Glenns Gone Sailing

3-30-11

Another setback regarding my health necessitates a return trip home. Gary talked to Ed about the situation and it was decided we would go to Green Turtle Cay, a short distance from Angel Fish Point, to make arrangements to leave our boat and fly out of the nearby island of Treasure Cay to go back to Florida.

At Green Turtle Cay, we went through the narrow channel leading to White Sound and anchored in the more shallow water at the edge of the busy anchorage. The shallow draft on White Swan allowed us the freedom to anchor away from the crowded part of anchorage. Though some boats were having trouble getting their anchors set, our anchor caught the first time down and held tight. We have found the cost of our anchor has been well worth it. So far in our cruising, we have yet to drag.

We were disappointed to find we could not pick up an internet signal from the anchorage. Gary had to take our laptop to Bluff House Marina and while he and Ed had a drink, after Ed got the Password and Code from the bartender, Gary browsed for airlines flying from Treasure Cay to the nearest cities to our home. While Gary was on the computer, Ed talked to the harbor master about renting a mooring ball for a month. The Bluff House Marina only has boat slip rentals (good specials for day rentals but too expensive for a month) and no mooring balls. After leaving the Bluff House the guys checked out a little private dock that had a couple of mooring balls, unavailable for rent. Then they went to the other marina in the sound, Green Turtle Club & Marina, only to find they don’t rent to unattended boat owners.

Giving up on making arrangements to keep White Swan at White Sound while we go home, Gary and Ed decided tomorrow they will check out Black Sound, the next anchorage on the island.

The rest of the evening ( 5 frustrating hours) Gary worked on flight arrangements by going to Green Turtle Club and having dinner while working on the computer using the club’s internet. The internet did not offer some of the information he needed so he ended up using the club’s phone to call Continental Airlines and he finally was able to make the (expensive!!!) flight arrangements. In the meantime, I e-mailed our friends, Pat and Tom Dennis to see if they could drive to Ft. Lauderdale to pick us up at the airport. Pat’s delightful answer was, “Of course we will come to get you.”

So, that was our first day at the lovely island of Green Turtle Cay.

3-31-11

Ed dinghied Gary over to Black Sound to check out a place to leave White Swan. The marinas had nothing to offer, however, a referral for Donny’s Boat Rentals brought the men success. For $200 a month we can leave White Swan on a mooring ball in a very protected anchorage. Gary and Ed returned to White Sound and their respective boats with the laborious task completed, a major accomplishment.

With the stress of making the arrangements for our return trip home complete, we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day in the Green Turtle Cay paradise. Feeling a little better, I was able to leave the boat and we decided to rent a golf cart for four hours so we could easily tour the island with Ed and Cheryl. We used D&P Cart Rentals near the Green Turtle Club and then Gary and I rode over to Bluff House Marina, where Ed and Cheryl were staying in a rented boat slip. From there, the four of us (Molly didn’t get to go) ventured to the other side of the island via mostly dirt roads, often rutted, to New Plymouth Settlement. Needless to say, the trip itself was an experience. There are few cars on the Green Turtle Cay and most people use golf carts to travel around the small island. The dirt roads, as well as the less numerous paved roads, are wide enough for a single vehicle or two golf carts to slowly pass each other. Gary was the driver of our cart and for once he didn’t mind the back seat drivers reminding him to “stay left” as that is the side driven on in the Bahamas.

New Plymouth Settlement is the oldest settlement on Green Turtle Cay. There we found the Customs Office, the old PINK jail, a museum that was closed, a sculpture garden, three grocery stores, hardware, and numerous gift shops and restaurants. After going to a couple of the grocery stores for various sundries, Cheryl and I ventured on our own for awhile while the guys went to the Wrecking Tree restaurant for cracked conch. Cheryl and I went to the sculpture garden since we found none of the gift shops open for business. New Plymouth Settlement has picturesque small homes, some with white picket fences and gingerbread trim, and painted in traditional pastel colors that is so befitting the tropical islands. There is bougainvillea galore, adding brilliant contrasting color next to the pastel backdrops. The small town is easily walked (with good health), but the golf cart made it even easier to tour in a short time. There are also golf cart rentals as well as bicycle rentals at Government Dock at the settlement.

