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July 25, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 7 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Friday – We woke up to a beautiful, quiet anchorage in the Creek. The tide came in during the evening, with high tide about 1:30 a.m. The boat had rotated in the channel so I got up to relieve myself and check everything. The stars were amazing and the east wind actually dropped a little to more of a breeze.

I was up early as the tide had started back out around 5:30. The sunrise was beautiful and I enjoyed a little Spa channel on the XM satellite radio and sipped my first cup of coffee while stretching my back. It has been a tough week for physical fitness but at least I am staying limber. We eventually came to the conclusion that we would wait for the bottom of the tide then add a few hours before we made the trek across the North Bight. High tide on the east side of Andros coincides with low tide on the west, with the high tide hump traveling across from east to west. So to hit the high water in the middle we needed to leave on the low tide on the west and hope that as the tide dropped on the east we would have enough draft.

The Squirrel suggested we start the day with Bloody Mary’s, which was an excellent option considering we were in one of Dwight’s resting places and one of his world famous Bloody Mary’s seemed appropriate. I fixed up my best mix and it was delicious, using my dad’s special blend, of which I refused to reveal the ingredients. Dave was onto the Worstershire Sauce but could never guess the rest. I wasn’t telling.

We were all sitting enjoying the salon, reading, writing, doing puzzles and enjoying the respite from the relentless wind and doctor flies. They had been atrocious all week. We were killing time, waiting for the tide when we spotted a conga line of spongers headed to work. They looked very solemn as they headed out into the open waters. I was working on this story when the next thing I see is Charlie Bethel pulled up next to us in his 31’ Jupiter, with twin 250’s. He was headed to town to pick up a generator and had one of his crew tailing along in a big Carolina skiff. That was our sign that is was time to up anchor and head across the Bight. The Squirrel and I finished our third Bloody Mary (yes it was a GOOD morning), pulled anchor and headed out, thankfully with Dave at the helm.

Loggerhead Creek is a nice, wide, deep waterway with mangroves on each side with a reputation for sharks. As you proceed upstream the depth quickly peters out to nothing, except the wheel channel. Dave eased us into this narrow channel and we continued our slow motoring to the east. It was a nice, uneventful run with adequate water and an occasional show of a turtle or some sharks.

We arrived just off shore from Crazy Charlie’s and decided to take him some of our extra supplies. It would be me and Em this time since The Squirrel and Dave had already been there. I mentioned to the group that Charlie Bethel, on his return from town, would probably stop by. I suggested they invite him in for a beer and to tour the boat. I knew he would be interested in the set up having already seen her from his helicopter.

Crazy Charlie was living in the Bang Bang Club but had no power and we wondered about his water supplies. We took him some bottled water, beers, some things he couldn’t eat (apples, peanuts) because he had no teeth, and stuff he could eat like peanut butter. I did a quick tour of the cottages and main building while Em engaged Charlie in conversation.

When I returned from my brief tour of the run down club, he was in full storytelling mode. As we sipped our beers, I finally asked him how he got the name Crazy Charlie, and thus began the background. He was guiding some corporate big wig from the United States and they were striking out on the bonefish. Charlie had a fly that he had tied special, which is about all he does these days, called the “Nasty Charlie”. He suggested the bigwig try it and they did very well. The story gets a little blurry, remember now I had gone from Bloody Mary’s to beers all afternoon, but my recollection is that the Bigwig asked if he could have the fly copied. Charlie agreed, and was paid something on the order of $80,000 for the rights. However, to market the fly, they couldn’t call it the “Nasty Charlie” so instead they opted for the “Crazy Charlie”. He was holding the fly that was now his namesake and handed it to me to look at. I don’t know squat about flies or fly fishing, so he could have handed me a hook with a button sewn on (The Squirrel or Dave got one of those) and I wouldn’t know the difference. I handed it back and he said “Keep it” then offered any of his flies to Em as well. I felt very privileged to receive his namesake fly and have put it in a special place.

By now Charlie Bethel had arrived so we invited Crazy Charlie to come out to the boat and visit. He was enjoying the cold beers and I bet he would enjoy both the coolness of the salon, no doctor flies, more beer and the company of our crew. He elected to motor out in his flats skiff and Dave tied him off of between the dive platform and the Jupiter. Oh what an event, having these two native Bahamians sitting in the salon telling stories.

Bahamian Story Telling Hour in the salon. L to R – Me, Diamond Dave, Charlie Bethel, The Squirrel, Crazy Charlie.

One of the stories Charlie Bethel told was of a hurricane that washed all his fuel and railing right off the deck of his 50’ sportfish they were using on a crawfish adventure.

