After 3 nights at Great Harbour Cay Marina, we departed and sailed 25 miles in 3 hours to get to the other side of Great Harbour Cay. It was a very sporting sail at 8 knots (very fast for us!) 

Our route: Great Harbour Cay Marina, all the way around to the other side of Great Harbour Cay, then to Soldier's Cay

Sea turtle

Hastings running on the beach

Petite Cay, an island just off the Shelling Beach anchorage

The Shelling Beach is a truly beautiful slice of heaven! Sadly, it is only tenable in west winds, so after one night it was time to move on. We sailed for 2 hours to reach Soldier Cay, 7 miles south. 

Sailing in light winds

The anchorage at Soldier Cay

The beach at Soldier Cay

We took the dinghy and our handheld depth sounder to sound out the 2 miles from Soldier Cay to Hoffman's Cay. We saw a few 4 feet depths at mid-tide (we draw just under 4 feet) and were un-impressed by the scenery; however, the protection against the forecasted 25 knot east winds would be better. 

We wanted to travel the next day at the 7AM high tide, which would give us poor lighting for spotting shoals. Traveling by sailboat requires a non-stop list of pros and cons. 

So, should we stay at beautiful Soldier Cay or press on? 

Matt's Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels on Mondays: 50 Knots and Draggin' Cocktails

In honor of our extended stay at Hoffman Cay due to the Never Ending Cold Front of 2017, I dug up this recipe from August when an unfortunate afternoon Chesapeake Bay squall sent us dragging towards a lee shore. That time the anchor reset, it was over before it began and luckily we have done no dragging here in the nice deep sand at Hoffman. Also, it’s really only 35 knots at the moment, but I think 35 knots for four days straight with no dragging is equal to 50 knots for 4 minutes and dragging. At least equal in terms of drinking potential. 

At any rate, here’s a quick way to churn out two tasty cocktails and even two mock-tails should the mood strike. 

Equipment list:

2- 750-ml glass bottles with spring stoppers or plastic soda bottles (sanitized!)

Grater

Fresh ginger

White sugar

Sprite or Club Soda

Dark Rum or Gin or Both!

Yeast

Lemon

Recipe #1: Ginger Syrup

750 ml filtered water

2- to 3- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 1/2 cups sugar

Fill one of the bottles with filtered water. Pour all three ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and allow to cool. Once cool, put into bottle and store in fridge for up to a week. TIP: for a little spice, add a cinnamon stick along with the ginger!

Recipe #2: The “Light and Variable” --Quick Ginger Ale 

Add ginger syrup to club soda or Sprite for a quick, refreshing summer drink!

Recipe #3: The “Cold Fronts Every 5 Days From Now Until Eternity Says Chris Parker*” --Gin and Gin (ger)

In a low ball glass over ice, pour in 1 part ginger syrup, 1 part gin and top with two parts club soda or Sprite. Stir and enjoy! 

Recipe #4: The “Chris Parker* Got You up at 6:30 a.m. So You Have Time To Make This"—Homemade Ginger Beer

In the second 750ml bottle, add 1/8 teaspoon yeast, 1/4 cup ginger syrup from recipe #1 (if you just made the syrup, be sure not to kill the yeast with the hot liquid!), the juice of 1 lemon and top with filtered water. Seal the bottle, shake gently and let sit for a day at room temperature. Open the top. If you get a good pop and fizz, you can put the bottle in the fridge and enjoy as soon as it’s chilled. If no pop and fizz, allow to sit on the counter for another day before chilling. Keep chilled and enjoy within a few days.

NOTE: it’s not actually a great idea to use a glass bottle. It is possible for a forgotten bottle to build up too much pressure and break. I haven’t lost an eye yet, but I would recommend using a plastic water bottle or soda bottle.

Recipe #5: "50 Knots and Draggin’” --Independence’s take on the classic Dark and Stormy

In a highball glass over ice, mix 1 part dark rum (Myer’s or Gossling’s would be classic, but we enjoy the spicy Kraken Rum) and 2 parts ginger beer (see recipe #4). Enjoy!

