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»» ICW through Florida 12.13.2002-4.21.2003


May 17, 2003 - Baker's Bay, Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahama
Sailed up to the north end of Guana Cay to Baker's Bay. When we arrived someone came over the radio and announced a gathering at the abandoned docks to meet other cruisers. So we fixed some hors d'oeuvres and threw some cold ones into the cooler and dinghied on over. We met about 20 people and some of the boats they were on we had seen during our stay in the Florida Keys. It just took us a while to meet them. We made plans with Helen and Craig from Kinsella and Debbie and Bob on Chinook to possibly buddy boat back to the states. Our crossing is still some weeks away so we will see. Cruisers never like to (or are influenced by weather and other issues and are unable to) plan too far into the future. We throw out ideas and maybe we follow up on them, maybe something else comes along to change the plans. No harm, no foul. A nice relaxed way to live. Although, some people take it to the extreme and make it impossible to plan the current day, let alone a week or two in advance.

Baker's Bay was, until Hurricane Floyd, a stop for the Disney Cruise Line. The had dredged out the Whale Cay Channel and created a new island with the spoil from the dredging process. They built docks and an amphitheater, restaurant and bar, duty-free shops and paths over to the Atlantic side beach. Sometime in the 90s the quit using it. Apparently the bay was apt to be too rough for their passengers and they let it go. Then Floyd came and destroyed it. The ruins, which remind me of the one episode of Survivor Thailand (or something like that), are still there and it is evident that it was quite an establishment. It is rumored that someone has bought the land is planning a new resort for the near future. That is too bad, for the bay is a beautiful place that nature is quickly reclaiming that will just become another resort for the rich. I am glad I had the opportunity to stay here while it was still free.

May 14-16, 2003 - Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahama
Had to get back to the "big city" to get some of our broken things fixed. We at least got our windlass looked at. Seventy-five bucks to tell me what I already knew... ...the windlass is broken! Oh well.

We walked over to Boat Harbour Marina, to visit Expatriate and witness the weigh in for a big sportfishing tournament. Lots of money just to catch some fish. But it is pretty exciting and some of the boats are quite spectacular. We witnessed the weighing of the winning fish, a 500+ pound Blue Marlin.

May 12-13, 2003 - Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahama
Sailed to Hopetown and picked up a mooring. We figure the $15 per night for the mooring was worth the expense as our anchor windlass is broken and our backs needed a holiday. Went into the settlement and was amazed at the beauty. Not every building was in perfect shape, but even the dilapidated shacks were cute and had potential. Hopetown doesn't allow vehicles, so the streets are quite narrow and gardens grow over fences and everything is lush and green.

We climbed the 101 steps of the Elbow Cay lighthouse, one of the few remaining manned lighthouses. The light is like a large camp lantern, burning kerosene. The fresnel lens provides a constant light, but with a flash every second for five seconds and then a steady beam for 10 seconds before it repeats. The lens assembly floats on a pool of mercury to enable as little friction as possible to interfere with the rotation of the very heavy assembly. It was a very interesting experience and the view was incredible.

May 9-11, 2003 - Great Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahama
Sailed over to Great Guana Cay, the last of the large cays in Central Abaco to be developed. We anchored in Fisher's Bay in clear water with beautiful rocky shores as well as sandy beaches surrounding us. There were a couple of boats when we arrived late this morning, but there are almost twenty as we are about to go to sleep.

We went into the settlement and checked out the shops and the cute pastel cottages, ran into Expatriate at Orchid Bay Marina and decided to join them (Mark's parents were in from England) for dinner.

Being Sunday, it is time for the pig roast at Nipper's Bar. Nippers is the most notorious establishment in the Abacos. Everyone knows about it and probably everyone who has visited the Abacos has been there, at least once. It is a large bar on top of the dunes overlooking the Atlantic and one of the most beautiful stretches of beach I have ever seen. In fact I think The Atlantic side of Great Guana Cay is the most beautiful stretch of beach I have seen. But I digress, back to Nippers... The bar is many levels of decks and sand. Each plank of the deck is painted a different pastel color and the effect is busy, but beautiful. It would only work here. They have two swimming pools, stairs down to the beach, an air-conditioned gift shop with a sand floor (strange juxtaposition of creature comforts), and the bar and restaurant. And on Sundays they have an all-you-can-eat pig roast. Unfortunately, there is no roasting pig on a spit— I was kinda hoping to see a roasting pig. Nina introduced herself to Brendel, the famous SCUBA diver and got her picture taken with him. I think she was more interested in his physique than is diving resumé.

May 6-8, 2003 - Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahama
Sailed (finally) all the way to Marsh Harbour. It is a circuitous route through the sand bars and little cays so we got to tack and sail on all points of sail—a bit reminiscent of sailing back on Lake Grapevine. It took us over a year, but we are finally where we wanted to be: pretty islands, gorgeous beaches, consistent winds.

