Bahamas - Ragged island, Little Ragged, Pickled Fish Lunch

Last night the weather prediction was for high winds and rain.

I was pleasantly surprised that the wind for lighter than I expected, and whilst we had rain, it was not the huge drenching downpours I’d been expecting. Also, no yachts dragged anchor…

This morning, Sunday, dawned overcast, and chilly. I immediately donned track pants and a long sleeve T-shirt.  A few minutes later my sheep skin slippers followed. And, it’s only 72 F, 19 C, but in my defense we’ve been having temps 85F, 26 C and above, so this is chilly for us, and on the water, the wind chill factor is always colder.

Nicholas finished the gearbox today, diving and fitting the prop shaft and re-attaching the anodes, and then it was the great clear-up and clean-up.

We had a 1pm assignment with Karen and Duane of Sojourn to come to Meshugga, so there was that prep too….

You might remember a few days ago I made Pickled Fish, so that was on the menu for lunch today, along with fresh made wholewheat bread, and salad. Also, beef meatballs for Duane who is not that keen on fish

After lunch was cleared away and had a games afternoon of Canaster for a few hours, with G & T’s to lubricate our losses (Nicholas was the winner by miles), and then a lovely cheeseboard to end another great get together.

Thanks Karen for gift the Cinnamon buns for tomorrow’s breakfast!!

Bahamas - Ragged Islands, Little Ragged, Ty delivers our Mailboat boxes

We, Meshugga, Sojourn and Charm had placed orders with Super Value in Nassau for produce to be sent to us on the Mailboat, Capt C.

The Mailboat arrived at Gun Boat Point early Saturday morning, and the weather being adverse, I called Ty on Ragged Island asking if he could collect our boxes from the Mailboat and drive them down to us in the cut at Little Ragged. Ty was most kind and agreed.

When we got the call, Karen came with Nicholas and me, (Nicholas not wanting me to drive the dinghy as I’d previously dinged his brand new Prop on some rocks going in too fast too shallow…..)

Beaching at the Airplane Restuarant beach

 

A nice surprise was that Maxine, Ty’s mom came with and we paid her for the Mailboat transportation which is a reasonable $6 per box, no matter the size of the box, and we paid Ty for his help

 A closeup of the Airplane on the roof of the Restuarant (thanks Karen for the photo)

Toting boxes, Dean and Kriss of Charm

Ty and I chatting, he is just such a wonderful helpful man. After delivering all our boxes, he took all our garbage to the town dump. Yay!

Going back, Dean and Kriss’s Honda outboard decided it was tired of working and we towed them back to Charm

Bahamas - Ragged Islands, Little Ragged, Fixing the Gearbox

Our Port Gearbox is squirting oil……

Nicholas bought 3 sets of seals/O-rings, and it time to start the fix.

It is quite a mission with loosening the Anodes, using a Puller to remove the front plate, diving and loosing the prop shaft and pulling it partially out, then loosening the gearbox, using a halyard and lifting the entire gearbox out of the engine compartment. Only then can he start with actual repair of dismantling the gearbox and hoping to find exactly where the leak was, cleaning everything and replacing the seals.

Thanks to Duane of Sojourn who came to help Nicholas and overlook each aspect of the repair.

Nicholas inside the Port engine compartment where we have a small workbench with vice and drill press etc

Whilst Nicholas was busy with the gearbox, I undertook to burn garbage (which Nicholas usually does), I was most happy to see that I could successfully light a fire, and get the garbage burned!

We burn all paper and light plastic. All heavy plastic, tins and glass is cleaned and kept aboard until we can get to a garbage dump on an inhabited island.

 

Whilst I burned garbage, Jenny went for a walk and then used the Sea Beans we’d collected on the windward beaches, to write Meshugga in the sand

Being such a hot day, after burning the garbage I went for a cooling swim off Meshugga and then retired to the Flybridge to enjoy the vista and stunning day

Sunset came, and Karen of SV Sojourn, and I, had arranged a BBQ on the shore and invited all the yachts in the anchorage to join us, each to bring something to BBQ and a dish to share. We were most happy to find that all the yachts came, so we had quite a large crowd, 14 yachts and 30 people…..

Nicholas, me Jenny and Gosia of SV Alderbaron

Nicholas cut wood and Karen started the fire

A great bed of coals, we brought our South African Braai grid ashore to supplement Karens grid

Another superb sunset with exclamations of Green Flash

A groaning table of sides and another table of desserts

Looking out at our anchorage, we have never seen Little Ragged Cut with so many yachts. In previous years, there has only been 3 or 4 yachts, but Social Media and Cruising Websites have made this little bit of Paradise well known and many yachts have come this far south hearing of this haven 

Bahamas - Ragged Islands, Little Ragged Island, Diving and Lobster

Another sunset, this one spectacular….

The sun pooling into the ocean

 Not a cloud in sight on the horizon, so a good chance of a green flash

It was agreed by all the cruisers ashore that there was a green ‘button’, but no proper flash

Next day Bob on SV Discovery was up his mast and took this wonderful photo of Meshugga and Sojourn

Jenny is out of cigarettes, and Ty Wallace from Duncan Town is the local supplier, and kindly delivered a couple of cartons to the airstrip…. Nicholas took Jenny to Ragged Island airstrip so she could get her fix.

Maxine and Ty kindly gifted us with 2 kg of superb Grouper. Here I’m prepping to make Pickled Fish

Being such a calm windless day, we went snorkeling. I snorkeled for a while and then fished from the dinghy whilst Nicholas still snorkeled.

I caught my first Trigger Fish, it gave me quite a fight.

Nicholas was successful with one large lobster and later on a slightly smaller one

Back on Meshugga, the large lobster only just fitted into my kitchen sink

I descaled the fish on the back step, and unfortunately Jenny flushed the scales into the water before I’d bleached the scales to remove the smell. No sooner than this was done we had 4 nurse sharks around our back steps. We are very careful about attracting sharks by putting fish scales, guts, frame etc into he water as we’ve noted from other yachts that sharks start to associate yachts with food, and then they come hang around the yachts, which is very disconcerting when you want to go for a swim. We always take the fish bits at least a half mile away from Meshugga, and any other yacht and dump it.

Wednesday was also calm windless conditions and we went diving again down south at Coco Bay.

Jenny suntanning on the dinghy

I snorkeled, did not find anything amazing to photograph, but the water had excellent clarity

Nicholas out from his dive

Having not been successful, we went to the outside/eastern/seaward side of Coco Bay islets, Nicholas and Jenny in the water

Nicholas was successful with one large lobster

Bahamas - Ragged Islands, Little Ragged, Sunset at Low Tide

 Another stunning day. We went ashore for Sundowners and it was close to Spring Low Tide

It was wonderful to walk down the beach.

Beach art, Drift Wood and Conch Shells

Crab leg

Crab Sand Art

Sand Dollars

The beautiful sea bed where the tide has receded

Overlooking the Sand Flat at Low Tide

Pepper enjoying the beach

The creek from the Pan is closed to the sea at low tide

Karen across the Creek

The creek

Nicholas with his Throw Net

A little video of Nicholas casting his Throw Net

Meshugga at anchor

Stunning Sun Set

Our little group of Cruisers catching up on each other’s day