1/16/2011 ANDROS

NICHOLLS TOWN AND THE RIDE BACK TO FRESH CREEK

SUNDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED: 0 NM




SCARLET HIBISCUS IN SISSY'S YARD


We awoke to a lovely morning just begging for our presence on the beach. Finding our way from Sissy’s to the nearby shore we dunked our toes, made peace with the dogs and chatted with other visitors. Everyone says “Oh, you’re in 19, (the cottage #) Sissy’s friends!” Being Sunday morning, the churches we passed were filled with joyous voices engaged in lively hymns.

SINGERS JUST INSIDE THE CHURCH

WALKING THE BEACH

NOTICE THE TINY LITTLE SAND CRAB BY THE FOOTPRINT

Leslie picked us all up, dropping Dick and Cheryl off at the small market, then continuing on with us to Stafford Creek. Our ride ended up taking us just under two hours and we encountered very little traffic.

Back on Quest we made ready for tomorrow’s expected departure and took in the beautiful sunset.

THE SETTING SUN LIGHTS UP THE CLOUDS

1/15/2011 ANDROS

QUEST STILL AT FRESH CREEK BUT WE HEAD TO SISSY'S IN NICHOLLS TOWN

SATURDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 0 NM

Image via Wikipedia

Big Moving day for the Hansons! They will move to Sissy’s vacation rental in Nicholls Town where they will be staying for the next two weeks. Since Leslie was fetching them in his pickup truck, we decided to throw our bikes in the back, spend the night and peddle back tomorrow. This was almost a good idea. Leslie kept driving, and driving, and driving for a good hour. We reevaluated our plans and Leslie will drive us part way back.

LESLIE ARRIVES TO TRANSPORT US ALL TO SISSY'S

Sissy’s little house is most charming and the Hansons settled in quite nicely. Leslie graciously offered to give us a tour around the area, showing us the ins and outs of the sleepy little village.

SISSY'S #19

DICK AND LUTHER ENJOYING THE SHADE OF THE PORCH

Back at the house we all grabbed bikes and headed to Sly Fox for some fresh conch salad. Both Sissy and Leslie highly recommended his specialty so we couldn’t resist sampling it for ourselves. It was superb!

HARVESTING THE CONCH FROM THE SHELL

SLY FOX HIMSELF

SLY PREPARING OUR CONCH SALAD



THE MASTERPIECE



PEDDLING THROUGH NICHOLLS TOWN

We spent a quiet evening back at the house until someone got a hankering for Kahlua. Back on our bikes we peddled back to Sly’s for a nightcap then found our way back to the house and tucked ourselves in for the night.

1/14/2010 ANDROS AND THE BATIK FACTORY

LIGHTHOUSE MARINA AT FRESH CREEK

FRIDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 0 NM

For A laid back, unplanned day we were sure busy. It started out with the ferry entering the channel and docking right in front of the Quest. There were people exiting to waiting taxis, freight being unloaded and merchants looking for their deliveries. We loved watching the flurry of activity occurring right of our bow!

THE BAHAMA FERRY

Calming down from the excitement of the ferry’s arrival, we walked out to the nearby 1892 Andros Lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Fresh Creek Channel. The cannons from the Cottsac Schooner that wrecked on Stanyard Rock in the 1800s were added to this welcoming corner in 1952.

LIGHTHOUSE AT FRESH CREEK

:....... AND THE CANNONS DON'T THUNDER"

We finally made it to see the Androsia Batik Factory (http://www.androsia.com/) in action. We were able to wander from room to room and watch the tedious, time consuming process develop. It’s a lot of work! In the Wax Room the printed pattern marker is placed on a long table and then the white fabric is rolled out and pinned over the pattern. Next, the stamps are dipped into very hot wax and pressed in the proper places on the fabric. When the entire length of the placed fabric has been properly stamped, they pull out another length and repeat the process until the whole bolt of fabric has been stamped.

STAMPING THE PATTERN ON THE WHITE FABRIC

The next stop is the Dye Room where the waxed fabric receives its vibrant colors in old bathtubs. Other tubs are then filled with hot, hot water and the wax is removed from the dyed fabric by working the swaths in the tubs.

WORKING IN THE HOT WATER TO REMOVE THE WAX

SOAKING FABRIC

Once the wax has melted off, the fabric is now ready to be hung out to dry on the lines behind the factory. What a colorful display!

THE DRYING BATIK BILLOWING IN THE BREEZE

The Cutting Room was void of any activity today but the storage of brightly colored threads and stacks of batik fabric made it like walking into an art gallery.

SPOOLS OF BRIGHTLY COLORED THREAD

BOLTS OF THE FINISHED MASTERPIECES

The Sewing Room is where they sew, clip, press and prepare to ship the garment made here from their beautiful fabrics. Today they were working on shorts and tablecloths.

SEWING AND PRESSING IN THE SEWING ROOM

Toot-toot! Honk-honk! That was the notice that the Friday produce delivery had arrived. A little old couple had the back of their pickup truck packed with fresh fruits and vegetables for us to purchase. All the boaters rushed to answer their call and we did our best to deplete their stock before they moved on to their next stop. We got beautiful cabbage, onions, corn, peppers, limes and a few sketchy oranges.

For dinner we hiked over the bridge to the more lively Hanks Place for yet more yummy conch and some tasty grouper. All day we kept our eyes open for the mythical Chickcharnie. These creatures are supposedly peaceful if treated respectfully and unmolested. If you encounter one you may be granted good luck for the rest of your life. However, do not sneer at him or he will turn your head completely around!

