Bahamas

The Bahamas are great!

We left Marathon, FL on 2-12-09 with about 10 other boats. We had a three day weather window in the forecast, and the time was right. It took us several days to get ready, gathering supplies, reviewing our plans, checking equipment, etc. Even so, we were next to last getting out of Marathon, as we stopped to top off our fuel and water tanks.

We had arranged to "buddy boat" with some folks from Cohasset, Mass. We arrived at the jump-off location (just off Key Largo) just after dark and settled down for the night. But we had a bilge pump that wasn't working, so I checked it and found the hose mangled. (a drawstring had gotten around the prop shaft and whailed the hose to a pulp)

So, instead of leaving with the group, we stayed behind and launched the dinghy so I could motor 3 miles into Key Largo, put a bike ashore and bike 6 miles to a West Marine store to obtain some bilge pump hose. Success! That night I repaired the bilge pump, and we were ready to take off. Some nice folks on Salsa hailed us and invited us for cocktails. Sort of made the delay worthwhile.

We took off at the crack of dawn, all alone, heading across the Gulfstream. Wind was light and we had to motor much of the way. We arrived at South Riding Rock just before sundown and dropped the hook. We were the only boat there, and presumably within miles. We slept well in spite of the rolling swell.

Next day we made our way across the Great Bahama Bank (12-16 feet of water all the way)to the Northwest Beacon where again we anchored for the night. It's remarkable that we were able to spend two nights anchored on the bank, as there is minimal protection from any direction. We did have some company from Far Star on the second night.

On the third day, we motored into Bullock's Harbor and cleared customs at the marina. We paid our fee, and were officially checked in. Hooray.

From there we made our way a day at a time around the Berry Islands. Cruise ships stop there daily for their passengers to swim on the beautiful beaches. But a north wind was brewing, and we headed around to the south side for protection. We also needed to be in Nassau for Feb 26th when friends Tom and Angela fly in.

A long day's sail across the Northeast Passage in 20 knots of wind and seas of 8-12 feet got us to Nassau, where we proceeded to the Harbor Club and tied up in a slip to take on fuel and water. We also went to the supermarket and loaded up on food. There we were able to get our computer fixed so that we could access WiFi. (We'd been without e-mail since we left Marathon.)

Tom and Angella arrived right on time. We met them at the Green Parrot, and spent the night on the boat. Next day, we were off to Highborne Cay, where we spent a pleasant night in the lee of the high hills. Then, we sailed on down to the Exuma Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells. We caught a small Skipjack Tuna on the way down, and ate it for supper. Delicious.

The Park was interesting, with magnificent snorkling. we saw huge rays, giant lobsters, millions of fish of every description - all colorful and unique. We also hiked and saw the coral island from the ground - now hot and arrid.

After a couple of days in the park, we headed on down to Staniel Cay. The trip was a blast, as we had a following wind, and were able to us our spinnaker for the first time. Angela helped set it up, and we made great time with that big sail full and booming.

Staniel Cay is quaint, as all the Exumas are. We shopped at the little store, and walked to the airstrip. Tom and Angela flew out from there. It was great to have them with us. It really livened up the trip.

From Staniel, we went south eventually arriving in Georgetown. It was full of boats and loads of activity. we had some fun there, but were glad to get away from the crowd.

Heading back north, we stop at Black Point to wait out 5 days of strong winds.