Author: BettyChurch

Yes, our friends and family north are having a nasty winter but I’m here to tell you your nor’easters are killing us here in the Bahamas.

After spending a windy weekend on Treasure Cay it calmed down here and we spent a relatively nice week with my brother travelling from Guana Cay to the south side of Marsh Harbor. Only a couple days of wind and even that wasn’t too bad. But it did keep us away from a couple really pretty anchorages as they weren’t protected from the not-normal wind direction.

Check out the video clip below for waves blowing in from offshore.

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Then this morning we woke to stormy weather and the winds have been building from the north all day. We’re hoping that when the front passes thru later this evening the wind goes with it as we’d like to leave tomorow morning to head south to Eleuthera but need calmer weather as we’re traversing a long run in open water.

Right now we’re in the marina at Marsh Harbor and I’m sitting here listening to the wind blowing thru the masts of the sailboats around us. It sounds like the Furies and they’re not happy.

The following video clip is of the storm while we were in harbor (thank goodness).

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Update: we made it through the storm but it was a rough night. Had to get up several times to tighten ropes and at one point move the boat off one of the pilings as the rub rail was sitting on it and the boat kept trying to pitch sideways. Quite the thrill!

We’ve gotten into a nice rhythm on the boat. Whether we’re plotting a course, lowering or raising the anchor or tying up at a dock we each know what the other is doing and don’t require much talking.

So we decided last week that we need to swap roles and feel comfortable with what the other is doing. Unfortunately we have to do this at the same time putting both of us in unfamiliar situations. The first morning saw me at the helm on the flybridge and Gary on the bow ready to bring up the anchor. Now I’ve raised and lowered that anchor probably 50+ times and have a system, just as Gary does at the helm. So not only are we trying to figure out what we’re doing but keeping an eye on each other because you just KNOW someone is going to do something wrong, or forget something. Imagine our surprise when things got a little testy and tempers got a little frayed.

After we calmed down we taked through the process on each end and the next time it went a little better. We still tend to second guess each other and probably will until we get comfortable with the reversed roles. But that’s okay. We’ll just keep working it until we’re both proficient.

Can’t wait until I have to dock the boat. Gary’s head may just explode.

The wifi is out on the boat so the next few updates won’t have pictures for awhile as this is being done from the restaurant on Treasure Cay. Parts are coming Monday so hopefully it will be back up and running early next week.

We spent a few days on a mooring ball in Black Harbor at Green Turtle Cay. The nearby town, New Plymouth, offered quaint restaurants, grocery stores and a chance to stretch our legs. Rented a golf cart the first day to go to the other end of the cay and check out White Harbor, the Green Turtle Yacht Club and have lunch.

North Bahamas from West End down was somewhat isolated with lots of uninhabited cays and local settlements until Green Turtle Cay which has the feel of an expat community. Obviously a fair amount of money. That upscale civilization has continued to Treasure Cay and Guana Cay.

We’re finding that we enjoy the smaller cays and anchoring out as opposed to being at a marina or on a mooring ball in a harbor. The solitude is amazing as are the sunsets and stars. There’s always a breeze and with our dinghy we can always run in to any town for a meal or shopping, socialize with the locals and then retreat to the boat.

The big storm that is hitting the East Coast this weekend is going to give us some pretty hefty winds. We’re anchored outside the harbor here at Treasure Cay where we’re somewhat protected. We thought to stay at the marina here but everyone seems to have had the same idea and there is no room. So we’ll stay with the boat Saturday and Sunday to make sure the anchor holds. It needs a good cleaning inside anyway so the time will be well spent. Then on to Guana Cay Monday to pick up my brother and spend the week motoring around and checking out tiki bars.

We just left Allan’s Pensacola Cay where we’ve been for the last three nights. It was a beautiful anchorage, well protected from the east winds.

Since we were going to be there for a few days we dropped the dinghy in the water and took a ride over to shore to check out the “signing trees”.

