Hawk's Nest Creek

White Pepper needed a break. We had not stayed in a marina since Nassau in January. However, there was a strong north wind coming, we needed to fill the water and fuel tanks, and I needed several hot showers and some quality time on the internet. Hawk's Nest Marina is located at the very southern tip on Cat Island. If Cat Island looks like a slender lady's boot. Hawk's Nest Creek is at the toe. It is the only marina on Cat Island. The creek's entrance is very well marked and deep by Bahamian standards. The marina is just past the entrance. The protection is total, and I would feel safe there in all but the very worst storms. The Tartar banks are only two miles away and the place is renowned for great deep sea fishing. We did not catch anything. The marina is expensive. However, with the slip comes numerous amenities—clean showers and bathrooms, laundry, use of the club and pool, use of the honor bar and all day internet and cable TV, bikes to ride, and kayaks. The Hawk's Nest club runs a private air strip. We saw several planes take off and land every day. The air strip is between the marina and the club house, so we had to stop our bikes and look both ways before crossing over the strip.

The kayaks were the high light of our stay. We took a good quality Ocean brand double seater with canvas backs and good paddles. We left the marina about an hour before high tide and rode the last of the flood tide up Hawk's Nest Creek as far as we could. When the water level reached six inches we had to turn around and paddle back. We could have waited for the ebb to carry us back an hour later; however a pre-frontal rain squall was brewing so we hurried back. The creek was spectacular, but it did not have the amazing life that was in the creek at Conception Island. All we saw in the water was a starfish and two good sized sharks. Jan got a picture of one sharks that was about three feet long in less than one foot of water. We thought it was a nurse shark, but could not be sure.

Hawk's Nest is a treasure, but it is isolated and remote in the extreme. There is nothing else about for miles. There are a few homes along the shore and that is it. No store, no straw market, no bar, no restaurant, etc. One of the guide books called it “back of beyond.” Finally, when the wind abated a bit and clocked around to the NE we were ready to leave.

Departure day brought 20 knots of wind. Water depth was about 20 feet. Our destination was 10 miles dead to weather. Using the previous analogy about Cat Island looking like a slender boot, the Bight is the part in front of the ankle. There was no way White Pepper's tired old engine could motor us upwind. We had to sail for it. Since the wind had clocked into the NE Cat Island provided a lee and the water was flat. We set a reefed main and reefed genoa. The old girl showed her racing heritage charging upwind at 6+ knots. We tacked on headers. Instead of dipping starboard tackers we dodged gnarly looking coral heads. Finally when the anchor rattled down in 9 feet of water over clean sand we were rattled ourselves for having violated cruiser's rule #1: gentlemen and women never go to weather.

However, after a rum drink Jan and I decided this day would have been an excellent day sail in Texas.