Andros Lighthouse Club and Marina
Andros Town, aka Fresh Creek
Latitude:24.72449 Longitude:-77.78546
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Bahamas Day 64 (BD64 – 3/10/12) – The fuel dock at Nassau Harbour Marina opened just after 8 am and we were away at 9 am, but there was a cruise ship coming in, so all other boat traffic was stopped. (Diesel fuel was $5.19 a gallon.) We finally got underway at 9:35 and passed by the lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor at 10. We passed Goulding Cay, at the west end of New Providence Island, just before 11 and changed our heading for Fresh Creek on Andros Island which is about 20 miles from this point. Tilllie, Jimmy and Bob, our new neighbor, helped guide us into slip #7 and tie us up around 1:00. Tillie had to get to the airport at 2:15, so we visited for a short while and said our goodbye’s. Jimmy returned later and helped Rick put the new 15 HP engine on the dingy and take it out for a test drive. Boy, were they flying! When they came back, they told me that they had discovered a leak in the fuel line. They were able to stop in at Steve’s (one of Jimmy’s many friends) and he had the parts they needed to fix it. We will spend the rest of the day getting things back into ship shape. We will probably be here for a month to six weeks, if we can get our 90-day visa extended.
BD65 (Sunday, 3/11/12) – As we were coming in to Andros Town yesterday we saw the Andros Island lighthouse on the shore. Andros Lighthouse was built in 1892 to mark the southern entrance to the Fresh Creek channel. In 1952, three old cannons were added in front of the Lighthouse and a tower built at the top. The cannons came from the “Cottsac” Schooner, which wrecked on Stanyard Rock in the 1800s.
Today, a weak stationary front remains just north of the Bahamas and will generate a few scattered showers. The weather is partly sunny and breezy. A ridge of high pressure over the islands will keep the forecast the same for the next few days. Small craft are advised to exercise caution with winds blowing NE to East at 15 to 20 knots and seas at 4 to 7 feet over the ocean.
For those reading the blog who are not immediate family, I guess I should take a moment to explain who Tillie and Jimmy are. Rick’s Grandpop Hoffmeister had three girls with his second wife, Jean. Those girls were Rick’s Dad’s half-sisters (making them Rick’s Aunts), but they are very close in age to Rick and his sister, Eileen. In fact, they all went to high school together. Tillie married Jimmy, who also went to school with them. Phil, Rick’s Dad and Tillie’s half-brother, passed away on August 25, 2002. She said that his death was a determining factor in their decision to come here; and, we’re glad that they did because it gave us a great excuse (as if we needed one) to include a visit to Andros on our trip.
Rick continued cleaning the outside of the boat (between rain showers). He is looking forward to getting some maintenance done while we are here, with Jimmy’s help. We will see Jimmy again tomorrow afternoon.
BD66 (3/12/12) – We awoke to very brisk wind. We do not have a finger dock here, but there is a ladder on the main dock that we can climb up from our back swim platform. The wind is blowing us away from the dock but I was able to get off. We walked out of the resort to the highway and bridge over Fresh Creek to the Chickcharnies Hotel, Restaurant and Grocery Store. The walk over and back was just under 2 miles. We had lunch there and picked up some bread and eggs.
Andros is said to be the home of chickcharnies. These elfin, birdlike creatures have piercing red eyes, three fingers, three toes and a tail, which they use to hang from trees. Chickcharnies live in the forest and build nests by joining two pine trees together at the top. The tablecloths in the restaurant were made of Androsia Batik material and featured Chickcharnies.
The legend goes that when sightseeing on Andros, carry flowers or bright bits of cloth with you to charm these mischievous creatures. The Chickcharnie is said to be generally peaceful when left unmolested. Legend says if you see a Chickcharnie and show it respect, you’ll be blessed with good luck for the rest of your life. Be careful not to sneer at it, however, or your head will turn completely around!
Now, there truly once was a Chickcharnie of sorts on Andros. It was a 2-foot-tall owl called Tyto pollens, a remote cousin of the smaller Common Barn-owl ( Tyto alba). Tyto pollens was a large, flightless owl known to have lived on Andros. It is believed that it was territorially aggressive and coexisted with humans. The ability of owls to swivel their heads, and a territorial aggression, may have been the basis for this particular legend.
