In the Bahamas! – Waiting for the winds to end in Staniel Cay – Mar 26, 2017

Mar 24^th – It was a warm and extremely windy day with a mix of sun and clouds with scattered showers.  Last night the winds picked up to over 30 mph and we were hit by heavy rain with thunderstorms in the area.  The good news is that the rain washed the majority of the salt off the boat … yea!  The bad news is that I got up multiple times through the night to ensure we were holding since the Staniel Cay anchorage is well populated and we would slide into the boats behind us if our anchor wasn’t holding.  During the day we had gusts over 40 mph which really tested our anchor, however we’ve found that the anchor holds really well in the Exumas since the bottom is mostly sand.  Since it was a crappy day I decided to do some boat chores such as crawling through the bilge checking for loose bolts, checking the engine fluids, putting fresh water in the bilge to flush out any salt water, etc.  I also washed down parts of the boat with the fresh water that the dingy captured from all the rain that we had last night.  After that I relaxed for the rest of the day.  It sounds like these winds are going to continue for the next few days.

Mar 25^th – It was a warm and extremely windy day with a mix of sun and clouds.  I decided to continue with the boat chores today since the winds were still howling.  I filled the batteries with distilled water, I topped up the trim tab pump with transmission fluid and I used the hookah dive unit to clean the bottom of the boat.  Afterwards all of the boaters met at Pirate Beach for cocktails.  It was much nicer on the beach since the sun was out and the beach is protected from the winds.  The winds are supposed to drop a bit tomorrow and continue to drop through the week.  One of the cool things about this anchorage is that everyone blows their conch horn at sunset … thus I’m not the only conch horn blower in this bay ;)

Mar 26^th – It was a warm windy and mostly sunny day today.  We went for a dingy ride this morning to an abandoned marina and walked to the dump to dispose of our garbage.  Afterwards we headed over to the Thunderball Grotto to snorkel inside the cave.  A visitor that left the cave offered me some fish food to take in with me since they were leaving.  I said thanks and fed the fish while I was in the cave and I was immediately surrounded by hundreds of fish … they were bumping into me from all angles and I had to swim away however they followed me since they knew I had food.  It was a little unnerving to say the least.  I then tried to throw the food farther away from me, however they still knew I had the food.  They finally left me alone once they knew the food was gone!  We then went to the Yacht Club to fill the dingy with gas and headed back to the boat.  Once 5pm arrived we headed over to Pirate Beach for cocktails and enjoyed the people and sunshine.  The winds dropped a bit today and it looks like tomorrow will be a good day to move to our next anchorage.

Redneck hookah diving gear - notice the bungie, hand weights, belt

Our shell collection is growing

Entrance to the Thunderball Grotto cave

Staniel Cay Yacht Club dingy area

Nurse Sharks feeding on the fish parts from the fish cleaning station

Staniel Cay walk

We found a free dump - Garbage is usually expensive to dispose of in the Bahamas

Here Piggy at Pig Beach in Staniel Cay

The Pigs have rich guests to visit them

Pirate Beach - the home of the 5pm cocktails

Cocktail time

A trumpet fish caught a puffer fish and won't let it go

In the Bahamas! – Exumas – Highbourne Cay to Staniel Cay – Mar 23, 2017

Mar 19^th – It was a warm windy and sunny day.  The winds started to shift to the NW thus we moved 3 miles from our Highbourne Cay anchorage to Lobster Cay which is said to be protected from North winds.  We headed over to the beach and found lots of shells and sand dollars and when we got back the boats were rocking and rolling since the winds shifted farther to the West than we expected.  It looks like we’ll have to endure a rough night.  By midnight the winds are supposed to shift to the North and then early in the morning to the NE.  It can’t happen fast enough for me since this is not comfortable and you have to secure everything since things that are not secured end up falling over.  At the moment Maria is trying to cook while balancing everything.  The winds continued to pick up during the night and the boat rocked so hard that things were falling down.  It was the worst rocking motion that we’ve ever had in any anchorage since we’ve started boating.  We didn’t sleep much during the night.

Mar 20^th – It was a warm windy sunny day.  The winds shifted to the NE in the early morning thus our anchorage finally started to get calm.  None of the people on the boats got much sleep but we all decided to move farther south to Shroud Cay which is 14 miles away.  The Shroud Cay anchorage is protected from NE winds thus we should get a good night sleep tonight.  We went for a dingy run along a mangrove river to the Atlantic side and pulled the dingys up on an Exxxcellent beach.  It was windy and wavy at the beach thus we took some pictures and then went for another dingy run to a more secluded and protected beach for some beach time, swimming and snorkeling.  Afterwards we had a community dinner on our boat discussing our plans to move to an anchorage tomorrow in Cambridge Cay.

