Read: Bahamas Shakedown or Refit or Caribbean or en Francais
Atlantis, Paradise Island
Cath
06/01/2007, Paradise Island

We finally connected with Jonathan, Linda and baby Jackson yesterday afternoon - they had missed their connection in Miami due to weather. They were pretty pooped but Jackson was holding his own. We went to a buffet dinner together - after months of limited food availability (which shrunk our stomachs) we could not believe the amount of food there was, and were not able to sample as much as our eyes wanted. Food was expensive for the value. We toured Atlantis - what an incredible place - a mix of Las Vegas (casinos) and Disney World (ultra clean and sophisticated). Spencer and Shelby were beside themselves. The aquariums and the lagoons have an incredibly large concentration of fish and sea life (sharks, rays, turtles, moray eels, coral reef fish, jelly fish, ...), some we saw ourselves while snorkeling, others we did not (like reef sharks - thank goodness). We checked out the water slides and today we will actually go on them. The weather is deteriorating quickly and we are hoping marina cancellations will allow us to stay 2 more days, as we have no desire to anchor in Nassau Harbour, which we will need to do otherwise. The funny news is that Dream Catcher decided to turn around after passing Nassau, when they encountered 10 foot seas (forecast was 4-6 foot seas) on Wednesday, so they have been anchored across from the Atlantis marina since we arrived. We can even see their boat from our slip. Last night, they dragged 3 times. We feel so bad for them but today Jan will join us to tour the park while Jim watches the boat. She is so excited! we are so happy that we likely will do our final journey to Florida together. At this time, we won't be leaving Nassau until Monday at the earliest.

Caribbean
Rose Island to Atlantis
spencer
05/30/2007, Location: Guess

Clean up, clean up, everybody every where! Let's polish stainless and repair! We all had to make the boat shine for Atlantis Marina, and we were all anxious to we see Jonathan and Linda and Baby Jackson! At Rose Island, Mommy, Papa and I went snorkeling, but there wasn't much. Shelby and I had sworn an oath the finish math before Atlantis, so we finished our last tests with outstanding results:). The next day we set out for Paradise Island, and everybody was high strung for docking. Except us kids. We were skippin' and hoppin' and saying ooohs and aaahhs. Yup. Docking was a piece of pizza (every says cake, but I like pizza better) and we were helped by a guy in a really spiffy uniform. It was great. We are the only, and very lonely sailboat:(. We did some quick touring and got some smoothies at Jamba Juice, but then Mommy made me do the laundry and write a blog.

Caribbean
Good Sailing at Last!
Bill
05/28/2007, Highborne Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

The winds backed down today to 18-22 for a wonderful upwind sail to Highborne! Dream Catcher left early this morning (they chose to wait out the wind yesterday at Warderick Wells) to catch up and we're enjoying what will likely be our last evening together. So sad. It is said that family are those with whom you have many shared memories. If so, Jim and Jan are definitely family to us and we will miss them something terrible. It looks like another 20 kt. day tomorrow and we're hoping to make the run to Bottom Harbor, just outside Nassau, so we can slip into the marina first thing Wed. and get some chores, like laundry and provisioning, done before J&L&J arrive. Cath and I went for what may be our last snorkel as well:( very nice reef just North of the anchorage, but a lot of current. Snorkeling the Exumas is tough because the best reefs are in and around the cuts and the current is fierce except within an hour either side of the low and high tides. The kiddos decided to stay onboard and get ahead on math homework to make sure they don't have any distractions while we're in Atlantis! Good thing they stayed, it turns out. Dream Catcher's dinghy freed itself and rapidly drifted away. Shelby, as she is justifiable proud to note, coordinated the rescue effort with a local powerboat and all turned out well in the end. I think the kids have arrived at being true cruisers. Not only can they take care of themselves on the boat and water, but they can help others as well.

On a culinary note, we can confirm that MacDuffs on Norman Cay (it's actually rather chic for a burger place) was indeed most excellent and the hosts easy going and friendly. Definitely a must stop for those passing through. There was one other family there: some folks from Atlanta staying at a friend's house on the island.