Jimmy came over this afternoon and we visited with him. Since Tillie is out of town, he stayed for supper. Looks like the winds may be down tomorrow and we will be able to explore some in the dingy.
BD67 (3/13/12) – We worked around the boat and read some, then took the dingy up Fresh Creek for a short ride in the afternoon. Jimmy and Tillie came over just before 6 p.m. and stayed to visit for a couple of hours. Tillie and I made arrangements to get together tomorrow afternoon to go to the Androsia Batik factory.
BD68 (3/14/12) – We’ve heard from several of our friends back home this week. Casey told us that she and Joe joined Joy and Steve in Tortolla and cruised with them last week. Deborah forwarded a “newsy” e-mail to us from them as well. We’re certainly hoping that the saying “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” will be true, because both of us have had to adjust our cruising plans due to the winds. We also got a nice e-mail from Ken Sosville. Sorry we were not available for another Skype call with the Power Fleet before their dinner meeting last night.
We are in a nice, small marina now on Andros Island. The village is Andros Town, but it is also known as Fresh Creek. There is an opening in the coral reef due east of us where Fresh Creek meets the Atlantic Ocean. I read on the internet yesterday, that the coral reef is the third largest reef in the world. There is a very deep trench (called the Tongue of the Ocean) on the ocean floor between here and New Providence Island (which is only 20 miles east of here). I’ve included a picture of the view off of the back of our boat.
BD69 (3/15/12) – This morning, it is breezy and overcast. Rick continues to work on the dingy lift. We rode the bicycles down the road to the office of Bahamas Tourism and a drug store. Then, returned to the marina and walked to the lighthouse and beyond to a nice looking beach. There was a “docktail” (cocktails on the dock) party this evening with about 20 people attending. Most had boats here in the marina. Tillie and Jimmy joined the party and introduced us to many of the people. We will see them again tomorrow evening for supper on the boat.
BD70 (3/16/12) – Rick continues to work on the davit (for hauling up the dingy) and has small successes every day. We relaxed most of the day and then enjoyed our grilled swordfish dinner (thanks to Todd on Great Harbour Cay). Tomorrow we will get to explore the island.
BD71 (3/17/12) – Happy St. Patrick’s Day to one and all. We set off, in a borrowed vehicle, to explore the north end of Andros driving from Andros Town to Morgan’s Bluff. Tillie wanted to stop at the Mennonite Farm to buy some vegetables, but the stand was closed. (The farm includes many services. They have an automobile shop, carpentry shop, a bee farm which they harvest honey from, fruit orchards, a greenhouse and many vegetable fields. Some of the vegetables grown are beans, corn, and cauliflower.) We drove about 50 miles, then parked the car and climbed up a limestone outcropping to arrive at the top of the bluffs. In 1713, the Bahama Islands were declared a Pirate’s Republic. Morgan’s Bluff and Morgan’s Cave on North Andros are named after the famous privateer-pirate, Henry Morgan, for whom Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum is named. It is said that the Andros settlement of Small Hope Bay was so named because Morgan claimed there would be “small hope” of anybody finding the treasure he had hidden there. We passed by Small Hope Bay on the way to Morgan’s Bluff, but plan to stop there another day. What a beautiful view from the bluff. We stayed up there to watch a sailboat navigate into Morgan’s Bluff Harbour.
Then we drove around to the area where the water boat used to dock. According to Wikipedia, rainwater collected in aquifers below the island’s surface and was shipped to Nassau daily by barge through the pumping station located in Morgan’s Bluff.
Nicholls Town was our next stop at a place called the Coconut Farm. This was a nice place on the ocean that served food and drinks. I had a pina colada for my friend, Joy, and then another one for me! We also ordered some cracked conch (pieces of fried conch) and some conch fritters. We sat on the outside deck of the tiki hut. Everything was delicious.
From here we proceeded to Red Bays. Local handicrafts, in the Black Seminole style—particularly wood carvings and woven baskets—are a cottage industry in the settlement of Red Bays. A sample of Red Bays baskets is in the Smithsonian Institution. In the 1930s, a study indicated that the most common surname on Andros was Bowlegs (descendants of Billy Bowlegs). The study was published in 1945 providing evidence of a Black Seminole migration to the Bahamas from Florida, and of descendants to be found on Andros Island; most at Nicolls Town. Tillie told us that the residents often trade baskets for household items that they need. But, the lady selling today said she did not need what Tillie had brought.
