Berry Islands and Nassau

Greetings from Nassau! We took cover in a small marina in order to avoid the high winds that came in on Saturday, Feb. 16 and we finally have some wifi, so I want to share the highlights of the last week.

One of our favorite places in the Bahamas!

Great Harbor Cay beach

We spent a weekend at Great Harbor Cay in the Berry Islands and absolutely fell in love with the place. Lots of friendly cruisers, great staff, and beaches beyond compare! We spent a Sunday afternoon with several other couples exploring a tidal pool at low tide--finding starfish, sea biscuits, and shells.

 Continuing Barry's new exercise regime:) we walked the 2+ miles back to the boat with Jim and Nancy--cruisers from Colorado. In the evening, we went to John and Arlene's boat for a potluck dinner--enjoying lobster tails for dinner and LOTS of laughs! Arlene is a storehouse of cruising knowledge and she has a tremendous asset on her boat-- a SEWING MACHINE. This came in handy, as our headsail suffered a rip during our crossing from Bimini. No problem.... she just put the machine on the dock and sewed her up! I wish I had a picture of what happened when Barry and I reinstalled the headsail on the boat--let's just say the wind came up and so did I (almost). As always, a fellow boater lent a hand and we finished the job. I did get a picture of the local manatee family drinking fresh water (their favorite) from a hose on the dock. Love the way the baby rolled over on his back! On Monday, we took off for Soldier Cay--finding a couple of cruise boats from Nassau invading "our" beaches! Actually, they lease islands here and unload passengers to enjoy the beaches that we see for free (sort of).

Mama and baby manatee drinking from a hose on the dock!

Royal Caribbean--Freedom of the Seas

 We spent several days in an outstanding anchorage at White Cay. When we arrived, we had a few hours to ourselves before 4 fellow boats joined us in this unbelievable place. Take a look:




Sunrise over White Cay





White Cay beach

Beach near the Blue Hole

For a few hours, we were the only people at White Cay. Four boats

joined us that afternoon--one of the boaters rating the beaches here a '10'. We agree!!

We took a short dinghy ride to explore the Blue Hole--a natural phenomenon at White Cay.





Trying to see the bottom of the Blue Hole--rumored to be 800 feet

Overhang at the Blue Hole...complete with stalatites!

During one of our expeditions, our sailboat decided to do a 'walk-about'! We were returning from the Blue Hole to our dinghy and spotted Pat, who was rather frantically motioning for us to COME ON!! We quickly jumped in our dinghy and raced back to the anchorage, to find our boat dragging its anchor. Two of the other boaters were on-board, and already had a temporary anchor in place to hold our boat. We reset the anchor--I got some accolades for running the helm with three guys giving directions from the bow. (I'm learning not to hyperventilate) If they had not been around, who knows what would have happened....Barry says we would have been ok, but it would have been very difficult. One more lesson.
For Valentine's Day--and our 15th anniversary--we headed to Rose Island, about a 10 hour run. (Some women get a dozen roses for Valentine's Day--I got Rose Island!! Corny, I know) We arrived just before sunset, so we quickly explored the beach and found that someone had carved a large heart in the sand and had placed votives all around it and an adjacent arbor. After returning to our boat, and enjoying an anniversary pasta dinner, we tried to stay awake long enough to see what was going to happen on the beach that night. We rarely stay awake past 9pm, so we missed the ceremony. But the next day, all of the candles were gone--so someone had fun!

Catamarans from Nassau on a snorkeling adventure at Rose Island

The next day, we went snorkeling right off of our sailboat. I am always surprised by the universe that exists just below the surface of the ocean. We saw purple fan coral, brain coral, and about fifteen different varieties of tropical fish. My favorite are the ones called Gramma fish--colored half-tangarine and half-magenta! Fabulous!! Again, we did this for free--but the people on those catamarans paid dearly for an hour in the water.
One more adventure to report--as we headed to the marina in Nassau, we went aground. SMACK. Now, this has happened before, and we usually get free quickly. Not this time. Our 6 foot keel was stuck, and in spite of help from several boaters in the anchorage we could not get off. One person tried to push us off, using his dinghy. A family from France tried to pull us off--tying a long line to the mast and to their dinghy with a 30 HP outboard. Another boater tied lines from our bow and stern to mooring balls so Barry could winch us over. No luck. Finally, fellow boaters would float by and advice us to have a glass or two of wine and relax until the tide comes up. 8 hours later, we floated off. It was about 10pm, dark, and the wind was supposed to rise at any moment. We limped into Harbor View marina--taking the last slip available since everyone was trying to outrun the storm that was due to arrive imminently. Barry felt terrible about this....but we handled it well--pulling out books to read until darkness fell, and then patiently waiting for the tide. Lesson learned--watch the charts,  and don't assume we know where the channel is.