Crazy Charlie filled in with some of the details as well, including the loss of five Bahamians that were also out on the banks. Of course Crazy Charlie would be happy to talk all afternoon but after about an hour or so Charlie Bethel needed to leave. He had his generator to deliver and would be traveling the wheel channel with the sun in his eyes on a falling tide. Not the optimum situation but I am sure he has dealt with it before.

Both gents left the Gone Astray and we pulled up anchor and continued east to the North Bight. We set anchor and the water was clear and beautiful, not like the milky waters on the west side. Em was out snorkeling and I jumped in to sober up a little and enjoy a swim. The sun was setting and I was perfectly comfortable resting on the dive platform enjoying the warmth of the sunset. I don’t know for how long but soon enough I was sitting at the dinner table eating leftover spaghetti with blue crab claws in it. The two biggest mistakes I made for the day was letting The Squirrel talk me into Bloody Mary #3 and not drinking enough water. It seems I never drink enough water on these cruises.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

July 18, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 6 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Thursday – It was a perfect anchorage behind Williams Island. I slept like a baby, as I usually do on the boat, like in a rocking cradle. We were up and at them early because we wanted to make it back to Flamingo Cay and have a proper lunch with Charlie and Cindy. The wind was howling from the southeast so it was a long slog against the wind and waves. Our normal hull speed is 11 knots at 1200 rpm, but the wind slowed us down to 7 knots.

We were close to our anchorage and next thing we know Charlie is hanging off of our stern in his helicopter, maybe all of 20’ off the water.

Our chopper pilot and Flamingo Cay host, Charlie Bethel.

We eventually reached our anchoring location where Dave volunteered to stay on the boat and fix things (windlass, broken toilet seat), keeping an eye on the anchor. No need having the line part and the boat drift off to Cuba, realizing some refugees dream. We piled into the dinghy and headed to the wheel channel leading to the Club. It was rough but we stayed dry and got into the channel, in spite of the steering going bad on the dinghy. Cindy and Charlie met us at the dock and we were immediately plied with Stella Artois on tap. Charlie didn’t indulge, after all he was piloting the chopper. We loaded into his cart and headed to the airstrip. He had a 10 passenger Turbine Otter stored under a fabric hangar and the Eurocopter parked out in the open. Charlie set us up in the chopper, The Squirrel as co-pilot, me and Em in the back, and we were off for an aerial tour of Flamingo Cay.

The Bethel family has owned the property since 1926 and it is about 32 square miles (over 20,000 acres!). It was originally set up as a hunting camp, with duck hunting the predominant sport and bonefishing the water sport. Charlie continues to operate it as a premier bonefishing and hunting destination. We cruised over what seemed to me to be desolate lands. Open shallow waters with deep tidal creeks, turtles, bonefish, and lots of open mangroves, including a flock of flamingo’s spotted in the distance. We were really treated with the helicopter tour and being able to see so much of the area in such a short period of time.

An turbine helicopter amusement ride in the middle of Andros! Who’d a thunk.

Bonefish flats and deep access channel.

We ended back at the camp for a ground tour of the accommodations. Top shelf is the only way I can describe the “camp”, which is Charlie’s preferred connotation for the property. Luxury resort seemed a more appropo term. He had used a South African hard wood for all of his furniture, trim, and flooring. The rooms were beautiful. He took us through some of his family history, particularly the rum running days of the Bahamas supplying the United States during prohibition.

We retired to the open air dining room on one of the docks and gorged ourselves on blue crab salad, stone crabs, and white wine. Charlie and Cindy dined with us and it was a most wonderful event. Both are really charming hosts and I got the sense that they were happy to have the company of friends, not having to cater to the high end guests that show up to let their hair down.

Cindy giving instruction to The Squirrel

Sitting down for crab lunch.

The Flamingo Cay Logo

Roger Waters prize bonefish

Mila and Lou, awaiting the toss of the stick

We finally left the camp around 4:30, headed out the long channel to the boat. Once there we immediately pulled anchor and headed for our overnight berth in Loggerhead Creek. As the sun set, The Squirrel joined me on the back deck for a toast to Dwight. They all started dinners (hamburgers and salad) as I quietly placed some of his ashes in the creek. It was a beautiful sunset and I am quite sure my dad would be pleased with the beauty and remoteness of the location.

