Had a bit of a rolly night on the hook and we awoke to a reversed wind/current situation which placed us over the corner of a restricted area. We had planned to go down the channel a few miles to the dinghy dock to go ashore and stock up on groceries. it was blowing pretty good so we decided to hoist anchor and motor down closer to the dinghy dock as I didn't want to leave Amaruq in a restricted area with no one aboard.

We launched the dinghy and headed down into the 2' waves dodging all kinds of very large cruisers. Once under the lift bridge it was chaos it's lots of luxury yachts being moved around, some other towing vessels and lots of flashing light on police and Coast Guard vessels. We pulled up to a police boat and asked where the dinghy dock was. The guy was super friendly but told us they were setting up for the West Palm Beach boat show that starts alter this week so there is no dinghy dock space available.
The money here is staggering. Check out some of the yachts and prices in this clip from a participating broker. Apparently there is a lot of Life in The Fast Lane going on down here!

https://www.northropandjohnson.com/events/palm-beach-international-boat-show

https://youtube.com/shorts/47OLaVcRzkg?si=LLXltEEYtZPH3IW6

https://youtu.be/PhC7Gh84CdY?si=_v-Tssv9CdlszZTA

Now if you've been following us you'll recognize that we have an habit of arriving at certain places along our travel route at the most inopportune times and seems to be a recurring theme! So no groceries for us! We got back to Amaruq , high was being thrown around in the wakes and waves in the anchorage and decided to move north to a quieter place. We did have to go through several miles of chaos with tons of boats blasting around as it was full on nice Saturday let's go out on the boat day!

We are fortunate that we came across on Friday and the weather is taking another turn for the roost with have winds predicted for the next week plus so we are happy we got across when we did.

Also an update on beached boat in Lucaya that I posted a few days back. Apparently the boat has a hole in the port side so the owner is trying to flip it over so he can patch it up before refloating it. The story is that his engine quit and he dropped anchor but his chain broke due to strong winds and he was blown ashore. I feel for the guy and hope he gets it resolved.

Today's shot is of the "small" boats at the slips in our anchorage. These are pretty small compared to some of the giants we saw being positioned at the docks where the boat show is taking place, 8 miles south of here. There is no shortage of money down here!

After 12 days waiting our weather window was here so we were up and off the dock under a full moon at 4:45 am on Friday morning. We would have left sooner as we had an 80 nm passage ahead of us but we had to wait for the tide which bottomed out at 3:30 to start coming in. Seeing as it is a full moon the tides are higher/lower than normal and the water in the channel is pretty shallow at low tide even in normal tide conditions. This gave us an extra 10" of water. Going aground in sand isn't the worst thing that can happen, but going aground in the dark in a narrow channel with rollers coming in is another thing altogether.

We could hear the waves crashing on the beach from the dock, which was close to a mile away so no telling what we were in for. But, it turns out to be waves in the 1.5-2' range so no problem. Once we were out in the deeper water things were pretty good. The recently cleaned boat speed transducer was working perfectly too so we had the full complement of instruments and chart plotting gear. Waves and 8 knot wind coming from the port stern quarter so they would both be helping to push us along. Not enough to sail but we put the jib out which gave us an extra 3/4 knot of speed and helped to soften the rocking of the boat in the waves.

We got hailed by a cruise ship paralleling us a bit further out telling us he was going to be turning into Freeport harbour soon so we had to alter course to pass to his stern. We had to alter course for a couple of moles to give him lots of room but it was good of the guy to call and let us know though. The sun came up and the weather continued to cooperate. With the gulf stream heading north for almost half of the crossing we would be pushed northwest vs having to fight it so that was in our favour.

We took turns having naps in the cockpit nd while Sam was asleep I spotted something odd on the horizon dead ahead of us. It looked like a dust devil but was in fact the beginning of a waterspout forming under a dark cloud. It gradually built its way up to the cloud with a long thin wavy line of water. It only lasted a minute or 2 but it was pretty neat to see. It was nothing like the full in tornado we saw over Nassau a few months back and it did dissolve quickly. A bit later Sam saw another 1 forming off in the distance under another black cloud but we were already past that and shortly after the sun came out for the rest of the day. No rainbow unfortunately but no harm either so we'll take that.

