Sailing Sirius

April 14 - 22
Palm Cay Marina on New Providence
Sailed awhile in light winds then motored sailed with Interlude to Palm Cay Marina on the SE end of New Providence. Nassau in on the huge harbor the runs the length of the north side of New Providence and Paradise Island, home of the Atlantis resort, is across from Nassau.
Palm Cay is a very nice gated community that is still under construction. The marina showers and laundry have not been completed so from 9:00 - 5:00 the cruisers can use one of the townhouses which also has a TV and WIFI. JJ, the assistant dock manager lives on the third floor. It's a little weird but the unit is air conditioned and you can relax there while waiting for your laundry.
Chris and Robin on Cerulean came in on Tuesday from Spanish Wells. The three boats ordered pizza and ate it on the porch of the club house restaurant. The restaurant is only open Thursday - Sunday. There is a lovely beach and pool there.
We used the marina courtesy car a couple of times to go to a nearby grocery store that was pretty good, much larger than any in the Exumas.
Tom rented a car from the marina for $80 a day and we joined them for a ride to the harbor shopping center. We went to the very nice Fresh Market which is similar to Whole Foods. Also went to the pharmacy, liquor store and Starbucks. Later, Tom and Cathy had an adventure driving to the airport to pick up their son, Chris. There were no signs directing to the airport. We joined them for a delicious and reasonably priced dinner at Viola's on Paradise Island. PI was crowded with people and mega yachts.
We said goodbye to Cerulean on Friday. They headed to Bimini in SE wind 15 - 23 kts. It was quite windy and they had trouble getting off the fuel dock when they left even with a bow thruster. We decided to wait for a better day. We heard later that the trip was a little rough and rolly, so we were glad we waited. Interlude was going to head back to the Exumas but with SE winds stayed another couple of days.
Tom rented the car for another half day and invited us along first to the fishing gear store where his son Chris bought a new fishing rod. Then we visited the Cloisters on Paradise Island. Beautiful carved marble columns were part of an Abby built 1200 - 1300s and were brought to PI in the 1960s. Most are completely intact and interestingly the patterns at the top of the columns vary: leaves, flowers, faces, crests, and geometric.
Interlude left on Sunday and it was a little lonely here by ourselves. We continued to monitor the weather for a good window to cross the banks, 120+ miles. The problem is west winds (on the nose) and light winds (no sailing). Meanwhile we continued to enjoy the marina. Took the courtesy car to the grocery store one more time. Did two more loads of wash, including sheets and towels. Swam in the pool. Used WIFI in air-conditioned comfort. Not a bad place to get stuck, especially at $1 per foot per day.