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A martini toast to Dwight and a beautiful sunset in his name.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Cruising Uncategorized

July 11, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 5 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Wednesday – The wind has been relentless, blowing out of the east for days, with speeds probably averaging 15 to 25 knots. It has been good for blowing away some of the doctor flies, and keeping the boat positioned to see the sunset, but after a while you feel like you are in a wind tunnel and going below into the still air with the air conditioning is a treat. After my usual morning stretching routine I finished off the potato salad, ate a chunk of smoked sausage, and completed my meal with a slice of pumpernickel raisin toast. Mom would be proud to see her boy eating in the German way, for breakfast no less.

I made a list of beers to name our dive sites and continued studying the maps for the next route or river to the hidden treasure. We decided to head north to Williams Island, home to a famous drug running airstrip, with crashed planes around it. It was my turn in the water, so I geared up with my full wetsuit, anticipating the water temperature, which was 75 degrees, to be too chilly for a shorty. We headed off to investigate our next round of dive sites.

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I splashed in on Busch Light, which was all seagrass with some scattered sponges. The next site, Abita, was a little different. It was covered with lots of sponges, sea fans, and bottom algae, but again, no ledges or rocks and therefore no fish. I modified my dive plan. Instead of swimming off and around the sites like Dave and The Squirrel did with the boat waiting in the background, instead The Squirrel would drive the boat over the site and I would tow along in the water, holding onto the grab handle at the back of the dinghy. If something came up interesting I would free dive the 15’ to the bottom to check it out. The rest of the dive sites, Kalik Light and Rolling Rock, were all basically the same as Abita. A beautiful dive but nothing much to shoot for dinner, not even any conch.

We decided to move on to the west side of Billy Island, to check out water depths and an anchorage for the day. We were joined by a school of dolphin at the bow of the boat. It was a rather nice display and I got some good pictures.

At the north tip there was an old DC-3 plane wreck in about 8’ of water. The Squirrel checked it out for fish and asked for a spear, seeing a Mutton Snapper. Dave decided to anchor so we could all get in the water and explore the wreck. It was pretty cool, with one of the props actually sticking into the air. Tons of snappers, a few small nurse sharks under the debris and lionfish abounded on the wreck. I didn’t see anything to shoot so after I explored the wreck I took up killing Lionfish. Nasty little bastards, and they are proliferating on the reefs, so it was satisfying taking them out.

We pulled anchor and motored over to the west side of Williams Island, close enough to for a dinghy ride. The Squirrel and I took a cooler and headed to the airstrip. After a short hike through the clay and short mangroves we made it to the strip, checking out the three plane wrecks. It is hard to believe that they actually landed planes on the site, but drugs and money will make you do some pretty daring things, so I am told.

Relict DC-3 from the drug running days of Williams Island. Yup, dem ders bullet holes.

We got back to the dinghy then motored up a couple of the tidal creeks. The tide was going out and it was really cool how the channels had been cut into the clay terrain. I took some action shots of The Squirrel coming through the channel then we headed down the coast to check on a weird stick pen the locals had built, probably to hold conch, sponges, or turtles. We came to a point where the waves were in our face so we headed back to the boat.

I took a wonderful warm shower. All my dive gear was dry as the sun beat down relentlessly on the back deck. It was hot so everyone was upstairs in the shade enjoying the cool breeze, although it was more like a gale. Eventually we all went below to get out of the sun and wind.

Stick pen

Mangrove Creek & The Flying Squirrel.

The sun was finally setting so I asked The Squirrel to join me on the back deck for a martini in Dwight’s name. We sat and talked a little then it was dinner time. Dave rustled up grilled Mutton Snapper, The Squirrel grilled some vegetables, Em cooked rice, and I was on clean up duty. I had a lull while they were busy with dinner so I placed some of Dwight’s ashes in the water. “I think you would like this” I said to his spirit as the ashes dispersed in the clear water and the sun set.

Sunset over Billy’s Island. Dwight would like this.

Dinner was delicious and afterwards The Squirrel joined me on the back deck for a nightcap and a cigar. We turned off the deck and underwater lights, then just enjoyed the night sky. It was an early evening. Once again I was the last one down for the night, resting peacefully in my bunk listening to Blade Runner on my Droid. I was tired and it was a busy day. Our anchorage was very calm and even though the wind kept up, at least there wasn’t any roll in the boat like we experienced off of Wide Opening the night before.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

July 4, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 4 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Tuesday – I woke up to my usual routine of peeing off the back deck, sipping coffee, and stretching my back. The raisin pumpernickel has been a hit with The Squirrel, particularly when I added crunchy peanut butter to it. I reworked the graphics The Squirrel brought, adding match lines so you can quickly compare pages, then wrote down beer names for all the GPS coordinates for our potential dive sites. Go figure. We weighed anchor and headed off to check them out, at a leisurely 1,000 rpm’s and a hull speed around 7 knots.

