Return to the Bahamas

We are in the Bahamas, Chub Cay Marina in the Berry Islands to be exact. With all the fronts arriving this winter, weather windows have been few. After listening and talking to Chris Parker (weather guru) Monday morning, we, as well as Doug and Marlene on Solar Eclipse, changed our Tuesday departure to Monday to catch a new forecast for a better weather. Our plan was to sail overnight with arrival in Nassau Tuesday afternoon, a 220 nm trip. We expected a really mild NE wind of 5-10. But, it was always 10-15 and turned East by afternoon. We knew we would be heading into the wind, thus the light wind would be better. We motor sailed from Marathon into the Gulf Stream, hoping for a lift to South Riding Rock. We didn’t get much push from the current, but at least, the wind was not causing confused seas against the current’s NE flow.

The wind clocked SE as expected, but, again, was stronger than expected, in the 20’s, with higher gusts. The SE wind put a little air in our sails, at least, though we were close hauled. By mid-morning Tuesday, the seas on the Great Bahama Bank were big, wet, and rolly. We left the Bank moving into the deep Northwest Channel knowing that it can be a slog with a SE wind, and it was, keeping our speed 4-5 knots.

We also knew that we would not make the last 49 nautical miles to Nassau by dark, and we we needed a protected place to stop for the night. The forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday was S/SW/NW 20-25 knots with 30+ knot squalls. The Berry islands have a few choices. But finding a spot that offers protection as a strong wind clocks is difficult.

We decided on a mooring at Frazier’s Hog Cay, if we could contact them and if they had any left. Then the large trawler in front of us said on the VHF that he was going into Chub Cay, a well-protected marina on our route and 35 nm closer than Nassau and 7 nm closer than the mooring at Frazier’s. Both cays are part of the Berry chain. We had not considered Chub Cay because we had been told that it was closed. The wind picked up and started clocking to the south, giving us a better sail for the last five miles. The trawler, Solar Eclipse, and we were in and secured in a slip by 4:30. Other boats came in for shelter as well. We are glad this beautiful marina is open, though the club house is not. Sure, one reason is that we needed shelter. But marinas and other businesses in the Bahamas have felt the results of the poor economy of the United States and other countries. We all benefit when they stay in business. We get to visit hundreds of beautiful cays and gain access to marinas, fuel and supplies when the need arises. And, of course, they benefit from tourism and business.

Another front, much stronger than this one, is forecast for Friday night and Saturday. So, we may only get as far as the Nassau area for a few days.

We were in Boot Key Harbor too long. We worked on the boat, caught up with cruiser friends, and met new boaters. We also nearly froze for a couple of weeks. I understand that those of you who have experienced blizzards and extremely cold temperatures are probably not going to offer much sympathy, but traveling across the Harbor in our convertible (dingy -no ragtop) on a day with a stiff north wind and a temperature in the 20's (including the wind chill) is just not fun, plus it's usually wet. Moderate weather returned, with temperatures usually in the 70's.

Larry, all bundled up while getting water.
As always, the dingy dock is crowded.

The days went by really quickly. Working on projects always involves needing another tool or a part, so a trip in the dingy to the Marina and a walking trip of two or three miles to Home Depot or West Marine is required and them back to the boat in the dingy. Publix and Winn Dixie are cose to each other and about three miles from the marina, round trip. Just carrying two or three boat bags at a time means lots of grocery trips and plenty of exercise. The best hardware store, Walgreens, Office Depot, and a great Cuban Restaurant are five miles one way, so that's a Taxi. Everything just takes longer. It's the cruising lifestyle.

Marlene, Larry, and Doug just hanging out.

Stone crab, one of our favorite foods from the ocean, is in season. The claws are filled with delectable sweet, white meat. A quick walk from the marina is Keyes Fishery, a great seafood/bar restaurant that serves stone crab during happy hour for a dollar for each crab claw. The Florida stone crab loses its limbs easily to escape from predators or tight spaces. And their limbs grow back. For food purposes, the crabs are caught in cages and one claw is removed (none on egg bearing females). The crab is then returned to the water and the claw regenerates.

We'll miss the stone crabs, but we are glad to finally have made it back to the Bahamas; even though we're seeing little good weather this week, next week sounds great.

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