Nassau

Entering Nassau Harbor

Nassau Harbor

We traveled to Nassau on Easter Monday and tied up at the Nassau Harbor Club.  We walked out to the street and were surprised to find bumper to bumper traffic and pedestrians crowding the sidewalks.  What’s going on?  Turned out there was a political rally and half of Providence Island turned out to attend it.  I regret not getting pictures of the mayhem…but here's a link to a picture of the rally, so just imagine all those people in red shirts clogging the main street.

The next morning we re-provisioned the boat, and after stowing everything we put on our swim suits and hopped a cab to Atlantis to experience their water park,"Aquaventure."

Atlantis is a lot like Vegas, except relaxed.  They both have glamorous shops, casino games, and overpriced drinks; but at Atlantis everyone is in resort wear or bathing suits. 

The water park was awesome!!!  Lots of slides, a (not so) lazy river, multiple aquariums, and delicious rum punches.

Our ride back to the marina was quite entertaining as well.  Our driver was HILARIOUS!  He had some good jokes an infectious laugh.  He even taught us some Bahamian phrases to try out.  ^_^

Crossing the Banks to Chub Cay

The trip from Bimini to Chub Cay required an overnight passage across the banks so that we would have daylight when both departing and arriving for navigation purposes. 

The forecast was promising, good wind and light seas, but around 1am the wind built up and so did the swell and we were soon getting soaked with spray.  Inside the cabin water was dribbling down the walls and one wave crashed right into the starboard dorade vent, giving the illusion that it was raining inside.  I was kept pretty busy below with towels mopping up and noting where water was coming in.  

We had been caught in the early arrival of a frontal system that brought with it two squalls and 8' seas.  Pointing hard into the seas we passed the entrance to Chub Cay, then  doubling back we ran with the sea as we entered the harbor. 

We made it to the Chub Cay Marina around 10:30am and the stability of a floating dock was most welcome.  After rinsing the boat and showering we took a much deserved nap.  ^_^

We spent the next day recovering from the passage, washing salty sheets, rinsing sails, and cleaning water from under hatches. 

After two nights at the marina we decided to travel in the company of another sailboat and try anchoring to save some money (Chub Cay Marina is $$$$).  We tried out two anchorages, but neither had good holding so we continued on to the Berry Island Club’s mooring field and grabbed a ball.  We were gearing up to take the dogs to shore when Ransom said, “I think our mooring just snapped!”  “You’re not serious,” I replied, but after looking around and getting my bearings I realized we were indeed adrift.  We started the engine, detached the ball and grabbed another mooring.  However, after sitting on the second mooring for an hour we realized we were better off at the marina, so at 6pm we untied and hauled back to safe harbor.  Imagine if our mooring snapped while we were sleeping!!!

S/V Bye Polar

Charles Squintsanblinks

It was a wise choice to leave that mooring field, turns out we were the second boat to snap a mooring that week!  Further down the islands we ran into other sailors with similar stories concerning uncomfortable conditions in the Berry Island Club’s mooring field.  One couple remembered us from that day and congratulated us on leaving; they said their night was filled with the sound of mooring ball banging on their hull.  Another said that he was constantly doing 360’s around his…a bit stressful.

We spent Easter Sunday on the beach with the dogs and good books…not a bad way to celebrate the rebirth of spring.

Chub Cay beach

Prints in the sand

Relaxing in the shade with a good book

Beach Debris

Miami to Bimini

Sunrise over the Atlantic

 

Oh Miami, thank you for the hospitality, but it’s time to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini.

We woke at 5am and by 6am we were out of the marina and on our way to the Bahamas!!!

Goodbye Miami!

We left Miami before the sun was up!

 

The crossing was easy, a nice long period swell with a light breeze made for a comfortable ride.

We weren’t able to fully sail, but the mainsail caught some wind for stability.

We arrived in Bimini ~2:20pm and Captain Ransom went ashore to clear us with customs and immigration. 

Before leaving Bradenton we jumped through some hoops to get papers for the dogs and ensure that they could come with us.  However, when Ransom produced the “required paperwork” the lady at customs waved him away and said, “I don’t need to see that.”  Oh well, if we didn’t have the proper documentation it would have been horrible to be turned away after traveling so far.

On our second day we packed a cooler with ice and Kaliks and headed to the beach.  The sand is so soft and there is a nice berm on the beach, so we dug out some chairs and watched the ships go by.

I cannot express how great it feels to finally be here in the islands!  We set a goal and attained it and now we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Rei in front of some ruins

Wrecked ship

Bimini beach...There are a lot of ruins on the south side of the island that are probably a result of a hurricane.  I don't know why we didn't get pictures of the town...

Wrecked ship

Silhouette

Bimini sunset

Bimini sunset

Miami

We stayed in the marine stadium for 3 days and then moved over to the Miami Beach Marina in South Beach.



Sunset



The anchorage in the marine stadium had both pros and cons.

The best part about staying here was Virginia Key, an island to the east that no one goes to with a beautiful trail.  It was perfect for the dogs.  ^_^

The downside of staying here is it isn’t easy to go to shore to the west.  There isn’t a dock and the beaches are a bit sketchy since the tide flux is extreme, you could either end up high and dry far from the water’s edge or floating a short swim away. 

Also, the boat was constantly besieged by crew teams training, so there was a lot of shouting and wake from the coaches in their john boats.

So annoying

We were able to make it to shore, however, and spent a day at the Miami Seaquarium, one of the most awesome places EVER.  Better than Sea World, seriously, take your kids, they will love it.

They had two shows featuring atlantic bottlenose dolphins flipping and leaping out of the water, a show with an orca whale and pacific white-sided dolphins with lots of splash action, and a seal and sea lion show with hilarious antics.  In addition there were lots of critters to look at: fishes, manatees, gators, crocs, turtles, sharks, tarpon, and even some deer!

The "Flipper Show":

"Top Deck Dolphin Show":

"Killer Whale Show":

"Golden Dome Sea Lion Show":

Critters!:

The South Beach marina was ok…they didn’t have floating docks and the sea wall did little to stop the surge of the passing cargo and cruise ships traveling through the inlet, sending us into a very persistent roll.  However, it was easy to get around and we were able to get the things we needed before heading to the Bahamas.

Thursday night we headed west via taxi to the FIU campus to see our friend David and watch a taping of American Ninja Warrior.  For those of you unfamiliar with Ninja Warrior it is a Japanese show where contestants compete for glory by racing through and obstacle course where upper body strength is ~90% of the challenge.  It was awesome!!!

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were spent around the town collecting items for our trip and seeing the city.  We even took in a movie!  (The Hunger Games, go see it, it’s probably the best movie out so far this year)