Apparently people make signs with their names, boat name and date and hang them on the trees. Kind of an “I was here” memento. Some are elaborate and obviously made long before landing and some are last minute using whatever materials are at hand. It was a trek across the cay through the trees but worth it to see. An added benefit was the oceanside beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also near shore we saw quite a few turtles of varying sizes, the smallest being about 18 inches across. While snorkeling to check out the anchor set I saw lots of conch shells and sand dollars. I was going to grab one to decorate the boat but after reading that the shell needs to be boiled to clean it, decided the smell wouldn’t be too nice in my galley. Maybe I’ll just buy one at the next stop.

Well we made it across from Ft Lauderdale and landed in West End Thursday afternoon. The first few hours of the crossing were a little bouncy with 5-6 ft swells but it smoothed out to almost a dead calm for the last few hours. It was amazing to watch the depth go from 2589 feet in the Atlantic to 30 feet where we could see the bottom and then 9 in the harbor. The water color went from dark blue to lighter blue to a shade of turquoise that I will forever call Bahama turquoise.

We docked at Old Bahama Bay Marina, cleared customs & immigration and settled in for the evening. Drinks and a cigar were definitely in order and we celebrated finally getting here. The next day saw us in a taxi trying to find a BTC store to get a sim card for our boat wifi. Not all BTC stores have them it seems and it took a couple tries to find one that did. That accomplished we scampered back to the boat to give it a good wash down on the outside and plan the next few days. West End is a popular place to pull in and clear customs so we saw a lot of boats in two days. Big boats, small boats, fishing boats, sail boats and even a few other trawlers. West End is a fishing settlement so lots of conch and fresh fish.

When entering the Bahamas from another country on a boat you must fly a yellow “quarantine” flag on the boat. No one is allowed to leave or board the boat other than the captain and only then to clear customs/immigration. Once that is complete the quarantine flag comes down and it’s nice to fly a small Bahamaian courtesy flag. We always have the big USA flag flying off the stern in the daylight. This allows easy identification of where all the different boats are from.

Yesterday morning we headed for Mangrove Cay (pronounced “key”) and anchored out for the night. When the water gets shallower it turns from turquoise to a pretty shade of green. If it gets to brownish green look out cause it’s really shallow and you’re in danger of running aground or hitting a coral head.

After dinner last night we went onto the bow to look at the stars. Mangrove Cay is not populated and with only a few other boats near us there was very little light pollution so the stars were amazing. The Milky Way is crystal clear and goes on forever. I also watched a moonset as the crescent moon slipped into the water and the night became darker and the stars brighter if that was possible.

Today finds us at Great Sale Cay, another uninhabited cay, anchored out. It’s an idyllic day, 80 degrees, blue sky and a slight breeze. We’re anchored offshore far enough that we don’t have any bugs so the windows and doors are wide open and we’re all feeling a little lazy. Maybe a nap and a swim before dinner is in order. Well except for Isabella. She just naps.

Departing for Bahamas as I type this. If anyone is interested in tracking our progress over the next few months go to https://share.garmin.com/laadeedah

Phone and email will be limited in the Bahamas but we can get text messages at 703-819-9924.

It was a nice three weeks in Ft Pierce. We stayed at the city marina which is within walking distance to most everything you need including a wonderful farmer’s market every Saturday morning. We met some fun, interesting people that we hope to meet up with again along the way, found some outstanding restaurants and even managed to play a couple rounds of golf.

The manatees and dolphins spend quite a bit of time inside the marina and we were treated to shows of dolphins and pelicans arguing over feeding territory. Manatees don’t argue, they just hang around looking like floating rocks. Seriously. Floating rocks. Really big floating rocks

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The first morning in Ft Pierce we looked out the window and thought we saw Isabella sitting on the dock surveying her territory. Since she never leaves the boat we were a little concerned until we realized she was sitting in the salon. Her doppelgänger was checking out the dock around his boat.

