Bahamas to Jamaica

Errol Flynn Marina Facebook Photo of Crew Arrluk near the end of our Jamaican experience

Our Blog has suffered greatly from lack of reliable internet connections and from exhausted bloggers from  many projects and long cruising days.  For this entry, we've resorted to actually composing most of our text while away from the net, to help speed up the process of updates; a strategy we will continue to use to assure we don’t miss or forget names and details.

We've covered a lot of territory since our last blog entry in George Town Bahamas; having successfully made the voyage south to Matthew Town, Big Inagua Cay (Bahamas); through the windward passage to Jamaica; across the Caribbean Sea to Cristobal Harbor/Colon Panama; and through the Canal to the Pacific.  This writing finds us finally cruising slowly off the west coast of Panama toward Gulfito, Costa Rica, where, most likely, we will actually be able to upload this to the net and add our many photos.  Because of the length, we will break this up into a couple of blog posts to expedite the process and at least get partially caught up should we again run out of time or connectivity before having to press on.

George Town to Jamaica

Sunrise at Exuma Yacht Club, George Town, Bahamas

We finally left George Town on April 3, 2013 at 2 PM, after waiting for several hours for the marina to pay their fuel bill and receive a fuel delivery, so we could top off our tanks before heading south.  The Exuma Yacht Club was comfortable and close to everything in town, but it is not very well managed, a reflection of the absent Irish owner who seldom visits anymore and has earned a reputation in the island for not paying his bills (in evidence were the half finished rewiring and re-planking marina upgrade projects).  Upon leaving George Town, our intent was to motor straight south for a couple of days and then refuel and rest in Matthew Town while waiting for a weather window to do the Windward Passage to Jamaica.  As you will see – plans changed; the true reality of cruising!

Another Bahamian Sunset

Dark beset us as we rounded the northern tip of Long Cay, fully exposed now to the Atlantic, and turned south along its eastern coast.  The sea was running about 6 feet, directly out of the east, so we were running in the troughs, then across the swells and back down into the next trough.  It made a very long night rolling back and forth (in spite of the fully functional stabilizers).  Even with seasickness patches, by midnight everyone but Alex and I had tossed their dinner and retired below in misery.  He and I hung in there, but I soon succumbed to the same fate, only did not have the luxury of retiring.  Alex seems to have a cast-iron stomach and, fortunately, is a night owl so could stay awake and pulled an extra long shift at the helm.

Our frequent companions, the Dolphins loved the bow!

Daybreak found us heading south toward the northern tip of Crooked Cay where we dropped anchor in a protected area west of Landrail point about 11 AM.  Anchoring was a bit of a challenge as, in spite of what the guidebook said, there was more coral to be found than clear sand, and you just do not anchor over coral.  After getting things settled aboard we all collapsed and took a well deserved recovery cycle with only a slight bobbing from the sea conditions. 

Sunrise over Landrail Point, Crooked Cay, Bahamas

After a good dinner and nights rest we headed out the next morning with more realistic plans, to reach the southern tip of Crooked Cay (only 40 miles or so) and get a good night’s rest before, weather permitting, transiting the open Atlantic to Matthew Town the next day.  Now traveling on the leeward side of the island, past what is termed the Blight (a very shallow open area in the middle of the western side of the crescent shaped key, we found the going pleasant.  It did take us awhile to locate a suitable anchorage tucked up very close to the north shore of Aklin Island.  Getting there required good light and very slow maneuvering through coral heads and shallow areas. We ended up being several miles short of the southern end of the key, but we enjoyed a quiet evening with only a couple of red lights in the distant east from a radio tower to indicate we had any company in the isolated spot.

Castle Island Lighthouse, SW Corner of Castle Island,
Crooked Cay, Bahamas.  80 Miles from Great Inagua Island

At 7:30 on April 6th, with kids still sacked out, we weighed anchor and headed southwest toward Matthew Town, 88 miles away.  Most of the trip went well, but as we got closer to Matthew Town the forecast east winds, ideal for the only anchorage near Matthew Town, turned NNE and began to blow pretty strongly.  As a result, it was dusk when we finally approached the small community and much too risky to try to make the tight entrance to their tiny little harbor.  We were forced to stick to the original plan and anchor in a less than suitable area.  After five anchor attempts, the last with two deployed bow anchors we finally got a good hold and hunkered down for a long night of 25 knot winds out of the NNE and really rocky conditions.  Amazingly, we did manage to get a few hours of sleep in spite of constant anchor checks and the unanticipated larger swells that sent us rolling around on the bed from time to time.

