The Catamaran Adventures of Noel and Ceu

Bahama Blues continues

31st Mar, 2023

Fish on the hook is always wxciting, this time was a niceAs soon as we left Staniel Cay we caught a nice   mutton snapper, that was exciting especially when were about to bring the line in, as we approach the National Park. The seas were smooth and I prepared the fish on the cockpit. With the small bits I made nice fish cakes for lunch. The rest made nice fillets. The bones made a yummy ch0wder.

 

We finally got to see some nice lobsters wile snorkeling. Not that we are very good at catching them, but here fishing is prohibited as we are in Exuma Land and Sea Park area in Warderick Wells. Good snorkeling and a nice walk. Huge wales skeleton

 

 

 

the harbour at warderick Park

After spending a couple of days here we headed to Norman Cay. We had 16 kts of wind and a nice broad reach. Very big waves through the cut and big waves continued out to sea.

Little Pond Cay

Johnny Depp owns this gorgeous island

Although most privately owned islands around here only have a “Private, No trespassing” sign, Johnny Depp goes way beyond with this sign 0n his beach front.

 Big beautiful island, beautiful beaches but did not see any mansions, just smaller villas spread out. Gorgeous spot too, right next to the Exumas Park. 

The island next to this one is White Bay Cay, owned by Tyler Perry, beautiful beaches backed by palm trees and mansions. Just gorgeous and upscale.

Norman Cay

For years, this small island, South of Nassau served as the headquarters for  the Medellin Cartel s drug smuggling in the 70’s up to around 1982. Planes would land on the tiny man-made runway (which is thought to have been built by Pablo Escobar himself) to refuel before continuing their journeys to the USA to drop off their illegal cargo.

 

 

 

Beautiful Beach in front of Mcduffs restaurant and villas. The first day we anchored near the sunken plane so we could snorkel it. The second day we anchored right in front of this beach and from here we enjoyed a nice long walk through the island.

Pablo Escobar Crashed Plane 

The Curtiss C-46 Commando once owned by Drug King, Pablo Escobar, lies in the beautiful turquoise waters in a sand bank so easy to snorkel.

The WWII-era plane was thought to be carrying cocaine when it landed just shy off the runway in 1980. It came to its final resting place on a sandbar between two outcrops of land on the southern end of Norman’s Cay.

Depending on the tides, the plane usually sits at a depth of around 10 feet below the surface, making it one of the most fascinating and easily accessible snorkel.

It is so impressive! Whats also interesting is that its not really advertised much in the Bahamas as a tourist attraction. so you find yourself anchored in this beautiful place with no one around. I guess the tourists are all gone to see the Exumas swimming pigs instead!

We loved exploring it. It was very cool. there were many colourful fish and marine life.

 

Eleuthera

We loved this island. We set off from Norman Cay expecting light winds but in our favor! well they lied. We had up to 20 kts and are now close hauled but still a fast trip. Anchored in Rock Sound. What a great spot. Well stocked market with fresh vegetables, including Kale. A short walk to the laundromat. Happy Happy

Its Good Friday and we are told by the other cruisers there is food ashore and could hear music. We beached the dinghy.  We enjoyed the  street food, open bar, good music and meeting other people. Good start of the Easter weekend. Next day  filled our water tanks from a tap at the beach, for Free.

In the afternoon we walked to visit these very cool caves. Cathedral Caves

 

On Easter Sunday we did a short sail to Governor harbour. What a beautiful calm bay, and a picturesque little town.

we loved our walk around here, with the beautiful gardens and colonial style homes though out

In the afternoon we adventured into a long walk to the pink sand beach. Walking through town we came across this local  bar Buckeneers Club, with a live band playing really nice music, so we stopped and had a drink, and listened to the band. I even got Noel to Dance…..

It was a great weekend . Loved it here and will be back

Next anchorage, Hachet Point

Smooth sailing , winds behind and jib out. Anchored in very calm bay. As soon as we arrived I saw a few jelly fish here though.