 

We left Sunday and arrived in Ft Lauderdale yesterday. Final repairs are almost completed and we hope to leave here Thursday morning for the Bahamas at long last. A month later than anticipated but that’s boating. On the bright side we’ve used the time to do a lot of cosmetic repairs to the boat. It’s looking really good and hopefully we can keep it that way.

 

We’ve been anchored off Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne for the past week waiting for parts to be delivered to Ft Lauderdale. It’s been a great anchorage, for the most part quiet and a short dinghy ride to the park. Beautiful sunsets and rainbows thanks to the daily afternoon rain showers will be missed when we leave tomorrow.

We had lunch the other day at the Lighthouse Cafe in the park and shared a patio with a baby raccoon. Apparently he’s been there since he was a tiny thing and gets regular meals compliments of the staff.

Missed a picture of the huge lizard on the golf course yesterday. He must have been a good 2-3 feet long and was orange and yellow. Quite the sight and he can keep my ball if he wants it.

Then there was the first fish I’ve caught from the boat. Unfortunately it was a 6 inch sand perch and looked so pitiful I threw him back. If you look close you’ll see Isabella at the bottom of the photo hoping it was her dinner.

Traveling with a cat has it’s moments. Bahamas requires animals to have a current rabies shot “not less than 30 days prior or more than 10 months” prior to entering the country. Our layup waiting for parts meant that we missed the window on Isabella’s shot from March of last year. So she got another vaccination this week here at Key Biscayne and from Ft Lauderdale we’ll head to Fort Pierce for a few weeks and then finally head to the Bahamas. The good news is that this means Gary will get to go to the 24 Hours of Daytona (an annual pilgrimage for him) and we’ll be able to drive over to Sebring to watch friends race in the Porsche Club event. But I have to admit when we realized there would be yet another delay to us heading further south the margarita maker was fired up and we drowned our frustrations.

Something really cool we discovered here on Key Biscayne is LimeBikes. Download the application to your phone and then use it to unlock a bike and ride wherever you want. When you’re done just leave the bike anywhere, lock it and you’re done. $1 a ride. It’s good that Florida is such a flat state. 😎

It’s a beautiful evening anchored just outside of No Name Harbor in Biscayne Bay. Gary and I are sitting on the back of the boat enjoying “sundowners”. Someone on a boat just off our port side decides to treat everyone to a clarinet version of Over The Rainbow as the sun sets. And he was Kenny G good. Definitely a wonderful life.

It’s been a busy few weeks. We left Ft Lauderdale on December 20th and anchored for a couple nights in Biscayne Bay across from Miami. The skyline at night was beautiful and reminded me of Shanghai or Hong Kong. It was also finally warm enough to jump in the water. Finally!

We picked up family on the 22nd and leisurely headed to Key West. Along the way we swam and snorkled. The devastation from Irma was sobering. Big Pine Key doesn’t have trees any more, just sticks. Lots of buildings are boarded up and there are signs of cleanup still underway everywhere. Key West seems to have the least amount of damage and things are fairly normal. The cruise ships still come in and there are people everywhere.

 

Key West is a unique place and if you’ve never been there I highly recommend it. The people are friendly, the amenities plentiful and entertainment is 24/7. I mean where else can you find a live pirate dropped from a sailing mast at midnight NYE and a few streets over a drag queen descend in a huge red evening pump? No not wearing it, sitting inside the shoe.  We were told the crowds were not as big as in years past attributed to the aftermath of Irma but it was still impressive.

A 9 foot manatee kept visiting us at the marina dock where we were tied up. Gary was standing on the swim plarform one day when the manatee decided to swim out from under our boat. Let’s just say Gary was a wee bit surprised and leave it at that.

Several friends flew into Key West to visit for NYE. Unfortunately they brought the cold with them and after two weeks of glorious warm weather it got downright chilly. This morning it was 57 degrees and we decided enough was enough. We’re enroute back to Ft Lauderdale for the final fix on our stabilizer fin (they had to order parts) and then we’re headed for the Bahamas. There has to be warmer weather there!