We ended our day of exploring by having supper at Hank’s Place, just across the river from the marina.
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What a great day. Thanks so much to Tillie and Jimmy for being our tour guides. Tomorrow, our base privileges begin and we plan to go there to visit.
BD72 (3/18/12 – Sunday) – The township of Fresh Creek is home to the Atlantic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Center AUTEC, operated by the U.S. Navy, where the United Kingdom and the United States conduct special operations training and sonar and submarine research in the Tongue of the Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard also runs rescue and drug interdiction operations from AUTEC. As Tillie and Jimmy’s visitors, we were allowed to go on the base. We had a very nice brunch in the mess hall followed by a tour of the base. Later in the afternoon, we went out in their dingy to their sailboat, Mimi, a 40′ Endeavour Ketch.
After supper, we went to the theatre to see the movie “J. Edgar”. Tomorrow, we are on our own for the day.
BD73 (3/19/12) – We had a nice quiet day. It was too breezy to take the dingy out. We walked up to the corner café for lunch. Rick rode his bicycle out to the airport after lunch and talked to the immigration fellow. It looks like a flight home and back will take care of extending our visa’s for another 90 days. When we checked into the Bahamas, in Bimini, the boat was given permission to stay in Bahamian waters for 180 days, so the travel home should make both expirations about the same time. We also decided to make arrangements to stay here an additional month. And, we decided to take a different route to Eleuthra. Rather than stopping in Nassau a second time on the way to Eleuthra, we will go to southern Eleuthra via Highborne Cay. We will go back on base tomorrow.
BD74 (3/20/12) – Jimmy and Rick worked on the lift. Rick and I went grocery shopping and have just about got everything we need to restock our pantry. We ate supper with Tillie and Jimmy at their apartment. We enjoyed a short visit from their friend Mark (who supplied our fish for supper) and his dog Joey.
BD75 (3/21/12) – The wind is blowing 20 mph today and is expected to be at 18 tomorrow. Nancy lives on a boat in the marina and she is going to join Tillie, Jimmy, us and others for the Wednesday night steak and shrimp dinner in the mess hall this evening. She will give us a ride and we are to meet Tillie and Jimmy at the gate at 5:15 so they can get her permission to go on the base. Dinner was fun. We had steak and shrimp and more. There were 8 at the table, most from the marina. We brought in a couple of bottles of wine which everyone enjoyed as well.
BD76 (3/22/12) – We went to the Androsia Factory Shop today. Rick continues to work on the dingy lift. We’re having the left-over swordfish for dinner. We’ll see Jimmy and Tillie over the weekend – but he has to work some on Saturday.
BD77 (3/23/12) – Rick rode the bicycle to the base store to buy more sandpaper for working on the lift. We received an e-mail from Jimmy saying we are going out to a restaurant called Taste and See. They have a group going to celebrate a friend’s (Tommy’s) birthday. When Rick returned from the store, he said that he had run into Steve. Steve is the fellow who lives on Fresh Creek who helped repair the fuel line for the new engine. Rick shared his frustration with being able to fix the lift and Steve offered to help. We had a great time at the birthday party.
BD78 – (3/24/12) – Tillie picked us up just after 1:00 and took us to the base. We went for a walk on the beach. After a while, I found a bucket on the beach which we turned over so I could sit down. Rick and Tillie continued walking south to the bite. When we returned to their place, Jimmy was home from work and ready to grill chicken for tonight’s dinner. We made plans to get together tomorrow afternoon to go to a blue hole.
BD79 – (3/25/12 – Sunday) We went to Rainbow Blue Hole. It was supposedly a quarter-mile walk to the hole, but it seemed a lot longer than that to all of us. When we finally got there, it was very nice. We all swam and had some liquid refreshment. The hike back to the road didn’t seem nearly as long. We are fixing wahoo (thanks to Frankie and Wilma) on the boat for supper. We got an e-mail from Steve and Joy. They are planning to leave St. Martin and head for St. Barts soon. Steve says his French is improving!