This is what it looks like to be aground. Kind of like being in a carnival fun-house for 8 hours.



The Berry Islands

 We've left Bimini behind, and are now in the Berry Islands....72 miles to the Southeast. We took it easy the first day, sailing just a few miles to an anchorage called Honeymoon Harbor. Along the way, we explored the Sapona--a WWI troop transport ship that was intentionally sunken in order to become a coral reef. We had intended to snorkel...but it was too chilly. (I know this is all relevant...chilly in the islands means it was 70 degrees and windy). Honeymoon Harbor was adjacent to a deserted beach--home to lizards, birds, and conch shells worn by the tide to reveal the colors of the sunset.

Sunset over the Atlantic...Bullock Harbor

We started the remaining 68 miles or so early the next morning (2:30 a.m.)--accompanied by a rising moon and brilliant stars. 68 miles in a car takes an hour....in a heavy sailboat, it takes much longer. After sailing and motoring all day, we set anchor at 9 p.m. or so on the Great Bahama Bank --a shelf of shallow water between Bimini and the remainder of the islands. After a short amount of rest, we headed on into the Berry Islands--anchoring in Bullock's Harbor. Unbelievable sunsets!

En guarde!

Miles and miles of deserted beaches, lined with
condos and private homes

We explored parts of the island in the dinghy the next day. The beaches here are almost beyond words and pictures don't do them justice. Sugar sand, turquoise water that is clear completely to the sandy bottom, almost like looking through mother of pearl. Not surprisingly, cruise ships have leased a small island near here and most days we can see a cruise ship anchored off-shore with people parasailing and using waverunners.




Anglican Church--Great Harbor Cay

 Whenever we're in a new place, we like to visit the local village if possible. As we walked into town, we could hear the kids at the local school laughing and yelling while outside at recess. They were all neatly dressed in crisp uniforms. In addition to the school and small houses, there are several churches, grocery stores, and bars/cafes. The largest grocery store is about the size of a convenience store at home, dimly lit, with frosted over, ancient freezer cases. We arrived on a Wednesday, the day before the boat comes over with fresh supplies. We were told there would be fresh vegetables available on "Tursday". (Not exactly true, as it turns out....the boat arrived, but the crane to unload it broke, delaying the delivery of fresh food. I love veggies....and I miss them!) Speaking of groceries....let's do a price check!
Keebler Crackers....$6.30
One roll of TP......... $1.65
One roll of paper towels.....$2.75
One gal. of gas for dinghy...$7.00
Vacation in the Bahamas.....PRICELESS!!

The cut into Great Cay Harbor

Great Harbor Cay welcoming committee--a juvenile manatee!





Because a strong storm system was moving in, with predictions for winds of up to 25 knots (30 mph), we decided to spend this weekend in a marina. It costs $60 a night, but the benefits are worth it. Protection from the wind, ELECTRICITY, WATER, LAUNDRY, WIFI, PEOPLE, LAND UNDER MY FEET just to name a few. This is a small marina...room for about 25 boats, but you'll never guess who has a gigantic yacht here! Jack Nicklaus! In the 70's this was a glamorous outpost, with a luxury golf course and marinas. Now it is a quiet, secluded place, with loyal customers that return year after year. Local fishermen sell their catch for the day right on the dock....we bought a lobster tail weighing over a pound and had a scrumptious meal. But conch is the name of the game here....conch fritters, conch sandwiches, etc. 

Lobster, anyone?

Several boats have come in to avoid the winds, so a potluck appetizer party was arranged for last night. We enjoyed chatting with everyone for a couple of hours--gathering up stories and local knowledge. Today we may go over to Shark Creek at low tide to see stingrays, small sharks, and other sea creatures up close. Tomorrow we plan to start heading south again, on our way to Nassau to pick up our friends Dale and Deni next Sunday. Watch for more postings next weekend....when we assume we'll have wifi again. Hope all is well in St. Louis!!

