Update 12/21
Happy Holidays
Happy Chanukah
Merry Christmas
Happy New Year
We're in the Bahamas! As a geographical matter, we've been here since the afternoon of 12/8.
From 12/3 until the 8th we stayed in Miamarina in the heart of downtown Miami so that Maria could go to work, Christopher could go off and do teenage sorts of things, and we could stock the boat for the first part of our trip in the Bahamas while we waited for the elusive weather window.
Stocking up included having two of our CNG bottles refilled, filling our four water jerry jugs, filling three diesel jerry jugs, filling the jug for gasoline for the outboard, getting a supply of propane cylinders for the grill, and groceries, groceries, groceries.
Filling the CNG bottles was an adventure in itself. United Marine appears on the list of suppliers published by Corps Brothers, the distributor for our stove. A brief phone call to United led me to believe they were just a short dinghy ride up the Miami River across the road from the Las Americas Marina. Well, the round trip was closer to five miles along the blackest, most derelict stretch of water I have ever had the pleasure to visit. The river is the home to a large number of very interesting tramp, coastal freighters that ply the waters of the Caribbean and Central America. Never before have I seen such a collection of rust buckets looking so unseaworthy. The river is also home to a collection of really rundown working boatyards and the Miami fishing fleet. By comparison to what I saw in Miami, the watermen on Chesapeake Bay are running luxury liners.
Of course I should mention the US Customs user fee decal. US flagged vessels that leave the country and return are supposed to buy this decal each year. I'm not sure of the function of this decal in the 'clearing-in' process upon our return, but rather than beg the question next spring I included this item in our pre-trip planning. I tried to buy the decal in the summer before we left, but Customs returned my check explaining that the decals for 2001 were not yet available. In Miami it took phone calls to four different Customs offices before I was able to learn that the decal is sold at the Port of Miami facility on Dodge Island. On the morning that I decided to take care of this I mounted one of our trusty bicycles and headed across the bridge to Dodge Island. The directions I was given by the Customs agent went only so far as "Just come across the bridge; we're right there." To begin with, their office isn't just over the bridge. He also didn't tell me about the toll booth and security check. After stopping by the police station on Dodge Island I was cleared to go through the security check and did find the Customs office. Since there was no reception desk, no signs directing users to the different offices, and a lengthy line at the only service window, I was sure that I would be in for an ordeal. A Customs officer did wonder by and one of the other more impatient persons in the queue stopped him. We all got our questions in before he wandered off. When I found the desk selling the decals they reacted to me as though I was a Martian. In the end I returned with my decal. Do all of the cruising boats going to the Bahamas go through this?
Our Miami activities included trips to South Beach, Miami Beach, the movies, etc. Miami is not really a tourist center in the sense of, say, Charleston. Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad place to wait for the weather.
On 12/7 the wind shifted unexpectedly to the east and waves in the Gulf Stream were reported to be about 3 feet. By mid afternoon it was clear that we should have left that morning since NOAA said our next window wouldn't come until Monday (12/11), maybe. Given the weather events, we resolved to head down to "No-name Harbor" at the south end of Key Biscayne and catch the next opportunity. Low and behold, on Friday morning NOAA was forecasting a repeat of the day before with light wind from the northeast and E on succeeding days. We quickly got the dinghy up on deck, paid our Marina bill and headed out Government Cut.
Incidentally, the advice from the cruising guides is that one waits until the weather forecast for a two or three day window has winds only from SE through SW, with nary a whisper of winds between 270o and 90o. Indeed, this is the case if you are only willing to sail in mill pond conditions. But we had been listening carefully to the weather since Thanksgiving, a two week period, and hadn't seen such a window. And the NOAA forecast was for four more days of the same. Since the same stationary trough was sitting over the northern Bahamas and was showing no signs of moving we were growing impatient. In our two weeks of listening to NOAA twice per day, and intermittently before that, we had learned that the Gulf Stream could be manageable in an east wind.