At anchor in the milky blue waters of west Andros.

Dave was the man in the water for the day. We would pull up to a site and he would bail into the water with snorkel gear, checking out what bounty lay below. The first site, Bud Light, was a wooden wreck and he brought back an interesting bronze and copper valve assembly to add to the decorations where we have our Board meetings. No fish.

The second site, Mutton, had a big fuel tank. Dave requested his spear and the next thing we knew he had a nice size mutton snapper, wrestling it to the boat. That was about all for that site so we moved on to the next one.

Kalik was a very productive site. There was a center console from a boat in the middle, seemingly a set up for fish habitat versus a true boat wreck. Dave checked it out and found another Mutton snapper tucked up under the console, sharing space with a big nurse shark. It wasn’t long before Dave had snapper number two, swimming to the boat, and commenting about his fight with the shark, it taking a pass at the fish on his spear. Good thing Dave was in the water, the muttons are a fast fish and hard to shoot.

I enjoyed running the boat, keeping it headed into the strong wind and waves, and trying to keep it from snap rolling when we got sideways to it all. Having someone in the water and watching out for them is a big responsibility but I enjoyed it.

The last site we hit, Miller, was just an open grass flat covered with pilchards. Dave came on board and we pushed to get to Flamingo Cay and the crab lunch we had 2:30 reservations for. Yes, there was civilization in the middle of this desolation, courtesy of the Flying Squirrel and his Bahamian connections. We arrived at Charlies’ C-16 waypoint, which also matched our Coors site, which showed some manner of habitat on the aerial.

The channel to Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club was what we now famously describe as a wheel channel. Basically they run a boat through the channel, over time, prop dredging to get additional depth. The Squirrel, Em, and me piled into the dinghy and blasted down the channel to the resort. The steering on the dinghy was slowly failing, apparently low on hydraulic fluid, so it was a challenge to keep it in the channel. Dave didn’t like the surrounding depths so he moved the big boat further offshore.

The waterway “Wide Opening” was choppy and after a fairly long run we peeled out of Wide Opening and into a mangrove tidal creek. The resort was very nice. We missed our lunch reservations but Charlie and Cindy, our hosts, sat with us and fed us some snacks, Elk sausage and Blue Crab claws cooked in a wonderful Cajun sauce. I had run back out to pick up Dave and came back in to join everyone. Lots of talk about the resort, how Charlie manages it, water issues, how he hauls his recyclable trash back to New Providence, etc. They were getting ready to feed their resort guests, mostly Bonefishermen and their charter guides, so we loaded up and headed out of the mangrove cut and into Wide Opening.

The Squirrel and Diamond Dave hanging at the Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club.

Welcome statue at the resort.

Everyone was feeling good, in part because we missed lunch but kept on drinking, our Bahamian tradition. I am sure Dave was feeling good because he shot some fish and had loaded the fridge with food. I felt great from being able to learn more about running the boat in heavy wind. The Squirrel felt great because his was off the clock, satellite phone wasn’t working, no one could reach him, so he had no choice but to relax. I think Em felt the same way for the same reasons. So we decided to chug up the coast for a while since we still had some daylight. Em was at the helm, the music was turned up, and we continued our drinking party.

The wiggy brothers dancing on the foredeck, much to the amusement of “Capt. Em” at the controls, below.

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When we finally anchored, it was a beautiful sunset, and The Squirrel set about cooking while Dave cleaned the fish. We ate the last of the bratwurst, added some smoked sausage, finished almost 90% of the potato salad, and also heated up the left over spaghetti, adding some crab that Charlie gave us. Everyone was pretty toasted and it wasn’t long before we crashed. I can’t go to sleep on a full belly, so I sat on the back deck looking at the stars, listening to the tinkle of ice in my scotch. I turned off the deck and underwater lights to see the stars and Em joined me for a little while. It was so windy you couldn’t sit upstairs on the foredeck. I listened to some music on my Droid, then finally crashed. It was a good day.

Diamond Dave and Capt. Em with a nice Mutton Snapper.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

July 2, 2013

Summer Fun at Fort Myers Beach

Well it’s that time again. Summer is here, the pace is a bit slower for boat sales and the weather and waterside sites are also less busy. That is the perfect excuse to get on the water and do some restaurant hopping. One of our favorite destinations is Fort Myers Beach. It’s an easy cruise and there is plenty to do when you get there.

We enjoy stopping at Nervous Nellie’s which is the first restaurant before the FT Myers Beach bridge. The dockage is free and the food and drinks are always great and well priced. It is also any easy walk to the main part of the beach called Time Square. Plenty of shops to look through and the newly replenished beach is really nice now.

