The next decision was our departure date,
which depended on the weather. The boating season until that point had been a
washout with many storms, torrential rains, a few tornados and very few
suitable windows for crossing the Gulf Stream. Many boaters gave up their
Bahama plans and sat shivering in the Florida Keys. Some gave up and went home
early. But we were lucky. After studying the weather for several weeks, David
spied some improvements on the horizon so we moved into departure gear.
This meant completing our provisioning, driving
to Fort Pierce seeking permission from Homeland Security to move to the coast,
packing our car with everything we wouldn’t need, and delivering Lucy to Ara in
Port St. Lucie. All this we accomplished in just two days! On our last night we
shared pizza with our wonderful Canadian boat neighbours and on the morning of
February 27th we set off down the Okeechobee in beautiful warm
sunshine. Note the happy captain!
Riviera Beach would be our staging stop,
where we could quickly leave through the Lake Worth inlet should the good
weather hold. Unfortunately we had made one small miscalculation. We realized,
too late to change our plans, that the local Homeland Security office was
closed on weekends.
We had arrived on Saturday evening and the
tiny weather window was on Monday when we would need to leave long before government opening hours. We briefly contemplated just making a run for it without the
proper paperwork but rejected the notion. Neither of us would want to get into
trouble with those guys in case it affected our future plans for boating in the
U.S.
So I called “our” officer at the Fort
Pierce airport (they work 7 days a week) and explained our predicament. He
spoke to his supervisor who suggested we call Palm Beach airport and ask to
speak to the Customs supervisor there. We told our story again. We were told
that the office was “officially” closed but they had staff on duty processing
the arrival and departure of a large cruise ship. They would see whether they
could fit us in later in the day when the hoards of passengers had dissipated.
We needed a few last minute grocery items
so I jumped on my bike to ride a few blocks to Publix. Just as I was about to
go back to the marina I got a call from the Homeland supervisor who said they
could see us now. I called David who scooted out on his bike and we were there
in less than 10 minutes for a private audience with a friendly, good-natured
officer. I could have hugged him! Ten minutes later we were on the sidewalk
shaking our heads, with all our paperwork in hand. Wow!
We made our final preparations and checked
the weather, which seemed to be holding. At 7AM we headed out to sea. Unwisely,
as it turned out, in our hurry to leave we had decided to postpone breakfast.
We each guzzled a bucket of coffee and took our stations on the flybridge.
Turns out the east winds were stronger and
the waves much higher than predicted. We were pitching so hard there was no
hope of making breakfast while underway. As the waves crashed over the bow, I
began to feel unwell. Because it was too dangerous to walk, I scooted on my bum
down the steps and made it to the back step of the main deck where I lost my
coffee. Not a pretty sight.
The wind was helpful in spraying it all
over the stern where it flowed down both sides of the deck toward the scuppers,
mixing with salt spray as it went. Argh, my first ever experience with
seasickness and it wasn’t even the roughest sea we’ve experienced. I put it
down to coffee on an empty stomach that is already sensitive from years of
anti-inflammatory medications. Lesson learned the hard way. Never skip
breakfast, especially at sea!
The seas settled somewhat as we left the
coast but then the Gulf Stream effect kicked in, pulling us north. For a course
across ground of 101 degrees, we were steering anywhere from 120-180. This is
called crabbing across the stream, which is very inefficient as the boat is
moving sideways rather than straight forward. Along the way we were entertained
by dolphins and flying fish, but saw very few boats. I didn’t make it out of my
jammies until the seas settled close to our destination.
It took us more than 9 hours but we finally
made it to West End, gratefully checking in to Old Bahama Bay Marina. They have
a Customs office right there so our clearance was quick and easy.
I spent the next 2 hours washing off the
encrusted salt, which had covered every surface of the boat. Then I tackled the
coffee mess. Once we were clean and shiny again it was time to watch the sunset
from the flybridge where we had a view of the lovely colourful resort cottages
available for rent. It seems that this is a hot spot for sport fishing and I
overheard one skipper telling his guests that he would clean their catch and
deliver it straight to the chef at the restaurant. Now that’s great service!
We awoke to a gorgeous sunny day. We
planned a short 4-hour hop so we took our time with breakfast and
“housework”. In light winds and calm
seas, we tootled along the southern shore of Grand Bahama Island and returned
to one of our favourite havens from last year’s journey home. The welcome at
Sunrise Beach Resort and Marina was as enthusiastic and warm as we remembered
it.
We walked to a nearby mini-mall to visit
the Batelco office. Don’t believe anyone if they say T-Mobile works over here
because it certainly didn’t work for us! So we picked up new SIM cards for our
phones, bought two ice-cold Kaliks (the beer of the Bahamas) and sat on a shady
step to call my Mum. On our way back to the boat I snapped a pic of an unusual
“craft” sitting in the woods covered by a tarp. First we thought it was a small
jet airplane. However, David did some research later and concluded it must be a
strange type of flying boat that dives under the water. Who knew?
