28. Nassau

We left Chub Cay about 7:00 in the morning and before 3:00 we were pulling into Nassau, the capital of Bahamas. It is located on New Providence Island directly opposite Paradise Island. Two bridges span the Eastern Channel between the two islands with Potters Cay located right under the bridges near the New Providence side.

We had reserved a spot at Nassau Yacht Haven, a marina on New Providence Island. We registered at the office and then we had to wait on our boats until customs and immigration came by to see us. We had prepared everything ahead of time. They needed the registration numbers of our boat, dinghy, computer, bicycles and dinghy motor. About 5:00 a very pleasant immigration officer named Katrina came to the boat and we filled out all the immigration papers. We paid the cruising fee and she gave us a cruising permit and a fishing permit for 120 days. Just as we finished with Katrina, the custom officer arrived, stamped our passports and welcomed us to the Bahamas.

Roman and I then walked around the neighbourhood and saw there was a large shopping strip mall with a Starbucks, Domino Pizza, KFC, Radio Shack, Liz Claiborne to mention a few as well as many stores that we were not familiar with. Being Sunday, everything was closed so we just looked around. There was a large supermarket called City Market which looked like it would have anything that we would need.

The plants are just beautiful.

We met our neighbours at the docks. Nick and Merle live on Integrity, a beautiful Bruce Roberts 53 design. They are from South Africa and have been living on their boat in the Bahamas for two years. They pay a monthly rate plus electricity which is metered and a flat fee for water. Nick is involved in a development on Cat Island. It is a very big undertaking and he finds it frustrating with the pace everything moves- slowly and extra slowly. They were a great couple and we spent an interesting evening with them sharing stories of our experiences. Game Plan on our other side was making plans to leave early the next morning before the front came in.

We arrived in Nassau on Feb.3 and as of Feb.1, the rates for transients (I always feel like a hobo when that term is used) went up to a daily rate of $2.00/ft. plus $10.00 for electricity and $8.00 for water. Talk about timing! It was wonderful to hose down the boat and get rid of all the salt. But the best part of all was to stand under a hot shower and not worry about how much water you are using.

Ray and Irene from C-Drifters had anchored out while Peter and Sue from Superior Grace went into Hurricane Hole Marina which was located on Paradise Island. Ray and Irene decided to come into a marina the next day and took the spot of Game Plan who left as planned. To get downtown, the four of us took a jitney which is a large van where people pay their $1.00 as they exit. The jitney is the local transportation and underscores the contrast between the way of life of most of the Bahamians
and those who visit the islands.

The jitney wove in and out the back streets of Nassau and finally wound up in the downtown core with the large Canadian Banks, the glittering jewellery stores and the upscale shops.



We went to the straw market where, surprise, surprise, I bought a new straw hat.

Roman tried a hat on too but it just did nothing for him! We met Peter and Sue by the straw market and we all tried some coconut juice from unripe coconuts.

It is a clear liquid and not like the milk in ripe coconuts. Not everyone liked it. It is a taste to acquire. Rum, on the other hand is definitely an acquired taste especially at the Bahamian prices. We had wanted to go on the Baccardi factory tour but it is under new ownership and there are no tours at this time. We had a traditional Bahamian lunch at a local diner a little out of the way of the tourist traps and it was very tasty. We ended up walking almost al the way back to the marina and when we finally got on a jitney, found we were only two stops away from where we started.

The next day Roman and I walked across Paradise Bridge to the Atlantis Resort,

a huge 24 story resort built around an underwater theme and a mega-yacht marina.
From the bridge we took some pictures of the fish market on Potters Cay under the bridge.



Roman captured a good shot of a Bahamian policeman going to check something out. Is that a machine gun in his hand?

The Atlantis Resort has 38 restaurants, bars and lounges as well a spa, fitness and sports centre, luxury boutiques, a very busy casino, an amazing life size Mayan Temple and a great beach which is open to hotel guests only.

We sat on the large Atlantis throne like we belonged there.

The highlight for us was the aquarium. When we stood in front of the floor to ceiling tanks it was hard to judge where the glass started.
It felt you were right there with the mantis, sharks and multicoloured fish.

The aquarium from the outside.

Just as we had started out, Roman found a dollar on the ground. When we went through the Atlantis Casino, I stopped at a 25 cent slot machine and played our lucky dollar. First I won $5.40, and then went down to .80. I thought I would lose it all but I climbed back up to $5.10.

I won! I won! We cashed out thinking we would be able to buy a beer with our winnings. Are you kidding? The beer at one of the outdoor café was $7.50. One beer!

On the way back to the marina we were beat from all the walking but we stopped in Potters Cay at the fish and fruit market (under the bridge)
and watched how conch is cleaned. It is quite a process getting those little critters out.

We bought some conch fritters which were very good but chewy. We also got some tomatoes, bananas and some oranges. We then went to a local Bahamian bakery that Merle and Nick had told us about. The only bread they had left was raisin. It tasted very sweet and spicy at the same time with just a few raisins.

