Back in the U.S.of A.!

Well, we ended up waiting for a week in Alice Town on Bimini before getting the opportunity to cross the Gulf Stream.  There was a 'double front' that passed through, with high winds circling around in their predictable, 'Bahama' fashion; blowing from the west, through to northwest, north, and northeast. Finally they moved to the east and southeast; winds that we could use to blow us back to the North American continent!  The bonus of staying in one place for a week, means that you are anxious and ready to go when the chance comes, so, although we have enjoyed our time in the Bahamas, we were ready to say good-bye and begin the last phase of our trip.....the homeward journey!

The following are a couple of pictures of the west side beach, looking across the Gulf of Florida.

Swells crashing on to the beach...that Catamaran anchored while we were at the beach...not sure how comfortable he was!

All week the weather had been predicted to be stable on Monday, and sure enough, the day dawned sunny with light winds.  At 0700, the water was slack before turning to ebb, so no worries about strong current pushing us in to the dock or on to our neighbour, and we, along with a number of other sailors staying at the marina, got away without incident!  This also meant, that when we arrived at Port of West Palm Beach that evening, the tide would have turned and be on the flood, carrying us in to the harbour with the wind at our back, and so no worries about wind over tide and the accompanying high and rough waters at the other end!

Looking back and saying goodbye as the sun rises behind Bimini Island

The crossing itself was uneventful, which is good!  It remained sunny all day, although the wind did pick up during the day and by the time we reached the Lake Worth inlet, the winds had picked up to ~20 knots from the SE, although it meant a following sea with seas about 3-6ft high.  We ended up setting our mainsail out as far as we could get it, then George rigged a preventer on the boom so we would not suffer an accidental jibe as we rolled along in the heavy seas.  Our jib does not like to sail too deep, as it gets shadowed by the main, so we flew the main by itself all the way across, and then assisted with the engine, as we needed to average 6-7 knots to get to Lake Worth before nightfall.  As it turned out, the combination of full main, engine, 15-20 knot winds, and a 3 knot current in the stream, we averaged 7.5 knots, and arrived in Lake Worth harbour at 5:00pm that night!  It was nice crossing during the day this time, as it was easier to spot and avoid contacts such as other cruisers and numerous container ships, and we were able to admire the beautiful indigo blue of the Gulf Stream!

Upon our arrival, we had to phone a 1-800 number with customs to receive a clearing in number which we were going to have to have in order to be processed through the local customs office in West Palm Beach.  We had difficulties with the number, but fortunately, the staff at the customs office were helpful and friendly, so we eventually called in using a phone in the building and were officially cleared back in to the United States in time to go for lunch at the Tiki Bar and Restaurant at the Riviera Beach Marina!!  We got back to our boat in time to watch another boat on a mooring ball sink!  It was a slow, painful process, and we did report it to the local coast guard, however they seem non-plussed about the whole thing, and never did show up!

Going...

going....

going...

going...

gone!

The rest of the day, and in fact, the next four days, ended up being quite windy and rainy, with lots of thunderstorm activity all around us, so we stayed put for a couple of days, and then moved 4 miles north to North Palm Beach where we had a very pleasant anchorage in Lake Worth until Saturday, when we raised the anchor and headed up the Lake Worth Creek, a quiet portion of the ICW with lovely homes and property lining the banks.  That night we entered the St. Lucie River and moored at the Sunset Bay Marina.  This is a lovely place where we were able to finally get our laundry done, have showers, and do some much needed grocery shopping using the great bikes they have here for loan to their guests!  We arrived on the Easter weekend, so even managed to purchase a small ham and cooked an Easter ham for our dinner on Sunday!

lots of storms all around us in North Palm Beach...this is the last one!

The next few pictures are taken along the ICW between North Palm Beach and St. Lucie Inlet.

'Street Food' takes to the water!!  This guy came around the corner as we were waiting for a bridge opening in Jupiter!