Hop back in your boat, go under the bridge and to your immediate left is Bonita Bill’s which is one of the locals favorite watering holes. Good food and a laid back attitude. Just around the corner to the left is Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille. They have also free dockage and an extensive menu. They have entertainment on the weekends and occasionally book signings by the author of the Doc Ford book series, Randy Wayne White.

A little east you can dock at Salty Sam’s Marina and you have a choice of the Big Game Club which is an open sports style or Parrot Key restaurant which is more resort style. Both are good, so you can’t make a mistake.

A mile or so farther east and south is Snook Bight Marina which is sporting new floating docks and the very nice Bayside Bistro restaurant which has an upscale menu and one of the best views of the bayside that you can find.

So, even if it is summer, you can find plenty of places close by to have a lot of fun with boat. On the way home, pull out in front of Sanibel Island beach, drop the hook and hop in the water for a cool down and a cold one.

Next time we’ll talk about other boating spots close to home.

See you on the water!

Pat
Paradigm Yacht Sales & Brokerage
http://www.yachtworld.com/paradigm/

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising Uncategorized

June 27, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 3 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Monday – We departed early to catch the tide, headed through Middle Bight. I am getting used to picking our way over shallow waters, with only a foot of clearance below the props. The boat, a 46’ Newton dive boat, reconfigured by Dave for Bahamas cruising is designed well for this type of exploration. I had the helm for a while and was trying to use the charts when it seemed we were getting shallower. Dave took over and we finally spotted the aforementioned “wheel channel”. Sure enough that was how Charlie Bethel gets his landing craft and boat supplies to Flamingo Cay, so we followed it, giving us about an additional foot of clearance.

Following a “wheel channel” through Middle Bight. This is at high tide. Check out the stirred up mud behind us.

We scared turtles out of the channel on occasion but that was about all we saw. It really narrowed down as we entered Loggerhead Creek. It was beautiful but made me nervous about navigating the boat in such tight quarters so I turned it over to The Squirrel. We were not expecting the numerous sponge divers and boats in the creek and were a little disappointed to see anybody, expecting desolation. The Squirrel’s expectations were that no one would be around. A few terms were bandied about regarding whether they were Dominicans poaching conch or Bahamians, and we finally decided they were Haitians working for the local Bahamians collecting sponges, owed in part to the boat we saw at Mangrove Cay loaded with sponges. I didn’t think this was still a viable industry but apparently I was wrong.

We explored the three channels leading into the west side then anchored up in the Creek to get our dive equipment ready and to eat lunch. The Squirrel got into Mom’s potato salad so we grilled the brats and had a great lunch. We logged in some of the GPS numbers The Squirrel’s staff put on the Google maps showing interesting locations. We also discovered the battery charger was broken so I helped Dave with handing him tools as he put in a spare. He is always prepared for the worst, an important trait if you are going to be boating in the middle of nowhere.

Checking out Loggerhead Creek

We headed south and didn’t see much on the three GPS locations. The Squirrel was the man overboard for the day but of the three sites only one had any rock surface, the others were just grass. After we checked them all we headed back north to the south exit from Middle Bight and to anchor up for the night.

Em and I took the dinghy to shore to explore what we thought was a sandy beach. Turns out it was all clay with just a little bit of sand at the top of the shoreline, creating a “dune”. It was a really weird shoreline and there was basically no trash to be seen, which is unusual for most shorelines in the Bahamas. It is kind of a shame so much trash washes up on the Bahamian beaches, taking away from the natural beauty of the area.

The clay banks of the west side of Andros Island.

We headed inland through the mud and mangroves, pausing at a crab hole to take a picture. It was a huge hole and Em commented about not wanting to have to spend the night on the island, fearing the crabs would take over. With a claw about the size of my hand, I too would not want the pleasure of meeting up with one in the middle of the night. I walked out to a mangrove island, checking out the middle in search of the treasure The Squirrel promised we would find. I headed back to meet Em, we walked the beach a little, then headed to the boat.

Man eating land crab, awaits the dark and it’s next victim.

Mudding my way to the mangrove island where treasure awaited.