Our friend told us to go snorkel this pond on a protected area to find seahorses. Noel and I set off on a long and hot walk to this Pond.

With some detours into visiting these caves, that had graffiti  all these writings going back to the 60’s. apparently if you take the ladder or steps down, the caves are quite deep. Well, we had no flash light with us, and not feeling that adventurous here.

In all our travels we had never seen seahorses , so we were hoping to finally find at least one. We saw some very different marine life, crab and white shrimps, and we were snorkeling for a long time and about to abandon our search. At last we spotted One

Very cute, not very big, and this one really camouflages in there. So it was very exciting! sure worth the long and hot walk

Next anchorage, Glass Window, Eleuthera

Beautiful sail here, about 9 miles, gliding along beautiful cliffs.

One of nature’s true wonders, The Glass Window Bridge will certainly leave you breathless as you drink in the magnificent panoramic view. It is one of the few places on earth where you can compare the rich blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the road and the calm Bight of Eleuthera (often incorrectly called the Caribbean Sea) on the other side, separated by a strip of rock just 30 feet wide.

On the eastern, Atlantic side the highway is flanked by ridges leading up to cliff tops 80 feet above the ocean. The approach is thus blind on this side, until you actually reach the bridge where the deep blue Atlantic heaves into view.

the contrast in the blues and a very calm day

 

waves crashing and water fall into the other side, high tide and not a calm day

 

 

 

Queen’s Baths or Hot Tubs are a collection of natural pools that border the rugged Atlantic Ocean side of the island, a short walk of 0.6 miles south of The Glass Window Bridge. They were formed over the years through erosion of the rocks by the dramatic crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

queen baths in a calm day

queen baths on a not so calm day.

We went twice to see the difference. It was gorgeous both times. First day at low tide, calm and serene, you can soak in the pools and the next day was totally dramatic with the waves crashing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Use a X-Box Controller with OpenCPN

20th Jun, 2022

We use OpenCPN  as our primary navigation tool, running it on a Raspberry Pi 3B using OpenPlotter as the basic platform. Although OpenPlotter has a lot of additional features, we don’t actually use them, just OpenCPN as our chartpolotter. We have an Eyoyo LCD screen at our helm station. It all works well, except that (more...)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

1st May, 2022

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 35 40.88 N 075 15.79 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 161 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereArrive tomorrow . Sunny today . Still no fish (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

30th Apr, 2022

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 33 15.59 N 076 40.92 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 159 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAll is well on board Life Part 2. No fish yet. A bit cloudy today. Doing 11+ kts in the gulf stream (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

29th Apr, 2022

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 30 42.24 N 077 29.81 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 148 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereStomping along. Blue skies, fast sailing, and the crew even get along! Trying to catch some fish… (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

28th Apr, 2022

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 28 17.2 N 076 56.77 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 293 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereBeen a lot windier with some big waves. Not as comfortable as its has been, but all is well and we are sailing fast. dont reply to these mesgs (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Arriving in the Bahamas

16th Apr, 2022

Current Location: Stocking Island, Exumas, BahamasCurrent Position: 23 31.52 N 075 46.08 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 346 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here We arrived in Inagua, the most Southern island of the Bahamas, and a Port of Entry, from Luperon. It was a good (more...)

Stranded: No Gas, No Phone, No Money, and No Language

4th Feb, 2022

Current Location: Luperon, Dominican RepublicCurrent Position: 19 53.94 N 070 57.16 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 101 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here On Tuesday we rented a car to drive to Puerto Plata to buy groceries for our trip to the Bahamas. It turned out (more...)

Notorious thorny path, Mona passage

30th Jan, 2022

Current Location: Samana, Dominican ReplublicCurrent Position: 19 11.8 N 069 19.72 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 141 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic Thursday Jan 20, 2022. Time to head to the DR. But first we need to (more...)

