We now rejoin the regular scheduled program...

We last left off with a pretty spectacular sunset at Mangrove Cay on the Little Bahama Bank... so we will continue with the post-sunset lightshow at anchor. We anchored about 50 yards away from the island in about 8 feet of water (or so we thought). I was exhausted by this point and after Steph conjouring up some dinner, we went to bed. At about 3AM I awoke to our shallow water alarm... I raced into the cockpit with my mind reviewing all of the possible scenarios that awaited me (dragging anchor, other boats, etc.) I was glad to only find that the tide had gone out and we were in 4.5 feet; still, that was a bit close for comfort. Steph joined me on deck to find out what was going on and to help if possible. She manned the Helm while I pulled anchor... now I am going to try to describe what we saw next, but unless youve been there and seen it, you may find it hard to envision. As I began to pull the anchor, the entire seafloor lit up in bursts... the only thing that I can relate it to is cloud-to-cloud lightning. It was awing to watch! I actually let out the rhode and pulled it up again just so we could see it again (...more of natures entertainment)! We speculated that the seafloor has the phosphorescence under the surface, and when disturbed... well, you get the idea! After that came the awareness of the night sky... not even the distant glow on the horizon from a city or town... just the stars (millions of them!) and us on our fore-deck. We must have laid up there on the fore-deck for an hour watching everything from the shooting stars to the satellites in orbit passing us by! What a first night!

Sunset at Mangrove...

...yep, still catching up on my sleep. I hadnt even kept up on my end of the responsibilities (note the pail of dirty dishes in the cockpit with me), but I DID manage to make coffee that morning!

next morning...

...we had been warned to keep vigilant for coral heads and shallow water my many a Bahamas cruising veteran, but they also say that if you have never gone aground, then you havent been anywhere...

watching for coral...

...well we went aground, folks... in GRAND fashion. We decided after reviewing the charts that we would begin our island-hopping at the North-eastern tip of the Little Bahama Bank near Walkers Cay. We decided to anchor in a little harbor called Double Breasted Cay (I swear that is the real name!) When on the Bahamas Bank, you literally lose all sense of tide and time, so we made our approach not knowing the tide for the area (note to all: there IS NO NOAA reports or tide information on the VHF in the outlying areas in the Bahamas). We found our way into the little archipelago from the southeast side and with Steph on the bow, myself at the helm, made it into the Eastern portion of the approach. There another sailboat had decided to follow us into the anchorage. Having called him on the VHF, I advised him that we were not familiar with the anchorage and to be aware of us should something happen as we entered. We creeped along at 2 knots feeling our way into the anchorage, aware that we were going to have to turn at some point to round the sandbar and get to the western side and the protection it offered. When Steph pointed to turn to port, I cranked the tiller over and the boat began to turn... I was watching our position and speed... 2.5 knots, with the engine at idle speed! It was hard to tell at the time, but we were caught in a tidal current,and we were turned 90 degrees to the current trying to round the sandbar. Empty Pocket was motoring sideways! Then came the sounds... SCRRRAAAAPE, CRUNCH, BANG!! Steph held on as we were thrown broadside onto a rocky shallow bank... If you have ever been aground this hard in your boat, then you know that everything stops for an instant... your boat life passes before your eyes, and for a moment the event is surreal. Oh, yeah, weve been aground before, but NEVER like this... The only thing that I could think was dont lose the boat! and I dove into the cabin to check for holes and water... Steph started screaming for me on deck and after the 15 second inspection, I returned to the deck, horrified to see the boat that had followed us was bearing down on us, caught in the same trap that we found ourselves in... I began screaming to turn and throttle up! at the other captain as he was looking at me not apparently aware of what was happening to his own boat, much less ours (which was 40 degrees heeled at this point). We could see the other captain with a glazed look on his face as he attempted to decipher what was happening to us... my boat life passed before my eyes again as his vessel hit the rocks and barreled towards us sideways! At about 25 feet distance, he caught the wheel and somehow managed to get enough thrust to free himself of the hell that we were in... (we had in fact, scraped a shallow rock just a moment before the big one but our 4 foot draft was not as deep as his keel, therefore he hit it harder... a saving moment perhaps, because he was able to react in the seconds after it to avoid a collision with us.) Unbeknownst to us, there were 4 other boats in the anchorage watching uor predicament unfold, and the dinghy patrol was amassing in the anchorage to help us. The fact is, Empty Pocket was absolutely fine, although being on her side and the noise of the impact were still fresh in my mind, amplifying the intensity of the moment. If you remember, we built a grounding shoe for our keel, but have never tested it for the designed purpose... until now. I put on some shoes (like I should have done during Whispers accident) and jumped overboard to survey the situation... I walked in 2 foot of water on the starboard side, and nearly got swept away in the current in the 7 feet on the port side. The dinghy patrol had arrived and were on scene, and everybody had a different idea as to handle the situation... my reader-friends, there is NO ONE else better suited to make the decision about your vessel than YOU! I almost decided to wait until the tide changed and naturally the current would push us off in the safe direction naturally, but I wasnt sure when the tide change was, and after a close encounter with the other sailboat (name withheld)not wanting to be a target for the next vessel that came in and had the same issues. I decided to use a halyard tied to a dink on the port side to pull us over, and to kedge us off in the other direction (against the current), have the dinghy patrol push us on the starboard side. After 2 attempts , it worked on the third... This picture is of me, totally fried after that ordeal... I mean, uh adventure!

another attempt at fame...

Once at anchor, we indulged in a few adult beverages to take the edge off of the traumatic morning... We had alot to do yet that day, unpacking Pocket Lint, setting up the watermaker, hull and keel inspection... etc!

Steph softens the mood...

Here is a small discovery, those cheesy music displays in Target or Walmart have some of the BEST music for relaxing at anchor. We tried one last year and have since bought several...

music of choice...

...for those not familiar with our katadyne Powersurvivor 40, here is how we use it. Empty Pocket only has a 23 gallon water tank on board (hardly enough since Ive been cruising with a fresh water princess since the ICW shower!), so we use the watermaker to keep our jerry cans full. It plugs into a 12volt socket on deck (current draw is a mere 3-4amps) with the intake and return lines hung over the side. It produces about 1.5 gallons per hour...

setting up the watermaker...

...with the rain cover in place.

another watermaker view...

...the Bahamian fisherman frequent the anchorage here to clean their catch.

a visitor to the anchorage...

...stunning!

view across the anchorage...

...with Pocket Lint at the ready, we were set for some exploring...

splorin

Its a shame that I couldnt follow her down the beach... until this moment, I hadnt realized how bad the cuts on my feet were from rescuing Whisper in Ft. Pierce. The sand there isnt really sand, its crushed, bleached coral... and let me tell you how bad it hurts in an open wound!! Oh well... at least I have pictures to remind me.

only the purest of sand?

Day one at Double Breasted Cay is winding down... we took this shot from the deck of Cool Zone as we enjoyed a cocktail and talked about the events of that day... We found out that the area where we went aground has a name, Creepy Corner. We were one of many who have fallen victim to the current and shifting sandbar there... I sure wish that we had hit the sandbar instead of the rocks!

Part 5 up soon!

The anchorage...