We also stopped by a large boatyard across
from the marina where we spied several Canadian boats, both in and out of the
water. We made some enquiries and discovered that the costs to store our boat
here would be comparable to those in the US and would save us a 3-day drive and
the slog across the Gulf Stream every year. Flights to Freeport are short and
cheap, especially if we flew on points.
However, there are definitely some down
sides. Provisioning in the Bahamas is extremely expensive. Given the generous
storage space in Peapod we can stock up on 3-4 months worth of staples at great
prices in Florida. Flying would limit the volume of “stuff” we could bring, not
only foods, but also the maintenance supplies and equipment we bring to the
boat. I think we’ve pretty much decided to stick with our Indiantown home base
for now.
David had a few small chores to do and I
washed and polished all the fenders. Then off we went in the dinghy to a
gorgeous beach around the corner. It was a perfect crescent of white powdery
sand, shallow for a great distance and perfect for swimming. The beach was
virtually deserted. There was a handful of Canadians strolling along the beach
from the one lovely condo complex, the Tyne Beach Resort, an ideal place for
families with children! I had my first ocean swim of 2016. David lay in the sun
with his big boot off, a great relief to finally expose his leg to the fresh
air and sunshine.
The next day was another big crossing (76
miles) to the Berry Islands, our next stop on the way to Nassau. It was a
beautiful sunrise. Those of you who know me realize that my seeing the sun come
up is a rare occurrence to I thought I would capture it for posterity.
We had wind and waves in our teeth all the
way (so what’s new?). Great Harbour Cay is a large island near the northern end
of the Berrys and boasts good shelter from most winds on its east and west
shores. Given the relentless easterlies we chose a beautiful anchorage on the
east side of the Cay for our first night on the hook this season.
L 25o 44’ 40” N; Lo 077 o
50’ 18” W
It was a large crescent with a deserted
white sand beach and only 3 other boats at anchor. One was a large training
schooner with an international contingent of young students. One group came to
see us in their dinghy, laughing and giggling all the way. As they pulled up,
their spokesman shouted out their burning question. “Is it true that your
Canadian money smells of maple syrup?” When we responded in the affirmative, a
huge howl went up with the enquirer boasting, “I told you so” to the others.
Then off they went to the beach with more gales of laughter.
On March 4th we crossed the
Northeast Providence Channel, with depths of more than 2500 metres, where we
did a fair bit of pitching and rolling in waves coming from all directions. We
entered Nassau Harbour as planned at high tide and tied up at Harbour Central
Marina, where we had spent so many days last year waiting for good weather. We
took on fuel (the price had just dropped!) and jumped on our bikes to get fresh
veggies and Kalik beer at the Harbour Bay Plaza.
We rode on the sidewalks to avoid 2 lanes
of speeding maniacs in East Bay St. rush hour. To call them sidewalks would be
a compliment, as they were decrepit pathways with tippy manhole covers, huge
gouges and gaps in the pavement. Our return trip, each with a case of 24 beers
strapped to our bikes and knapsacks on our backs, was terrifying. We wobbled
and dodged obstacles while trying to keep our balance and not lose the beer.
However, we arrived safely and cracked a cold one in celebration.
After dinner we had front row seats on
Peapod for the weekly Friday night concert on Paradise Island featuring live
musicians, fire dancers and a spectacular fireworks display. We have never seen
such an up close show, as the fireworks barge was right in front of us in the middle of
the channel! Quite a lovely welcome we thought.
There was no time for lollygagging as the
weather forecast for the upcoming week was menacing with high winds and waves. We were determined to get
to the Exumas to wait it out rather than stay in the big city. So off we went
across the Great Bahama Bank to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park at Warderick
Wells.
It seems that great minds think alike and
many boaters were looking for the safety of a mooring ball given the gloomy
forecast. All of the moorings in the main mooring field were taken so we headed
for Emerald Rock, just south of the Park office. We were too late to check in
and get Wi-Fi, and there is no cellular reception there so we spent our first
night truly cut off from civilization. Not such a bad thing, except that I like
to call my Mum every night to check in.
It was a very rolly night exposed to seas
from the east so we were up at the crack of dawn and made the decision to keep
going. I was only 20 miles to Staniel Cay, an old favourite haunt with cellular
coverage and lots of amenities. Knowing that we would be facing very high
winds, first from the northeast and then the east, we decided to anchor just
east of Staniel at Big Major’s Spot. This Cay is famous for its swimming pigs
that come down to greet boaters who come with carrots and other goodies for
them to eat.
L 27o 11’ 26” N; Lo 076o
27’ 31” W
We look out at two sandy beaches. One seems
to be the sun-downers party beach, a bit wild in the late afternoon. The other
is deserted except for the occasional dinghy with boaters taking their dogs to shore.
