Bahama Mama Spits The Dummy

Happy New Year to all.  We spent it anchored in a bay with the wind howling around us and were in bed by 9 O’clock - real party animals us cruisers.

So its all over for another year and once again its a bit of a relief.  It was good for us to catch up with our family in Bimini especially for the kids who were inseparable for the entire duration.  For us however it was not as relaxing as we envisaged.  The issues with quayside depth near the house meant that Scott had to be ever vigilant about the tide and had to shift the boat closer or further from the dock a a couple of times a day.  In addition there were some jobs on the boat which had to be done - changing all the fuel filters on the engine and genset, a sail repair on the Genoa and a few other bits and pieces which while they could be put off are good to get done when time is available.

Running repairs to the genoa

We took everyone out for a sail on X-mas eve and anchored off a nearby Cay to have a barbeque.  Weather was perfect and think everyone really enjoyed the day.  We put out some lines on the sail back hoping to hook something for dinner but alas there was only one bite just as we were returning to Bimini.  Lars hooked an angry barracuda which escaped off the hook just as we were trying to land him.  So Christmas dinner the next day consisted of some leftovers.  Luckily we had bought some lobster in Port Lucaya also.  Anyway everyone enjoyed themselves regardless.  The rest of the week was spent relaxing either in the house or at the pools nearby or exploring the beaches.  There is no real town in Bimini to have a wander.  The weather was generally sunny but windy also which was not ideal.

Bahamian Christmas Tree

The Bimini Bunch

On Friday 28th Dec we said our goodbyes to the family and they all flew off back to New York.  We heard later that the day after they arrived they got 5” of snow.  We spent the day anchored off the house packing up the boat and finishing off odd jobs in preparation to departing.  In the afternoon after buying some lobster and conch from “Mike” who came around the boat with his wares we staged around to the beach off North Bimini and got a few hours sleep.  At 10:00pm we weighed anchor and set sail for the Berry Islands.  The Bahamas sit on and around a few very shallow, very big banks.  The water goes from 100’s of meters deep top just a few meters over these banks and the banks are 30 to 40 miles across.  The water depth over the banks generally make it unsuitable for a vessel carrying Dulcinea’s draft so even though the Berry islands lay due east we had to sail North first to get up and around the bank (Great Bahama Bank).  The sail North was perfect - a warm evening with 12 to 15 kts of breeze on the beam.  Only had one incident when a sportfishing boat out for the night motored over to have a look at us.  Never know if they have seen you or not and at night it is pretty uncomfortable when other vessels come in close.

When we rounded the top of the bank however and started our run South East for the Berry Island the weather kicked up a bit and the seas picked up until we were sailing into 20kts and a really nasty short chop.  We spent an uncomfortable 10hrs beating towards our destination which was an anchorage at the north end of the Berry Islands called Great Harbour, eventually reaching it in the early afternoon.  Great Harbour may be a great harbour if you draw less than 6ft but for us we had to anchor in a pretty exposed location.  

Once we got anchored, emotions were running a bit high as Scott had been up all night and Nic was pretty shook up from the pounding sail we had just experienced.  The option of packing it all in was raised seriously for the first time - more of a knee jerk reaction to the previous night I guess and a natural release of tension from the last few months.  The rough patches seem to act as a touchstone to any simmering discord and the moments after are a time for venting all our frustrations.  Nic has never been comfortable with any of the rough sailing to a point of being scared and so it is a real challenge for her when the weather builds.  Scott, while not enjoying the rough patches has faith in the boat.  He is very conscious however of his limited experience and ability and begins to have doubts as to whether he has bitten off more than he can chew.  Having the kids onboard just heightens the concerns felt by all.  

There is no doubt that there will be some more rough patches ahead but the key will be to minimise them as far as possible.  One of the main issues here is weather forecasting.  The route we are following for the next three months i.e. through the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands is essentially against the prevailing winds which are easterly.  There are fronts which move through and provide shifting patterns which can be taken advantage of but you need to understand what is happening.  If you can get a handle on the weather and take your time its possible to have a comfortable passage (called the “thornless route”).  Whilst we have the time Scott still needs to get a good handle on the weather.  He is trying and has all the necessary information but its now a matter of interpretation and then implementation.  Unfortunately if you get it wrong you are really going to know it.  The size of Dulcinea also limits contingency options available for us in many places around here.  

