Iwalani
Current position
Saturday 04-04-09, Lat: 23* 31.2N, Long: 075* 45.7 W
Elizabeth Harbour, Exuma Island
Winds SE 15-20 kts; mostly clear skies, good visibility.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009, anchored Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown,
Great Exuma Island.
0800: Using VHF 68 as the local hailing channel, every morning at
8am there's a "Boaters Net" on VHF 72, providing communications
and announcements for the cruising community. The order of
communication includes weather reports, business announcements,
community announcements, new arrivals and departures, and general
discussions thereafter. It's informational and entertaining as
well.
0930: After a short dingy ride to shore, we find a small shack
called J&K Productions that offers internet access for $5 per day.
We cram ourselves in amongst the others and connect back to the
realities of life. Eric offers us the use of their rental car,
and we drive to the big hardware store 2 - 3 miles out of town.
Upon our return, we find that we've forgotten the most important
purchase. Our voltmeter, along with the entire contents of Chris'
tool drawer, received a lethal saltwater injection and fried
itself like a frontal lobotomy. It's immediate presence is needed
to install the electronic portion of our wind generator, as we've
found that solar power alone is not quite sufficient to support
our electronic usage.
1230: We dingy past our friends we met at Little Farmers Cay, Mark
& Karen Stockton, aboard Susurra. After catching up, we ask if
they have knowledge on wind generator hookup, and Mark offers to
swing by and take a look later.
1500: It takes three tries and some maguivering, but Chris
manages to successfully install a water spigot on deck and it
works like a charm. No more hauling the water hose on deck from
the kitchen sink.
1730: Cleaned up and relaxing, Eric bops by on his dingy and
climbs aboard to take a look at Iwalani. "Wow, she looks a lot
older than built in '85". Not quite what a woman would like to
hear, but we know it's meant as a compliment. Built with teak
wood paneling and patinaed brass portholes, she's like a salty
storybook classic. He had just dropped his family off at the
airport which turned out to be one of his more difficult tasks.
With time running short, they've opted to hire a Captain and one
crew member to sail their Catamaran nonstop 400 miles eastward,
where the family will reunite in the British Virgin Islands or
somewhere nearby. Eric had originally offered the job to Capt
Chris, but Chris had to turn it down so he could continue
Iwalani's transit to Panama.
1900: Chris fashions a hand line, attaches a bit of squid and
hands it over to me. Oh boy! I immediately feel the little
buggers nibbling away. It's already dark so I can't see into the
water, but I'm just waiting for that big one when
suddenly...CHOMP! Tug tug SNAP! The sucker snapped the line and
took hook, bait, line and sinker! Way to go, must've been that
darned Barracuda.
Tuesday, April 2, 2009, anchored Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown,
Great Exuma Island.
0800: This morning started off like the others in Georgetown.
After listening in to the Boaters Net, we take a short dingy ride
to shore and spend an hour on the internet.
1000: Having received some electrical installation tips for our
wind generator from Mark & Karen, we were in need of a 50 amp fuse
and 50 amp breaker. The little hardware store in town didn't have
any, so we contemplated our options of commuting to the big
hardware store 2-3 miles outside of town. Option 1 - walk; option
2 - bike (with just one bike, guess who'd have to pedal?); option
3 - take Opihi on the longest run ever attempted, 3 miles down the
coast and around a windy point. Well, Chris had just cleaned up
and adjusted the outboard motor, which has become a weekly
routine, and she was running beautifully. So without much
hesitation, we opt for choice #3. Off we went, winds at our
backs, riding the 1 - 2 foot ground swells. It felt like being
with my teammates in a 6 man outrigger canoe, sitting in seat #3,
surfing and calling the bumps. We zipped around having a blast,
and beach Opihi in front of what we thought was close
approximation to the our destination. A friendly hotel clerk
confirmed a short 5 minute walk to the hardware store, but
suggested if we take our boat around the next point, we'd land on
the beach right across from the store. Viewing the point that
extended quite far out into the channel, winds SE 15-20 kts, 1-2'
ground swells with a mean backwash off the rocky point, I
experience a slight moment of hesitation and asked Chris if it was
a good idea. If we round that point, we'd need to come back too.