1/13/2011 ANDROS

FRESH CREEK AT LIGHTHOUSE MARINA

THURSDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 0 NM

QUEST AT LIGHTHOUSE MARINA

After breakfast at the Lighthouse Marina’s restaurant and a quick load of laundry we set out afoot to explore Coakley Town on the other side of Fresh Creek Bridge. We were able to buy some boxed milk at Gator’s, found a loaf of homemade bread at another little stop and treated ourselves to some ice cream at Dean’s Confectionery.

FRESH CREEK BRIDGE

THE ICE CREAM STORE

We had seen a shell of a church as we sailed into the harbor and thought it to be a very old relic from the past. As we sought to find it, one gentleman that stopped to talk to us on the bridge said it had been used when he was here a year ago but burned during his absence. It must have been a lovely sight perched right at the water’s edge. The heat had been so intense that the window glass was charred. The cross still stands atop the remains.

THE REMAINS OF THIS LOVELY OLD CHURCH

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE INTENSITY OF THE HEAT?

While Dick had his 4:00 business conference call we headed back to the Androsia batik factory for a tour. Unfortunately we were a little late so will add that to tomorrow morning adventures. While out we placed our dinner order at nearby Christina’s Restaurant where would dine for the evening. It was fried chicken and cracked conch that we hungered for and our feast was ready for us when we arrived at the appointed time of 7:00. This is really a sleepy island and we dug into our meals of great local food while dining alone in this nice little spot that Sissy had recommended. Another successful day on the islands concluded!!

GOOD OLD FRIED CHICKEN, ISLAND STYLE

THE PEACEFUL END TO JANUARY 13, 2011

1/12/2011 ANDROS: MORGAN'S BLUFF ANCHORAGE TO FRESH CREEK,

LIGHTHOUSE MARINA

WEDNESDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 30 NM

OK, so we figured out why recreational boats are not welcomed at the government dock!! Around 2:00 AM the huge water tanker docked, lit up like a small city. Since Andros is the only island in the Bahamas that has fresh water, the tankers dock here to fill their hold and then deliver their precious cargo to the other islands. The other islands use this fresh water to augment their reverse osmosis produced water.

THE WATER TRANSPORTING BOAT

Since a windy afternoon was expected, we weighed anchor and were off to the welcoming shelter of Fresh Creek. With the fishing lines out, we soon heard the “t-zing” and ran to the back to watch Dick reel in a toothy Barracuda. This was definitely not a “keeper”. Later both lines hummed with fish on them. Dick lost his but Dan reeled in a lovely Skip Jack Tuna. We made yummy Hawaiian poke with part of it and saved the rest for our dinner meal.

PULLING UP ANCHOR IN THE PRISTINE WATERS

TOOTHY SMILE FROM THE BARRACUDA

We arrived at Fresh Creek at the necessary high slack tide and just as the wind began to show its presence. Dan expertly maneuvered through the narrow channel, past the colorful houses and approached the Lighthouse Marina. We arrived to find Sissy and Richard, her cousin, welcoming us with waves and shouts of recognition. They came aboard for a visit and super lunch prepared by Dick. It seems that they bagged their fishing trip due to the winds, thus we definitely caught more fish than they did. It was a fun afternoon and theyoffered up much useful information about this sleepy island.

COLORFUL HOMES LINE THE CHANNEL

LIGHTHOUSE MARINA

SISSY AND RICHARD WELCOMING THE QUEST

After Sissy and Richard headed back to the house at Nicholl’s Town, the four of us set out to find the local Androsa hand-screened batik shop and factory. I am proud to report that we not only found the shop but left a bit of our cash there to help support the Andros economy. This little lad was just home from school and still in his uniform, ready to amuse us with his charming smile.

THE DAPPER LITTLE CHARMER

1/11/2100 BIMINI TO ANDROS

MORGAN’S BLUFF ANCHORAGE
TUESDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 80 NM

WELCOME TO THE WORLD EMILY PORTER!! We were alerted that Alexis and Craig's new granddaughter was born yesterday.  Congratulations to the Porter family.

JULIE AND GRACE CHECKING OUT BABY EMILY

With Many miles to travel today, we were casting off before 7:30. It was a little rough as we went down to the cut between South Bimini and Gun Cay but soon laid down for a smoother ride. An eerie, blanketing fog enveloped us for several hours then magically lifted to beautiful skies. Traveling through the fog, we faithfully watched our radar as it showed us the approaching boats, allowing us to take evasive actions in a timely manner.

CALM WATERS

The seas were back to “Hanson Smooth” for the rest of the day and we gawked at the ocean’s floor just 15’ to 20’ below us through crystal clear waters. We saw numerous starfish as we perched ourselves at the railing.

DAN AND CHERYL ON THE LOOKOUT

STARFISH 16' UNDER THE WATER'S SURFACE

By 5:30 we had made our way to the north shores of Andros and ducked into the cove behind Morgan’s Bluff to anchor for the night. There is a huge Government Dock there but recreational boaters are not allowed to tie up. It is for the water tankers, mail boats and merchants.

APPROACHING ANDROS

THE EMPTY AND INVITING GOVERNMENT DOCK



CAPTIVATING OLD "RUST BUCKET"
STIRS THE IMAGINATION



Dan barbecued little lobster tails that he and Dick purchased from a roving street peddler in Bimini and they made for a mighty tasty dinner on the Quest.

Calls were made to Sissy (Hicks) who is here at her house until Friday. She and her cousin hope to go out fishing tomorrow morning but the expected wind may nix that. We hope to see them before they leave.

SETTING SUN AT BAY BY MORGAN'S BLUFF