Sail To Puerto Rico Chistmas and New Year 2022

21st Jan, 2022

Current Location: Boqueron, Puerto RicoCurrent Position: 18 1.26 N 067 10.68 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 233 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here Puerto Rico here we come! Sail from St Maarten (more...)

Bringing the blog up to date Nov 2020 – Dec 2021

23rd Dec, 2021

Current Location: Marigot Bay, St MartinCurrent Position: 18 3.88 N 063 5.7 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 349 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track here On our last post Nov 2020 we were looking forward to moving on to Puerto Rico or just straight to the Bahamas. (more...)

Getting Ready to go to Bahamas

25th Nov, 2020

Current Location: CarriacouCurrent Position: 12 27.35 N 061 29.54 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 415 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereThis COVID thing makes planning very difficult. And since we need a new PCR test each time we move, we are thinking the best strategy for the coming winter is to do one long sail to the Bahamas, and then just stay there. No fixed plans yet, but we are thinking along those lines and may well depart on the 900 n. mile voyage in the near future.   When we do, this blog will be updated by satellite, complete with our current position. But first we will have to sail back south to Grenada to get our tests done, then we apply for the health visa to enter Bahamas, and THEN we depart. So it won’t happen tomorrow. Will keep you informed.

Return to Grenada Oct 2020

12th Oct, 2020

After being in Canada since March, we were anxious to come and check out Life Part.  Air Canada cancelled all of their few flights they had available to Grenada during September, and no other airlines were coming in either. Mid-September we booked for Oct 4th / 2020. Many visits to the Grenada Government site online (more...)

Back in Canada and quarantine. March 2020

12th Oct, 2020

We left the boat in good hands in St Maarten, on a mooring ball in Simpsons Lagoon, French side. The trip to Canada Through Miami was fine. We arrived at empty airports with employees cleaning everything and every chair. The TV’ was all about the Coronavirus. The world had come to STOP. Everything shut down (more...)

Sailing 2020 to Covid19

12th Apr, 2020

Current Location: 18.306854461218883, -65.29860730419921Current Position: 18 18.41 N 065 17.92 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 126 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereFlying into St. Maarten early Feb 2020 The first thing to do was clean the bottom of the boat. We motored (more...)

Christmas 2019 Jan 2020 in Canada

12th Feb, 2020

We arrived in Canada in early December 2019, after leaving the boat in St Maarteen. The ski hills were already open and we got an early start. We celebrated December Birthdays. Noel’s and our grandson Tiago’s.   1   It was the night before Christmas… I think my (more...)

Adventures continued from November and December 2019

12th Jan, 2020

Current Location: 18.057599168193846, -63.11244216464844Current Position: 18 3.46 N 063 6.75 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 129 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereWow…time to catch up where we left off last November 2019. In October we joined Life Part 2 in Trinidad where we had left it (more...)

Hiking adventures

10th Nov, 2019

Boiling Lake, Dominica       One of the toughest and most famous hikes in Dominica is to the Boiling Lake. We had done this hike ten years ago, but we knew we had to include it again on our pass through the island. We love (more...)

Tying the Knot in BVI after 9 Years

11th Jun, 2019

Current Location: Deshaies, GuadeloupeCurrent Position: 16 18.65 N 061 47.38 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 206 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereJune 1st. It was nine years ago, today, that Ceu and I flew out from Vancouver to here, British Virgin Islands (BVI) to pick up (more...)

Sailing 2019 – Snorkeling and Deserted Beaches

11th Jun, 2019

This year we did a mad dash all the way up from Trinidad to BVI, and now we are heading back down to Trinidad.  That’s about 450 nautical miles each way. We covered a lot of islands, a lot of beaches, and saw a lot of fish. We even caught a few! And we have (more...)

Dyneema Rigging – Would I Do It Again?