First things first. David inflates his new
floating lounge chair and jumps aboard. I plunge overboard for a swim. Just as
I return to the swim ladder David says “There’s a big ray!” I put my face back
in the water and find myself nose to nose with a big nurse shark. Eeek! Now
these sharks are quite harmless but still can give a person a bit of a startle.
Needless to say I wasted no time in scrambling up the swim ladder as he or she indifferently
swam away.
The water is surprisingly cool (75 o
F) so I’ve started to wear my wetsuit for long swims. I have 10 days of
“training” to get in shape before Sandra arrives. She swims 3 days a week all
year round and maintains a great level of fitness for long distance snorkelling
adventures so I have some catching up to do.
The first day was a slog as I swam against
the strong current coming in through the Fowl Cay cut. Each day gets a little
easier and I’ve found a couple of nice little coral heads near the shore where
all the usual colourful suspects can be found – Angelfish, Fairy Basslets,
Wrasses, Juvenile Parrotfish and Sergeant Majors. Most are small, as this seems
to be a wee fish nursery. It’s as if
they grow up here while waiting to be called up to the big show.
There is also a pair of shy sea turtles who
hang out there and swim away as I approach. They seem to be flying like slow
graceful birds as they move through the water, apparently unperturbed but
cautious.
After a couple of quiet days on the hook we
made the trip around the bay to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Our little dinghy
was barely a match for the standing waves whipped up by strong easterlies. We
buried our bow a time or two and the spray gave us a good soaking. Who thought
to bring a raincoat for this little journey?
What a fun, raucous, funky place, full of
sailors from around the world. We perched at the bar on the same stools as last
year like schoolkids in a classroom. We had an amazing lunch sharing an order
of chicken tacos and fries. David had his usual – Kalik. I was in the mood for
something more exotic so ordered their signature rum punch.
It was so delicious I had a second halfway
through our lunch! Well, little did I know until David told me later, but the
bartender was pouring freehand and generously. I hardly minded the soaking I
got on the way home and went straight to bed for a 2-hour nap!
It was late afternoon on March 8th when I went for my swim. The sun was low in the sky but still sparkling through the water to the reef below. It was shark dinnertime so it wasn’t surprising that I had another shark sighting. This was a really big one but I was grateful to see him swimming ahead of me rather than toward me. Of course, David was standing by as he always does when I swim solo, rowing the dinghy in the event I get into trouble. He also carries our portable VHF radio as a precaution to call for help in case of an emergency. Better safe than sorry!
The next day we went to the party beach in
the dinghy and David ventured out for his first swim with a single flipper.
Contrary to the popular theory amongst onlookers, he did not swim in circles.
He managed to reach the closest coal head and saw his first fish. I did my
usual distance swim along the shore to the amazement of the partiers who look
as though exercise is a foreign concept. They do have a lot of fun though,
playing a beanbag game in the sand and drinking endless bottles of beer.
Just before sunrise we watched two boats
approach. One was a rusty, flat-bottomed barge piled high with huge rolls of
wire, lumber, cement blocks, cases of Kalik and more. We looked on in horror as he made a
beeline for us, turned at the last second and cut between Peapod and a
neighbouring sailboat. The sailboat’s crew and passengers were lined up at
their rail with their mouths hanging open, as were ours!
The barge sped on by, making another sharp
turn to avoid the next boat and pulled in at the Fowl Cay resort dock at warp
speed. They spent an hour off-loading cargo when they retraced their course
through the anchorage, this time with a noticeable list. The Bahamian crew
couldn’t have appeared more blasé unlike those of us worried about our boats
and anchors as they roiled up the sand along their merry way.
The second incoming vessel was a large
motor yacht, faithfully trailed by his tender captain who must have had a very
rough trip given the wind and waves. The yacht anchored far from shore, as
expected given its size and probable deep draft. No sooner than they were
hooked, a large object appeared from the top deck. David checked with the
binoculars and sure enough it was a giant waterslide!! Ah, the sports of the
rich and famous!
After two more days being battered by the
relentless easterlies, we decided to move the boat closer to shore. Two boats
had vacated their prime spots and we scooted in. We’re now within the 7 times
the height of land rule and it’s much better! Amazing how what we learned in
our Canadian Power and Sail Squadron seamanship course comes in handy sometimes!
L24 o 11’ 18” W; Lo 076 o 27’32” N
When the winds and waves finally settled we moved "around the corner" to Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay. Another idyllic spot with a beautiful harbour, friendly residents, turquoise water, white sand beaches and of course gorgeous sunsets.
L24 o 6’ 5” W; Lo 076 o 23’ 58” N
Peapod now has her own conch, purchased from a local young entrepreneur, maybe 6 years old. So we join in the chorus every evening as the sun goes down.
It's now March 14th and we can hardly tear ourselves away from this divine setting but fun awaits us on Great Exuma when we meet our dear neighbours with their two boys and pick up Sandra at Georgetown Airport.