We awoke to find that the community was shut down, as it was Sunday.  None of the stores were open, immigration was closed, and no one was answering the radio at the fuel dock.  With the prospect of spending another night in the same conditions just to clear out of the country with the authorities, we opted to hightail it toward Jamaica.  The weather forecast was for much improved conditions in that direction and we'd been told that we could check out of the country by mailing our various documents back to the Bahamian authorities.  Overall we were not impressed with Matthew Town from our limited vantage point off-shore.  With very limited services available, were we ever to make the trip again, we would likely not include the community as a stop, instead we would make a more direct approach to the Windward Passage closer to Cuba, knocking off a few miles from the voyage.

Many long hours sitting at the helm!

As we cruised in and SSW direction in every-calming seas in a course set to avoid the major shipping channels and getting too close to Cuba, we were pleasantly surprised to get a very close fly-by from a USCG helicopter.  We waved as he made a close swing around us (certainly to get some good photos of our stern with vessel name and home port).  We could only imagine what the flight crew was thinking as they read “Juneau, AK,”  “Boy, those guys are a long way from home,” was likely the least of the comments they exchanged.  We later learned from officials in Jamaica that the USCG routinely does ‘support flyovers’ of that area, the Windward Passage and seas between Cuba and Jamaica in their efforts to thwart the Haitian refugee problems and combat drug runners.

One of these guys could really ruin your day

That afternoon we rounded the southeastern tip of Cuba and turned more westerly on a direct course for Port Antonio, located at the northeastern tip of Jamaica.  Several times during the night we had to alter course slightly as large ships approached us on their way to or from Panama or areas further south, but generally the seas became much calmer than we'd previously experienced and the trip was uneventful, with one 'minor' exception. 

We’d finally gotten into our nighttime shift routine down with younger Matthew pulling the 8 PM to midnight shift, Alex the midnight to 4 AM shift, and I the 4 AM to 8 AM shift.  About 2 AM Alex woke me to say “something happened.”  While the engine was running fine, the cabin was almost as dark as the night outside, as the radios, navigation systems and autopilot were all off.  It seems that Alex’s foot had “accidentally” swept down across the circuit breakers and turned everything off.  After a mad scramble, and Alex learning very quickly how hard it was to manually steer a course by compass heading, I had the systems back online and we were back on course.

Jamaica

Cloud Shrouded Jamaican Coastline as we approached

At 1500 hours Jamaica time (we had a time zone change to central time), April 8^th, we pulled into Port Antonio after about 38 hours at sea.  As we approached the rocky coastline and observed the tall, green, rain-forested mountains that appeared to end at the sea's edge, we wondered exactly where the Errol Flynn Marina could be.  Entering a well marked channel into the harbor we saw a large circular bay, with nary a boat to be seen.  We quickly learned that this bay, locally known as the “Folly,” while used by some boats, was not our destination.  Instead we took a hard turn to the west and entered a deep but narrow channel that led to the very well protected main harbor area known as the East Anchorage.

View of the eastern side of Port Antonio as we approached

There, we were met by a marine police launch who merely pointed us in the right direction, and a welcoming crew on the docks.  There was no wind, no current, and what looked from a distance like little room for maneuvering.

Fortunately, first appearances can be deceiving, and the docks had plenty of room for me to slowly turn the boat and carefully, very carefully, back into our slip.  The docks were fixed concrete affairs; very nice compared to many we’d been to in the Bahamas.  As they usually have less than a foot of tide here, there was little problem with the fixed docks and our lines.  Several folks were on the docks to assist with lines and advice on bumper heights etc.  Paul, the marina manager, was on hand and soon produced a welcome packet, and all of the forms we needed to fill out to clear with the authorities.  When I asked about the process, he said not to worry, that everyone already knew we had arrived and they would soon begin paying us visits on the boat.  “In the meantime  relax, have a drink, get settled, start on your paperwork and, when you are ready, let me know and I'll give you a tour of the marina.”

Errol Flynn Marina Docks, Port Antonio, JA

We soon had visits from Immigration, Customs and the Health inspector.  Nary a problem with any of them, but the health inspector did not want us using our showers, laundry, or even the kitchen sink, as they all drain directly to the sea (as does every yacht I am aware of other than the mega-yachts)  Folks here are very serious about keeping their waters pristine!  We reached an accommodation on all three with our agreement to use the marina’s showers and laundry facilities (at a reasonable cost per load) in exchange for allowing us to use the kitchen sink for normal dishes and other chores.

We frequently had little afternoon rain squalls

In addition to the official visits we began to have several visits from some of the locals, all proffering their services as yacht cleaners, polishers, waxers, hull scrapers and the like.  I politely listened but told each in turn that I would be making no commitments of this type until the next day after we’d had a chance to rest up and get a lay of the community.