I was tired but happy with being able to do a little exploring. The drinking continued as usual, and I enjoyed another night on the foredeck watching the stars. Saw my two favorite satellites and another shooting star. Constellation watching is becoming one of my favorite Bahamian past times. Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle said the scotch in my coffee cup. Dwight’s ashes were safely tucked in my gear bag, but I am sure he was enjoying the constellations with his son. I’m not sure if he was looking up at the stars or down at me but I could feel his smile.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

June 20, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 2 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Sunday – We unloaded the dinghy and used it to head to Moxeytown to make dinner reservations at Mr. Greens restaurant and drop off some trash. Dave had stayed with the boat, a theme common to travelling with him. It is his baby and he likes to spend time making sure she is just right. We headed over to Gibson Cay, which had a blue hole in the middle of it. Em dropped back to walk the beach as The Squirrel and I worked our way over the karst, in our flip flops. It was a typical first day mistake for walking gear but we were careful. We got to the blue hole, which was probably 400’ wide. I could not see the bottom except at the edges, which I estimated to be 30’ deep. I paused long enough to drink the Gold Kalik I had nurtured in my back pocket, then we picked our way carefully back to the shoreline. Eventually we found Em and headed back to the boat.

Dave and The Squirrel did some scouting of the Middle Bight since we were mixing routes between the waterway guide and GPS points Charlie Bethel gave us. Charlie Bethel owns the Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club and makes the trek across the island on a regular basis, providing supplies to his resort. The boys stopped in to see Crazy Charlie (not Bethel) who was living out his life in a run down resort famously known as the Bang Bang Club. Charlie tied bonefish flies, drank his homemade Sapodilla wine, and told the boys stories of his time running the club.

Meantime Em and I stayed on the boat and I actually did some work for the business. As time got on we started to worry a little since the boys didn’t respond to our hail on Channel 14, the agreed channel to monitor on the VHF. Turns out when they arrived and checked in, Dave handed the radio over to The Squirrel, who inadvertently switched the radio to channel 16 instead of 14, doing his best distress impression for Em and I, only to broadcast to the world instead. I guess I am sorry I missed it, maybe not.

They finally got back to they boat for our dinner reservations. The wind was howling out of the east, probably 10 to 15 mph, and the dinghy ride was pretty far for a late night run back to the boat. Dave made the call to relocate the boat closer to Moxeytown on the south side of the bight so we had a short dinghy ride to the restaurant.

The Green’s restaurant was basically a tiki hut with bar, some plumbing, a sand floor and a kitchen in the back. The Squirrel put in an order for a seafood mix for all, except no conch for Em, and Mr. Green refreshed the vodka drinks we brought with us to the restaurant. We chatted with the locals, met Mike, a retired special forces guy (we later learned) and got some good information on the tides and the “wheel channel” that Mike admonished us to stay in as we trekked across the Middle Bight to the west side of Andros. The conch was opened fresh by Mr. Green on the “dock” and his daughter, Anastasia, was prepping conch salad right in front of me. It was fascinating watching her chop and prep the salad, seemingly with her eyes closed. I complimented her on her abilities, as “poetry in motion” and received a big grin filled with beautiful white teeth in return. We finished our meals, dropped about $100 in the bar, then loaded up for the now short dinghy ride back to the boat. Good call Dave!

Hanging in the “restaurant” at Mr. Greens.

I retired once again to the top deck for my evening solitude, scotch tinkling in my coffee cup, and watched the starry sky. It is so beautiful in the Bahamas, with the various colors of the water, sunsets, and unadulterated starry skies. I always enjoy these trips and was happy to be relaxing.

Bahamas sunset in Middle Bight.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

June 14, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 1 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Andros – April 6^th to 16^th. Dealing with the loss of my father and (two) one week vacations in one short month was a new one for me. My Dad was a sailor and outdoorsman and I have tried to follow in those footsteps as well. But I seldom take that much time off from work since I am the top billing guy in a marine engineering consulting firm. With some trepidation I accepted the invite from Rocky the Flying Squirrel to go explore the west side of Andros Island with Diamond Dave and the lovely Miss Em. I would be returning home and, in less than a week, would be leaving again for Costa Rica. But I couldn’t NOT go, citing the old adage “No one was ever in their death bed saying they wished they spent more time in the office”. My Dad had died in the end of March and his passing was additional impetus for me to live my life to the fullest extent possible. He would accompany me on this trip, in both ashes, and spirit.

It is a good team, with The Flying Squirrel a wiggy, lovable one. Em is a lady capable of holding her own with the guys. Diamond Dave is the consummate Bahama’s boater. Dave and The Squirrel are partners in the boat with two others. Fortunately that means the boat get’s used a lot, always better than one that sits around. A Bahama’s trip with this group is always good company, full of adventure, work, and wonder. But it is always a challenge in escaping the commitments of the work world.