Lighthouse at Jupiter Inlet

Monday we borrowed the bikes again and rode in to the 'historic downtown' of Stuart.  Fortunately for us it is a small space - about 2 blocks wide and 2 blocks long! - so easily walked and enjoyed.  Because we had the bikes, we carried on through and rode around the immediate neighbourhood, admiring the homes and property, with the associated flora!  After leisurely riding around the quiet streets, we headed back to the downtown area and stopped for lunch at The Blue Door, a funky little coffee shop that served food also!  Had a good bowl of Thai chicken soup and a tall glass of Watermelon Mint iced tea while sitting out in the shade of a lovely tree in the courtyard.  They also play movies on Monday nights and we toyed with the idea of coming back to catch the 'flick', but didn't make it after all.  After 'refuelling' we parked the bikes and walked around the downtown.  Stuart is proud of the independent stores that make up the downtown - all franchises are a drive away in a different section of town.  They also have a complimentary 'trolley' that picks people up at various spots around the downtown and drives them to the parking spots and other areas in the downtown district.  While George went for a haircut, I wandered up and down the street, enjoying the ambiance.  Managed to find a Kilwins so brought George there for our first ice cream cone in a long time!!  Also found a great store where I was able to 'release my inner hippie'!!  Had to draw on all my self-control in order to walk back out again without any new clothes, garden ornaments, or wind chimes!!!

The Blue Door

The next day we took advantage of the free shuttle service here at the marina, and picked up the various things we need for the boat in order for us to be ready to do some sailing without having to stop again for re-provisioning too soon.  Right now, the weather window looks really good for the rest of the week, so our plan is to pre-position at Fort Pierce tomorrow (Wednesday) where we can get 'outside' safely, and then do a series of day sails along the outside coast.  We will keep this up until the weather window closes, so not sure how far we will get, but hopefully as far as Charleston, NC?

Islands in the Stream

So, are we procrastinating??  You betcha!!  We are realizing as we lounge about in the beach chairs looking out over the Great Bahama Bank and enjoying the shade of the palm trees, that the weather isn't all that great in Florida right now, and have it on good authority that the Hudson River is still frozen solid!  And we are wondering, "What's the rush??"

Since my last blog sent in Nassau, we have crossed two fairly large bodies of water.  Our first day out we had good 20 knot winds with a 6 foot following sea, so pretty 'rolly', but otherwise a good sail....so good, in fact, that as we were nearing our destination that afternoon, we were seriously considering carrying on and sailing the next passage over the night.  However, cooler heads prevailed, and we decided to stick with plan 'A'!  That first day we sailed about 35 miles and crossed what is known as the Northeast Channel, a body of water that runs between the Exuma Bank and the Great Bahama Bank.

That night we anchored outside of Chub Cay in an area that we knew might be rolly, and boy was it ever!!  We were protected from the winds, but the sea curled around the point and banged in to us all night!  How rolly was it, you ask?  So rolly that I left the stove on its gimbal so that dinner wouldn't go flying, and George elected to sleep on the salon bench.....with the leeboard on so he wouldn't roll out!!

Chub Cay

Needless to say, neither of us got a whole lot of sleep that night, but we were determined to rest, at least, as we needed to get going the next morning at 0400 hours in order to cross the 75 miles on the Great Bahama Bank and get to our next anchorage outside of Cat Cay.  The first few hours of the sailing continued to have good winds with high following seas, but by noon, the winds had quietened down to about 5-10 knots and the sea had finally flattened out to about 1 foot swells.  It was nice not to have a hard day after the physical day the day before, followed by the sleepless night!  Because it was quiet, George decided to put out his trolling line, as we had not had many opportunities to fish during our visit.  After about an hour, we noticed that the lure was at the top of the water, which meant we had either caught a fish or some seaweed, so George started to haul the line in.  As the lure got closer, we could see something silvery on the end, so now we knew it was a fish, but worried it had drowned, as we weren't sure when the lure was taken, so how long the poor fish had been dragged along behind us!  However, as it got even closer, it started to swim and go back down in to the water.  The fish was a good size, with a brown colouring to its back, so initially thought it might be a dogfish, which is a small member of the shark family.  Once we got the fish to the side of the boat and were trying to haul it in, we realized that, no, it was not a dogfish, but a long, silver-coloured fish that might even be good for eating!  Finally George hauled it out of the water and laid it on the deck.....this fish had HUGE teeth!  This fish was no ordinary fish,.... this was a Great Barracuda!!  It must have only been a juvenile, as it was only about 3 feet long, and they can get to be 6'6".  Once I got a look at its teeth, I was definitely not interested in eating it, and after all it had gone through, it was still giving George a pretty good fight, so George didn't want to eat it either, so he managed to get the hook out without getting bitten, and set it back in the ocean!  It was all very exciting and certainly broke the monotony of a long day on the water!!!