Luckily tempers cooled after a while and we agreed that we should carry on.  We settled down to wait out the passage of the front at the anchorage for the next two days.  For us anchoring in the Bahamas is always a stressful time because of the depth issues.  We are always feeling our way into anchorages and are lucky to get more than a meter below our keel at MLW if we want to be in any sort of shelter.  Part of this is the geography of the islands and part is probably the inexperience of the captain and crew.  We are all learning all the time.  We had to move around the anchorage as the weather shifted.  The really sheltered part of the anchorage was off limits to us due to our draft which was pretty infuriating.  Whilst the ground tackle (anchor and chain) has proved very dependable we are always anxious if anchored with 30kts of wind and a chop making Dulcinea dance around on the water.  Just never know when something could let go.

So that how we spent New years Eve.  Hunkered down in the boat waiting for the weather to abate.  We prepared the conch we had bought in Bimini for dinner and had one G&T before calling it a year.

Nicole vs Conch

On Tuesday when the weather had abated a bit we shifted to a more sheltered spot about 5 miles down the coast off an island called Hawksnest Cay.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  The weather eased off altogether and we spent the next couple of days just relaxing on the boat, swimming and in the afternoons visiting the nearby Cays to explore the shoreline and play soccer on the beach with the kids.  In the evenings after dinner we would manage a couple of family games before an early night.  This was great for the whole family after the emotional high earlier in the week.

Island Life

The weather during the day was sunny and warm with some breeze and at night it would be still.  Scott and Sam slept on deck one night for the first time.  The water is that clear that sometimes you look over the side and if there are no ripples its like you are just suspended in mid air over the bottom.  The bay was huge and there were only two other boats in it.  On the west side was the main island of Haines Cay with a few holiday house dotted on the shore but they looked largely vacant.  On the other side of Haines is the main town on the island but there is no evidence of it from where we were.  On the East side is Hawksnest Cay which provides the shelter from the ocean swell and easterly breeze and to the North is another small island called Petit Cay giving us further protection.  All the Cays are low lying but have many trees on them and other thick scrubby vegitation.  One afternoon we went ashore and walked all around Hawksnest Cay.  The shore is littered with coral and shells and other seabound debris.  The ocean side is rough and rugged while the bay side is a beautiful tranquil beach.  On all the beaches you find these beautiful conch shells.  Most are damaged in some way but many of the newer ones still have the amazing pink colour inside them.

First nights sleep on deck - not as a result of earlier tensions

The last night at anchor around sunset a pod of dolphins appeared in the bay.  There must have been about twenty of them cruising around, jumping and playing.  They came over close to Dulcinea for a look before surfing in front of a big 80ft yacht which was just pulling into the bay.  That night was so calm there was not a breath of wind and we just hung in the water motionless with the anchor chain straight up and down.

Stunning sunrise - Hawksnest cay

The next morning (Thursday 3rd) with the weather still flat calm we set off at 0400 and motored towards new Providence Island and Nassau.  After a 6 hr passage we carefully threaded our way around the north of the island through various shallow spots between the islands and reefs and pulled into the Nassau Harbour Club marina.  Coming into Nassau is amazing.  There are opulent residences with immaculate lawns leading down to private docks in turquoise water on the exclusive islands near Nassua.  Nassua itself is a busy port and we counted four massive cruise ships tied up at the docks further down the harbour.  We were told that the pen allocated to us was 20ft wide and Dulcinea has a beam of 17ft but when we went to berth it felt like the pen was about 17.1ft wide.  Anyway we shoehorned ourselves into the pen secured our lines without too much damage.

Plan is now to have a look around Nassau for the next few days.  Nassau is a fairly big town dominated by the tourist trade and centered around the cruise ships.  It has a lot of history especially surrounding the buccaneers and pirates who used to roam around here.   We will take a few days to explore and stock up and then head onto the Exumas - a island chain about 30 miles from here and stretching South for almost 100miles.  We have our next passenger/crew member to pick up in a place called Georgetown at the south of the island chain around the middle of Jan.