Mar 21^st – It was a warm sunny day with light winds.  We left our Shroud Cay anchorage this morning and traveled 31 miles farther south in the Exumas to Cambridge Cay.  A number of boats were anchored outside the mooring field thus we decided to take a mooring ball.  Maria did a great job catching the ball so we could tie up.  After we got settled we went for a dingy ride to a place called Aquarium which is a great snorkeling spot.  This has been my best snorkeling spot so far since there were an amazing number and variety of fish of all shapes, sizes and colors and a few people snorkeling with us were feeding the fish thus they came right up close and personal.  Afterwards we headed for another spot to snorkel over a plane that crashed in the area in the 1980’s.  I dove down to look into the cabin, however it was difficult to stay down long enough to determine if the controls were still in the plane.  One of our friends Judy tried to look in the water using a mask while sitting in the dingy however she lost her balance and fell in … she had everyone laughing!  At cocktail hour we were invited to Jack’s and Judy’s boat with the Exuma Land and Sea Park Hosts to pick their brains about the area.  They are “All In” boaters meaning that they’ve sold everything and live full time on their boat.  They were very nice people and provided us with all kinds of good information.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this earlier however whenever you read the word “Cay” it’s pronounced “Key” in the Bahamas.

Mar 22^nd – It was a warm and sunny day.  There’s lots to do in this area thus we’ve decided to stay another day in Cambridge Cay, however we moved off the mooring ball and anchored close to a beach.  We went for a dingy ride with the others to Rocky Dundas where there are underwater caves for snorkeling at low tide, however it was too rough and no one was comfortable to snorkel near the caves as big waves were coming in.  We then went by dingy to the Aquarium snorkeling spot and Maria actually went snorkeling!  She had some issues with the snorkel but otherwise she did OK and we saw some amazing fish including Manta Rays, Baracuda and all kinds of colorful fish.  We continued our dingy run in the area and then returned to the boats to pack up for a beach BBQ.  We brought all the stuff to the beach and relaxed for a bit while a number of us went paddle boarding.  Maria tried the paddleboard and did quite well and can’t wait for a lesson from one of our friends back home, Bryan, at his lake front home.  Afterwards we walked along Honeymoon trail to the beach on the other side of the island.  It was beautiful!  After playing around on the beach for awhile we returned back to the other side and listened to some great tunes while we soaked up the sun.  When the BBQ was hot we loaded it with food and had a great dinner on the beach.  As the sun started to drop we headed back to the boats … I’m sure we’re all tired after a long day of fun and fresh air!

Mar 23^rd – It was a hot and sunny day.  We got up early to leave our Cambridge Cay anchorage to move 17 miles further south to the Big Major anchorage in Staniel Cay.  Once we arrived we ran into another Canadian Looper (“Hard Dock Café”) that we haven’t seen since Pelican Bay in Florida.  We talked to them for a bit then went for a dingy ride to Thunderball Grotto which is an underwater cave where light comes through the top and lights up the thousands of fish that are swimming inside.  Another incredible snorkeling adventure that I’ll never forget.  On the way back to the boat we stopped by Pig beach to see the swimming pigs.  They quickly surround anyone that has food for them.  When we got back to the boat I changed into dry clothes then went for a dingy run to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to the dingy dock.  We walked through the town and checked out all of the little markets and had lunch at the Yacht Club.  Heads Up … Everything here is extremely expensive!  We then returned to the boat and were invited to Pirates beach for cocktails with a number of boaters.  Another action packed day … I’m exhausted ;)

We found our Kokomo!

The Exuma beaches are beautiful!

Who takes sand dollars as currency???

A friendly little guy

Shroud Cay beach on the other side of the mangrove river

Beautiful blue water with all our boats anchored in the background

Dingy run!

Maria paddleboarding ... and she didn't fall!

Contemplating life on the beach

The dingy parking lot

This kid got a little scared when all the pigs ran for his food

Maria patting the wild pigs in Staniel Cay on Pig beach

A nice ray swimming by

Sunset 1

Sunset 2

They're not only in Georgian Bay

In the Bahamas! - Nassau to Exumas – Mar 18, 2017

Mar 16^th – It was a warm and sunny day with moderate winds.  We were thinking about heading to the Exumas today however we were moving too slow and we were worried about having enough time to find a protected anchorage since we hear many of the popular spots are crowded with boats thus we’ll try to get away early tomorrow, if the weather permits.  We walked into town towards the 4 cruise ships that came in for the day and visited the Straw Market as well as many other shops in the area.  It was an action packed place with people everywhere and we had no devices to take pictures!  We decided to walk back to the boat and then back into town so we could capture some of the interesting sights in the area … especially for those of you out there reading our blog J  We definitely did a lot of walking today!  After I got back I decided to change out the hose on the other engine since I felt some soft spots on the existing hose and didn’t want to have to deal with a potential issue in a stressful situation when the engine room is hot hot hot.

Mar 17^th – It was a cool sunny day with moderate winds.  We decided to move today and traveled 41 miles from Nassau to an anchorage in Highbourne Cay in the Exumas.  The winds were from the NE and we were heading SE thus we had large waves hitting us on our beam.  And guess what … yes the boat is covered in salt again … darn!  The water is beautiful here and this anchorage is much busier than I expected.  A matter of fact we’ve been told that a number of the Northern Exuma anchorages are extremely busy.  I expected that there would be very few boats in the Exumas.  Knowing this we’ll have to ensure that we have a Plan A, B and C just in case we find no room in our first choice anchorage.  A Gold Looper came over to invite the 4 Loopers (including us) that we are travelling with to their boat for cocktails which we’ve scheduled for tomorrow.  We got together on “Relax Now” for a community dinner and talked about our next move.