*For the uninitiated, Chris Parker is a dude who broadcasts weather for cruisers in the Tropics and Bahamas every morning via shortwave radio.  

We drive on the road. OK.
We drive on a sandy road. Not as OK.
We drive on a pot-holed trail, uphill. Things are going downhill.

The death trap on "the road"

"Don't be so upset. We're taking you to the beach, Hastings"

"Upset? I'm not upset. I'm terrified. This cart isn't a vehicle. It's not a mode of transportation. It's a death trap that is shaking apart at the hands of a lunatic. And this isn't a road. I don't want to go the beach. I want to go home and never see a golf cart again."

The beach appears. They claim it's the best thing ever, but it's not. It's just a beach, a beach that we nearly died getting to.

"The Beach"

I led the way back to the death-cart. "Let's get this homeward bound trip over with so we can get some lunch".

The death trap at the beach

"Oh, we're not going home. There's the other beach, then the caves, then the ruins. Then lunch".

Despair fills my heart. Dad takes the wheel. At least the driving should improve. It doesn't. Apparently, the surging, the swerving, the holes - are all "part of the adventure". There's still no air conditioning, in case you were wondering.

Hanging on for dear life

The next beach was OK. I liked being a goat and climbing up the rocks.

Sugar Beach

Sugar Beach Caves

Enjoying a break from the death trap

We then went all the way to the end of the road, and turned around. I am beginning to despair of lunch.

We went to "walk around ruins". There was no refrigerator. No lunch. Pointless.

Sugar Beach Lodge Ruins - supposedly built by "The Rat Pack" to entertain other cool celebs

Sugar Beach Lodge ruins

We finally made it to a heavenly place that served lunch! The report came back: no dogs, no take-out. They had creme brulee on the menu, but we couldn't have any. All three of us finally felt the same emotion: complete despondency.

Great Harbour Cay Road

We found a cafe and had $13 cheeseburgers and fries. Because I was at death's door, the humans gave me the last bite of pure burger and cheese and spared me the tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayo and ketchup that seemed to delight them so. Seriously, vile lettuce is a novelty to them. I didn't get a large enough portion to make me forget the horrors of the day though.

Dear reader, you have not heard the worst. Because I was, against my will, removed from my bread lookout post, the bread was given to others, but not to us. I hate adventures!

We ended up moving around from the western shore of Cistern Cay to the "DC3 Wreck". Unfortunately, this new spot hid all the cruise ship activity from view, so my "What are the jet-skiers up to now" spreadsheet has been abandoned. 

Squall at sunset.

Hastings is our pet goat, climbing around the rocks at low tide

We attempted to leave Hastings on the boat to nap in the shade, but he insisted on supervising the DC-3 snorkel. Good job he has a servant to provide him a shade umbrella.

DC-3 Wreck just under the water, in about 6 feet

Supposedly, the wreck is from 1983 and has something to do with a drug run gone bad

The fishes enjoy it!

Dinghying around

Clear water at the beach for shell viewing

The weather forecast called for a low pressure system with 50 knot winds in squalls. We weren't near a protected anchorage, so we headed to Great Harbor Cay Marina. As you can see from the map above, it's super protected - you enter through a blasted out channel that is unseen until you are upon it. Then you traverse through 2 harbors before reaching the 3rd harbor containing the marina. 

Hastings sniffing out the route!

Bullocks Harbour

Through the blasted out channel

The marina is like a mini retirement community for cruisers. Mondays are pot-luck, Tuesdays are bread delivery day and a dinghy drift, Wednesday is deli order day, and Thursday is $25 pizza day. What larks!

We didn't have the pizza, BTW. Although we did spring for $13 cheeseburgers. They were worth it! What's the most expensive pizza you have ever eaten? Was it worth it?