As expected we had to stay in Nassau until Friday morning waiting for the winds to moderate before continuing on to the Exumas. The delay was due to the 20-25 knot south east winds that would have been right on the nose during our 35 mile trip to Shroud Cay. This would have been doable but, extremely uncomfortable due to the short sharp waves on the shallow bank. But as always there are things to do on the boat to keep us busy and the hustle and bustle of the port was a great source of entertainment. One chore that had to be tackled was to figure out why our macerator pump wouldn't self prime, a rather sh..ty job to say the least. One thing I've learned as a boat owner over the years is that there are certain jobs that no one volunteers to help with!

Although the anchorage offers great wind protection the holding can be a little sketchy, between areas of heavy grass and debris on the bottom it can be a little tricky getting a good anchor set. Actually, it took us 3 tries to get a good bite, which is very rare for us. But we weren't alone, a few other boats had to reset more than once and two boats did drag their anchors while we were there. This area of the harbour is quite shallow so with 80' of chain out in 8' of water we never moved. We had been pushing hard for a few days so the down time was a welcome break allowing us to recharge our batteries; we ventured ashore Thursday for a good walk along the water front. Certain areas are beautiful but it is also very obvious why they advise tourists not to wander around after dark. When Steve Martin and I were here in 1979 in my Tanzer 22 we had made the Bridge Inn our headquarters, after all free conch fritters and $1 beers were hard to beat. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to exist anymore, I had hoped to stop in for a cold one for old times.

By Friday morning the winds had dropped; unfortunately, they hadn't shifted enough to allow us to sail to Shroud Cay. But 2 days in Nassau was enough so we upped anchor and motor sailed across the bank in glorious sunshine and crystal clear water. This morning we truly feel that we have arrived in The Bahamas as we know them. We're anchored in 12' of water that is so clear you feel that you could touch the bottom; the anchor chain is clearly visible as it snakes 60' across the white sand bottom to "Rocky" and our friends on Sandbox are anchored close by. Let the fun begin.

Today's picture is of Nassau Harbour. The cruise ships are 200 yards away. The out going barge is the one that hammered the end of the dock on his return trip. Fortunately, he hit the dock and not the ship.