That night we dropped anchor outside of Cat Cay in ground that was not great holding, but with such light winds and lots of chain, we had a nice, quiet, restful night!  The following morning we relaxed over breakfast and coffee, as our plan was to simply move up the 10 miles to Alice Town, Bimini, where we planned to jump across the Gulf Stream the following day.  That day was sunny and hot, and  as we made our way to Bimini, we realized as we watched the flying fish fly across our bow, that we were enjoying the beautiful aquamarine blue waters of the Bahamas for possibly the last time!  After debating whether or not to try and anchor in the lee of one of the little islands that lie between Cat Cay and the Bimini Islands, but finding bad holding again, we decided once again, to stick to the plan and go in to Brown's Marina in Alice Town.

A working lighthouse!!  on North Cat Cay

Sailing to Bimini Islands

We were met by Humphrey, the dock master, a very friendly guy who helped catch our lines as we came in against the current and risked losing control of our stern!  The marina here is a great spot!  The docks are in great shape and are also well lit, with a 'man-made' beach with palm trees and beach chairs, washrooms and showers, and internet that works!!  The marina is locked with 24 hour security, so we feel very safe here, also.  The marina is on the lee side of the island so we look out on the Bahama Bank, but a short, easy walk over the hill takes us to the Gulf Stream side with beautiful vistas of the ocean and a huge, long sandy beach with the accompanying turquoise water, darkening to aquamarine as it gets deeper!  Beside the marina is a restaurant/bar that sends Caribbean music out over the water and has tables overlooking the harbour.  During the day, this is a very peaceful and relaxing marina.  Saturday night, however, the 'joint is jumping'!!!  With a live DJ and the music cranked as loud as it can get, we had ringside seats to all the activity......until 2am!!!!!  We had already been debating resting here for an extra day or two, but after spending a relatively sleepless night ( music finally stopped at 2 am, seagulls started screaming at 6 am!!) our decision was made!!  Once we had decided to wait until Monday to cross, we were now gambling with the next front that was moving in, and have now decided that we might as well wait it out here, rather than rush to Lake Worth, risk getting caught in some weather, and then having to wait out the front on the ICW instead of in the Bahamas!!!  Seems like a 'no brainer', somehow!

view from our dock - Bahama Bank

Brown's Marina Barbeque area

Brown's Marina 'beach'

So, here I sit, under a palm tree, with a belly full of crack conch and feeling sleepy!  The crack conch we purchased for lunch at the restaurant, however, we have finally managed to buy some fresh conch!! As we were signing in to the marina yesterday, we noticed a boat with a couple of fishermen cleaning conch, so George asked if we could buy any and came back with a half dozen!  Needless to say, last night we had fresh, homemade conch salad, (or ceviche) for supper with a slice of my homemade molasses brown bread!

Buying Conch

preparing conch!

Alice Town was made famous by Ernest Hemingway, who came here frequently for big game fishing and wrote about the town and the islands in his book, Islands in the Stream. In fact, Brown's Marina is mentioned in the book.  I believe the town also inspired The Old Man and the Sea.  So, we will spend a few more days here, and see if we can pick up a few stories about Hemingway along the way!!