Caribbean
Haircuts!
Bill
05/26/2007, Warderick Wells, Exumas, Bahamas

We're sooo excited; the winds are down to 22-25 kts. and it looks like sailing tomorrow! The sea buoy reports the waves at twelve feet in the Sound, and I believe it watching them crash into and blow across the barrier islands protecting us from the onslaught. We need to give those bad boys another day to settle down. Nestled in our little cove, the water is just lake chop giving us the impression of watching, through a plate glass window, all hell break loose. The weatherman announced this morning that the only way this month could get worse is if it snowed. After considering that comment a moment, we pulled out the fleece. At least the Sun is out now. Yesterday, rain squalls washed over us one after the other, driven through by the 25-30 kt. winds. Too rough to swim or even get off the boat, confining us within fifteen feet of each other while listening to the splatter of rain on the hatches and the screech of wind through the rigging. So what did we do? I'll tell you, it was pretty exciting. We played board games, baked bread and peach cobbler, and, this was the highlight, cut each other's hair. Oh yeah, we each took a cold shower. Pretty cool, huh? Obviously, we're rapidly losing our minds...

We're rubbing our lucky fish tails that the forecasted break in the weather Monday and Tuesday will be enough to get us to Nassau. Of course, it just isn't as easy as it should be. The water's a bit thin in these parts. We need six feet plus a margin so we don't bump the bottom while rocking around. Unfortunately, all this wind has literally blown the ocean off the banks and the tides are running 6 to 12 inches below the charted values. That's just enough to make some of the islands we wanted to visit a bit too shallow. Still, we think we'll make Nassau on the 30th, as planned, to visit Jon, Linda, and Jackson. It sure would have been easier and quicker to have just walked from there...

Nassau is the next goal, but, of course, its not the end of the road for us. We still need a window precisely on the 2nd to high tail it out of Nassau. We can't stay because there are no slips available and the anchorage is dangerous, as poor Charlie on Island Star reports to us each night. Boats dragging with every squall where your only hope is hooking into a refrigerator or some other heavy trash that litters the bottom in Nassau Harbor. So wish us well and rub your lucky fish tails for us!

Caribbean
No move this week
Cath
05/22/2007, Wardrick Wells, Exumas

Looks like we will be staying here until the week-end. The forecast is just not improving here. Locals are saying this is February weather, although we had a gorgious day yesterday and did some hiking (picture). We have not had one 24 hr period without rain for over a week now. More boats are trying to go to Nassau to make their passage to Florida, but the only anchorage in Nassau has very poor holding, so the scene is not better there. We are hearing from Charlie (Island Star), now in Nassau for the past 5 days, that everyday boats dragged and have to re-anchored. Joy... We decided to stick around the Park HQs as we get hiking trails (even if under the rain), great snorkeling, Internet and DVD rental access :).. We relocated to a mooring closer to Dream Catcher, so w can shout at one another. We'll be great progress on the math curriculum this week. Tonite is movie night on Dream Catcher.

Caribbean
Exuma Land and Sea park
Cath
05/20/2007, Wardrick Wells, Exumas

Wardrick Wells, Exuma Sea and Land Park

Dream Catcher and we moved to Wardwick Wells, the Exuma Land and Sea Park headquarters, one of the Exuma highlights, where you can find maps, DVD rentals, book exchange, T-shirts, Internet access, and books. However, they have no restrooms, garbage bins or groceries, so your time in this gorgeous park is self-limiting, which works well as there is a high demand for one of the 22 mooring balls they offer at $20 a night. Outside, shallow transparent water, nice guided trails, blow holes, white sand beaches, drift snorkeling sites (the tide current is impressive here), curly-tail lizards and bananaquit birds. The most noteworthy hill, Boo Boo Hill sits at a whopping 70 ft high and shows a display of cruisers memorabilia. The park operates with heavy contribution from volunteers. We were hoping to spend time volunteering here but so far they have no work for us. The thunderstorms are still with us, so are waterspouts. Sigh.... We had Jan and Jim (Dream Catcher) over at Norska yesterday night to watch one of the DVD rental ("The Horse Whisperer"). It's quite a production to simply "invite someone over" when you can barely sit 6 people on the boat. Jan brought popcorn and drinks and they had to find their boat in the dark at 11pm....