This trip would be unusual in that we were going to be exploring the west side of Andros Island. This area is very remote and mostly viewed by the Squirrel from a couple of thousand feet in altitude while making his way from Florida to the islands and back. All those little dark patches in the water were something! With the wonder of Google maps, GPS, and a little luck we would find a sunken treasure ship or maybe at least a fish or two.

Three days before leaving, Robin my business partner, and I blasted down to Key West to check on the progress of one of our construction projects, Tarpon Pier replacement. She did the driving and I worked on the laptop, writing reports, and basically doing as much as I could to get caught up before I left. It also gave me time to think about my responsibilities for two meals on the trip. I knew I could whip up a decent spaghetti sauce, hey, who can’t, but the second meal was a challenge. Shell, my sweet wife, offered some solutions, the best one being sausage with onions and peppers. But I was concerned about bringing produce into the country, not wanting to start out the vacation in a Bahamian brig.

I worked my lists and resolved myself to cook spaghetti sauce on Thursday night, coming back from the Keys run. Travelling such a distance is tiring, even if I am not doing the driving. Robin and I got back into town about 6:00, time enough to get to Publix and secure the proper supplies. Sometimes it is easier to make a decision about something when you just relax and let the ideas flow. I bought into Shell’s idea of the sausages, and bought a big pack of Bratwurst. I already had Mom teed up to prepare her world famous potato salad, so I figure between the spaghetti sauce and bratwust/potato salad I would be covered for the trip.

Cooked, delicious, and cooling on the stove was my best pot of spaghetti, probably because I hadn’t made it in so long so I thought it was pretty good. Shell baked the brats on Friday and Mom delivered on the potato salad Friday night. Things were working out.

I was forsaking my Board meeting Friday night for an evening out with Shell. That was okay since she gave me the Bahama’s pass for a week. I know we had a Costa Rica vacation following the Bahama’s adventure so my husband credits were good, but never the less we had a lovely evening out. She was happy with dinner and the week ahead was looking good.

Saturday – The lists worked well, crossing off items, rethinking others, and adding those last minute items I seem to always forget. I was packing the truck for the run to Naples, grabbing last minute items like batteries out of the shop as I got ready. I made Rocky’s office at 8:00, on time, and sat in Em’s cubicle marveling at her cartoon collections as she wrapped up her business. She has a marvelously dry sense of humor and I can always count on her for an occasional email worthy of archiving. The boys had yet to arrive.

We made it to the airport and began the process of loading all the “stuff” we had. Wow, so much gear and they already had preloaded the boat over the past month. I stepped in and exercised my “stowing prowess”, getting it all packed into the back of the plane. With no room to spare we were wheels up for New Providence.

Helicopter ride 1

Jammed to the roof of the plane with our load of gear.

It was an effortless flight, The Flying Squirrel doing his usual stellar job of piloting with Dave by his side, and shortly we were unpacking, then packing again into a taxi at Odyseey, the private terminal in Nassau. Customs asked a question about our packages but we were innocuous enough that they didn’t check anything. I could have brought the produce, hell, Dave had a bag full but it was easier bringing a cooler with the spaghetti, brats, and potato salad chilled. Plus we had a bunch of Coors Light, Dave’s flavor of choice.

We got it all into the taxi and headed off to the marina at Old Fort Bay on Lyford Cay, stopping at the new Whole Foods store for some last minute foodstuffs and a case of Gold Kalik, my favorite beer. In spite of it now being available at Publix, it was once Coorslike unobtainium, with the occasional case provided for as a Christmas present or on a return trip from the Bahamas. So many great memories with this formerly high horsepower beer, I still drink it as my Bahamian favorite. The Squirrel scarfed up some cigars and the next thing I knew we were loading the boat direct from the taxi. Everyone hustles, it is a great team, and since we all know what to do things got stowed quickly.

We waited a while for a local friend to pick up some maps and charts that the Squirrel is currently developing. With the meeting over Dave fired up the starboard engine and then the port, but something was wrong, making a bit of noise so he shut her down. We scanned the handbooks and Dave made some calls, resulting in a delay as we pulled the valve cover off the port engine and checked the injectors. I really didn’t care if we didn’t leave right away and I enjoyed the opportunity to study the engines and help Dave with the wrenching. We checked the electrical leads to the injectors, per telephone direction from the local mechanic, and sure enough that was the problem. Disconnect and reconnect and once fired the port engine purred like a sleeping Tiger. We were into the Tongue of the Ocean headed to the Middle Bight of Andros Island.

The Flying Squirrel passed out on the back deck, letting the worries of work and flying reside elsewhere, dreaming of G4’s.

