Funky Nassau

If I had a bucket list – and I don’t have anything official – Nassau would not be on it; having spent nearly a week here hasn’t changed my mind.  Nonetheless, making a stopover in Nassau was one of the necessary evils of our trip.  As Ken already explained, we made a rather “interesting” entry but have more or less recovered our groove and have had a decent rest after pushing hard to get here.   It seemed as though we left Bimini almost as soon as we arrived, having spent a little over 24 hours at the dock.  It was just enough time for “clearing in” with immigration, obtaining our phone and internet connections through Batelco (Bahamas Telephone Co), and taking long, hot showers.  Oops, did I say “long, hot showers?”  Actually, the hot water only lasted about a minute, but the tepid water that followed did just as good a job at washing away the salt.  Welcome to the islands! 

Docks lining Paradise Island

Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island

Grand Bahama Bank

We left Bimini Monday afternoon in an attempt to make some headway before another front blew through.   Cutting between Gun Cay and Triangle Rocks, we entered Grand Bahama Bank and anchored at sunset about an hour east of Cat Cay.  At 75nm wide and 180nm long, the shortest heading across the bank is still 60nm – a long way for a sailboat averaging 6 kts.  While it sounded like a good idea to get a head start and anchor out in the open, the reality was a very bumpy, uncomfortable night that left me wondering why we just didn’t sail all night instead of pretending that we were getting some sleep.  Grand Bahama Bank is described in the guidebooks as a large tableland of shallow water (mostly 15-18’ feet) with many sandbars, shifting sands, and constantly changing depth contours, making an accurate survey nearly impossible.  The parts of the bank that are charted often have missing or unlit markers and, even with reliable charts, there are still hair-raising moments.  One of these moments comes with the entrance to the Northwest Passage, the point of convergence for most easterly routes.  The chart shows two markers and makes a notation that one of the markers is broken at approximately 2’ above the waterline at low tide and may not be visible at high tide.  In other words, a sharp pointy object just waiting to hole a hull!  We could not visualize either one of the markers so we kept to what we felt was a conservative course (i.e., away from both markers) and hoped for the best.  With NE winds blowing 15-22kts and kicking up a short, steep chop on the shallow bank, it was a long, uncomfortable day.  Once through the NW Passage and into the Tongue of the Ocean, the seas became a little more organized and our depth finder began blinking as it lost the bottom of the ocean.  We logged 73nm in 11.5 hours, arriving at Chub Cay at 6pm with darkness falling fast.  We let go the anchor and spent a blessedly calm night with clear skies and a full moon coasting overhead. 

Chub Cay Anchorage

 

Full Moon as we sail away from Chub Cay

Nassau Harbor

The full moon was setting behind us when we pulled up the anchor and set off.  We answered a panicked call from another boater who was approaching the NW Passage channel and was looking for those missing markers.  Ken gave him all of the assurances that come from having survived the passage unscathed.  The Bahamas may only be 40 miles from Florida, but they may as well be on another planet.  We are learning to adjust our expectations. 

With winds NE at 15-20kts (sound familiar?), the seas gradually built from 2-4’ to 3-5’.  By the time we reached the entrance to Nassau harbor, we were surfing down the occasional 6-footer.  We passed into the harbor entrance and, like magic, the water smoothed out to gentle wavelets and we were enjoying life once again.  Until we tried pulling into our slip – and, as Ken has already filled in that part of the story, I will, to borrow from Mark Twain,  “draw the curtain of charity on that scene.” 

Nassau Light at the harbor entrance

Nassau Harbor and Paradise Island Bridge

Cruise ships aplenty!

Colorful Nassau

What Nassau has is an abundance of color.  Beautiful Bahamian colors that span the spectrum of the rainbow, dazzle the eyes, and lift the spirit; while the colorful characters, who accentuate its populace, provide the entertainment.  

Highlights of our experiences here:

• Careening around the island on the Local #1 bus.  Hanging on for dear life as our neighboring passengers engage in conversation – very loudly – with their pedestrian friends.   Ken got a good chuckle out of the “No…” sign:  "No Drinking, No Smoking, No Swearing, No High Arm Odor”  -  and indeed, there was none that I could discern.  There are no hand pulls to let the driver know when you would like to disembark – you simply call out “Bus Stop!” and rush to the front and out the door, tossing fare to the driver on the way.  
• Strolling through the government area with its parliament buildings and well turned-out shops that cater to the cruise-ship crowd.  The beauty, fashion, high-end jewelers, and cleanliness end at what I can only assume is deemed to be the average distance walk-able by the average tourist originating from said cruise ships.  Abruptly, the Disney-fied ambiance screeches to a halt and abandoned buildings and the general disorder and dirt that mark this place take over once again. 
• The Christmas Boat Parade.  We were in luck to have front-row seats for our second holiday boat parade of the season.  It turns out Bahamians are pretty competitive and the dock next to our slip was filled with locals cheering on their favorite entries.  Meanwhile, the official party was taking place on a neighboring pier and the MC was loving every minute of having a microphone in hand.  Lots of loud music – none related to Christmas – punctuated an evening filled with an abundance of enthusiasm.   The boats were wildly decorated, in whatever fashion they liked, and one of the last boats even shot off some fireworks as it passed by, capping off the spectacle.
• Meeting up with cruiser, Peter Landis, whom we met at anchor in Hollywood, FL.  Peter came over for dinner last night and I found out that his family physician when growing up in Southern California was Dr. Henry Biehler.  We had a great conversation about diet, nutrition, and growing up unvaccinated and healthy.  While I know that most of you won’t get the reference, anyone of my colleagues who’s prescribed Biehler’s Broth to their patients will! 

Moving On

It’s evening and the winds are finally abating.  Skies are clear and the weather is looking promising for a solid week!  Provisions are stowed and last-minute presents are wrapped.  We are ready to move on!  Tomorrow morning we are headed to Warderick Wells Cay and the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  We’ll stay there through Christmas and then resume our journey south, with hopes of making Georgetown by Jeanette’s birthday (New Year’s Eve).  After three months of primarily adult company, she is chomping at the bit for some extended kid time, and she’s earned it!  We have been blessed with not only a wonderful daughter, but one who is also a great traveler and a good sport, willing to roll with our constantly changing plans.  I can hardly believe that she’s turning 10! 

We will likely be out of contact for a few days as we traverse the Exumas chain.   Whatever the sights and wonders we experience on Christmas Day, our thoughts will be with our family and friends.  Thank you for your e-mails and messages that connect us and warm our hearts from afar.  

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!