BD80 -98 – During this time, we took a trip back to Florida. We visited doctors, family and friends and did a lot of shopping. One of our surprises was finding out that when I fell on March 1, I broke my left foot! So I was fitted for a “boot” and will be carrying a little extra weight around for the next 6 to 8 weeks. We are very glad to be back on Andros and back to Island Time. Rick is busy putting things away and fixing things. He wants me to stay off of my foot and keep it up as much as possible so that it will heal as fast as can be. While we loved the visit back to Florida, we were so busy the whole time, we had to come back here to rest!
BD99 – 4/14/12 – Today is our Sis’s 6th Anniversary. We were glad to hear that Eileen and Bill had a special day. We love you both. Tillie and Jimmy were supposed to be sailing today, but, the steady 20 mph winds changed their minds. We are going to go on a “road trip” tomorrow.
BD100 – 4/15/12 – Sunday. Tillie & Jimmy picked us up early afternoon and we headed south, including: Coakley Town, Bowen Sound, Man of War Sound, Cargill Creek and Behring Point. After going to the south coast, we turned around and went back north of Fresh Creek to another blue hole. This one is on government property and they have built a boardwalk into the hole from the road. There is a covered pavilion at the site and steps built down to the water along with a nice grill. The edges of this hole are much higher than the other one we went to.
BD101 – 4/16/12 – I have come down with a sore throat and cold and have decided to stay in bed – away from others – until it goes away.
BD102 – 4/17/12 – Happy birthday to Rick’s Brother, Edward.
BD103 – 4/18/12 – Rick went to meet Jimmy at the gate of the base this morning at 9 am¸ but they found out that there was a mix up on the date for us to get privileges and we can’t get on again until tomorrow. This afternoon, he sailed with Jimmy and his friend Gary, moving Gary’s sail boat from the marina to the base harbor. Jimmy brought him back via dingy.
BD104 – 4/19/12 – Happy birthday to our niece, Christina, who will soon be the family dentist! Rick went on base with Jimmy today and did “guy stuff”.
BD105 – 4/20/12 –Happy birthday to Christina’s Dad, my brother Bill. Today, Rick finally completed the repairs to the dingy lift, yea! It has not worked since we bought the boat. We went to the base after 5 pm. Got to see the outside boat bar at Gary’s (the fellow Rick sailed with on Wednesday). Apparently, some time back, some Cuban’s came ashore in an old wooden boat. I don’t know what happened to the Cuban’s, but the boat was cut in half lengthwise and Gary has turned his half into a bar which is perched upon his deck. It was something to see. Of course, it reminded us of Mark & Wanda’s boat bar at home (but they have the whole boat.) Then we went to the Beach House on the base where they were having a Caribbean Night. Local’s come on base and serve freshly prepared Bahamian food. Unfortunately, we got there just as they were closing and all that was left was fresh conch salad. The salad was enjoyed, but the cracked conch and cracked lobster were missed.
BD106 – 4/21/12 – Today the weather is turning bad. We are going on the base to, hopefully, finish restocking our pantry and do some laundry. We hope to move on to Highbourne Cay next week.
BD107- 4/22/12 – Sunday – Bob, on the sail boat next to us, told us that it was blowing 38 kph when we walked passed this afternoon to get into the borrowed truck to go to the base. We made one last trip to the store and then just chilled all afternoon with Tillie and Jimmy. We got away from the house for a short drive to the beach and then returned for a scrumptious Boca Burger and coleslaw dinner. Rick traded some books that he had read for other gently-used books to see him through the next leg of our journey. (I am still enjoying my Kindle.) Although the wind blew all day, the sky was clear and it was a wonderful day. We can’t thank Tillie and Jimmy enough for being such gracious hosts while we have been here on Andros Island.
BD108 – 4/23/12 – We have invited Bob and Stacy, Tillie and Jimmy for supper tonight to thank them for watching the boat while we were away.
BD109 – 4/24/12 – Spent the day relaxing and preparing to move to Highbourne Cay tomorrow.
Departed Fresh Creek on 4/25/12 at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Our journey has been inspired by Joy and Steve Fredrick. You can see more of their story at