Paul then gave us a tour of Errol Flynn Marina which included the story of actor Errol Flynn and how he fell in love with the community and moved there.  He died fairly young, but his wife, Patrice, now 89, still lives here on a large estate as well as one of their children.  The Marina itself was built not long ago and operated by a division of West Marine for a number of years.  The Jamaican government now owns the facility (you would never know this by outward appearances) and they are promoting it heavily as a cruising destination.  Dockage and mooring fees are quite reasonable, but their metered water is nearly as expensive as the Bahamas.  Facilities are quite nice and the outdoor bar has decent (short range) internet and cold beer.

The 'Tallyman' banana tally & loading facility (center) now sits unused

From the marina you can easily see the older marina and the large warehouse/loading dock known as the "Tally Shack" across the East Anchorage.  You may recall the old reggae song about the ‘Tallyman’ that was quite popular in the US; the song was inspired by this building which housed one of the largest banana shipping facilities ever.  The Tallyman was the guy who weighed up your load of bananas as you carried them over your shoulder into the warehouse.  Unfortunately for Port Antonio, the banana shipping industry took two hits; first, they constructed a railroad from the port to Kingston, meaning that larger ships could be used for shipping out of the larger Kingston harbor; then, the banana industry as a whole took a drastic change and the facility was shut down.  Even the railroad was shut down after the highway to Kingston was constructed.  Little remains of it today other than the old foundation and tracks of the roundhouse.

Even on stormy days, East Anchorage remained calm.

Learning that the marina was now owned by the Jamaican government explained many things; for example, how quickly the authorities knew we'd arrived and 'popped' over to facilitate our clearance process.  It also explained why their internet Wi-Fi service didn't work until the day we left (10 days later) and their nearly-new 100 ton boat lift was out of service.  Paul was politically correct when asked, but alluded to “other government priorities,” for getting things repaired and fixed.

Our first night in the marina, we learned what the trade-off was for being in the nice marina, literally 200 yards from downtown Port Antonio: MUSIC.  As the sun set and the nightlife began in earnest, the very loud music from the nightclubs began to pound away at us.  Because of the heat we elected to keep windows open and enjoy the breezes, so the music reverberated throughout the boat until well after 3 AM.  After a number of days of this we finally resorted to shutting up the boat and turning on the air conditioning at night.  Something we hadn't planned on doing unless the weather was just too hot to tolerate.

The morning after our arrival we had a visit from a small ‘task force’ of 5 guys representing the Jamaican Defense Force (Army), the National Police Force, and the Jamaican Coast Guard.  Kathy was a bit intimidated by the uniformed escort with his AR-15, but generally they just filled out some forms and looked through the boat spaces to assure themselves we were not smugglers (or whatever).  They then visited several other boats in the marina before heading out.

While in the marina, as cruisers are accustomed to doing, we visited with other boaters and struck up conversations with others about places they’d been and were headed to.  We struck up a friendship with a group of four men from Mexico on a 60’ catamaran who were also headed to Panama and through the canal.  After some discussion about plans and weather forecasts, we agreed that we would travel together on the trip to help improve safety.  We set a departure date of Wednesday morning, April 17.

Port Antonio

Trident Castle from the land

The town of Port Antonio is a bustling little community with a very active outdoor “market” just outside the gates of the marina area.  While there are a couple of small grocery markets, meat and produce should be purchased in the market area.  There were a group of opportunistic folks awaiting just outside the gates to provide directions, carry bags, or even procure “Ganja,” (marijuana) if one was so inclined.  On our first walkabout in town we found one of these fellows useful in directing us about the busy little downtown, as the streets were a bit confusing and some of the places we wanted to shop not quite so obvious.  But after the first trip we found them a bit tiresome and finally had to say, repeatedly, “NO thank you.”  Of course they expect some compensation for their time, so a simple run to the market could end up costing you another 5 or 10 bucks if you're not careful.

Trident Castle from the Sea

By American standards, which are difficult to forget but not at all fairly applied to another country, the town was dirty and derelict.  Stray dogs wandered the streets, trash was everywhere, and many buildings were abandoned.  That being said, the people were very friendly and we found nearly everything we needed there.  Fuel, and oil filters and any spare parts for the Caterpillar engine were the exception, as was the Cetol varnish we needed for the boat.  Fortunately, George, Errol Flynn’s Operations Manager, offered to pick these items up for us when he made his weekly trek to Kingston, so we were able to replenish our spare parts supply before our departure.

The west end of Port  Antonio, away from the market and main business hub but near to the boatyard, was quite nice and, as we explored and walked along the streets, folks said “hello,” and kept to their own business.

