2011-12-14 - in Nassau (still)

It was a whole lot of 'this' today in the pool.  Connor was in for most of the day until 4:30!  The wind is still howling though.

They have forecasted that there may be some decrease in wind for tomorrow.  We know of 2 boats, that are going to go.   We will listen to Chris Parker in the morning and make a decision.  It is only a 6-7 hour trip to the top of the Exumas!

2011-12-13 - in Nassau

Well, the winds are here and so are we, unfortunately.  In the morning I headed over to the plaza across from the marina to inquire about setting up our phone as a wifi hotspot.  I inquired at the computer store to see if they could set it up.  They could but first I needed a SIM card from Batelco (the phone company)...apparently very far from there.  I picked up Dylan (while Kerry took Connor to the pool) and we walked to Batelco.  With SIM card in hand, Dylan and I braved the bumpy and sidewalk-free roads back to the computer store.  After several hours and a few issues to address, the phone was fixed and we now have internet from the boat.

Nassau Harbour

It was getting on in the day and we needed to fill our time with a bit of fun.  We ended up walking to Atlantis on Paradise Island to check things out.  It is such a large complex.  We chatted with the crew of a megayacht and they had just arrived from Chub Cay (where we let from the day before).  They had said that the conditions out there today were quite rough....even or them.    To stay at the marina, it is about $4 per foot and there is a 50 foot minimum.  Looks like we'll be back at our marina again

2011-12-12 - to Nassau

We headed to Nassau today.  Chris Parker on the SSB broadcast said that the next few days were not going to be great for travelling to Nassau.  He did say, however, that if he were to pick a day, this would be it.  After today, he said that the wind was going to kick up for several days.  So, the forecast called for 1-2 metre waves and 20 knot winds.  Not bad and it was only going to be for a few hours of travel.   So, a lot of people started to move.  You could see a train from each anchorage all heading towards Nassau.  The wind and waves were, however, a little bigger than Chris Parker had predicted.  At one point we had a 12 foot wave crash over our bow...or should I say, boat.  The rest of the waves did spash a lot of water on the boat and by the end we were decorated with tiny tufts of seaweed.  It wasn't an uncomfortable ride and we were sailing at 7-8 knots which made it very tolerable.  When the entrance to Nassau Harbour came into view we made the call to Nassau Harbour Control to clear us into the harbour.  The waves were crashing on the rocks outside of the channel entrance.  Kerry just kept the boat straight and sailed through at a whopping 9 knots.  A couple of boats were right behind us and we all settled in the quiet turning basin in front of the cruise ships to take our sails down.  Whew.  The sail today was exhilerating, but we were glad that it was over.  We settled in at Nassau Harbour Club, one of the marinas for the night.  We are not sure how long we will have to wait for the winds to settle down - hopefully, not too long.  We took the rest of the night to catch our breath and to hose everything down as the boat, sails, etc. were covered in salt water. 

2011-12-11 - in Chub Cay

We woke up in this very calm and beautiful anchorage this morning.  The wind seems to be howling a bit from the east, but we are on the leeward side and getting none of it's affects.  We pulled anchor to check out the marina.  We inquired about the docks....it is $2.75 per foot with power and water extra (we'll be anchoring tonight!) .  Water is $0.40/gallon and we did need some of that.  No more splashing water around.  We were in a bit of a conservative mode up until this point...but, it was never that serious.  Now, we need to be a little more aware.  Some of these marinas range from 0.25 to 0.65 /


The laudromat

 gallon....so, it is pretty pricey when filling up the tank. 

We will be here for the day.  Connor has already been in snorkeling around the boat and retrieved our towel from 6 feet below.  After a bit of schooling....we, will be out there again.  It's nice to relax for a few days.  The last few hikes to get here have been a bit exhausting.

Got a wonderful note about our message in a bottle from a family in Florida...here is what they wrote:

We picked up your note on the beach on Hutchison Island,  Fla. where we live, so maybe it did not get that far from where you launched it.  We have had some really windy, stormy weather lately.  We had fun finding it and hope that your boys will feel good that it was picked up.  We plan to launch it again off the beach and hope that you will get a note from someone else, too.
We wish you fair winds and a very happy successful journey and a happy Holiday season.
John & Maryann


Snorkeling under the trampoline



2011-12-10 - to Chub Cay, Berry Islands



"I got my toes in the water, ?ss in the sand, not a care in the world a cold
beer in my hand, life is good today!" Zak Brown



We pulled away from our choppy little anchorage at daybreak.  The good thing is that we were on a run - heading west, with following seas.  I could have done that easily all day.  Something inside me wanted to keep heading back to Bimini as the ride  was so smooth and quick - we were going 8 knots now compared to the 5 heading into the wind.  But, we did turn around and headed towards the north channel entrance.  Just as we turned around, I put the rod in the water and almost immediately pulled in a 2 foot Spanish mackerel.  Now, I didn't know it at the time...so, this little fella' also got to live another day.  I think I enjoy most finding these fish and identifying them- and then sending them on their way.  It was another rough day, but a shorter one than the day before. 

 Chub Cay came into view and we saw a few boats in the anchorage.  As we approached the beach the water became calmer and calmer until there was nothing but a ripple.  Ahhhh.  This is what it is all about.  It took Connor about 30 seconds to suit up and jump in around the boat.  He could see large pin cushion starfish and smaller fish flitting about the white sand below.  We eventually all got our flippers on and headed to the beach.  The sun has been incredibly strong and hot.  After a few moments, Kerry swam back to get the dinghy, hats, sunglasses, more sunscreen, towels and cover ups. We enjoyed just hanging out and
snorkeling in the shallow waters. 

2011-12-09 - to North Channel Marker...in the middle of nowhere

can you name this fish?

We decided to head out of Bimini this morning.  A group of boats from Quebec were also heading out, so we would have a bit of company.  It was a long day today - 13 hours.  We left when the sun was coming up and landed when the sun had set and the moon had taken it's place.  I caught 3 identical fish today but they lived to see another day.  I didn't know what they were and, they were a bit small -so, off they went.    We were glad to throw the anchor at the end of the day.  The waves were slapping the hull all night...I still slept though!

...hard to get a good shot with the waves....but, it's the moon at
the anchorage - very bright!