfish

Yellowjack

Return to Marsh Harbor

Thursday morning we woke to perfect conditions for a sail back to Marsh harbor. the winds were anywhere from 5-15 out of the NE to E. The return trip is a zig zag rum line to maneuver around reefs and shoals but we were able to keep our sails up until almost the end of the trip.  When we started out there were 7 boats under sail leaving our anchorage...a beautiful sight.

s/v Ceili

Linda & Bill on s/v Ceili

s/v Second Spree

Peter turned on the Jimmy Buffet channel on Serius radio and played it on our intercom horn. That got our friends on Ceili and Second Spree dancing. It was the perfect ending to our trip.


Back in Marsh Harbor we spent Friday replenishing the fresh food supply then in the afternoon we followed Bill and Linda in their dingy to Mermaid Reef, just outside Marsh harbor. We had a delightful hour snorkeling around and trying to identify all the fish.  After showering and changing clothes we went across to Mangos Marina to join Bill & Linda at the restaurant for drinks and conch fritters.

Saturday we took the ferry to Man O War Cay. There was a flea market and craft fair to benefit the school. It is a nice Cay with a very busy main street and a few nice shops. On return we all decided to go to the steak barbecue at our marina and watched the rake and scrape. There are 3 locals who play music on saws, morraccas, and gourds. Then another man does a very impressive limbo under a pole which is lit on fire. We did not get pictures but will try at the next barbecue and post them later.

"Lover's Lane" on Man O War Cay

A hermit crab race at the school

Sunday was another front moving through from the SW. Peter added extra lines as the wind was pushing us off the dock and that made it difficult to get off the boat!!  Jane spent the day working on 2 weeks of laundry!

Shelling, Snorkeling, & Campfires

     On Sunday in Little Harbor a front came through with winds in excess of 20mph. Even though we were inside the harbor the southwest winds were blowing chop directly in the entrance. So at high tide the chop rolled right through. At low tide the sandbar across the entrance broke some of the chop. We stayed aboard all day watching our solar and wind power up the boat! In the evening we went over to our friends on Badjaw along with Lisa and Craig from s/v Second Spree for drinks and appetizers. The only downside to the evening get togethers is that you don't feel like eating...or fixing dinner when returning to your boat about 6:30-7PM. After a few days of that we crave regular dinner food!


     Monday was our last day to stay in Little Harbor. Peter was determined to get a tour of the foundry so when he went ashore he arranged it. What fun to hear about how the brass castings are made using a very old method called "disappearing wax" technique. We met 2 of Pete's sons who live and work on the island.
We found out they went to boarding school in the states and spent their second half of education in Massachusetts outside of Boston. After touring the foundry we went back into the studio to look at the sculpture pieces again. We had lunch at Pete's Pub then returned to our boat to relax for the afternoon.



The Kiln



Molds to make the wax mold

This is where they pour the bronze
into the molds

Tuesday we were up by 7:30, ready to go, but had to wait for the tide to rise. The first to leave at 12:30 was Badjaw with a 4' draft. they read their depth to be 7' going over the sandbar. Next to leave was Second Spree with a 5' draft and they also had similar readings. So, last in line with a 5.5' draft we felt comfortable leaving also. Our depth is set from the bottom of the keel and the lowest we saw was 2' so that was a relief.

We all headed over to Lynyard Cay to anchor again for the night. When we got there we discovered our friends on s/v Ceili were on their way from marsh Harbor. So we all set up a fire pit on the beach with charcoal and a grate then returned later with the crews from Badjaw and Second Spree for a pot luck cookout. We had baked potatoes, hotdogs, beans, and onions. After eating we piled on some drift wood and had a campfire. If only we had chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.......
Hans and Gail from Badjaw were leaving in the morning to make the crossing to Eleuthra so it was a really nice beach party send off.

Hot Dog!!

Beans, potatoes, spiced cabbage

The motley crew

Who got voted off the island?

Tuesday, February 14, 2012


RIP Kendra



This evening I received emails that my friend from across the street, Kendra, had passed away. Kendra loved her Florida home and watching the sunset from her lanai. This is what I saw watching the sunset only 2 days later.

Wednesday the weather was so beautiful that we decided to stay another night at Lynyard Cay. We went to a small beach opposite our anchorage and found lots of small shell to collect. Linda and Bill joined and had some finds....beautiful shells and a small fender that Bill is now using for dingy landings alongside his boat!

After lunch we went in the dingy about 1-2 miles to Sandy Cay where there are a few moorings for dingies. Peter went out to snorkel with Lisa and Craig. He said it was the most beautiful & pristine reef he had seen. What a find. Afterwards we rafted in our dingies with Lisa & Craig to have some water and snacks. Later that evening we went to s/v Ceili for sundowners and snacks. All in all it was a great 9 days away from the dock!

Saturday in Little Harbor

The next morning we sat with coffee relaxing. About an hour and a half before full tide we see s/v Second Spree passing through the channel. This is the boat which grounded yesterday. As they finally crossed over the sand bar we went on deck to give them a hand. They are Lisa and Craig from the Chesapeake Bay area and were very happy to be in. They moored next to us and we visited with them about 2 hours later for tea and apple cake.

We actually saw hermit crabs walking across
the road, hilarious!!!





The Lion Fish



In the afternoon we put on our diving suits and joined our new neighbors snorkeling under the old pier near the beach. The water was once again cloudy in the area so our visibility was poor. That did not deter the fish from enjoying their environment. Among several dozens of species we saw two Lion Fish. These are an invasive species in the Bahamas and the government has put a bounty on their head. However we did not disturb them, just took a few pictures.

The wind picked up again and to our surprise a group of people showed up at the dock with mini racing yachts. They laid out a race course in the harbor but after several attempts had to quit the regatta because of increasing winds.





Some of the incredible creatures
 clinging to the rocks. They range from 1"
to 4"



Another colony of color full
sea creatures among the rocks.
They range from 1/2" to 1"

Later in the day we walked along another beach on the ocean side of the island and saw several colonies of creatures clinging to the rocks. The rocky shore beyond the beach was full of perfectly scooped out pockets formed over the decades or centuries from other stones rolling around and around with every turn of the tide. Man could not have carved such perfect bowls.







After a hard day of exploration

we stopped by Pete's Pub for a little libation!!



T shirts line the roof of Pete's Pub

Gail found an old t shirt which we all signed and hung

Hopefully it will be there the next time we come!

Peter found more than shells...a hard hat

A neat blowhole
We would love to see it on an incoming tide!