Buckaroon Bay: Bad Night & Hope Town: Charming Place

Wednesday, March 18th: Hope Town

Buckaroon Bay proved to be a big mistake. Bob and I listened to 2 weather different weather forecasts on Tuesday morning and somehow, something got lost in the translation. Really - where were our heads? After a calm evening at anchor, the wind came up and we were virtually rocking about as though Sea Change were on the high seas. About 1 a.m., we moved to lay down on the settees in the main cabin - a little less rocky there but still, neither of us got much sleep. Then about 8 a.m. after a quick breakfast, we decided to move along toward Hope Town and anchor briefly in an anchorage less exposed to the blustery 20 knot NE winds howling along the bank. When we called the Hope Town Marina, a mooring ball was available so we pulled anchor again and continued on. (Bob was laughing today - if someone had suggested last summer that we set out somewhere on the lake when the winds were at 20 knots - we would have said - are you nuts?)

Bob and I have since discussed our singularly uncomfortable night at anchor. I was awake much of the night - first listening to Bob snore (early in the night) and then waiting for Bob to return to the bed since he was somewhere up top checking things. I assumed that he was seeing if we we were in place - whether the anchor was dragging - but since no anchor alarm had been set and there were no other landmarks close by to mark our position (and no other boats - I wonder why?? - guess they had listened to the weather report) - he couldn't really check if we had dragged. It turns out that Bob was putting up the swim platform up so that it wouldn't bang against the dinghy and that he also was taking odds and ends out of the dinghy - why? who knows. Anyway - I was thinking if Bob is up top on the pitching boat, he really should be wearing a life jacket which I knew he was not - but then I thought - if he falls in the water, it's really not cold and I was pretty sure he would be able to swim back to the boat. Did I get up? No.

Then Bob came back and we both moved to the settees in the cabin. Both of us started out on the seats - as is - without removing the wrap-around cushions at the back so that the seats would be wider and longer - and more comfortable. I guess we were too sleepy to think of that - but eventually we both got tired of being unable to stretch out so first me and then Bob pulled away the cushions. Then we both lay and worried that the other one would get up and trip over a cushion on the floor. Did we get up and move them to the bed? No. Oh lordy we're glad that night is over.

Since retrieving a mooring ball in the Hope Town Harbor (twice - but that's a story in itself that will be left untold) - we have explored the surrounding town. Wow - what a lovely, charming place - vacation perfection: pretty little buildings, picturesque places to walk, a long beach close by, a coffee shop with Internet (we haven't seen one of those in weeks!), a few well appointed shops, a couple of grocery stores - small but beside those at Staniel Cay they could be called generous in size --- I guess all this charmingness is why there are so many mooring balls packed in the smallish harbour - my goodness but the boats are close in here!


Friday, March 20th: Hope Town

It is raining today here at Hope Town more than we've seen seen since - I don't know when - so Bob is taking the time to change a seal on the water pump. There has been a small leak for quite some time and we have been keeping the water pump turned off unless we're using it. After spending a day working on the pump back in Fort Pierce - first fixing one part only to have another snap off and then having to replace that - Bob was none too eager to put his head under the sink once again. He is having an easier time of it today (I think ---) since he now has so much pump repair experience and also he is using the light attached to a band around his head that he got for Christmas from Sean and Michelle. In Fort Pierce the lack of light under the sink. made working with the connections really difficult.

I had resolved to give the galley and head a good clean but can't do that with a body laying across half way across one and blocking the door to the other - so I guess I'll just have to do some blogging. Oh well - plenty of time to clean while we wait for better weather for the next few days.

This afternoon we'll dinghy to shore and find an Internet spot again - maybe we'll go this time to the "other" place here with Web access - the restaurant. Mary phoned this morning and told me that you can plug your computer in there - there are no plugs for customers at the coffee shop where WiFi is available. I hope to have lots of Internet time - Bob may even drop me off since he gets tired of sitting in coffee shops waiting and waiting. Yesterday he went walking but today that may not be an option.

Tomorrow, there is supposed to be a drop in the wind before the next cold front comes through (already - another one??) and we may take that opportunity to get a little further along toward our next "passage" - this time it's the passage around Whale Cay - it's short but can be dangerous - so we'll have to be careful to get our weather info straight so as to have a peaceful passage through "The Whale" ---- or we may stay in Marsh Harbor where the Mursells are. Marsh Harbor has more services than any other place here abouts and Mary says that at Treasure Cay where we were planning to go- there's really not much (should we get "stuck " - and getting stuck is looking very likely).

It doesn't look like we'll be able to meet our goal of getting to Florida for the first week in April. The weather this year as we keep hearing, is not typical Bahamas weather and even though we had heard that by the middle of March "everything usually settles down" it certainly hasn't done so yet. We've heard the odd forecast for possible "squalls" (quickly passing and localized rain and winds), and also for possible rain and thunderstorms but this is the first time that we've actually had sustained rain and the first time that we've heard thunder.

On the local Cruisers' Net on VHF this morning, they said that the rain was much needed --- and for us it means a free boat wash that gets the salt off and helps a little with Bob's fight against rust and corrosion. Salt water isn't good to any metal part of boats.

I feel as though we're winding down now - and sometimes as though it's a long long way to go home. On the other hand, both of us are looking forward to spring in the Chesapeake and to the opportunity to visit places that we missed on our way "down".

P.S. The water pump is no longer leaking but Bob had to go at it twice since after replacing a seal, he discovered that it was the pressure switch leaking (and not the valve) so he had to start all over again and replace that. Luckily he had an extra switch - most cruisers carry extras of lots of parts. I can tell you that he was not in a happy mood when he found that he would have to lay down on the floor again and try to get his hands in to work in the small space under the sink --- but now it's done and the mood on Sea Change has lightened up.