We fished a little along the way, drank cold beers (some slept) and we finally anchored a ways up the Middle Bight. The Squirrel grilled steaks and Em made a delicious salad. Everyone was finally chilling out and I finished a rather long day with my favorite scotch in a ceramic coffee cup and watched the stars. I saw two satellites and a shooting star, making a wish on my daughter’s behalf, then retired to my bunk. The wind came dashing through the forward hatch, and I slept like a baby… (to be continued)

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

October 19, 2012

Sailing with twins.

On a clear breezy day, we had the opportunity to race and sail with twins. Not twin sailors, but twin sailboats. A friend of ours bought his first large sailboat which was a Bristol 29.9, an upgrade from his 26 foot Catalina. David’s brother, Jon also had a Bristol 29.9 and all three sailors agreed to meet at Bunch Beach.

Here are the players:

There was Captain David Bickel, an old salt in his 28 Phillips Rhodes; Anhinga. He raced for years in Tampa Bay. They called him the Kat! With the rushing clang of the halyards against the running gear, the grinding spin in the lines of the winches, and with the sound of the luffing of the jib he knew the moves. He was an expert from stealing the wind in a tacking war to counting the puffs to propel any boat further and faster.

And there was Jon Bickel, a seasoned single handed sea dog, brother of the competitive Bickel clan. He was sailing in his Bristol; High Voltage2. This seaman would take off for weeks finding solitude of the Marquesas just to hear the quietness of nothing. Comfortable on the water Jon would spend days in search of solitude anchoring in secluded mangroves, or the peaceful beauty of a silent island.

Lastly we have Mystery Mike in his Bristol; Black tip. He was a low keyed seafarer with a passion for wooden boats, who still was unsure of his abilities in a larger sailboat; more used to taking picnic sails with his wife on the eastern coast; where the sailboats soar on mystical winds and the sound of seagulls is heard flapping off the bow through the mist of clammy dawn.

The agreement was to race from the Sanibel marker to the bridge and back. The sailboats were all close-hauled heading into a breeze of 13 knots. Straight away, David tacked Anhinga taking away High Voltage2’s wind and swung in front of Jon. Mike was in last place. Suddenly there was a velocity shift; Mike took a 90 degree turn swinging The Black Tip into first place. The move took us all by surprise with a lot of woohooing coming from Mike’s boat.

Afterwards we anchored back at Bunch Beach, grilled burgers, and watching the sun set over the light house on Sanibel Island. What fun day around the bay of Fort Myers beach.

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

September 25, 2012

Anhinga’s song

Every Mariner knows that a ship wants to be in the water. This keeps a boat healthy. It’s not just the maintenance one does before a trip, the stroke of sandpaper along her teak, the replacement of worn moving parts, or the re-stitching of a weak clue in the jib. A happy boat needs to keep moving.

Likewise, every Seaman has heard the call of the sea, when the wind tumbles with untamed waves sending a breeze of a whisper saying, “Come out with me, and immerse yourself with me.” It’s not just a call, but a drawing of one’s soul back to the primal source of life.

We almost lost our boat in the Bahamas. David and I were finishing up a 3 week sail in our 28 foot Phillip Rhoades sailboat, Anhinga. We anchored on the leeward side of a rocky island as a weak Northern front was coming through. By 3 o’clock in the blackness of night our anchor alarm went off. We were about to slip towards the mass of jagged rocks off the stern. I was on a pitching bow holding onto two anchor lines like a bull rider; below David was trying to start our Yanmar diesel engine with failing starter wires.

David got the engine roaring and we gingerly maneuvered around the rocks to be sheltered from the wind. That morning we woke up to what could be called a white squall. It’s all I could see, it was glorious. I could not keep the rain from pouncing through the bin boards of the companionway. When the storm passed we were amazed to see a large water spout spinning alongside the leeward part of the island right where we had anchored that night. Anhinga became our sanctuary.

The sun came out and the winds turned southwesterly, so we set off our way back to Bimini, at a running pace of 7 knots. Quite fast for Anhinga! We were having the ride of our life! The 4 minute clip below is what I put together from the sail after the storm I call, “Anhinga’s song.”

We had watched a film about a young man named Charlie Cloud, who raced sailboats in high school. He was showing his little brother the ropes; they stood together in the dawn watching the sailboats set off from an unnamed shore. His little brother said to him, “Charlie where do you think they are going?” Charlie whimsically looks across the bay and says, “Everywhere.”

Go and Enjoy! Sharon Bickel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIHmb4r4ccw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

www.theshipwrightshop.com

Posted by Matt Galbraith Boating Pro Tips Cruising

Category: Cruising