24th May, 2019

Current Location: Guana Island, British Virgin IslandsCurrent Position: 18 28.41 N 064 34.61 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 421 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt is time for s/y Ventus to have new rigging. So our friend Nick asked me if, starting from stainless rigging, I (more...)

What do we do in Canada, home away from home

8th Apr, 2019

Snow, hey??? We Ski ( we do have a Summer as well) Deep snow,ungroomed slopes   Snow shoeing and dog sleding Family time… Birthdays parties, and beach time in our local Lakes Lots of special moments like the first day of school. Little one wants to go too! (more...)

Update Spring 2018- Guadaloupe to Barbuda

21st Mar, 2019

Current Location: English Harbour, AntiguaCurrent Position: 17 0.54 N 061 45.8 W Click to view map.Continued from spring 2018 Guadaloupe to Trinidad Wow…I can’t believe it has been a year since my last post. As promised here is Guadaloupe Part2, showing you more of our beloved French island. Not only we enjoyed the wine the (more...)

Arrived in Grenada

14th Mar, 2019

Current Location: Prickly Bay, GrenadaCurrent Position: 11 59.91 N 061 45.79 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 79 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt was good to get out of Chaguaramas. It is a great place for getting work done, but not for chillaxing, being very industrial.  (more...)

Back on the Water – Finally!

13th Mar, 2019

Current Location: Chaguaramas, TrinidadCurrent Position: 10 40.95 N 061 38.04 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 0 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt has been a long time. We arrived in Trinidad at the end of June 2018 to leave the boat on the hard for the (more...)

I have waited 41 years to get one of these…

22nd Oct, 2018

Current Location: Vernon, BC, CanadaCurrent Position: 50 15.36 N 119 17.39 W Click to view map.So now with the big 60 approaching,  it is with great excitement that I can reveal that it has finally arrived… She has been christened Sally, after the red MG Midget that I owned when I had just graduated (more...)

Martinique and the rest of Season, May-June 2018

23rd Jun, 2018

Current Location: Chaguaramas, TrinidadCurrent Position: 10 40.74 N 061 38.34 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 332 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAs I prepare some new photos from our travels 2019, I get reminded that I must finish catching up with last year.  We said goodbye (more...)

Off to Guadaloupe

19th Mar, 2018

Current Location: Islet du Gosier, GuadeloupeCurrent Position: 16 12.1 N 061 29.6 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 130 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereA bit of an update. . It was fun to visit once again some of our favourite spots in St Lucia and (more...)

Now THAT is Why We Go Sailing

2nd Mar, 2018

Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 5.4 N 060 57.74 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 23 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereOn Wednesday we finally had our new forestay and furler fitted, and we managed to escape. Enough of boat maintenance for a while. (more...)

Mais Oui, Toute Marche!

10th Feb, 2018

Current Location: Le Marin, MartiniqueCurrent Position: 14 28.08 N 060 52.51 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 23 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereYep, (almost) all is working now. We needed some different scenery, and we desperately needed to stock up on cheese, salami, and wine, so (more...)

Fixing Boats in Exotic Locations

7th Feb, 2018

Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 5.42 N 060 57.67 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 1 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track herePeople say that cruising is actually better described as ‘fixing boats in exotic locations’. We can attest to that. Since we got back (more...)

Back On Board in St. Lucia

27th Jan, 2018

Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.34 N 060 57.48 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 3717 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereYes, we are back. After a very pleasant 6 months in Canada, including canoeing, hiking, an Alaska cruise with my Mum, and skiing, (more...)

Dodging Irma

15th Sep, 2017

For the past week we have been canoeing in the Bowron Lakes in mid BC. What an awesome week, even though we had all sorts of weather, including rain – but thankfully no mosquitos! Meanwhile Life Part 2 was sitting safe and sound in St. Lucia. When we left for Bowron we knew that Irma (more...)