I don’t know why some of the towns in the Bahamas are called settlements. We first noticed the term used by Kenneth and Alvin when they took us to Port Lucaya and Freeport. When we would ride through an area where there were a number of homes and possibly a business or more, one of our guides would refer to the area as such and such settlement. At that time I thought possibly the term was used when an area was not legally a town. But after visiting New Plymouth Settlement, that is obviously not the case. So assumption leads me to believe it’s just another word for town.

After Cheryl and I reunited with our captains, we traveled down a paved road beside the waterfront, that looked like a sidewalk instead of a road. This route led us to Pineapples Bar and Grill, a hangout for many boaters who anchor in the Settlement Creek harbor, and one of Ed’s favorites.

Our next stop was Alton Lowe’s art studio at his beautiful pink with white trim home that adorns a hilltop near the New Plymouth Settlement. One of the locals had told us “if his driveway gate is open, visitors are welcome”. We were fortunate the opened gates welcomed us in to his paradisiacal treasure. He and his cousin, fourth generation white Bahamians, greeted us as we came into his lovely studio. His paintings of Bahamian scenes, people and flowers were beyond superb and we so complimented him. He told us one of the best compliments he ever received was one time a hummingbird came into the studio and kept trying to feed from one of his floral masterpieces (my word, not his). The justifiable prices of $5000 to $12,000 was a deterrent to purchase one of his original painted beauties, however, to meet the artist and view his work was priceless to us.

Safely making our way back to Bluff House Marina was a feat in and of itself. Our driver’s reward was a relaxing cold drink with Ed and Cheryl before taking the golf cart back within our allotted time.

With enough stamina left from the day’s excursion, I made homemade noodles for a chicken and noodle dinner. Our invitation was declined by Ed and Cheryl to join us, as they took advantage of the special deal they had going with their slip rental and ate at the Bluff House restaurant. Their regrets turned out to be a blessing because by the time I finished cooking, I was ready to just relax after a wonderful fun- filled day.

4-1-11

Today was spent preparing to go home. It rained last night and rained off and on throughout the morning, so we had to time our trip to shore to do the laundry in between the rains. Yesterday we checked out the laundry at Green Turtle Club, finding it to be very nice and clean with six washers and six dryers, so we chose to do the task there. We had heard from other cruisers that the laundries are expensive in the Bahamas and unfortunately we found out they are correct. Two loads cost us $21.25. I don’t know if it is the same everywhere in the Bahamas, but at the marinas at Green Turtle Cay, you buy tokens to run the machines. Where we did our laundry, the tokens were $4.25 each. Cheryl told me they are $4.00 at Bluff House Marina, plus the dryers there provided plenty of heat to dry the cloths in good time. We had to use another cycle to get some of our heavier items dry. Lessons learned during our Bahamian learning curve.

Gary had a lot to do to prepare the boat for our absence: he took off the screecher (sail for light air), took off the lines to the jib, locked the outboard onto the dinghy and locked the dinghy onto the boat, filled the fuel tanks, put covers on all the windows, closed thru-hulls and treated the head. I cleaned out the refrigerator, giving food to Ed and Cheryl and last minute items to Donny (Donny’s Boat Rentals), cleaned the inside of the boat and packed for our trip home.

We took a break from our chores and went to the Bluff House Marina to visit one more time with Ed, Cheryl and Molly. We found them relaxing at the swimming pool and it was a pleasure to visit with them in such a lovely setting.

4-2-11

Our last morning at White Sound, Green Turtle Cay was spent with final preparations to go home. Our mooring ball in Black Sound was not going to be available to us until late afternoon, so we decided to revisit New Plymouth Settlement. Gary wanted some more cracked conch at the Wrecking Tree and I wanted to take some pictures since I forgot to take my phone/camera when we went there with Ed and Cheryl.

The water was dead calm providing a perfect day to anchor in the exposed anchorage at Settlement Creek. There were a lot of boats anchored there today and as we dinghied past Pineapples Bar and Grill, it looked like most of the boaters were there enjoying the ambience of the local haunt.