Tourism office

library

'Welcome to Alice Town' sign

Bimini Museum and ?Post Office?

Meanwhile, because of the front, and because of our procrastination, we will likely spend a week here, and if all the forecasts ring true, we will plan to cross the Gulf Stream next Monday or Tuesday.  This will actually be a better time because, with the tides and currents, we will be able to cross during the day, as opposed to a partial night crossing which we were going to have to do with our first plan.  Also, our experience has shown we can't leave here on a Sunday.....no sleep the night before!!  However Sunday nights are nice and quiet, so a departure the following morning should be good!!

beach restaurant with a view of the Gulf Stream

Gulf Stream side and beach

Nassau Reflections

So here we sit in Nassau, waiting out another front and trying to time our departure so that we can have a good sail across to Chub Cay, then to the Bimini Islands and hopefully followed by a 'quiet' crossing back to Florida!  Despite our worries about Nassau, we have enjoyed our stay here at the Nassau Harbour Club.  Most of our concerns had to do with stories of theft and personal safety that seem to circulate amongst the cruisers about Nassau, but here at the marina, they have security, and we have been very comfortable.  We have taken obvious precautions that we have not had to worry about in the Exumas, such as locking the boat when we leave (in fact, the lock was rusted shut, it has been so long since we bothered to use it!!) and locking the dingy engine to the transom.  However we have not locked the dingy itself to the boat, and it is still here!  The club itself is a little run down, but in a comfortable way, and the staff has been great, so we have enjoyed it!  We have also been spoiled because there is a pool here, so a nice place to spend a hot afternoon, not to mention free showers!!

Wyvern III tucked in behind a Swan 45, with the bridge and Paradise Island in the background

The pool at Nassau Harbour Club

I am embarrassed to say that I managed to hurt myself again when we were leaving Cambridge Cay for the last time.  While pulling the lines free from the mooring ball, I slipped on the wet deck and jammed my foot in between the toe rail and a large cleat that we have up forward, and have not been able to weight-bear properly since!  I feel like I have become some sort of 'Calamity Jane' on this trip!  It has certainly been humbling, as I normally feel fairly coordinated and capable, but I have managed to test that theory, and failed, three times now!!  The end result of my injury is, we have had to be more cautious than normal as far as sailing in high winds, as I have not been able keep my balance well, nor go forward to assist with sail set, or working other lines, so I am now at the helm, and George is going forward when necessary! The other 'fall-out' from not being able to walk properly, is that we have essentially kept to the marina during our stay here, and have not ventured on to 'Pleasure Island' where the infamous Atlantis and all of the accompanying gambling establishments are.  This is not something that appeals to either of us, so we have been quite happy to stay on the 'quiet side' and merely look at 'Pleasure Island' from our dock!!  We did, however, enjoy an amazing fireworks show our first night here, courtesy of  Atlantis.  The barge where the fireworks were being set off was right off our dock, so the display was being fired right over our heads!!  Very loud, and very impressive!!  Best fireworks show I have ever seen, bar none!!

Because we are in Nassau, that means we are also nearing the end of our visit to the Bahamas, and after meeting a number of fellow cruisers who have, to my surprise, been following my blog, I have decided to put in a quick entry addressing some of our 'lessons learned', in hope that it will help future cruisers enjoy the Bahamas!

If you have been following our trip, you will know that we decided to spend the vast majority of our time here in the Exumas, and so, most of my advice, such as it is, will pertain to visiting that region of the Bahamas.  We were looking for quiet, isolated anchorages, with pristine beaches and clear water, and were happy to visit small, Bahamian villages that have not been too overwhelmed by the effect of tourism.  With the exception of finding isolated anchorages,(as the number of cruisers increase, those are becoming harder and harder to find) that is exactly what we found in the Exumas!  It really was lovely and relatively quiet!  

However, the charm came with it's challenges!

