Sailing Ohana

A short sail away from Black Point is Little Farmer’s Cay. They have an annual First Friday of February Festival at Farmer’s, aka 5F’s, which had not been held since COVID, so everyone was really excited about it. We arrived at the anchorage just in time to watch the Cruisers’ Race from our boat. Our neighbor boat took some great photos including one of us watching from our coach roof. We found out later that our friend from Ohana Kai was one the three people who sailed the winning boat. You can see the boat, a beautiful gray Beneteau, on the right side of the photo of Ohana, followed closely by a Leopard catamaran!

After the Cruisers’ Race, we took the dinghy to some coral heads and rocks near Oven Rock where we anchored last year. Summerwind joined us to practice their spearfishing too. We found a spot with dozens of invasive lionfish, which was great for target practice for the boys. We didn’t keep any to eat because they’re a pain to transport and process. We felt guilty about shooting them and not using the fish, but it’s recommended that spearfishermen kill them whenever they can, because they’re destroying the reef ecosystems. Jackson got a nice lobster and after a surprisingly long trip out and back, we returned to the boat.

The Yacht Club hosted a free buffet dinner and drinks, so we walked there (partially on an airstrip!) from our beach, and joined all the other cruisers at the crowded yacht club. The boys were happy to play with their Summerwind friends, a few other boys they met as well. Jackson has started to take his football with him whenever we go ashore, and it often attracts kids to play.

The Class C sailboat regatta was the following day, and it was even more fun to watch than the Cruisers’ Race . We had Ohana Kai and Summerwind over for drinks and snacks, and we all watched from our boat. It was incredible to see the boats being crewed by local families who include many generations of world-class sailors. Our anchorage is pretty shallow, so only shallow draft boats were anchored there. Part of the race requires the racers to sail through our anchorage and around our boats. It was spectacular to be in the middle of the race… Our neighbors on SV Breathe took some photos of our boat, below. The boys enjoyed snacks and hosting their friends as well.

We enjoyed the afternoon in “town”, where we treated the kids to ice cream at the same place that last year was deserted and only had some freezer-burned rocky road. The locals were out selling random items and food and drinks in front of their homes for the festival, and one of our friends even had his hair cut in the front yard of someone’s house. We ate and hung out while the kids played.