A short dinghy ride to Government Dock, brought us to the life of this quaint old settlement. We walked around taking pictures and Gary got to go to the sculpture garden (he was with Ed at the restaurant when I went there with Cheryl).

A short distance from the sculpture garden is the Albert Lowe Museum and today it was open so we went in for a tour. Our lovely native docent, Mrs. Ivy Roberts, was informative and personable, and became a new friend in short order. At the end of the tour, conversation led her to ask if we were Christians, and our affirmative answer was rewarded with hugs.

Albert Lowe was the father of Alton Lowe, the local artist. Some of Alton’s painting were on display in the museum, which was in a house built in the 1800‘s. The craftsmanship of Albert Lowe was prominently displayed with large models of ships, designed and built by himself. On display were numerous historical pictures of the settlement, many taken after hurricanes ravaged the old waterfront town. A peek into the kitchen that was in a building separate from the house, common in that day, was the finale of our tour.

We bid Mrs. Roberts farewell with the hopes of seeing her again someday at her church, Miracle Church of God in New Plymouth Settlement.

We resumed our walk through the small town, taking pictures along the way to the Wrecking Tree where Gary once again enjoyed (beyond measure) a full order of cracked conch. Cracked conch is fresh conch thinly sliced, beaten until it is lacey, thereby tenderized, lightly breaded and deep fried. Gary said it was the best he’d ever eaten. The flavor is similar to calamari, but much lighter in texture. I couldn’t resist and tried a bite of it, and then I understood the look of satisfaction on Gary’s face. It was fabulous. I’m sure the Wrecking Tree will be on Gary’s list of places to revisit when we come back to New Plymouth Settlement.

On the way to the dinghy, Gary stopped at a conch salad stand on Government Dock. A gentleman, assisted by a lady, made fresh conch salad while we watched. He kept his fresh conch on a string in the water which he pulled up as he needed a conch. He sliced it and diced it like a master chef, mixed it with tomatoes, green peppers and onions. The final step is adding lots of freshly squeezed lime juice, which actually cooks the conch, “Immediately”, he said. The “can’t get any fresher than that” conch salad was going to be Gary’s dinner; however, after we got White Swan moored for her extended stay at Black Sound, Donny invited us to his home for dinner and we ended up taking the salad to share with Donny and his other guests.

At first Gary declined the invitation to go to Donny’s dinner, because of my health issues, but I interjected my opinion that it would be rude to decline his offer. The evening proved to be a blessing and once again new friends were made as we shared the evening with Donny, Janis and Rick (Canadians who are here until the end of May) and “Fred”, as he prefers to be called. Donny prepared a fabulous meal, per Gary, of marinated flank steak, rice, red skin potatoes sautéed with onion and bacon. All of this was accompanied by a salad donated by Fred made with homegrown vegetables given to him by one of the locals and our donation of Gary’s conch salad, grapes, cheese and crackers. Any one who knows Gary Glenn knows he has to finish dinner with dessert and Donny surprised him with pineapple upside down cake and ice cream. To top off the evening, Gary was able to watch the ending of the Final Four basketball tourney and see our Indianapolis Butler Bulldogs win their entitlement to play in the championship game.

Spending our last evening in the Bahamas with new friends, having a secure place to leave our boat, and preparations made for our trip home tomorrow gave us a sense of gratefulness. We are so blessed.

4-3-11

We feel confident that White Swan will be watched over by our new friends at Black Sound. After last minute details of preparing the boat for our absence, we hailed the ferry via VHF, which came to our boat to pick us up. We had a pleasant ride talking to the young ferry captain while we were transported to Treasure Cay.  A short taxi ride brought us to the very small airport of Treasure Cay.  Continental Airlines presented a 19 seat plane which took us to Ft. Lauderdale International Airport.

Pat and Tom Dennis drove down from Telemar Bay Marina (3 hour drive) to pick us up to take us the rest of the way to Melbourne.  If Gary had not had such a hard time making all the other arrangements to get us home, we would have also made plans to rent a car at Ft. Lauderdale.  It was a long day for Pat and Tom and they will be well rewarded with a lovely dinner, their choice of restaurants, when I’m feeling better.