Caribbean
Les Bahamas
Catherine
05/20/2007, Wardrick Wells, Exumas

Quelques nouvelles des 3 semaines derni�res aux Bahamas.... Apr�s avoir visiter les �les peu habitu�s de Mayaguana, Long Island, Rum Cay, Conception et Great Exumas, nous sommes maintenant dans la chaine d' �lets des Exumas ("Exumas Cays") o� nous essayons d'�viter les orages. La m�t�o a �t� en dehors de l'ordinaire et difficile a pr�voir (du genre "on ne sait pas ce qui va arriver alors garez-vous quelque part au cas o� il y ait un cyclone qui se forme!) - le temps bien trop mauvais pour le mois de mai - donc nous bougeons d'un mouillage prot�g� � l'autre, ce qui nous a emp�ch� de voir des endroits recommend�s - comme la grotte sous-terraine o� un film de James Bond avait �t� film�. Mais on a pu faire de la plong�e i�i et l� pour voir les meilleurs fond marins de tout notre voyage - des homards, des poisons multicolores, des barracudas, des requins (il faut simplement �viter d'aller dans l'eau apr�s 16h quand ils viennent se nourrir pr�s des plages), et des iguanas en voie d'extinction. L'eau des Bahamas est exceptionnelle de couleur et de clart�, principalement parce que les Bahamas n'ont pas de rivi�res qui se jettent dans la mer et l'eau est peu profonde. Les �les que nous avons vu jusqu'� pr�sent sont tr�s peu visit�es par les tourists - seulement quelques bateaux y passent, ce qui nous permet de rencontrer la population locale. Nous restons avec un autre bateau (Drem Catcher) avec qui on s'est pris d'amiti�, un couple de retrait�s bien jeunes d'esprit, qui vivent sur leur bateau depuis 25 ans! On apprend beaucoup de la vie � bord avec eux. Dans une semaine nous serons � Nassau, New Providence, la capitale des Bahamas, o� il y aura beaucoup de touristes arriv�s en paquebots de croisi�re - grand changement de d�cor en vue. Mais on y rencontrera Jonathan, le fr�re de Bill, sa femme Linda et notre neveu Jackson de 9 mois. Apr�s �a, ce sera le retour direct sur la Floride, en esp�rant qu'il ne nous faudra pas attendre trop longtemps pour avoir un temps propice pour le voyage de 36 heures de Nassau � Fort Lauderdale. Cette m�t�o commence a nous prendre les nerfs ! On esp�re que ce n'est pas mauvaise augure pour la saison des ouragans cet �t�....

Francais
Waterspout, caves, and sharks
Bill
05/17/2007, Cambridge Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

It was great to have a full night's sleep! We had a nice, sunny morning watching an Island Packet sailboat circle their mooring over, and over, and over again. She must have been in just the right spot to catch the current and wind. Yeah, we're a little short on entertainment at the moment. The current peak at about 2 kts. flood and ebb, so we have to catch slack tide for snorkeling and such. We planned to leave after lunch for a trip to the Rocky Dundas grottos, which some say are better than Thunderball Grotto. Can't say, but they were very impressive and, unlike any others in the area, were once true caves and, thus, have stalactites and stalagmites. The snorkeling in front of the caves was spectacular, something we didn't expect, and we have high hopes for a snorkeling wall up North called the Sea Aquarium. On our first attempt to hit the grottos, an impressive storm was passing by to the North. It seemed like it would miss us by a mile or two so we didn't worry. We started watching a little closer when it dropped a waterspout (tornado over water), but the twister seemed to move with the storm. We sped at full throttle back to the boat when the waterspout took a sudden turn up towards the anchorage - yikes! (We have a good picture of it heading our way, which we'll post next time we have net access: May 30th in Nassau we think.) Fortunately it turned away again. We just watched the progression of one storm after another until later in the afternoon when we finally made a successful outing to Rocky Dundas. After the caves, we did a tour of the nearby beaches. The sea life is incredible. We saw large lobsters in some of the reefs and hundreds of conch in knee deep water. (This is a national park, so we can't take anything or fish.) Cath found a beautiful type of conch called trumpet conch (I think). A small nurse shark showed some interest in Cath's ankles, but Jan (Dream Catcher) shooed him away before he could get a closer look. We also had quite a few sharks (grey reef) around the boat this evening. They seem to come in the evening, but not to be found during the day.

Caribbean

Newer ]  |  [ Older ]

 

Powered by SailBlogs