Marsh Harbour, the town, is the third largest town in the Bahamas; therefore, we can get most the things we couldn't since we left the states. Marsh Harbour, the harbor, is a relatively protected large harbor with lots of boats and marinas. We anchored between the Union Jack dinghy dock and the Port of Call Marina. Was excited to find that my wireless internet connections worked right from our anchor spot, but was saddened when I was cut off ten minutes later. I'll have to figure out who to pay to get unadulterated access. Now if only our cell phones worked. -Kristan-

May 5, 2003 - Little Harbour, Abaco, Bahama
Despite the increase in winds through the night, we didn't have enough to sail a run and make it to Little Harbour by high tide, so we motored. Much better anchorage. We picked up a mooring in the small harbour with about twenty other boats. Went to shore with the dogs and had some food and drinks at Pete's Pub. Pete is a sculptor and has a foundry, gallery and a rustic little beach bar in this pretty little spot. -Kristan-

May 4, 2003 - Hole-In-The-Wall, Abaco, Bahama
Hole-In-The-Wall is just that, a hole in the rock wall that juts out a couple of hundred yards into the Atlantic on the extreme southern tip of Abaco. We anchored just on the west side of the wall, nestled in as tight as could to gain some protection from the swells from the Atlantic. This place isn't really an anchorage, but with no wind and calm seas it seemed more appealing than sailing into the night to make the next possible stop 30 miles north on the eastern side of Abaco.

We saw a beautiful beach and decided to take the dogs for a run. Nina and I lowered the dinghy and motored over to pick up Mark and Geezer. We headed towards the beach and noticed that the gentle swells that were rolling in were creating a considerable surf when it pushed up towards the beach, but we decided to give it a go anyway. After an hour or so on the beach, we decided it was time to head back and began trying to figure out how we were going to get the dinghy off the beach. We thought we could time the breaking waves, but with three humans and two dogs we never quite got it right. Mark and I jumped out and tried to keep the bow of the dinghy into the crashing surf while Nina was going to motor us out. At some point the dinghy got turned side to the waves, Geezer saw the coming wave and jumped out to swim back to the beach. Nina was trying to catch Geezer and didn't see the wave. She and Greta got thrown from the dinghy and covered by the wave. Needless to say, Greta and Geezer were not very interested in getting back into the dinghy. Neither was Nina for that matter, but after a little coaxing, we all managed to get past the breaking waves and back to the boat. We probably won't attempt that again for awhile.

Sometime in the night, the wind picked up out of the south and the less than perfect anchorage next to the Hole-In-The-Wall became a roller coaster of rolling swells. Can't wait until morning... -Kristan-

May 3, 2003 - White Cay, Berry Islands, Bahama
We motored the 24 miles from Chub Cay continually tinkering with Nigel, hoping he would remember how to steer the boat. He did well enough for a time to allow us to put the Shadetree up. The storms all passed and within a few hours there was not a cloud in the big blue sky.

The little cays around here are quite beautiful, mostly uninhabited and those that are are private islands owned by the people like the guy who is responsible for all the development in Nassau. We pulled in to an idyllic anchorage between White Cay, Devil's Cay, and Hoffman Cay. It was pretty perfect in every way until nightfall, when the bugs came out.

The following morning, Mark and I and the two dogs dinghied over to Hoffman Cay to treck up to the Blue Hole. A fifty to 75 yard wide deep hole with caves, stalactites, stalagmites, and plenty of bugs. The water is brackish if not salty and there is evidence of tidal flow, but there is not connection to the ocean that we could see when we were snorkeling in it. Pretty amazing little spot. After an hour we went back to our boats and prepared for another crossing. This time to Abaco. -Kristan-

May 1-2, 2003 - Chub Cay, Berry Islands, Bahama
Apparently the squall that met us on the Bank was the precursor to a whole line of unsettled weather. We bounced and rocked and rolled for two nights and finally gave up and paid for a night's slip at the Chub Cay Club. The Club is the only thing on the island. A resort that caters to the sportfishing crowd and has a very protected marina basin. We were docked near a group of 7 or 8 boats from Punta Gorda, Florida, most were ex-sailors, but a handful were still towing the line, including a Pearson 35 owner. Always nice to see a sister ship. We shared dinner with Charity and Jeff from Now, a Lancer 30. They are from Big Bine Key, Florida and are heading south.

The following morning we refueled, filled the water tanks, and pulled out of the marina at about 12:30. As soon as we cleared the breakwater we saw another squall approaching, so we dropped the hook and waited 45 minutes to make sure we weren't going to get beat up. It passed without touching us and we motored north in the growing stillness and heat. -Kristan-

April 30, 2003 - Chub Cay, Berry Islands, Bahama
We left Gun Cay before dawn to begin our treck across the bank. Chub Cay is a 78 mile trip, but the bank is no more than 15 feet deep, so if we couldn't make it we could drop anchor and wait for the next day. With only thirty miles to go, we noticed some dark clouds building up ahead and to the south. We increased the range on the radar and saw a huge black blob completely surrounding our intended path. The squall was pretty strong with high winds and blinding rain, but didn't last too long. The image on the radar was more frightening than the real thing. Luckily it passed on through and we were able to continue on without too much delay.