Capt Chris assured me it would be fine, and so we shoved off and
rounded the point. Wow! A beautiful anchorage called Goat Cay,
with just 2 small sailboats anchored. Much better protection from
the SE winds and no crowds. The point was a privately owned
"island" with a gated road that lead to the house, boat dock and
private beach. Cha ching.
1200: Our trip to the hardware store and back was a cinch, and we
shoved off to head back to Iwalani. As we rounded the point we
got slapped in the face with the expected winds, swell and
backwash, and Chris had the outboard wide open. I held on with
both hands while being launched and airborne with every oncoming
bump. I once again reflect on my teammates in a 6 man outrigger
canoe, and sympathize with mare-bear in seat #1 as Kisi makes a
move out the channel in 2-3 foot waves. You literally get
launched up and out of your seat, landing with a thud on every "up
and over!". Nonetheless, all's going well when unexpectedly,
Chris utters the dreaded two words, "uh - oh". Suddenly, it's
silent. Our little outboard motor went ka-put. Oh-my-god! We're
going to get swept onto the sharp rocky point and perish! I toss
out the anchor as Chris inspects the motor, but without tools,
he's unable to make any adjustments or diagnose the problem.
Without hopes of restarting the engine, Chris starts rowing
against the wind & current, gaining no ground. Incidentally, I
think I failed to mention we have one more addition to our
negative predicament. Having earlier lost the plug, Opihi was
slowly taking on water. Well then, our only option now is to head
back from whence we came, to protected waters around the point.
Easier said than done. Although more protected, the tide was
running out around the point and Chris had the opportunity for
anger management, rowing out his frustrations as I hunkered down
in back. When it was shallow enough, he got into chest high
waters and walked us towards shore while I rowed. It took some
time, but we finally got to the beach and tied Opihi to a tree.
Safe at last, but now what? As always, Chris is the man with the
plan. We'd have to walk the 2-3 miles back to town, hitch a dingy
ride out to Iwalani, then anchor up and head out for Opihi Rescue!
Tan-da-don! Hang on Opihi, we're coming to get you!
1500: Tide was in our favor and Iwalani entered Goat Cay without
hesitation. Continuing with Chris' master plan for Opihi Rescue,
he'd get me as close to shore as possible and anchor strategically
for a straight shot back from the beach. I'd jump ship with
snorkel mask & fins, swim to shore, then row Opihi back to
Iwalani. Simple enough, so off I go. After making it to shore
and dragging Opihi down the beach and into the water, I start
rowing towards the safety of Iwalani. Calculating some wind and
current, I adjust and make an angled course upwind of Iwalani so
as not to get sucked off course and into the channel...eeek. So
far so good, then suddenly - SNAP! WHAT????!!!! No no no no no
no no! That cheapo plastic sleeve holding the oar in place
snapped off and BROKE! I drop anchor and try to make it stick in
place to no avail. Next option, row with one oar. Going in
circles, that doesn't work. How about paddling like an OC-1?
Nope, boat's too wide. One thing going in my favor is that I was
slowly drifting down towards Iwalani, whew. I can see Chris
standing on the bow and I could just hear him say, "NOW what's she
doing?". Having exhausted all two options, I donned mask fins and
snorkel once again, and start swimming Opihi back to Iwalani.
Meanwhile, Chris jumps on his longboard, meets me halfway, then
paddles and tows both me AND Opihi back to Iwalani. Opihi Rescue,
completed. Unfortunately amid all the excitement, we fail to take
photos chronicling the adventure. Oh well, I think you get the
picture.
1700: Safely on board, Chris once again successfully cleans up and
adjusts the outboard motor, and now has a second career option as
an outboard motor mechanic. We reward ourselves by taking Opihi
for a spin around the bay, snorkel and fish off a small grouping
of rocks, then settle in for the night with a catch of pan sized
snappers, a quiet anchorage and excellent company.
This will be my last entry, as I have to jump ship and fly home to
our responsibilities. Capt Chris will be soloing it to Dominican
Republic and will assume the blog responsibilities with his one
man show. Good luck in adding this to the juggling act. I will
miss him something terrible, and wish him safe sailing till he
gets back home. I will pick the blog back up later this summer.
Aloha to all, hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, we did.
Chris & Lisa
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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