Stuck in Nassau

Two things seem to happen whenever we pull into a marina.  First the estimated departure date is never realised and we always end up staying much longer than anticipated for one reason or another and secondly, the cash burn intensifies.

We are in the marina at Nassau.  Had hoped to get out yesterday but the weather is not playing ball.  Its not bad as such but its blowing approx 20kts from the east which is the direction we want to go.  They say there may be a slight moderation on Friday so that is what we are aiming for.  The 20kt conditions are easily within the capabilities of boat and crew but if we can wait for a couple of days and get lighter conditions then the trip will be a lot more comfortable.  Saying that we see yachts pulling out each morning heading for the Exumas and so we get itchy feet.  Scott especially gets very impatient to leave almost as soon as we arrive.

Nassau and New Providence (the island Nassau sits on) is an interesting place.  It used to be the home of the pirates in the great days of the privateers and buccaneers.  All the famous names have an association with Nassau i.e. Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham etc.  They used Nassau as a base from which to launch their activities.  It was a pretty lawless place. Eventually after the european powers stopped warring for a while the British decided they had no more use for a bunch of hired guns who harrasses all maritime commerce and so sent over a bloke called Woodes Rogers to bring order to the place.  He offered everyone a pardon and as you could imagine the first few years were a bit of a mess and there were a few hangings for those who could not give up their primary source of employment.  After a few years order was restored and it became a British Colony.  

Conch Seller in Nassau

Enough of the history.  We are about 2km east of the town centre proper but between us and the town centre are marinas and businesses.  The area around us is not the prettiest but for us its good as there is a shopping centre across the road and the marina has laundry and a pool.  We have been into town a couple of times and the centre is geared up for the arrival of the cruise ships.  Generally there are 2, 3 or 4 ships in at a time all with primarily US passengers disgorged for a shopping frenzy or to indulge in any of the many water based sightseeing tours.  As a result the small centre is pleasant enough although there is nothing outstanding - usual shops, usual hawkers etc.  Outside of the centre the areas are a lot more run down and the roads are rough and there are few sidewalks.  Generally it seems again like Bimini that investment has just stopped and that as a result maintenance work is very limited.

Nassau Main Street

  Its hard to get a real handle on how to describe Nassau outside the centre.  There are not many high rise buildings most being one or two storey.  The colour scheme is pastels for all the buildings which looks very Caribbean.  Every now and then a you get glimpses of the past which makes the walking interesting:  you come across an old building from the colonial times which will be nestled amonst palm trees and beautiful gardens or there will be a old ruin, maybe just a wall with Bouganvillea of different colours running wild across it or a church yard with gravestones from the 1850’s inscribed with elegant eulogies written in 18th century English.  I guess in Nassua its great to see these gems but to a certain extent they are surrounded by urban decay which takes away a bit from the experience.

Occasional Gem

We hired a car and toured the island on Monday.  There was not a huge amount to see but at the east and west ends of the island outside the city are the affluent residential areas with magnificent homes built on the shoreline.  There is a lot of development going on so maybe the investment is starting again.  Outside of Nassau there is a feel of Bali; there is a lot of litter lying all around, the roads are filled with dented cars and minibuses, a lot of the business signs seem to be from the 1950‘s, lots of locals walking at the side of the road and the shops are small family type businesses. The Bahamas is probably a more affluent area than Bali but it still looks like life would be pretty tough for most and prices are not that cheap.  Saying that though all the people are friendly enough although in Nassau there is definitely a “hussle” edge to the atmosphere.

Graveyard 

So all in all we are glad we did spend the time to have a look around but we are all ready to move on.  One bonus is that we have managed to press ahead with the schooling.  Nic spoke to another family on a yacht with kids a couple of slips over and was relieved to hear that they also find it difficult to find the time for the schooling.  So it appears that it is not just a shortcoming of the Anderson College.

Dulcinea in Nassau

We have met and chatted to a few of the other yachts alongside us in the marina and everyone is very friendly.  Most are older couples heading south into the Exumas for the winter.  Everyone is really helpful giving us info on where to go, the weather and what to look out for, so as a source of information for us its great.  We even caught up with a yacht called Magic which we were moored next to in Charleston.  Its always nice to run into familiar faces.  Everywhere we go Dulcinea gets its fair share of appreciatve onlookers.  Partly this is because of her size as generally the cruising boats are around the 40 to 50ft range so we are bigger than most but also her design and proportions just look right and the condition or her makes people believe the boat is much younger than it is. 

Our overall timetable has been revised over the last couple of weeks.  We were trying for the Panama canal by May but that was a bit unrealistic if we wanted to see much of the West Indies so  we have decided to spend all of 2013 in the Caribbean.  We will try and get down to the island of Grenada by September and then stop there for a break for three months.  Plan is to move ashore for that time and get the annual refit works carried out on the boat ready for an offing towards Panama in Dec or Jan.  This means that we will not end up finishing the trip now until the end of 2014.  Everyone is happier with this plan and will probably be ready for a spell ashore by September.  Only concern is that we will be in the Caribbean now for the Hurricane season so due care and attention needs to be paid to this.

Hopefully we get out on Friday and will be able to send the next post from Georgetown in the Exumas.  The plan is to be there by next Wednesday to pick up Beth our next guest/crew member.