Plan A:  Seek medical treatment to get me well and go back to the Bahamas as soon as possible.

3-28-11

A short motor-sail brought us to Angel Fish Point where we anchored for our stay here. After anchoring in the designated anchorage shown south of Angel Fish Point and Crab Cay on the GPS, Ed and Gary got in the dinghy and took depth soundings with a handheld depth meter, to see if we could safely tuck in a little closer to the rocky islands surrounding us, offering us more protection if the storm that is showing on the radar happens to come our way. Finding success with their exploration, we weighed anchor and moved the boats to the newly charted more protected area. Gary and Ed both got in the water and checked their anchors wearing their snorkel gear. Ed taught Gary how to bury the anchor if it’s not well dug in. Our anchor was dug in well, but if need be Gary knows to free-dive down to the anchor and jiggle the flanges on the butt of the anchor causing it to dig deeper. Ed said sometimes it takes a few dives down to accomplish a good hold, but this tactic works well when needed. “…there’s always one more thing to learn about being a sailor…”

This anchorage is one of Ed’s favorites. For one reason, he often catches Caribbean lobsters in the caves near the shorelines of the rocky islands. During lobster season, which it is now, he uses a Hawaiian sling to shoot them. A Hawaiian sling is like a sling-shot with a spear. Gary has never used one before and is anxious to master the skill. The overcast sky today made it not a good day to hunt lobster. The visibility of the water is lower on cloudy days than it is when the sun is providing light into the water.

In lieu of hunting for lobster, the guys and Molly explored the shore. Gary said they found the road that connects Little Abaco Island with Great Abaco Island, the same road that goes through Fox Town. They explored creeks and channels and found a good hurricane hole. It’s always good to know where the most protected places are when cruising.

3-29-11

Personal note: Last night Gary and I were in tears thinking we might have to fly back home because of my illness. I’d been sick for 3 ½ days and was showing slight signs of dehydration even though I’ve been drinking Pedialyte. However, what a difference a day can make, because today I’m better in everyway, except stamina. Once again, we are optimistic that we can continue our journey.

The highlight of today was the four (sorry Molly) five of us taking our dinghies to the rocky caves at the tip of Angle Fish Point and watching Gary snorkel and hunt for lobster. With Hawaiian sling in hand he scanned the caves with great expectations. Though he had a blast doing it, he came back empty handed. He reported having seen only one lobster, lying perfectly still on the bottom, only to realize upon closer inspection it was dead, much to his dismay.

We motored the dinghies over to the cut between Angel Fish Point and Crab Cay where Gary got back in the water and did a drift-snorkel. Through the cut, the water is only about six feet and at the edge of the cut the terrain progresses deeper. Gary said it was rather neat to see the change in depth but other than seeing a couple mutton snappers, there wasn’t much else to see. From our dinghies, Cheryl and I used our glass bottom buckets to look under the water. I saw a pretty star fish and a few small brain coral heads. This area is really not a great area for snorkeling, but apparently at times the lobsters can be plentiful, so we’ve been told (ED).

On the way back to White Swan, our outboard motor on the dinghy quit working (again). Gary was in the process of rowing us back to the boat when Ed and Cheryl saw us and came back to give us a tow. Upon mentally trouble shooting what could be causing the outboard to stall, Gary wondered if there was condensation in the gas tank. He used an extra gas can and his gas filter funnel that we use whenever we fill up the boat and filtered the gas, finding it did indeed have about ¼ cup water in it. Hopefully, the problem is solved. Brilliant!!! He’s not just a pretty face.

Before we left Great Sale Cay this morning, Gary accompanied Ed and Molly to shore and came back having been attacked by no-see-ums. Gary calls me his “fly trap” because usually the insects eat me up and never bother him. When hairy Gary gets bitten by any insect, you know it’s a bad place to be. As appealing as the opportunity to go ashore originally was, I was glad I did not go with them.

Today was the first day we’ve been able to turn off the motor and sail with full sails. Gary was in his height of his glory. The wind was 14 knts out of the SW providing a close-reach point of sail. We sailed most of the 28 miles to Fox Town, taking the sails down right before we got to the line of rocks indicating we were near the entrance to go into the Little Abaco Island harbor.