Three-quarters of the way there, we leave the bank and within half a mile the depth drops to 3000 feet only to shallow-up again when we get to Chub Cay. The underwater topography is quite amazing around here. We dropped anchor with a half-dozen other boats and Mark and I dinghied in to the Chub Cay Club to give the dogs a stretch.

Meanwhile Nina was steaming our fresh lobster and we four joined for the best lobster dinner I have ever had. The Palm has nothing on Nina. -Kristan-

April 22-29, 2003 - Bimini, Bahama
Mark and Ginger had a couple of friends from the states in and we spent the latter part of the week helping to entertain Maurice and Susan. We went to a little island we swear was formed from conch shells and then cleaned up and went to the Complete Angler, the old Hemingway haunt. Lots of pictures of Hemingway and fish. I guess he had some kind of obsession with them.

The people of Bimini are all very friendly and we enjoyed such simple pleasures as buying fresh bread from the "Bread Lady" and fresh conch salad from Kim, both purchases made from their homes. North Bimini is the most populated of the Bimini Islands, with about 1800 people congregated on 2 main streets barely wide enough for two golf carts to pass called Alicetown.

We sailed nine miles south to Gun Cay, a perfect beach on a very pretty uninhabited island. Greta was able to run free and explore and did so without stop for several hours.

We sailed back to Bimini for a few days, put Maurice and Susan on a plane and prepared for our next crossing. Water on this small island is difficult to come by. The local well water is brackish and not good for much other than washing and laundry. We found a gentleman who has reverse osmosis (RO) watermakers and sells the good stuff for thirty cents a gallon. We trucked gallons back to the boat with our jerry cans, 15-20 gallons at a time. Diesel was the highest we have seen it at $2.85 per gallon and $3.35 for gasoline. Makes me glad I'm not refueling a sport fisher that burns 50 gallons per hour—0.7 gallons per hour is fine with me. After we got everything together we sailed back to Gun Cay to stage for an early departure across the Great Bahama Bank to the Berry Islands. Enroute to Gun Cay we stopped at the Sapona, a very large steel ship that was wrecked by a hurricane back in 1929. We were able to enjoy some more hours on the beautiful beaches of Gun Cay while Mark gave Nina some swimming lessons. When we got back to the boat, some local fisherman came by offering fresh lobster and conch. We bought some lobster as a celebration for our upcoming landfall in the Berrys. -Kristan-

April 21, 2003 - Key Largo, Florida
We hauled our anchor and motored out to Molasses Reef, our staging ground for our jump to the Bahamas. The trip is only 78 nautical miles, but we wanted to get to Bimini with plenty of sunlight and at high tide, so we left at night. We calculated that it would take us about 13 hours and we wanted to get there before noon, so we gave ourselves a cushion and left our mooring at Molasses Reef at 22:30. Our first through the night sail. Thankfully our crossing was uneventful, with relatively calm seas and next to no wind. We had 4-8 foot swells from a dwindling depression in the Atlantic, but no breaking seas and no "elephants" in the Gulfstream.

Our buddies on Expatriate were never more than half a mile away and it was reassuring to see their lights in the blackness. We would call each other on the VHF radio whenever we saw a contact on the radar or with our eyes. Several times we saw the lights of large ships on the horizon and were amazed that they were as far away as the radar confirmed them to be. When there is nothing but blackness and more blackness, lights play funny games with your mind. Throughout the night, Nina and I took turns being on watch, and the off watch had the opportunity to find some sleep. I was able to get a few hours of sleep, but with the rolling of the seas and the hard to forget fact that we had miles of water below our keel and quite a few more miles without land on either side of us, sleep was difficult.

When the sun rose we were unable to see anything but our two boats and the gentle swells of the Atlantic. Had we not been so tired, I'm sure one of us would have taken a photograph. A few hours later we saw the islands of Bimini and made landfall around 9:30. The Bahamas don't have an organization like the Coast Guard that installs and maintains what we call "Aids to Navigation," so the aids when in the Bahamas are the colors of the water. With the continuously shifting sandbars the charts that we rely on aren't to be relied on and our entrance to North Bimini was more shallow than we expected. With our 4 foot draft we made it through, but Expatriate with a 5 foot draft ran aground. Thankfully Mark was able to power off with each passing swell and we made it safely inside the harbor and docked.

We cleared Customs and Immigration with no problems and were ready to start exploring the Bahamas, but not until we get a little bit of sleep. -Kristan-