We had our usual complement of flying fish escorting across and a new marine animal as well. When first sighted it looked like an inflated ziplock back bobbing across the waves but once up close we saw a transparent sail with a brilliant blue body attached in the water. Apparently they are called Velella or sail jellyfish. Very cool looking critters.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velella

Throughout the day the wind clocked around about 180° and ranged anywhere from 2-9 knots and the waves did a full 270° shift ranging from 1-3'. But interestingly enough, this is exactly what Windy had predicted and we managed to maintain a pretty good speed in the 6.5-7 knot range. The Gulf Stream was paying off. We got into Lake Worth and managed to find a spot to anchor by 4:45 so a full 12 hours and 80.5 nm. We made it!

Next task was to check in with customs and for that we would use the CBP ROAM app. The app has 2 part authentication with the 2nd step being a code texted to our cell phone, which had a US sim card which we hadn't used for 4 months. Surprisingly it booted up and worked after a few minutes. So I submitted the entry report on the app and a few minutes later we had our call with the agent. The guy couldn't have been nicer explaining all the changes to the recently changed US Alien policy, which affects Canadian travellers, and he even approved us as verified travellers meaning we are low risk. All done in about 10 minutes and we're legal and cleared for our trip north and home!

Tonight's shot was taken by Lynn a few weeks back and shows Amaruq as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! She has been our home for 6 months now!

(can't believe most of these guys are still alive...and performing!)
https://youtu.be/YRglhaeokqQ?si=-H0_gA3ttaq86y6H

It's been 2 weeks doing weather checks 3 times a day looking at Windy, Marv's and NOAA weather forecasts. They don't always agree a few days out but as a date gets closer they usually align better.  We're gonna make sure we pick the right window it's the combination of wind speed/direction and wave height/direction.  It's been changing direction frequently right now and sometimes clock around 270° in a 24 hour period.  And the favourable conditions sometimes occur at night so we may be leaving in the dark....again to take advantage of that.  

We're planning on leaving from here vs. heading up to West End first.  It adds about 14 nm to the crossing trip distance but due to our jump off point the gulf stream current, which is somewhere between 2-3 knots, will carry us northward as we head across.  We can't predict how wide the current actually is as it changes so can't plan the actual course to steer with any degree of accuracy.  But I can set the target destination on the chartplotter and then set the autopilot to follow that.  As the current speeds up and slows down the AP will adjust the heading so we end up where we want to get to. And it continuously gives you an ETA so you know how you're doing.  The bonus it's the conditions we're gonna cross in is that we can sail with a following wind and sea, so we could be looking at 7.5-8.5 knots vs. the 5.5 we had coming over here fighting the wind and waves. So, we have a plan!

https://youtu.be/jnv0Afyp-fs?si=YwxVoYeoe7GMu8Km

It all sounds good in theory but you never know what you're dealing with until you're actually out there.  We also are seeing forecasts of earlier than usual hurricane conditions this year so the sooner we can over to the ICW, the more protection we'll have.  So it looks like a 5 am start on Friday morning to get this done! So we're now in finish what ya started mode!

https://youtu.be/Sp5Nd93gQ5I?si=FWRwjynP2TjjpQUS

Preparation included getting fuel which required a taxi ride to the nearest gas station and a 30 minute wait while the world's slowest diesel pump filled 20 gallons in 4 gerry cans! Sam went through all the food we had to make sure we are compliant with the regs surrounding what you can bring into the US. We also did a fair amount of research into what we need to do to be compliant with the new US alien laws, of which Canadians are included under. hopefully things will calm down as the 2 sides work through the trade war issues but personally I can't wait to get home and away from this chaos So dust off your Noforeignland app button as we're on the move again!

We also had a boat pull into the slip beside us on Tuesday from Ontario. It turned out to be a 35' trawler that the owner Bryan had converted to all electric. He was only here over night so I didn't get a chance to talk much to him but he has a Youtube channel with over 125 videos profiling his journey retrofitting the boat as well as his Great Loop voyage. He left Ontario in June 2024 and made his way through Lakes Huron and Michigan , down the Mississippi , across the Gulf of (insert the name of your liking as you see fit) Mexico, through the Bahamas to here.

From the videos of his engine room he appears to have done some very good work technically. His power system consists of 90 kwatts of battery power, 6.9 kwatts of solar panels and 800 watts of wind turbine generation. There are twin electric motors driving his propellers along with inverters and chargers. It's a pretty elaborate system and I would hate to guess how much he spent on it all ($ 6 figures I would guess) but it seems to work as he's made it all that way in under a year! You can check him out on Youtube. Here are a couple of clips out of the many he has.

https://youtu.be/3Wph378lQA8?si=uFgNd4wTz2bQH9SH

https://youtu.be/SnVTD-W4YFU?si=NuGO9oIsCTyGxZTh


Today's shot of the sun setting on Amaruq from the Bahamas for likely the last time.

https://youtu.be/kBYHwH1Vb-c?si=_BRAA7YIxtVdOQO-


Lots of things going on around here as we wait for a window for our Gulf Stream crossing. Fingers crossed that the forecast holds as we target Friday March 14th.