While Ed took Molly for a walk, Gary had an interesting conversation with a man at a nearby Anglican church. The gentleman told Gary that the priest who presides over the church, serves two churches and presents sermons at each church every other week. During the priest’s absence, the nice gentlemen with whom Gary spoke does the preaching. Later in the evening, we could hear religious music resounding from the little church as the parishioners sang familiar songs.

Gary and I took a quick dinghy ride and cruised part of the shoreline with it’s small houses and businesses along the water’s edge. It looked like someone is in the process of building a gas station. We wondered if they will offer fuel to boaters. There is a small fuel dock already on the shore, apparently operational, because we saw a big power boat go to it.

Ed told us about a restaurant called the Boom Boom Room at Fox Town that offers fresh seafood dinners prepared by the locals. Cheryl, as well as myself, were not feeling well today so it was decided we’d wait until our return trip to go there. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do so because from Ed’s description it sounds like an interesting place, though it is not mentioned in any of the cruising guides.

Great Sale Cay (Cay, is pronounced Key in the Bahamas)

At 8:00 AM we pulled away from the bulkhead in fine fashion as we learned another navigational move purely by accident. The wind was blowing us against the bulkhead and when I tried to steer the bow out into the alley, the wind kept it from turning in that direction. While backing up to give us more pivoting room to make our turn, I noticed while I had the wheel turned toward the bulkhead while in reverse, the bow was turning the direction we needed it to go. So, Gary (Mr. Muscles) and another fellow sailor from the next boat slip, fended (pushed) us off the bulkhead while I kept it in reverse turning toward the bulkhead so the bow would make it’s path toward the fairway. Voila! The procedure worked beautifully and we easily made our way out the marina. (Do you remember the poem, “You Know You’re A Sailor When…”? If not, it can be found in the Archives of our website. The last line of the poem is, “ You know you’re a sailor when you realize there is always one more thing to learn about being a sailor.”

In talking to one of Ed’s boat slip neighbors, arrangements were made for another boat to join our flotilla while going through the shallow channel from West End to the east side of the Little Bahama Bank. Their boat draft is 5 ½ feet and the water was skinny for them. Ed continually called out depth readings over the VHF radio, guiding the other captain safely through the channel to deeper water. Once we were through the channel, the other captain decided he could proceed on his own to Mangrove Cay.

We saw “fish muds” for the first time today where the water appears to be a shoal area, as the color is lighter. Glancing at the GPS and depth meter confirms it is not a shoal, rather stirred up water. According to the cruising guide, there are several theories of the cause of fish muds. The most common theory is they are caused from bottom feeding fish.

Great Sale Cay is an uninhabited island. Nonetheless, it is a busy anchorage due to proximity. An 8 ½ hour sail from West End to Great Sale Cay was a comfortable day of sailing, so anchoring here for the night instead of pushing onward to other islands makes a lot of sense. Also, after 8 ½ hours, Molly needs to go ashore to take care of business. And after a hot day at the helm, Captain Gary needed a swim in the cool, refreshing Bahamian water – his reward at the end of a fabulous first day cruising in the Bahamas.

Gary enjoying the clear blue Bahamian water

3-25-11

While making arrangements for a taxi to take us to Freeport, Ed decided to take a local young man up on his offer to be our driver, after finding out a taxi would cost nearly $200.00. We paid the gentleman, Kenneth, half the price for a taxi, and ended up tipping him as well because we had such a wonderful time with Kenneth and his cousin, Alvin as our tour guides. Both of these Bahamian men grew up on the Grand Bahama Island and they told us a lot about the Bahamian culture as they pointed out sites of interest as we road around the island. (If you ever come to West End and you want a tour of the island from two very nice gentlemen, these guys love to make a few extra bucks if they have the spare time. Kenneth’s email address is: k.christie1979@hotmail.com  and he said he can be called from the marina office at his local number 242-443-4086.)