The Blue Lagoon (NO, that's not Brooke swimming near the trees)

One afternoon we hired a local taxi driver with a van and he took us sightseeing.  We traveled east out of town, passing the impressive Trident Castle and then out to the “Blue Lagoon.”  Yes, indeed, this is the famous Blue Lagoon from the movie by the same name.  Unfortunately, unlike as portrayed in the movie as an isolated place on a deserted island, this is a major tourist stop complete with multiple hawking street vendors who swarmed us the moment we exited the cab and walked toward the lagoon for the obligatory photographs.  The coast nearby, protected by a reef not far off shore, was crowded with multi-million dollar villas built right out over the water.  It was a strikingly beautiful area.

The "Other side of Blue Lagoon"  you have to look
past the derelict boat to see the $M villas

Jamaica Projects

Repairs and TLC are obviously needed.  The before shot (from Savannah)

"Hulk" and Rudy prepping the upper teak rails

Arrluk was badly in need of TLC after sitting for so long without it.  She needed a good wash, polishing to remove the oxidation and a good wax job, her teak was desperately in need of scraping and re-varnishing, and there were a couple of fiberglass dings and a small piece of teak that needed patching and/or repair.  We had thought to have these things done once we were in Central America, but the Jamaican locals as well as the boatyard at Errol Flynn came in with very attractive offers at a fraction of the cost estimates we'd received in the states.  We ended up hiring the three jobs separately, so they could be done at nearly the same time and we could meet our departure deadline.  Within a day of arriving, we had workers washing, scraping, polishing and crawling all over the boat.  It was quite a sight.

Presley & Tyrone polishing the 'other side' assisted by
Matthew

‘Hulk’ and Rudy took on the teak work scraping off chunks of the old varnish then scraping and sanding the wood until it looked new. Presley and Tyrone took on the washing and polishing.  The fiberglass work waited for a number of days, as it required us moving the boat out of the marina (and our comfortable water and electric hook-ups) over to the boatyard dock where that work could be done.

Tyron getting those low dirty spots

About twice a day we would grab the ropes and slide the boat from one side of our slip to the other so the workers could use the dock to access the opposite side. 

After 3 days of prep work the Varnish finally goes on

Meanwhile, I was down in the engine room, changing oil in the engine, transmission and genset, and pulling apart the main engine’s heat exchanger so I could boil out the deposits.  The heat exchanger definitely needed this done, but a little muriatic acid quickly took care of the gunk inside.  Of course taking it apart and putting it back together took the most time.  I also took this opportunity to rebuild and clean out the older heat exchanger removed from the stabilizers and replace the raw water pump’s impeller, a task that once done, I hope I never have to do again while out at sea or in a rush.  It was a significant PITA requiring the pump physically be removed from the engine to get the old impeller out and the new one in.  Ah, boat ownership is such a pleasure!

More varnish goes on

While both sets of our workers came recommended by Paul as being good workers who did good work, we soon learned that between Hulk and Presley there was bad blood.  After the first day of constant bickering and sniping at one another, a quite word to each from Paul and a more direct instruction from me to work on opposite sides or ends of the boat from one another if they couldn’t keep it civil, or take a hike, the bickering quieted down.  Were we ever to do this again, I would only have one set of workers onboard at a time, or more likely have Hulk and Rudy do all of the work, as we were impressed with the work they did on the teak. 

After three days the boat was cleaned and polished, Presley and Tyrone sent on their way, and the first coat of Cetol varnish applied.  I wrapped up the engine work and we motored across the harbor to the boatyard haul-out area.  Because the boat lift was disabled we had to remain in the water while our fiberglass work began and a piece of teak handrail was fashioned to replace one that needed it.  Because of the spray painting involved, this work could not be done in the marina (recall the Health department lady's admonitions).  We found the boatyard quiet and peaceful, although a bit windier than the marina (we actually welcomed that breeze).  No electric connection meant we had to rely upon the genset for several hours a day while power tools were being used, but generally we were more relaxed there than on the marina side and the music was significantly reduced at night. 

Still sporting some blue tape, repairs are nearly completed and final varnish coats are going on

Three days and two nights in the boatyard found several more coats of varnish applied and us sporting a new piece of teak and patched and painted hull repairs completed.  We motored back to the marina and resumed our stay there as the teak work continued.

A happy customer with Rudy and Hulk after final clean up and preparations to leave the next morning.
More coats of varnish are needed, but those will have to wait for the right weather and opportunities

On Tuesday afternoon, the Immigration officer visited us and processed us out of the country, issuing us the all-important Zarpe' or exit permit.  We settled up with the marina and enjoyed the last bit of limited internet we could get in the bar while drinking a beer and having a burger.  The next morning, April 17, 2013, at 6 AM we set out for Panama, following our new friends in their sailboat.

Fraia's Drakkar, our Jamaica to Panama cruising partners.  This is one of the last views we had of them on the trip.
Stay tuned for the next installment!