Thursday February 17, 2011

At noon I met up with a gentleman named Estin Sawyer. Estin is known as the Music man of the Abacos and is a fantastic guitar player. He also drives a taxi cab. We had arranged earlier in the week to meet up so that he could teach me some Bahamas music.

We met at Mango’s. We found a quiet corner and tuned or guitars. Estin began to teach me the calypso rhythm. The song we practiced is called Mary Ann. Estin stared the lesson by showing me how to strum the strings of the guitar and use my finger to hit the sound board and use it as a drum.

After strumming practice I wrote the words of the song down and the cords. He told me to practice the song and that we would meet for lesson number two at noon on Saturday.

Because Estin is also a taxi driver, I asked him if he would be available on Saturday to pick up a friend at the airport who was flying in to Marsh Harbor to help me sail the boat back to the USA. Estin said that he would be available and that we could practice guitar before picking Jerry up.

I returned to the Water Mark. Jim and Ellie my boating buddies had the bottom of their boatr cleaned by a local guy named Brown Tip. The wanted to see if the clean bottom would allow their 36 foot Catalina to sail faster. They also wanted me to watch them sail the boat and to make helpful suggestions as to how they could improve their seamamship skills.

Ellie headed to the bow of FinniIrish to weight anchor. Jim fired up the diesel engine.
After the engine had warmed up, Ellie stepped on the foot pedal and the windlass began to rotate and the anchor chain started to collect in the anchor locker. The windless is a really nice tool. It is basically an electrical powered winch that pulls up the anchor. They use a plow anchor and when it broke the surface of the water, it was full of mud. The mud here in Marsh Harbor makes for great holding.

We used a boat hook to scrape off most of the mud from the anchor. Jim pointed the bow of FinniIrish toward the sea of Abaco and we were underway. Once we cleared the entrance to the harbor, Jim pointed the bow of their boat into the wind and Ellie wrapped the main halyard around a winch and hoisted the main sail. She then released the line that controls the roller furling for the head sail. Jim then turned the boat away from the wind and we were off a port tack. The wind was blowing at about 12 knots and FinniIrish as doing a good 6 plus knots. The sheets that control the head sail were run over the life lines and so we changed the position of the sheets and ran them through the life lines so that they did not chafe on the life lines.

We sailed past Elbow Cay and north toward Man-O-War. Their boat sailed beautifully. FinniIrish is their home. They bought the boat in Ohio three years ago, sold their house and car. Stored a lot of their belongings and set sail for the Bahamas. They have been cruising for three years. They island hope in the winter months and then in June head back to Florida for the summer months. Ellie tells everyone that the dingy is their car.

Jim then came about and we were on a starboard tack headed back toward marsh harbor. The wind was on our hind quarter and still making a good 6 plus knots. The Catalina 36 is a very nice sailing vessel. With a clean bottom it went fast. Jim drives the boat and Ellie does most of the work!

When we returned to Marsh Harbor, we stopped at the Harbor View marina for water. The marina was closed. We checked and the water at the end of the dock it was on. Ellie got her special hose out of the aft locker and I connected it to the hose. She started taking on water. FinniIrish water tanks hold almost 70 gallons of water. It took about 15 minutes to fill the tanks. Jim said that he would return the next day and pay the bill. We think that water costs about .20 cents per gallon. Jim expects the bill will come to about 14 dollars.

Once the water tanks were full Jim motored to the anchorage. Ellie put on here old leather gloves and paid out the anchor rode. Once the anchor chain was laying the on the bottom of the harbor, Jim put the engine in reverse and set the anchor. The holding ground here is excellent. The anchor set on the first attempt. Ellie then made a rum drink, Jim drank a non alcohol beer and they told me stories of their cruise in the Mediterranean aboard a huge cruise ship. This couple loves the boating life style and when they took a vacation last year they left their boat in Florida and then took a cruise.

Jim and Ellie on FinniIrish are like next door neighbors that move. We have been sailing together since West End. After their stay in Marsh Harbor, they are heading south to the Exumas. They were there last year and tell me that the Cay is very remote. Ellie will provision their boat with 30 days worth of provisions before they leave.

I have become good friends with Jim and Ellie and will continue to stay in contact with them when we head in separate direction. They are going south, I will head north. I have truly enjoyed all of the time we have spent together. Jim is a retired attorney and Ellie is a retired hospital administrator.