BOAT = Bring Out Another $Thousand

29th May, 2017

Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.32 N 060 57.52 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 214 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIn Barbuda our windlass gave up on us. Well, actually, it was a combination of two things: our anchor chain was rusty and (more...)

Racy Photos from Martinique

15th May, 2017

Current Location: Cocoa Point, BarbudaCurrent Position: 17 32.95 N 061 46.18 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 32 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAlthough we spent quite a bit of time in Martinique we didn’t write much about it, only a few photos of the Carnival and (more...)

Sailing the Most Beautiful Yachts in the World

25th Apr, 2017

Current Location: Falmouth Harbour, AntiguaCurrent Position: 17 1.14 N 061 46.36 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 183 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereShe is 78 years old but, as befits her name, still as hot and sexy as a prom queen. Helped, no doubt, by the (more...)

Beautiful Saint Lucia

11th Apr, 2017

Current Location: Rodney Bay, St LuciaCurrent Position: 14 4.34 N 060 57.53 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 36 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereEnjoying Saint Lucia We are delighted with beautiful sunsets every evening from our anchorage in Rodney Bay. Noel enjoying a nice swim (more...)

Still in Martinique

6th Mar, 2017

Current Location: Case Pilote, MartiniqueCurrent Position: 14 38.48 N 061 8.41 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 114 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereWell, here we are still sitting in Martinique! Ceu has been to Canada and back to see the grandchildren. Now my sister, Mitzi, and (more...)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

31st Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 20.24 N 059 42.9 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 6 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereJust left Barbados for a quick over night reach to Martinique. Will do full update when we get decent internet (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

28th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 15.93 N 059 38.81 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 19 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereArrived in Barbados . Drinking wine. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

27th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 23.09 N 059 20.34 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 292 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereLand ahoy…I see land !!! Arrival is near! Caught 2 more fish and had our first squall all at the same time. Lots of excitement. Looking forward to rum punch! (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

25th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 44.87 N 054 20.76 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 82 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereNot much wind, have slowed down. New ETA Sat. Maybe. Who knows? Nice weather though . (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

25th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 13 50.09 N 052 56.16 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 211 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereIt is late at night, and the stars are shining brightly. So beautiful! Wind finally picked up, so doing 7 Kts again. 400 miles to go. ETA Fri eve, we hope. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

23rd Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 6.18 N 049 19.12 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 137 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereyummy…some nice hot chocolate. Burgers on BBQ. Bouillabaise, fresh bread. Gourmet dining at Heavenly Delights. One yacht in sight. Wish you were here. 🙂 (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

22nd Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 17.51 N 046 58.75 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 150 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereNot much wind, have slowed down. Now playing a domino game, mexican train. Ceu knitting scarves and dreaming of visiting grandkids in Canada soon. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

21st Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 28.25 N 044 24.46 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 133 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereAuto pilo failed. Didn’t want to hand steer for 900 miles, so we heaved to for two hours while we installed the spare. Weather still good but winds lighter. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

20th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 34.78 N 042 7.42 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 131 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereHalf way to destination..yey! All is going well. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

19th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 40.61 N 039 52.08 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 176 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereCaught 4 fish today, all at the same time but 2 got away. Good size mahi mahi. Total chaos. Blood eveywhere. Ceu serving up sashimi now. Taking orders now. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

18th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 45.97 N 036 50.39 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 141 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereBigger waves today, up to 2 m, good surfing. Winds the same force 4 to 5 ENE. Spinnaker up again. Speed 8 Kts. Fresh bread. Caught barracuda. Too small. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)

Mid-Ocean Live Update

17th Jan, 2017

Current Location: Mid-OceanCurrent Position: 14 49.45 N 034 24.72 W Click to view map. Distance sailed since last post: 144 nautical miles. View the map of our voyage track hereSpinnaker up. Blue sky. Caught tasty mahi mahi yesterday. Smooth sea. Not another boat or ship in sight. Saw dolphins. All is good. (Sent by InReach satellite connection)