Some of the big news was the latest SpaceX rocket launch from Texas a few nights back. Problems with the flight resulted in the rocket exploding and raining debris down along its flight path. There were dozens of video posts from boaters in the southern Bahamas of the spacecraft breaking apart. Some boaters reported seeing pieces of debris in the water the next day so this was really close to populated areas!

Closer to home there have been a couple of news pieces on CTV and Global about recent immigration changes to visitors to the US, including Canadians. Apparently a recent executive order is changing the visa requirements for Canadians visiting the US for more than 30 days. We will now be classed as aliens and will be required to fill out additional paperwork and be finger printed! The coverage as specifically about land based traveller so not sure about air and sea travellers. The report said the process was being worked out so not sure when it will start.

On the Bahamas Land and Sea facebook page I posted a link to the news clip and asked if any Canadian recently entering into the US by boat had been required to do anything different than the up to this point, normal CBP ROAM app process. Well, that unleashed a bit of a S#&t storm about fake news, not coming to the US, not wanting to come to the US, etc. etc. I got 1 answer from someone who crossed over the day before following the normal process, which is all I was asking. So, I pulled that post complete with its 80+ comments, replies, battles and troll BS after a few hours. Great example of (Anti) Social Media!? I guess we'll find out when we go to check in.

One other local issue is a guy whose boat broke its anchor chain and was washed ashore not too far from us and is waiting for a higher than normal tide to try and refloat his boat. I don't know why he was anchored out along the shore in a bad wind, as there was a cut into a harbour right where he was blown ashore. But this is just another example of what can happen and why good ground tackle (anchor, chain and rode) is a must! Our anchor is way oversized for the size of our boat and our chain, keeps everything together so we are held securely in a big blow (like the 45 knot extravaganza we had a couple of weeks ago)! Hopefully he can get it back afloat and it looks like he as lucky it blew ashore on sand vs rocks, although he does have some rocks to contend with.


https://m.facebook.com/groups/bahamlandsea/permalink/2981713732010462/?


Today's shot is the area of the massive Space X debris field. We didn't know anything about it until the day after but we'll be happy to get out of this area if these failures keep happening.

There has apparently been a lot of changes for the cruising community coming to the Bahamas over the past year. From immigration visa in consistencies, including a $200 per person charge for extensions, to port authority staff inconsistently issuing anywhere from 30 -180 day visas with no rhyme or reason.

I totally get that a poor country needs to generate revenue and the Bahamas only has tourism as an industry so they need to utilize that to add to their coffers.

The latest attempt at this is the recent plan by the government to install mooring balls in many of the locations in the Exuma Island chain. The rationale is to manage the damage to their marine environment caused by cruisers dropping their anchors in coral and sea grass areas causing long term ecological damage. Their intention is to have an outside agency do the retrofit and manage the rental fees going forward. On the surface it is an extension of the small amount of mooring balls which already exist. Abut they are also intending to charge boaters to anchor at all locations as well so this flies in the face of their plan to eliminate anchor damage. Below is an article that was recently posted about this debacle.

https://youtu.be/VMO3YNoNyTY?si=VGIK4OqbvnVDTSPi

*EXUMA TIMES 242*

MAJOR SCANDAL ROCKS THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER: SECRET DEAL, HIDDEN CONNECTIONS, AND A POWERFUL TRIO EXPOSED!

Shocking new details have emerged about a high-level web of influence inside OPM, exposing a secretive deal that granted a 21-year seabed lease for over 4,000 acres in the Exumas to a company with direct ties to government insiders. The scandal, which has left officials scrambling for cover, reveals a stunning conflict of interest involving former Cabinet Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, senior government officer Sandra Hylton Kemp, and her husband, Philip Kemp II, the president of the company at the center of the controversy Bahamas Moorings Ltd.

For weeks, questions have swirled about how the lease was quietly approved, why no public consultation took place, and who really stood to benefit. Now, the answers are trickling out, and they are explosive.

For years, insiders have whispered about the undeniable bond between Fitzgerald, Sandra Kemp, and Philip Kemp, a trio known for operating in the shadows, maneuvering deals, and staying just out of reach of scrutiny. But their latest move may have finally caught up with them.