Initially the waves outside of Gov't Cut were pretty sloppy, but things became more regular as we headed on. Our course took us first to the south east to the western edge of the Gulf Stream, then east through the Stream, then SE again as we approached the Great Bahama Bank. Even though the wind was light and from the east we were able to fly the genoa on the first leg, then actually sailed on the leg across the Gulf Stream. Even though our course over the ground was north of east and the wind was from the east, the Gulf Stream current is so fast that the boat had to be oriented SE so our genoa was really pulling. Between the speed of the Gulf Stream, our engine, and the genoa, our speed over the ground for our crossing to the Bank was more than 8 knots.
We were on the Bank by early afternoon. Once on the bank there was no wind at all. The temperature was decidedly warmer and more humid than Miami. The 12 feet of water over the pure white sand was crystal clear. The whole effect was quite magical. As we motored and tried to sail across the Bank the kids were able to pick out starfish on the bottom. They sited flying fish skimming across the surface of the water. There was even a shark swimming lazily along looking for her dinner. During one of the short periods that we were able to sail there was a bit of rain which we collected for later dishwashing as it ran off the bimini. About 6 PM we glided to a stop and dropped the anchor so that we could have a short rest and cook dinner. After dinner we continued on for a few more hours to 25o 38.5' N and 78o 34.3' W, about 15 miles short of the Northwest Channel light, where we anchored for the night. Basically this is the middle of nowhere. Through the night the wind built to 15-20 knots from the the Northeast, enough to build some waves. Worse yet, the current was running crossways to the wind. Whew, what an awful night. Sleep was almost impossible.
On the morning of 12/9 we got up with first light, weighed anchor and continued on under sail. We sailed on a close reach or close hauled all the way to Chub Cay, arriving there about 2 PM. To clear Bahamian Customs at Chub Cay one must tie up in the marina at a cost of $25. This is applied to the overnight dockage fee if you take a slip. It didn't take a lot of thought to figure this one out. The showers were especially welcome after our long trip from Miami.
On 12/10 we left the marina and anchored outside with a couple of other boats. That afternoon Diana (6 yrs old) had her first snorkeling experience. The whole journey to that point was worth it just to see and hear her reaction to the undersea world. She had seen starfish, fish and stingrays in aquariums, but this was the first time she was actually swimming in their water with them. It was such a nice place that we decided to stay another day. On 12/11 Christopher and I took the dinghy over to Mama Rhoda Rocks for what is billed as some of the best snorkeling in the Bahamas. It lives up to the billing.
The night of 12/10 was a little rolly in the anchorage as the wind moved toward the SE. By the night of 12/11 it was getting pretty uncomfortable. A look at the chart showed that Frazer's Hog Cay, really the east end of Chub Cay, should be protected from the SE winds by Bird Cay, Whale Cay and some large shoals so we decided to go over there for a night. We ended up staying three nights at Frazer's Hog, and not because it was especially nice. Indeed, the wind and/or waves kept us on the boat for the entire period. The current through the anchorage was so swift that we didn't even dare go for a swim. After sitting there most of Tuesday and all of Wednesday we did try to cross to Nassau on Thursday (12/14). The wind on Thursday was only 20 knots in the anchorage so we set off under double reefed main and partially furled genoa. By the time we got out 8 miles Diana, Christopher and Maria were seasick from waves running to well over 5 feet, the wind was up to 26 knots apparent and shifting so that we couldn't even make landfall at the western end of New Providence. It was back to Frazer's Hog Cay. Our experience confirms the cruising guide advice that the water from the Berry Islands to New Providence can be pretty nasty.
Friday morning the wind in our anchorage was 22 knots! Woe is me. But as the morning sun warmed the air the wind speed dropped to 18 knots so we decided to try again; under double reefed main and only a little bit of the genoa rolled out. The waves turned out to be lower than the day before, we never saw an apparent wind speed over 22 knots, and no one was seasick. All in all, it was a good trip over to New Providence. Given the wind direction and waves running up to five feet, we eschewed Nassau for West Bay, although we could see four or five other boats slogging dead into the wind from Chub Cay trying to make Nassau. The cruising guides didn't have much good to say about West Bay, but some other sailors at Chub Cay had told us that it was really under rated. They were right. If you don't need groceries or fuel, then West Bay is a great destination. The holding is good in sand in the southeast corner of the bay. It is protected from winds anywhere between 0o and 180o. It was such a nice place after our three days at Frazer's Hog Cay that we spent two nights there. We were able to swim and go for a walk on shore and Christopher got his wind surfer in the water. Also, we wanted to wait for more favorable winds for the trip around to Nassau.