The Crossing

Well, it's happened--I've lost track of time down here. But I think we spent 7-10 days in the Miami area waiting for the wind to change. First we were at Coconut Grove and then in No Name Harbor--part of yet another beautiful state park in Florida. When in a marina or harbor such as No Name, our entertainment centers on exploring by foot, biking, and walking trails that run along the beach. Due to this new exercise routine, Barry desperately wants to weigh himself to see how much weight he's lost!!
In No Name, we meet another couple--Chris and Elizabeth--who want to "buddy sail" with us to Bimini--this provides a safety net for all of us. Finally the day for our 60 mile crossing arrives. The north winds have switched to East-Southeast and we gave it one more day for the waves to settle down (more about this later). At 5 a.m., we follow Chris and Liz as they guide us out of the harbor through the shallows, using navigation marks from someone else who recently left the harbor. This is a little risky, but shaves off almost an hour of travel time. We make it and are now in deeper water, with waves predicted at 2-4 ft, with occasional 5 footers, just for fun. (more about that later) Waves at 2-4 ft are considered normal for a crossing. 60 miles on a roller coaster is NOT normal to me. Here are my thoughts on the crossing--written in the style of a children's book called Fortunately.

Fortunately, we traveled with another boat
unfortunately they turned back.
Fortunately, we have everything we need on the boat
unfortunately most of it is now on the floor.
Fortunately, it is only 60 miles to Bimini
unfortunately it will end up taking us 13 hours.
Fortunately, the water is a gorgeous sapphire blue
unfortunately it is rolling and crashing nonstop.
Fortunately, I see no sharks
unfortunately I know they're here.
Fortunately, I have several books to read
unfortunately I would throw up.
Fortunately, we have enough food to last for 6+ weeks
unfortunately I can't even think about eating.
Fortunately, we find Bimini and anchor for the night
unfortunately it was a "rolly" anchorage.
Fortunately WE MADE IT! (if I could have kissed the ground, I would have)

Things we learned:
Go into a marina ASAP to have a calm place to tie up and recover
Bring lots of crackers to settle your stomach
Close ALL hatches tightly--we killed our microwave with a salt water bath
Don't put plastic boxes filled with screws and fittings on a high, unsecured shelf
We CAN react quickly in an emergency!

Speaking of emergencies--here is a story for the grandkids, as Popo (Barry) says:
We'd been riding this bucking bronco of water for about 8 hours when suddenly the shackle that holds the line for the mainsail breaks! The shackle is flopping madly in the wind behind Popo's head while the boom is swinging wildly over both of us. Popo reacts quickly--manhandling the line. (Imagine trying to grab the end of a rope attached to a tarp or tent that is caught up in a windstorm....and you kind of get the picture). With great effort, he wrestles part of the line around a cleat and then attaches his lifeline to his lifejacket. (We don't want Popo going overboard, do we?) Even though the seas are constant rolls and swells, we have to get the mainsail down and secured before it knocks us out. Popo bravely clambers to the mast. In the meantime, I rapidly review what to do for a man overboard. Drop the sail, keep your eye on him at all times, cut back power, call mayday on channel 16, give coordinates from the GPS, throw a flotation device at the first chance. OK, he's a dead man. But NO...he manages to keep his footing, is not thrown overboard, and he releases the mainsail. I'm being thrown around in the cockpit as I try to wrap the mainsail sheet around a winch in order to contain it. I manage that while Popo ties down the front end of the sail. Mission accomplished! What a TEAM!

But anyway...
Bimini is a small island that is a gateway to the Bahamas. The people are friendly (to a point) with visitors and very relaxed and talkative with one another. They speak English with a lilting dialect that rolls like the waves. We're in Alice Town--a Bahamian village with small, quaint (i.e. somewhat neglected) groceries, hardwares, cafes, and gift shops. Sometimes they're open, sometimes not. We're on island time, mon! Emptied conch shells are piled high near every cafe, along with old boats. Again, we bike and walk everywhere--but here pedestrians walk at their own risk! The narrow streets are full of bikes, golf carts, old cars, taxi vans, screaming evangelists (really), and morning drunks. Beware!

Feeding Bull Sharks at dock of nearby marina--I told you there were sharks!

We plan to sail for the Berry Islands tomorrow, and then on to the Exhumas. Internet access is hard to find...so it may be awhile before I blog again. Currently, we are sitting in the cockpit of Bill and Donna's boat--they are computer experts who are continuously connected. They celebrated Barry's birthday with us last night and are graciously letting me use their internet. Wish us luck!