The scandal erupted when Sandra Hylton Kemp a senior official in OPM was revealed to have signed as a witness on the very lease that handed over a massive stretch of the Exumas to her husband's company. This revelation sent shockwaves through the political world, raising serious concerns about how much influence was exerted behind the scenes to push the deal through.

But the deeper you dig, the dirtier it gets.
Long before this scandal, Sandra Kemp and Jerome Fitzgerald were already business-linked, working together at a company called Pieces of Eight, a high end boating and excursions venture. This was no small side hustleit was a lucrative marine tourism business, and it cemented a partnership that has been working the system for years.
Jerome Fitzgerald, a known political operator, has long had a reputation for wheeling and dealing behind closed doors. Those close to him say his real talent lies not in public governance, but in private maneuvering. With Sandra Kemp working directly inside the Office of the Prime Minister, the ties between them raised serious red flags but it was Philip Kemp's involvement that made the whole arrangement impossible to ignore.
The man who stood to profit from the Exuma seabed lease? Sandra's husband, Philip Kemp.
This wasn't just a case of cutting corners. The government issued a cease and desist order only after it became public that moorings were already being installed without approvals from the relevant authorities.

The Exuma Cays Administrator blew the whistle, revealing that mooring buoys had been dropped into the waters without clearance from environmental regulators, the Port Department, or local government officials. The people of Exuma had no idea what was happening until they saw the installations for themselves.

And then came the cease and desist letter, a document that officially called out Philip Kemp for breaking the rules. That was the moment when the government could no longer keep the secret hidden.

For days, the Office of the Prime Minister has struggled to explain how one of its own officers was able to sign off on a lease that directly benefited her husband. Did no one think this was a problem?

No one can say exactly who approved what, but sources inside OPM are now whispering that this wasn't just an unfortunate oversight it was part of a much larger pattern.

• Why did Jerome Fitzgerald, a former Cabinet Minister, have such a strong interest in this deal?
• Why did Sandra Kemp, an officer in OPM, sign off on a document benefiting her own family?
• Why was this lease pushed through without public consultation or a competitive bidding process?
• Who else inside OPM knew about this and stayed silent?
The answers to these questions could shake the highest levels of government.
Now that the scandal has gone public, the government is trying to distance itself from the debacle, claiming that the lease was always contingent on regulatory approvals. But no one is buying that excuse.
The reality is this was a done deal until it wasn't.
With the venture now collapsing, the government is rushing to assure the public that it still believes in the concept of a regulated mooring system but now wants to put it through a competitive process. The problem? It was never competitive to begin with.
This was a handshake deal crafted in the corridors of power and signed off by the very people who stood to benefit from it.
Now, OPM is in full damage control mode, but Bahamians are demanding answers.
Will there be an investigation? Will anyone be held accountable?

Or will this just be another case of insiders helping insiders, while the public is left in the dark?
One thing is certain: the trio that once operated in the shadows is now fully exposed--and this scandal is far from over.

Today's shot of Whardrick Wells anchorage where you can only use mooring balls due to the narrow channel. there's no room for swinging on anchor lines here.

We are so glad to be in a sheltered marina right now given the storm fronts which are predicted for the next couple of weeks. The weather forecast changes daily and usually for the worse. As it stands now Thursday the 13th may be our chance. We had th slip at the marina booed for a week but that won't likely be long enough so we rebooked (luckily they could accommodate us) for the whole month. After 11 days it's cheaper to go with the monthly rate. So we have some breathing room
here now so we don't have to leave in less than reasonable conditions.


https://youtu.be/V1u_oHpSTKs?feature=shared

We did get to go and do grocery shopping to stock up on food but we have to be careful as there are a lot of foods we can't take into the US. We also have to get to a gas station to fill our diesel jerry cans up so that will involve a cab ride but better that than taking the boat to a marina to fill up as marinas with fuel are few and far between!

As for going to the US with all of the s#&! going on we're looking forward to getting home as there's no telling what else can happen. This is the 2nd time we've been in the US in the past 5 years when something major has happened, with the first being COVID when we were in Tucson. So let's hope things settle down soon!


https://youtu.be/ebbh-BF7V5E?si=JeqACNKf4Nkmud-j


Here's a shot from the Windy App which shows the wind prediction and direction over the crossing to Florida in the next few days. The Gulf Stream runs north at 2-3 knots and with a wind blowing from the north, big steep waves get created. Even without the waves, this prediction shows the wind blowing over 30 knots out of the north so the waves would be huge! (the wind speed colour code at the bottom is in knots btw.)