Kenneth and Alvin with the Glenns

Both Alvin and Kenneth are single men in their late twenties. Kenneth has done various jobs around the island, like working at the marina, and construction. Presently, he is in the sea fishing charter business. Alvin has his pilot’s license but isn’t flying right now, and he too is in the sea fishing charter business. It was a windy day today and they didn’t take fishermen out, so that is why they were free to escort us to Freeport.

Resort at West End, Grand Bahama Island

Kenneth also informed us of the amenities at the resort of Old Bahama Bay that are available at no charge to the boaters staying at the marina. By walking to the Tiki Bar on the beach at the resort, you can sign out a Hobie catamaran, bikes, or kayaks to use while staying at the marina. (Interesting that the marina didn’t tell us about these amenities.)

While driving us around the island, Kenneth and Alvin informed us of the industries supporting the local economy. Tourism is number one, accompanied by Polymers-a factory making Styrofoam cups, the Bahamian Brewery, the Fuel Depot*, the container ship port, a stone company, the Grand Bahama Shipyard, and numerous marinas. *We drove by the Fuel Depot seeing the huge columns of storage tanks of oil on one side of the rode and gasoline on the other side of the road. We also saw the enormous tankers off shore “off-loading” into pipes in the water that pumps the fuel to the depot. I never thought about how the process of getting fuel to the island is done before, and I found it to be fascinating.

International Bazaar at Port Lucaya

Other points of interest shown to us were the Customs Office, the Courthouse, various stores, hotels, resorts, 2 hospitals (health care is free to the Bahamians), schools, churches, restaurants and eateries.

Glenns and Byers at Port Lucaya

Alvin and Kenneth escorted us awhile at Port Lucaya, pointing out various places we might want to explore and then they left us to wander on our own for an hour before meeting us at a designated spot. Port Lucaya is where the big cruise ships bring their guests to enjoy an open-air market with all the touristy shops, restaurants and bars. Cheryl and I found a few items to purchase, helping the local economy. While waiting a few minutes for our fabulous tour guides to meet back up with us, we watched the entertainment at the square. The guys especially, enjoyed the Bahamian lady singer teaching tourists coaxed to the stage how to do a special dance she was singing about. The back side view from where we were watching gave the guys a splendid view of all the “shakin’ goin’ on”. Boy, could one of the girls shake her bootie!

By the time we rode back to the marina, we were feeling pretty comfortable with Kenneth and Alvin, and we asked them lots of questions about the local culture. They felt comfortable enough with us, that they even drove us through the “slums”, a place most tourists don’t want to see. Obviously, we are not like “most tourists” and we all wanted a real taste of what it’s like for everyone, rich and poor, to live on the island. We also rode through the posh area of new development at Old Bahama Bay, where the “rich Americans” are building fabulous homes overlooking the ocean. Kenneth told us Lady Gaga had stayed at one of the homes recently. I asked if she presented herself in one of her wild getups or if she dressed in normal attire. Neither one of the guys had the opportunity to see her. Ed asked if word got around the island quickly when someone famous comes to the island, and of course the answer was yes. Kenneth told us he has taken John Travolta and his son out to fish many times. In fact, he said he was preparing the boat to take the Travoltas out, when John’s son died. (Side note: Speaking of the rich and famous, when we were anchored at Lake Worth, Ed pointed out to Gary the home of the famous golfer, Jack Nicolas. We were anchored practically in his back yard. Little did we know when we were anchored at the same spot for almost a month in January, we were neighbors to such a celebrity.)

On the trip back to the marina, we talked to the guys about their “broken English”, only spoken to fellow Bahamians. When they speak to tourists they use proper English grammar, well spoken and courteous. We coaxed them into telling us about some of the local slang used commonly among the Bahamians and these are some things we learned: When a Bahamian can’t remember a word, they say “timgum” for the word they can’t remember and keep going forward with the conversation. In other words, they don’t let the lack of remembering a word interrupt the flow of the conversation, and they don’t belabor over conjuring up the word like we Americans do. Every Bahamian uses the phrase, “Mudder sick it” which is used to express frustration.  “Mamadoo” or “Gussymae” is their term for, shall we say, a fuller figured woman.  Our favorite phrase is “Conchie Joe”, referring to a white Bahamanian.  My new nickname is Conchie Jean. 