The winds have turned more favourable and we plan on leaving for Allens Cay in the Exumas tomorrow.

27. Across the Banks to Nassau

In the Bahamas, the word Cay is pronounced “key”. Gun Cay is just south of Bimini and now we were on our way to Chub Cay. We may do the Berry Islands on the way back but now we wanted to get to Nassau as soon as possible before the front which is forecast reaches us. We left by 5:00 and made our way over the Banks. The water is a beautiful aquamarine colour. The deeper the water, the darker the colour.

If the water appears very light and even yellowy in colour; it is very shallow and usually sandy. The dark brown areas indicate rocks or grass and until you are on top of it, you do not know which it is so it is wise to stay clear of it. In the Bahamas you are advised to steer by the eye as well as your GPS or charts. The water in the Banks is generally shallow and at one point, I stood on deck pointing out to Roman to go left or right to avoid the dark brown areas of water. We were crossing at high tide so we usually had about 3 feet below our keel but I was still nervous.

We made excellent time across the Banks, motor sailing at 6-7.9 KN., which is VERY fast for us. For a while we had both the jib and the main up and it was a wonderful feeling to be actually sailing for a change. Going through the ICW, we felt like a trawler. The sun was shining brightly and we sailed from the cockpit feeling the warm wind on our faces.

We arrived at Chub Cay about 3:30. We had covered over 70 KN. in 10 ½ hours. Our yellow quarantine flag went up. By law you are required to fly a yellow flag when you enter any foreign country’s waters until you check in with customs. Then you may fly the flag of the country in which you are in. We thank Jan from Jocklodge that gave us a quarantine flag when we were together in Vero Beach.

Just as we were pulling into Chub Cay, we saw C-Drifters and Superior Grace. They came by dinghy to say hi and told us they had cleared customs in Bimini and had been in Chub Cay for a couple of days. As soon as we had set the anchor we had to check if it had set well. Jack from Sadie A dived into the water with his mask and snorkel to check his and did ours. Then Peter and Sue checked it with their blue cut out pail that lets you look into the water. Then Roman went in with his snorkel, mask and fins to check it. Our anchor was surely the most secure of all the boats!

26. The Crossing

Thursday, January 30 we were underway by 4:00 in the morning. About an hour out we decided to head back. The seas were high and rough - very choppy and extremely uncomfortable. When we got back we sat on deck and watched to sky gradually get lighter and then we went back to bed. About noon we got together with Morris and Elizabeth and decided that we were going to try again the next day, on Friday. Sadie A and Finisterre came in to the anchorage by Miami Yacht Club. We had met Sadie A in Fort Lauderdale at the store Borders. They were both planning to leave Friday morning at 4:00 as well. We made plans to go together. This would be the last window for a crossing for the next week. C-Drifters and Superior Grace had waited in Fort Lauderdale for 21 days for a crossing window. So it would be Friday FOR SURE!


Unfortunately, Viking Angel could not go with us. They urged us to go ahead without them as they had some last minute matters to attend to and they were not sure if they would be able to complete their affairs on Friday. If not, they would have to wait until Monday. The weather for a crossing would not be possible at that time. Fortunately, our friends on Windigo had come into the anchorage on Friday and were planning to cross next week, if possible. Viking Angel would go with them.


At 4:00 in the morning, on Friday, we slowly made our way out Government Cut, Miami. Sadie A led the way with Finisterre and Moya Mreeya following. It was pitch black and approaching ships and boats could be seen only by their lights. A huge cruise ship approached lit up like a Christmas tree. We reminisced how last year we were on such a boat in Miami setting out for our Panama Cruise. We remembered seeing sailboats from the deck of our cruise ship and saying that next year it would be us in a little sailboat like that. The cruise ship even responded to us as “the little sailboat” when we informed him that we would be passing port to port. We were so busy paying attention to the well-lit cruise ship that we almost hit a green marker which seemed to appear out of nowhere directly in front of us. The light was so high that all we saw was the post it was on. Roman steered sharply starboard and missed it by a hair. We were shaking from the close call. That would have been the end of our trip!


We made it out to the Atlantic Ocean and it was choppy but not as bad as it had been the day before.

As the skyline of Miami receded I called home and found out two wonderful pieces of news. First, on Thursday January 30 at 10:33 p.m., our dear daughter-in-law, Nicole, gave birth to a healthy boy (7lb. 5oz.) whom Ev and Nicole decided to call Connor Alexander. Both baby and mother were doing fine. Amazingly they were to go home after 24 hours. They really toss them out early nowadays! So now Roman and I have two grandsons!

Secondly, our dear friend George was out of the hospital and holding his own at home. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, George.