Firstly, due to the isolation of the spots we visited, there were no banks or bank machines.  This meant that whenever we needed cash, which was not infrequent, as a number of the small stores on the out islands do not accept credit cards and deal in cash only, we had to find a store or bar that was able to give us cash on our credit card.  This is an expensive way to get cash, as everywhere we went there was a surcharge of 5% for using the credit card, and then if you were getting cash on the card, they would charge an additional 10%....not to mention what the credit card company is charging you for each transaction!!

Secondly, staying with the 'financial' theme, everything in the Bahamas will cost you two to three times what you are used to paying in Canada or the U.S.  Here in Nassau and also in Marsh Harbour, there are large grocery stores similar to what you will find in North America, however everything is about twice the cost.  I cannot speak for Georgetown, as we elected not to go there.  In the out islands, the stores are very small.  Usually one-room attachments to a house, and because everything comes by boat, you will pay three times what you would pay at home.  This includes the cost of beer and liquor....in Nassau, a case of 24 beer is $42, in Staniel Cay, $65!!   You can also expect to pay $4 for one load of wash, $4 for one load of dry (and Black Point has the only laundry facility; everywhere else you must pay for a laundry service, which of course is far more expensive), and finally, the only public showers are in Black Point, and they are $4 for 5 minutes.  We used our on-deck camping shower, which worked great, however lacks somewhat in privacy!! There is no fresh water on the islands, so it will cost you 40-50 cents a gallon.  Therefore, depending on your fresh water capacity, washing your clothes on the boat and having fresh water showers may be a limited option!  I don't want to carry on about the price of stuff for too long, for clearly, going to the Bahamas is much more than 'totalling the bill', however, it did catch us off guard, and we felt it was worth 'fore-warning' future visitors!

Finally, because the grocery stores are so small, the selection is extremely limited in all areas, and, unfortunately, often the fresh produce is in very poor shape and goes bad quickly once on board your boat!  We do not have a freezer, so we never bought meat and only bought fish from a fisherman once and then ate it immediately, however there was usually a freezer, such as one you would have at home, in the store, with frozen meat for purchase, but no frozen vegetables or fruit, as far as I can remember!  The advice here, is to stock up as much as you can before leaving the United States with the spices, condiments, and canned and dried staples that you use all the time (and frozen, if you have the freezer and the space!).  Other than fish, there is essentially little to no 'home-grown' food for sale and therefore, we found that much to my disappointment, I was cooking essentially the same meals we would eat at home!

The weather itself (or more specifically the wind), can also provide some challenges while visiting the Exumas.  While it is true, the Exuma Bank is protected from the Exuma Sound and the 'open' ocean by the island chain, its protection mainly covers the northeast to southeast sector.  If a low pressure system is moving through the area with its inevitable cold front and associated southwest to northwest winds (which can be quite strong at times), cruisers have to seek shelter from the westerly blow.  While there aren't an abundance of island bays and coves providing a lee from the wind, there are a few good, but of course popular spots.  These can get crowded and demand a well set anchor, appropriate scope and attention to the effect of currents which at times oppose the wind and cause dissimilar vessels to not always swing in conjunction.  Incidents are limited but a good nights sleep when the fronts are marching through, is not always to be had!    During our time here in the Bahamas, the fronts seemed most regular (every 7 – 10 days) during the months of January and March.  If you are looking to enjoy comfortable sails and anchorages from point to point, these systems have to be respected and taken into account as to whether or not you should move on, how far you plan to sail and your proximity to a sheltered anchorage or mooring.  That said, we have certainly had many stretches of light wind, sunny weather, that has made it all worth while.

In closing, my hope in today's blog is to give those of you who are planning to visit the Bahamas some supplementary, first-hand information that might be useful in your planning and augment the cruising guides and related references you'll be wading through.  The islands have been beautiful, and the people very friendly and accommodating and we have truly enjoyed ourselves and we wish anyone planning a trip here 'fair winds and a following sea'!!  You will not be disappointed!