Highbourne Cay: March 1 - March 4, 2010

March 4, 2010

Highbourne Cay, Exhumas, Bahamas: N 24 deg, 42.6' W 076 deg, 49.3'

Knowing it was going to blow hard from the W and NW Tuesday March 1 through Thurs. March 4, we left the Land and Sea park on Monday. We had an easy sail through the sound north to Highbourne. Although we had made reservations several days in advance, we got the last available slip: the smallest and most difficult to get in and out of. Wind and tidal current were gentle when we arrived, so docking was easy. Matt, I know you are betting that we won't manage to pick up our guests at Saddle Cay tomorrow without incident, so you'll want to check the photo of our tight spot on the dock on our web album.

We've had a great time with our friends Norman and Barbara aboard Blown Away. We first met them in Bimini. They have explored both the civilized and remote areas of the Bahamas many times before so they have a wealth of information, and they are good company.

Highborne is a private island, but they welcome a small number of cruisers. The fees are a little steep, but the slips are well protected, the staff is great, and the bathrooms are clean. Water is scarce so showers are four dollars for four minutes. Thank goodness for our watermaker.

The best parts of Highborne are the beaches and the ocean. Stromatolites are the oldest fossil remains yet discovered, 3.5 Billion years old, and Highborne has them. There is a large population of resident sharks (I think they are Nurse sharks) near the fish-cleaning station. We counted thirteen. Most of them have names and are tagged. We were assured they don't care about swimmers, so we had a nice swim at the beach about 100 yards from the sharks' hang-out.

Highborne was once, like Norman's Cay, a haven for drug lords. When they were eventually killed with help from US troops, somebody started a plantation for growing Aloe plants. The plants thrived, but the growers neglected to check on the cost of shipping to Miami, so the business went under after the first harvest. Heidi scored a survivor, and now has a plant aboard to take care of. Does she really need one more project? Maybe yes, when we eventually run out of her eight cubic feet or so of nylon net for scrubbies; which, by the way, are rapidly becoming world-famous among cruisers. Heidi sends "thanks" to Polly for supplying her with turquoise net so she can make Bahamian flag colored Scrubbies.

Check our web album for a photo account of our quest for the famous Highborne Spring, and a picture of the Highborne Bus Stop.

We have a good internet connection here, although it isn't free, of course. It was great to be able to have Skype conversations with friends, and especially great to see Matt and Josh and Jim on a video call. Thanks for getting the camera and making that happen, guys. Matt, you look great.

We had an informal skippers' meeting on the dock today trying to figure out how to get out of here tomorrow without having the wind blow us crashing into other boats. All skippers agreed on one thing: ACT III is in the toughest spot. We'll have lots of other cruisers helping with line-handling, so I don't expect any real difficulty, in spite of Matt's dire predictions.

Well, time for a beer and a look around. We may not have another internet connection for a week or so; we'll update you then, friends. (You'll have to wait until then, Matt, to find out who won your wager.)

Happy sailing everyone.

Bill