The winds picked up but were “on the nose” so we would be motoring. It became even choppier than Thursday but Jack form Sadie A who had crossed several times before assured us that it would calm down and it did calm down when we reached the Gulf Stream. Unfortunately while we were rolling around in the 8 foot swells for several hours, the latch that held the cupboard closed with all my Corel Ware gave way. (We figured that one of the plates must have hit the latch with such an angle as to cause it to turn slightly, just enough as not to catch). All the dishes and glasses went flying all over the galley floor and splintered in tiny little sharp fragments. I left everything until it calmed down a little to clean everything up. All the glasses (high quality that we purchased at Target), the dinner and the luncheon plates were intact. However I am left with only 3 soup bowls and small plates. We now put a bungee cord around that cupboard whenever we cross an expanse of water.

A strange thing happened when we approached the Gulf Stream. The GPS in all three of our boats ceased to function properly. We went back to the trusty old compass. When the temperature of the water registered well over 80 degrees F., and the current picked up, we knew we were right in the Gulf Stream. After a couple of hours the GPS suddenly came to life again. It was really weird, shades of the Bermuda Triangle but we were nowhere near there. When the GPS started working we realized that we had gone more northeast than we had thought and when we left the Gulf Stream we made our way southeast to Gun Cay. As the weather was good we continued past Gun Cay and anchored in the Great Bahamas Banks just
south of the usual crossing area. We were about 12 hours out of Miami and officially in the Bahamas. We mad it! Except for short breaks, Roman had steered the entire time by himself. We later found out that both boats were on autopilot most of the time. Our autopilot does not seem to work except on very calm waters. We probably need a better one. Something else to put on our list. We were asleep by 7:30.



Our first sunset in the Bahamas!

25. To Fort Lauderdale and Miami

We had planned to leave Vero Beach bright and early but we got up to a dense fog so we had to wait until after 9:00 to get going. Viking Angel left with us. We filled up at Port Petroleum which was over 50 cents cheaper than at all marinas in the area. Below is a picture of the Vero Beach Marina as we left if just as the fog was lifting.

We anchored at Peck Lake where, during the night, our anchor dragged. We were up for a couple of hours at night so we were tired the next day when we made it to Lake Worth. This section of the ICW can be called Millionaire’s Row.

Each house was unique and luxurious. Just when we thought we saw the most lavish, we would pass yet another opulent one. Many of the homes had a huge cruiser as well as a smaller boat to get to and fro. It seems that there are many, many wealthy folks in Florida.

We had thought that this section of the ICW had a lot of bridges but the trip between Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale was literally one bridge after another. We understood why many sailors would sail on the Atlantic for this leg of the trip rather than wait around for one bridge after another.

Viking Angel waiting for a bridge to open.

Some bridges open on the hour and half hour; others a quarter to and quarter past the hour and still others opened on demand. We were underway by 7:30 in the morning but it was close to 6:00 when we dropped anchor in Middle River, Fort Lauderdale, a wonderful spot surrounded by luxurious homes and mega cruisers. We got together with Viking Angel for a great pasta dinner.

Here we are anchored in Middle River.

Fort Lauderdale is a phenomenal mecca for sailors. In the next few days we visited West Marine several times, went to Sailorman a huge storehouse of sailing equipment and gear, both new and used, went to Boater’s World, Boat Inc., an electrical store, Bass Pro Shop, a Divers Shop and I’m sure some more that I have forgotten. We also topped up our groceries. We were ready to go! We ended renting an economy car from Enterprise for $26.00/24 hours with Morris and
We had planned to leave early bright and early but we got up to a dense fog so we had to wait until after 9:00 to get going. Viking Angel left with us. Elizabeth and the four of us ran around trying to get everything that we needed. Roman finally got the female end connector he had been looking for since Vero Beach. Below Morris and Roman check out a Perkins engine, almost the same model as ours.

There is always something that does not go as planned. Roman was looking at the antennae we have for WIFI and placed it on the bimini cover and watched in horror as it rolled over and into the water. He said he almost cried. He was going to jump in after it right away but he was fully dressed with his wallet, car keys etc. in his pockets and by the time he got all that out of his pockets, the antenna was long gone in the dark murky water. There is always a silver lining when things go wrong. Morris is a diver and had his gear on board and went down and not only got the antennae but also checked both his and our anodes. The salt water is very hard on them and it is VERY advisable to have several spares with you. In fact we have heard that not only is everything more expensive in the Bahamas, more often than not, the part you need is not available and has to be shipped in from the States so we have stocked up on oil filters and spare parts.

We have been listening to Chris Parker on our SSB Radio and he confirmed that there would be a window this Wed. on Jan. 29 to get across. After some deliberation we decided to on to Miami and cross from there taking advantage of the Gulf Stream which would be pushing us north.

So on Wednesday we sailed to Miami and stayed right opposite South Beach, just east of the Miami Yacht Club. Roman and I went by dinghy into South Beach and walked along the main drag, did our laundry, got WIFI at the laundry and talked to everyone at home that we could reach.
Tomorrow we would cross!

Tyler's Blog January 1, 2008