20091213 Lucaya, Grand Bahama

20091213 Lucaya, Grand Bahama We have spent 2.5 days at the Port Lucaya Marina, Lucaya Grand Bahama. The first ½ day after our all nighter transit from Ft. Lauderdale, we ate, returned to Angel, then we slept like mummies. I awoke slowly in the morning, my unconsciousness lifting like a heavy fog from valleys with no wind, using only ambient sunlight to remove the mist. I remember waking in the same position in which I fell asleep. As I moved a foot and leg, I noted that only the sheets directly under my body were warm, all other areas cool to the touch. My body and mind were stirring, but not in synchronization. Joint stiffness was notable, especially in my overworked hands and shoulders. My hands were cramped and fingers curved in the same fashion as if the tiller was still grasped tightly in them. My mind was not ready to make even the simplest decision. I knew only great thirst. Two bottles of water just started my days water rations. I drank glasses of water at every meal, along with coffee, diet Coke and tea. By nightfall, my thirst had abated. The first full day in Lucaya, was one for exploration. We dressed and went into the market area, where we found a restaurant for breakfast. Cocoanut pancakes and a gyro omlette were shared with tea and a really good cup of coffee. On the way to the head in the restaurant, I met Sam, a regular and native, who was a merchant seaman for 50 years. He described our proposed route to the Exumas, suggesting harbors with good holding and protection. We next wandered the shops of Lucaya Village. Straw baskets and hats, T-shirts, jewelry, bangles, conch shell trinkets and other tourist goods were everywhere. The artisans in the booths were friendly and conversant. When asked, many said business was slow with the US economy down. We also saw many restaurants, noting the ones we would visit before our departure. Conch appetizers at the Cappaccino. Here we snagged 2 Bahama Mamma’s each, plus fried conch with Dijon mustard dipping sauce. The next conch appetizer, consisted of conch fritters, similar to hush puppies containing bits of conch. Other notable meals were Greek Souvlaki and salad and fish gyros. Instead of lamb, these Greek dishes used traditional sauces, with onions and pita bread around chicken or fish. I also made a list of boat repairs, and systematically moved down the page to get the boat ready for travel again. The list included, removing and restoring the anchor chain into the anchor locker, adding a grommet to the hawse pipe cover and securing it to the opening, finding and fixing a short in our running light circuit, add lines to two flat fenders, organize bow and stern dock lines, organize additional spring lines for docking, remove frayed section of main sheet (need to replace, next stop), move small oil lamp to v-berth and install large oil lamp in main salon, install cheater blocks for genoa sheets to get better angle onto main winches, WD-40 tools, clean deck, clean dodger and bimini, fix main depth sounder, and finally find and mend the slow leak in the inflatable dinghy. The two most important are the depth sounder and dinghy repairs. This morning, I visited UNEXSCO, a local dive operation, explained my need for an air tank, bouancy compensation vest (BC) and regulator, to inspect the depth sounder, installed in Angel’s keel. They were very helpful and agreed to rent me the equipment. I pumped up the dink, dropped it in the water, added the engine and gas tank and motored over across the harbor. Keith helped equip me and I motored back. Cat steadied the tank on the gunwale, while I balanced in the dink. In a few minutes, I was under Angel, finding a tenacious barnacle on the depth sounder transducer. Removing it with a wire brush, the random numbers settled down to give stable and accurate readings. As an added benefit of this adventure, I inspected the bottom of the dinghy pontoons from below, discovering a stream of Champagne size bubbles from a pinhole on the port side. After restowing the dinghy and engine. I rinsed both with fresh water and allowed to dry as Cathy and I again made ourselves presentable with shower and clean clothes. Later, after the pontoon was limp again, I scrubbed the area clean with a new kitchen sponge, and applied a patch. We shall see if it holds. The weather during our stay has been mixed. The first ½ day, we had partly cloudy skies and some light showers. The second day, was bright and sunny and warm. The second night was rainy and very windy. Our dock lines strained and Angel swayed in the gusts. The weather forecast predicts good winds and light seas for our travels tomorrow. Lucaya is a place of tourists, great restaurants, markets and friendly people. For us, it is a place of repose, renourishment and recovery. Tomorrow, we head south to the Berry Islands, on the way to the Exumas. Jim and Cathy PS Pictures are loading very slowly with this wifi. We will update,when we have a better internet connection.