On 12/17 we left West Bay for Nassau. What a day! We had 15 knots of wind from just the right direction the whole way and made more than 7 knots over the ground. The seas were almost flat, just the barest hint of a swell. It was one of those days that sailors pray for. By mid-day we were anchored in Nassau harbor and headed into town to enjoy the sights and sounds of a new city. Just by luck we were able to take in the Bahamas Police Marching Band performance on Rawson Square. They are in such demand that they only perform in Nassau at Christmas and Easter. We consider ourselves very lucky.
It is now 12/21. We are at the Nassau Harbor Club Marina, where we'll stay until after Christmas. We are staying here so we can do some Christmas shopping for the kids and participate in Junkanoo. There is also the problem of groceries. Four people eat a lot of food and we haven't been to the grocery store for nearly two weeks. Nassau is a very busy, frenetic, and dirty place; but I like it at least as much as I enjoyed the quiet anchorage at West Bay.
In our darkest moments of being shaken, not stirred, on the Great Bahama Bank, then being rocked and rolled at Chub Cay, then being stuck on the boat at Frazer's Hog Cay for three days, I couldn't help but wonder whether this is fun. Let me be a cassandra for those of you dreaming of a similar trip. Basically we are camping in a floating plastic bottle that is almost constantly in motion. It is crowded with four of us on board; imagine a family of four living in a space equivalent to your kitchen. There is no such thing as running down to 7-11 for a quart of milk. Hardware stores and grocery stores are seldom within an easy walk of the waterfront. Even the marine stores are often located at quite a distance from the boats that they serve! There isn't a gas station on every corner; fuel consumption gets deliberate consideration. The resources that we take for granted in our homes, water and electricity, are in short supply on the boat. We had forgotten what it is like to rely on laundromats. In short, all of a household's everyday activities are a hassle. But with the possible exception of the day we went under 20 bridges north of Ft Lauderdale, the experience of the trip has been worth every inconvenience.
One aspect of the trip that I haven't mentioned is the wide variety of water color. The water in Chesapeake Bay is a muddy brown in the north to a green-brown down at the mouth of the Bay. Long stretches of the ICW are a tannin red. On our offshore passage from Charleston to northern Florida the water changed from gun metal gray to a very dark blue. In southern Florida there a few places on the ICW near the inlets where the water is deep and the bottom is sand, combining to make the water an incredible emerald green. The deep ocean water of the Gulf Stream and between Chub Cay and New Providence is an incredible cobalt blue. And then there is the swimming pool blue of the water when it stands about 6 to 20 feet over white sand bottom, or the shallower water that goes from a light emerald green to a near white. It has been a feast for the eyes.
On the weather. We've been here for 14 days; hardly seems possible. During that time we've experienced a wide variety of weather. During the first five days there was a stationary trough over the north central Bahamas with a high pressure over southern Florida. This produced the high humidity, high winds and rough seas that we experienced in Chub and Frazer's Hog Cay. Once the front moved through and we went on to West Bay the weather was magnificent: 10-15 knot breeze, less humidity, high temperature in the neighborhood of 80 F. The second night we were in Nassau a cold front moved through very quickly with another weaker one right behind it. Right now a second trough has moved slowly through the NW Bahamas and is now just south of Nassau. In conjunction with the passage of this trough we had lots of rain yesterday and winds of 18 to 26 knots out of the NE this morning (12/23). Just a note on wind speed: Winds of 10-15 knots are a pleasant breeze. Add 5 knots to that and the wind feels like it is really blowing. And 25 knots feels more than proportionately stronger than 20 knots. On average the cold fronts are rolling down out of the southeast U.S. every 3-4 days. Hey, why don't you guys keep your weather up there?