3-28-11
A short motor-sail brought us to Angel Fish Point where we anchored for our stay here. After anchoring in the designated anchorage shown south of Angel Fish Point and Crab Cay on the GPS, Ed and Gary got in the dinghy and took depth soundings with a handheld depth meter, to see if we could safely tuck in a little closer to the rocky islands surrounding us, offering us more protection if the storm that is showing on the radar happens to come our way. Finding success with their exploration, we weighed anchor and moved the boats to the newly charted more protected area. Gary and Ed both got in the water and checked their anchors wearing their snorkel gear. Ed taught Gary how to bury the anchor if it’s not well dug in. Our anchor was dug in well, but if need be Gary knows to free-dive down to the anchor and jiggle the flanges on the butt of the anchor causing it to dig deeper. Ed said sometimes it takes a few dives down to accomplish a good hold, but this tactic works well when needed. “…there’s always one more thing to learn about being a sailor…”
This anchorage is one of Ed’s favorites. For one reason, he often catches Caribbean lobsters in the caves near the shorelines of the rocky islands. During lobster season, which it is now, he uses a Hawaiian sling to shoot them. A Hawaiian sling is like a sling-shot with a spear. Gary has never used one before and is anxious to master the skill. The overcast sky today made it not a good day to hunt lobster. The visibility of the water is lower on cloudy days than it is when the sun is providing light into the water.
In lieu of hunting for lobster, the guys and Molly explored the shore. Gary said they found the road that connects Little Abaco Island with Great Abaco Island, the same road that goes through Fox Town. They explored creeks and channels and found a good hurricane hole. It’s always good to know where the most protected places are when cruising.
3-29-11
Personal note: Last night Gary and I were in tears thinking we might have to fly back home because of my illness. I’d been sick for 3 ½ days and was showing slight signs of dehydration even though I’ve been drinking Pedialyte. However, what a difference a day can make, because today I’m better in everyway, except stamina. Once again, we are optimistic that we can continue our journey.
The highlight of today was the four (sorry Molly) five of us taking our dinghies to the rocky caves at the tip of Angle Fish Point and watching Gary snorkel and hunt for lobster. With Hawaiian sling in hand he scanned the caves with great expectations. Though he had a blast doing it, he came back empty handed. He reported having seen only one lobster, lying perfectly still on the bottom, only to realize upon closer inspection it was dead, much to his dismay.
We motored the dinghies over to the cut between Angel Fish Point and Crab Cay where Gary got back in the water and did a drift-snorkel. Through the cut, the water is only about six feet and at the edge of the cut the terrain progresses deeper. Gary said it was rather neat to see the change in depth but other than seeing a couple mutton snappers, there wasn’t much else to see. From our dinghies, Cheryl and I used our glass bottom buckets to look under the water. I saw a pretty star fish and a few small brain coral heads. This area is really not a great area for snorkeling, but apparently at times the lobsters can be plentiful, so we’ve been told (ED).
On the way back to White Swan, our outboard motor on the dinghy quit working (again). Gary was in the process of rowing us back to the boat when Ed and Cheryl saw us and came back to give us a tow. Upon mentally trouble shooting what could be causing the outboard to stall, Gary wondered if there was condensation in the gas tank. He used an extra gas can and his gas filter funnel that we use whenever we fill up the boat and filtered the gas, finding it did indeed have about ¼ cup water in it. Hopefully, the problem is solved. Brilliant!!! He’s not just a pretty face.