When we got back to the marina, Kenneth and Alvin joined Gary for a cold drink aboard White Swan and looked around the boat since they had never been on the inside of our model. Interestingly, they have never sailed on a big boat before, just the small Hobie Cats.

Gary went to the Tiki Bar with Ed and Cheryl and another couple the Byers had met moored next to Lady Bug. I started feeling badly around 3:00 while in Freeport, and chose to stay aboard White Swan.

Postscript: 3-26-11 AM I’m still not feeling well but our plan is to go on to Green Turtle or Marsh Harbor and see if this is from something I ate and dissipates or if it’s a relapse of c.diff. If I’m still sick by the time we get to a port that has an airport, we’ll fly back home. Dang!!! We are hoping “this too shall pass”.

Following Lady Bug out the Lake Worth Inlet 3-24-11

White Swan is welcomed by the Sunrise over the Atlantic as she takes her maiden voyage to the Bahamas.

Gary and I anchored White Swan near the Lake Worth Inlet at Singer Island last night. Ed and Cheryl took Lady Bug to a boat slip at a marina near the inlet, so they could do what they needed to do ashore before leaving for the Bahamas. We met this morning at the turning basin and headed out the inlet by 7:00 AM.  As we went out into the Atlantic Ocean, we were greeted by a welcoming sunrise, reassuring us it was going to be a beautiful day.

As we anticipated the day, the excitement of taking our own boat to the Bahamas for the first time was exhilarating. As I said before, “There’s nothing like doing anything for the first time.”

We went out the inlet at low tide, making an easy exit. The wind was out of the west, helping us as well. The wind remained W to WSW from 10 to 15 knots, providing us with more speed as we motor-sailed across the “stream”. Steering up to 20 degrees off course, kept us on the rhumb line on our GPS, as we followed Lady Bug to the Bahamas. The larger swells in the middle of the stream, necessitated keener attention at the helm. The feel of the wheel as we steered was similar to what we experienced in the BVI (British Virgin Islands) when we chartered a sailboat there and sailed around the north side of Tortola in the open sea.

Three hours out, we could no longer see the buildings on the shore at Palm Beach. We spotted the water tower at West End from ten miles out on the other side. We had no sight of land for around five hours (thus our rite of passage). It took us 9 ½ hours to make the crossing.

Watching the depth meter while getting closer to the Bahamas was interesting. It went from 599 feet ( which is it’s max) to 126 feet as we crossed the bank and quickly dropped into the 20’s. While we were out in the stream, the GPS showed the deepest water was 2585 feet.

Yellow Quarantine Flag above US Flag

Raising the Bahamian Flag after clearing customs

As soon as we were “on the bank”, we lowered our sails and raised our yellow quarantine flag. The quarantine flag had to be flown until the captain (only) goes ashore to clear customs. Then the flag is taken down and the Bahamian flag is raised above the US flag.

Ed called the marina on the VHF radio and made docking arrangements for both boats. While listening to the marina’s instructions on where we were going to dock, we kept looking for an open slip and found none, only to realize they were putting us at the bulkhead in the middle of the fairway. I was at the helm, as Gary has to be the muscles to push us away from what ever I might be getting ready to hit, when at the last minute I realized what was happening. I’ve never docked White Swan in such a tight place before and luckily had no time to think about it and panic. Amazingly I maneuvered her around and with the help of the dockhands and Gary, put her right into place beside the bulkhead. My head swelled 10 times it’s normal size as my ego rejoiced at my skills (a.k.a. luck).

Upon arrival, we congratulated Captain Ed, for a perfectly sailed route to the entrance of the Old Bahama Bay Marina on West End, Grand Bahama Island. We decided to celebrate by having dinner at the restaurant at the marina. Afterward, we toasted with champagne and strawberries aboard Lady Bug.

Celebration Dinner at Old Bahama Bay Marina

Gary’s lifelong dream became reality today. I’m so grateful I got to share the experience with him. Aware that not everyone gets to see their life’s dreams become reality, we feel blessed and are thankful to God for the day.

