On the Wall in Hatchet Bay

Wednesday, February 4th: Hatchet Bay

It's a workout climbing on and off of the boat when the tide is low - here at the wall - or at any marina where the docks are "fixed" and don't float up and down with the tide.

We're in Hachet Bay, tied up along the 'government dock" - actually a stone wall. We came in through what looks like a too narrow gap between rock faces where eddies of water threw the boat around and gave us a scare. Then we scouted the area. The moorings were full and along the wall there was space but we couldn't see places to attach lines. When the Mursells arrived we gave them the info over the VHF and someone who was listening in (as is usual - everyone does it) broke in to explain that the wall did have tie up "cleats" and that we could tie up anywhere as long as we didn't go where the tires hang - i.e where the big freighters come in. So Bob and I went in first and with boat hooks and holding our mouth right and all manner of tricks, we managed to get lines through the round metal thingies sticking out of the cement at the top of the wall. Once we were secure, we climbed up on top and waited to catch and attach lines for the Mursells.

Not long after that Mike and Darlene on Trilogy arrived. They had been on the dock beside us at Spanish Wells. We called them on the VHF to tell them that there was room on the wall in front of our boats - and then we pulled both boats back a little and retied them so as to make more room for their boat.

We were glad to be tied up securely when gale force winds swept in night before last. By early morning, there were winds unlike any we had encountered before. Both Bob and Bill were up out of bed adding extra fenders to buffer the boats as the wind pounded them against the wall.

Now we're waiting for another escape opportunity. We've been here 3 nights on the wall. The good news is that it's free. The bad new is that there are no services. We are all looking forward to being at anchor somewhere where we can slip into the water to swim or at a marina where we can have an on shore shower and let lots of hot water pour over us.

Luckily, just up the hill, there is a place to buy water. Bob asked for 40 gallons worth and they brought large jugs to the boat that Bob used to top up our water tanks and refill the extra blue jerry cans sitting on our deck.

We weren't long in town before we found out where to get WiFi access. Our first afternoon we walked quickly around town - visited the grocery store to check it out and then walked along to the Water's Edge Internet Cafe. Bill and Mary were already there deep into checking their email. Here we are again today. We came for lunch and email: hot dogs, hamburgers, delicious home made fries and smoothies. Out on the little deck, sailors sit and talk about where they've been - where to go next - about the weather - the direction of the wind - the next cold front.

Mike and Darlene (from Trilogy) rented a car to pick their daughter up from the Governor's Harbor airport - they dropped by yesterday and offered to take us along with them to drive out to see the Glass Window - a narrow piece of land joining 2 parts of the island. At one time there was a natural bridge over a narrow cut of water but that was destroyed in the 1920s by a hurricane. Now a man made bridge joins the 2 points of land. Underneath the water runs from the dark blue Atlantic to the protected aqua coloured shallower waters on the other side.



This morning Mike stopped by with his rental car. He was going to build a fire in a cave that he and Darlene had found while out walking - and was going to cook up some eggs. Would we all like to come along? He would drive us there. We dropped everything, packed up a carton of eggs and we were off. After getting out of the car we walked along the beach to find Darlene, their daughter Sasha, and another sailing couple, Kathy and Les already gathering fuel for the fire. Miraculously - it seemed to me - Mike cooked up a pan of eggs, they were topped with grated cheese (courtesy Kathy and Les), and then put between slices of bread with ham that Mary and Bill had brought along, et voila! The egg, ham and cheese sandwich was very good - and we to hold and eat our breakfast without using plates. Good thing! - There weren't any!

To save Mike making a couple of trips with the car to get us all back to our boats, Bob and I walked back with Kathy and Les - luckily they had walked the route before and knew where to get off the beach and back onto the road. It was a fun morning.

The weather for the next few days isn't promising - another cold front is coming through. We have to make our break tomorrow and hope to get as far as Cape Eleuthera. There is a rather expensive marina there where we will either stay one night before making the hop across to the Exumas - or we will have to stay there to wait out the bad weather coming up on the weekend. We phoned Chris Parker this morning. He says that we have 2 traveling days to get to where ever we can be safe and secure for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Walking back this morning