Day 164 - TOTO — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 96, fuel purchased 280 gallons, fuel purchased $1,018, yes, fuel is a little more expensive in the Bahamas. We asked if they had a cash discount, he said no but if you pay by credit card we charge 5% extra, slip fee $75, daily high temperature 76°f, daily low temperature 72°f

The Bimini Big Game Club and Marina is holding a wahoo fishing tournament this week. A dozen center console fishing boats crossed over from Florida for this event. The age group tends to be mid-30’s. They have sound system blasting contests to determine who has the loudest audio system on their boat.

They did a little practice fishing and put a few wahoo in the boat.

Many years ago Priscilla and I were fishing in Hawaii. I hooked a large fish and asked the mate what type of it was that I was reeling in. He said – that depends. The Hawaian name for the fish is Ono. The English name is Wahoo. If the fish gets away it is an O-NO. If you get the fish into the boat it is a WAHOO!

The cruise from Bimini to Great Harbour Cay was relatively flat. It was very lumpy exiting the shallow entrance at Bimini. During our 90 mile crossing we had the wind and waves on the aft starboard quarter. CL was a bit more fleet of foot without 50 feet of crab pot line on her port propellor. We did see 28 mph on the way across.

The entrance to Great Harbour Cay Marina is man made. They cut a canal through the coral rock. We fueled up at a tiny fuel deck and called the marina. This was the first time we had not called ahead. Sorry, all full up. Oops! Can we tie up any where at all or anchor near you. Call back in 10 minutes and talk to the Dockmaster. I called back in 10 minutes and another person answered the phone. I asked for a transient slip and they said they gave the last one away 10 minutes ago. Then they asked my boat name and said we can stay for one night. Thank you.

The narrow entrance into Great Harbour Cay Marina

Priscilla and I took the dingy out on the west side of the island and found a secluded bay with sugar white sand and a gentle slope. We walked along the beach hand in hand and collected conch shells. Priscilla created a custom designed conch tree.

Our dingy on the secluded beach.

The weather is changing with a big NE front pushing through. That will make it very lumpy for several days. We have to leave Great Harbour on Saturday and will cruise to Nassau. After that we will have to watch for the weather window to cross to Highbourne Cay in the Exumas. The area we will cross tomorrow is called the “Tongue of the Ocean.” The Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) is the name of a deep oceanic trench in the Bahamas separating the islands of Andros and New Providence. New Providence is the island that Nassau is on. The Tongue of the Ocean begins about 70 feet deep and plunges to more than 6,000 feet.

From Holly Hanselman; You are the third person I’ve heard talk about bull sharks this week. Carol ( Cut-It ) Caldwell and a sunfish/J24 sailor friend who dry docks his J because the bottom gets so dirty in the summer and he won’t go in the water at Melbourne Yacht Club because of the bull sharks.

Yesterday we talked to three different fisherman on our beach walk for whom the catch of the day seemed to be Bonnet heads. The bull sharks bit off the rest of the fish before they could reel the fish to shore. – Holly H.

Bonus photo

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

“The sea finds out everything you did wrong.”

Francis Stokes

Francis C. Stokes Jr., acclaimed trans-oceanic solo sailor, died Aug. 3, 2008, at 82 years old.

He was born March 28, 1926, in Moorestown, N.J., the son of Francis Collins Stokes and Agnes Nicholson Stokes. His life was shaped by his Quaker heritage.

Francis attended Moorestown Friends School, class of 1944. He left early his senior year to join the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving until 1945. He graduated from Williams College, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1948 with a degree in economics. He ran the family food canning factory, The Francis C. Stokes Co. in Vincentown, N.J., for 27 years, bringing it back to profitability.

He wrote, “My most successful dreams have involved oceans.” He bought his first cruising sailboat in 1968. In 1970 he made his first solo transatlantic voyage. He competed in the OSTAR transatlantic solo races in 1976, 1980 and 1988, along with numerous Bermuda One-Two races with his son Whitall. In 1982-83 he sailed in the first BOC Challenge Solo World Race, finishing second in his class. He wrote of his life on the seas in his book, “The Mooneshine Logs,” published in 1994 by Sheridan House.