Lady Bug going through bascule bridge at Jupiter

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, always a pretty site

Tomorrow I plan on going to the marina to do laundry while Gary goes with Ed to West Marine to buy more fishing lures. 

While at the laundry, I’d like to get as many pictures posted to our website as I can, since I’ve finally caught up on writing the blogs.

While we are in the Bahamas, our only means of communication will be via e-mail. It’s our understanding WiFi is not available everywhere in the Bahamas, but we will post blogs and check e-mails whenever possible.

You can always see where we are by going to the SPOT link, as SPOT will be on whenever we are moving and will continue to transmit anywhere we are. Hopefully, the next blog you read will have been written in the Bahamas.  SO EXCITING!!!

Short walk to the ocean, via path from Peck Lake

Ah yes, the ocean at the end of the path at Peck Lake

Peck Lake is about 20 miles north of Lake Worth (where we anchored for most of the month of January, when I had MRSA). The charm of Peck lake is it’s protected anchorage and close proximity to the ocean. It is so close, we can hear the ocean from our boat. What a pleasant sound, and it’s the only anchorage we’ve found with such an amenity. For that reason, this anchorage quickly became one of our favorites. According to the forecast, it looks like it will be at least a week before we will get a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream, so we opted to stay here for awhile before going to Lake Worth, using the inlet there to make our crossing to the Bahamas.

Gary coming from a swim in the ocean

Man of War on the beach looks like a beautiful bubble, but it's poisonous.

After White Swan and Lady Bug were securely anchored in a shallow part of Peck Lake, the five of us (Ed, Cheryl, Gary, myself and Molly) went to the beach on the ocean side. There are two paths from Peck Lake that cut through the Hobe Sound Preserve (which is approximately ¼ mile wide) allowing access to the ocean’s beach. There is a water shuttle from a nearby community continually making rounds to bring people back and forth to the entrance of the path. The beach is several miles long, accommodating the small groups of visitors. Gary and I went to the ocean everyday. Gary went early in the morning for his power walks and then accompanied me later in the afternoon for a less vigorous walk and time sitting on the beach. I enjoyed getting my feet wet while walking the shore with Gary. He enjoyed an occasional swim in the ocean.

Much of our time at Peck Lake was spent with each boat’s occupants doing “their own things”, but we had happy hour on Lady Bug the first night we were here, and Cheryl prepared a delicious dinner for all of us the next night. She realizes I’m not up for reciprocity quite yet, but our time to host gatherings will come. We also went to the beach together a couple of times. Occasionally, Gary went with Ed to walk Molly. 

Supermoon over the ocean

Supermoon behind Lady Bug 3-19-11

One night while I was talking on the phone to our boating friend, Pat, she told me to go out and look at the moon because it was a “supermoon”, which happens only once in every 18 years. The moon is closer to the earth than usual and looks larger and that is why it’s called a supermoon. I wanted to see it shine over the ocean, so Gary and I hopped into the dinghy, in our pajamas, and went to the beach. It was worth the effort and there were quite a few people on the beach enjoying the spectacular view.

Molly stayed aboard White Swan while the guys caught those floppy ol' fish.

3-15-2011

After my extended illness, we think it is safe for us to venture out again aboard White Swan. With a backup plan for treatment if I have a relapse, and the necessary provisions aboard, we left our home port on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Pat and Tom

Doug

Matt

Jim and Sarah

Ed and Cheryl own the other Gemini in our marina and they along with their doggie, Molly, are one of the two couples we traveled with the last time we tried to go to the Bahamas. The two Gemini sister-ships are once again going to travel together with the same destination in mind, the Bahamas.

Our first day’s agenda was to travel to Sebastian and anchor there for the evening, so we were in no rush to get an early start. The 20 mile trip took a little over 4 hours of motoring. It was a nice, easy trip down the ICW. We noticed more water fowl this time than what was present in late December and early February when we traveled this section of the waterway. Other than that, the ambience of the waterway, with it’s little islands throughout this section of the ICW, remained just as enchanting as always.

We caught up with Lady Bug in time to go into the anchorage together. Ed, Cheryl and Molly went ashore for awhile, but we chose to stay aboard White Swan and have a relaxing evening before a long travel day tomorrow.