Bahamas

Well it seemed classes took over a bit of my time, as well as trying to move through the Bahamas.  Figure I'll throw a few of my thoughts into words in order to be able to better remember them in the future.  This includes our trip as we traversed up after arriving in Great Iguana, Bahamas.  Although we were so close to land we didn't use much of our Spot tracker you can see a bit of what our total trip looked like here.


We first arrived and anchored where we saw on the map was appropriate, but it seemed the entire side of the island was good since there was easterly wind.  We had passed a catamaran on the way by and figured it was a rental so we didn't bother to stop by and meet and greet.  Although later we found it was a nice couple about our age, maybe a little younger who happened to give us a dinghy ride to shore and they checked out of the Bahamas, as we checked into the Bahamas.

We ended up exploring the town together, going by and getting some chicken eggs from leon, he had some steroid chickens for sure.  Went by the supermarket, but found everything a bit more pricey then we left Puerto Rico, to include the 7.50 dollar gallon of diesel.  We ended up buying a sausage and some drinks in order to satisfy my meat cravings and stef's sweet tooth.

I used the internet to complete a few assignments and check into my classes. They had free internet at most of the Government buildings that was supplied for the tourist, this we had not experience in the Caribbean at all, and it was a great improvement, over the many improvements we came to see in the Bahamas.

After enjoying the internet and at a safe anchorage for a few days, we decided to pull anchor and head for George Town.  This would be an overnight trip and with the winds and waves we felt it appropriate we could get there before sundown the day after next.  We hit a few squalls while traveling and ended up getting becalmed a day before the forecast said we would.  This made us push further east and we went around the side to Clarence Town instead.

Clarence town was a nice little town with a Marina, Gas Station, Grill, and a tiny market.  We got some fresh fruits for pennies, and drank $7 dollar beers like it was going out of style.  The entire time here we were circled by a young dolphin and her mother.  We swam with them, went to the grill, drank more $7 dollar beer, and were merry.  There was another few couples we met here and shared a few evenings drinking fresh coconuts and watching the day fade to night.

When it was time to leave we were disappointed, but atlas Stefanie needed to get her Visa and she made her appointment before we left puerto Rico.  So off we went, for another overnight trip onto Nassau, the capital of Bahamas.  Here we heard horror stories of theft, violence, and big city drama.  What we found wasn't far off, but it wasn't all that bad either.  The food, and beer was cheaper, we could get three beers for $7 now.  And they had a wendys.   We ended up staying here almost two weeks as we got becalmed just as Stefanie finished her visa and had no wind to make it to Freeport where we intended to pick up her passport.

We laid low during this time enjoying the local internet again, as I continued my classes.  Got frustrated with the technology as I tried to take a certified test with my software on my laptop.  Walked six miles to get cheap food and Wendys.  Xena the dog, suffered a heat stroke. That was terrible.  We also helped move in a 63' Schooner onto the dock that had the longest non-stop sea voyage with its captain Reid Stowe. I also got to spend my Birthday enjoying his cooking while watching fireworks from the close by resort Paradise Island.

It was quite a time, but eventually, there was wind, and we left with the wind.  The wind happened to be the start of a tropical storm, which turned into a hurricane.  We caught the beginning of it and found it to be quite eventful.  We were doing good until we found we were off course to hit free port and there was a 3kt current against us on a lee shore.  We ended up starting the engine and moved slowly against it and made up ground and ran into a harbor at night.

It was a bit unnerving but all and all it went well, and we didn't break anything. Which is always a plus.  After we made port we took a day off and another and just stayed on the boat.  We dried everything out and the weather was beautiful. We found that the "marina" on the map was actually just a sailing camp, and we ended up getting a ride from them into town, but were not able to pick up stef's passport, because the passport was still in Nassau, so the wait continues.

During this time I continued to use the internet and do my classes, and just be lazy.  The weather was beautiful and we were in "paradise".  It was a 6 mile walk to town, so we weren't planning to go there anytime soon.  Once Stefanie fixed her passport she took a cab to town and picked up a few items at the grocery store while she was at it.  This include some much needed bratwurst.  They were great.

After a few week stay, we got wind again.  We choose to take this chance to jump down to Marathon, FL.  We had found a person willing to trade his much larger boat in trade with cash for our boat, although it didn't work out it started us off again.  When we set off we thought we would get more wind then we did and ended up going very slow against the current.  So, we took this opportunity to stop at another Island in the Bahamas. It was a good Choice.

We drank some more Bahamanian beer, ate local food, and walked through white sand beaches with out our shoes on.  Xena swam, and we enjoyed ourselves on our last steps in the Bahamas, before we headed to the Florida Keys.