Mar 18^th – It was a warm and sunny day.  We decided to stay another day at our Highbourne Cay Anchorage.  We went for a dingy ride with the other Loopers to check out the anchorages, beaches and marina nearby.  Afterwards we headed for one of the beaches and it turned out to be a great beach day.  Brian, Lee and I went snorkeling while the others just relaxed on the beach.  I saw all kinds of brightly colored fish around some coral heads plus I found a great sand dollar on the bottom.  Lee accidentally lost his boat keys while he was snorkeling and luckily they were on a floating key ring.  A few of us ran around in our dingys and Brian found them floating north of the beach.  And guess what … Maria went swimming!  And you know what that means … the water is warm at 75 degrees F.  At 5pm we joined a Gold Looper on their boat for cocktails and they provided us with all kinds of good information on the Exumas.  Tomorrow we plan to head farther south since the winds will be shifting towards the NW.  When it got dark one of the mega ships anchored with us put on an Exxxcellent fireworks display ... Only in the Exumas!

Police Officer in Nassau ... He must be Hot!

All kinds of Conch shells for sale in the Straw market

Notice the Cruise ships in the background in Nassau

I think this guy needs a new wardrobe!

One of the mega yachts anchored close to us

Who wants to go swimming with the nurse sharks!

OMG - Maria is in the water!

This mega yacht has a water slide and the boat beside it is his dingy

Aqua-Fennatic in the Exumas

Highbourne Cay in the Exumas

Exuma beach time

Highbourne Cay anchorage

In the Bahamas! - Bimini to Nassau – Mar 15, 2017

Mar 13^th – It was a warm and sunny day.  Last night Maria and I decided to walk into town to try some local food.  We went to a restaurant that was recommended by Pastor Chris and had a Lobster dinner … It was Exxxcellent!  We got up early this morning to run from Bimini to the Berry Islands however we ended up traveling 142 miles to Nassau since the winds were supposed to pick up over night and the southern Berry Island anchorages aren’t very well protected.  Both Valentine and Relax Now were worried that they were going to run out of fuel on the way to Nassau thus we had to slow down to allow them to conserve fuel, however it was much rougher when traveling at the slow pace.  Maria was running around securing things to ensure that nothing would get damaged while we were underway.  We arrived in the nick of time since the sun was dropping as we dropped our anchor in Nassau harbour.  Maria had the crock pot going while we were underway thus we had a great dinner once we settled in to our anchorage.

Mar 14^th – It was a hot windy sunny day.  We were glad we made the run to Nassau yesterday since the winds picked up last night and carried through the day today.  The slower group of boats that we have been traveling with arrived in Nassau today and they didn’t get any sleep last night since there were 3 foot rollers rocking them all night long in their Berry Island anchorage and they traveled today in 6-7 foot seas.  We pulled up anchor this morning within the Nassau harbour, stopped for fuel and then pulled into a slip in Nassau Harbour Marina.  We walked into town to a row of wooden seafood huts that sold fresh seafood dishes.  Both Maria and I had cracked conch which tasted great while others had conch salads.  The guy that cooked our meals definitely knew what he was doing and it was amazing to watch him prepare the conch.  When we got back to the marina Maria decided to catch up on the laundry and I tried to get the wifi to work unsuccessfully.  Tomorrow we will look at getting a BTC SIM card for our phone to see if we can get access to data while we’re in the Bahamas.

Mar 15^th – It was a warm windy and sunny day.  Today I used lots of fresh water to wash the outside of the boat and rinse out our bilges.  Maria cleaned the inside of the boat and then walked over to the Bahamas cell phone provider, BTC, to investigate data plans for the Bahamas and she came back loaded with information.  Afterwards we walked back and subscribed to their 4GB data plan for a month which is less data than we’ve been using thus we’ll have to budget our data use while we’re in the Bahamas.  We then dropped by a supermarket and the produce looked fresh, however the prices were terrible!  I’m glad we bought our provisions before we crossed to the Bahamas.  Maria and I plan to walk across to Starbucks to post the blog to conserve our data thus if you are reading the blog then I must have been successful at Starbucks ;)  By the way the next jump that we plan to make will be to the Exumas which are approximately 40 miles south of here.

Sunrise in Bimini Bahamas

Nice size waves on a Bimini beach - Searching for seashells

The water color is better in the Bahamas!

Sailboat anchored off of Bimini

We finally see land ... Nassau here we come!

You don't see too many private boats with their own helicopter

A bunch of wooden seafood shacks by the bridge

About to drink Kalik - the Bahamas beer ... it was great!

This guy sure knows how to harvest a conch

I've never seen shells like this before

The back of the wooden seafood shacks ... it was an interesting place!

Our Nassau marina ... can you find Aqua-Fennatic?

A Disney cruise ship ... see the water slide at the top of the ship?

The Nassau ship dock ... Many seem to visit during the day