Early morning light in the ICW
Passing cruise ship in port
Carleigh, having been at a marina south of the cut (while we were north of the cut) had made their way to the same point. They had to wait to pass the cruise ship and I got a couple of photos of Clay and Rita-Kay on Carleigh beside the cruise ship and following us out of the cut.
Carleigh being dwarfed by the returning cruise ship
We passed one of several large cruise ships in port in Fort Lauderdale. Quite a sight to see this close up.
Two other boats would be crossing and staying in contact with us during the day - My Sharona, and Independence. They both had to stop and get fuel before leaving, so they were a little behind us. Cat’s Paw had to have some engine work done, so they would stay in Fort Lauderdale for a week or so and catch up with us later. The sea state was quite calm with swells of 5 feet with 9 second intervals. Mid morning we started to get a one foot wave chop from the East.
By noon, we were in sight of land in the form of Bimini Island. Our first year, we had stopped at this island and checked in through customs and immigration. This year we are passing Bimini and will reach Nassau around noon Monday and check in to customs there. By 1:30, we were passing off the tip of Bimini and had moved to an area of water known as the Great Bahama Bank. This is a huge area of shallower water, for the most part of the lea side of many of the Bahama islands. The water color turns from cobalt blue to a now familiar turquoise as it isn’t over 20 feet deep. Once on the Bahama Bank, the wave action slowed down to almost nothing and was even smoother.
Passing by the coast of Bimini
We continued into the evening past dark, stopping around 8:30. Our day was 127 miles – now the longest day of our cruising life – another record for us. We anchored out in a designated anchorage (on charts, as there are no visible markers) on the Bahama Bank. It is just you and the stars for the night. There was an ever so slight roll for the rest of the night, like the slow rocking of a cradle rocked by a loving mother’s hand. Carleigh, My Sharona, and Independence, were nearby.
Carleigh was second to anchor near us and about an hour later, Independence and My Sharona’s anchor lights appeared on the horizon behind Carleigh.
Moon at anchor on the Bahama Bank - beautifully calm
Morning view of our anchor in the clear water on the Bahama Bank
All the boats made the crossing safely. Only Wayne on My Sharona reported any engine trouble. He apparently has a slow leak that will need to be fixed once we reach Nassau. Carleigh went to the TPA Marina and the rest of us went into Nassau Harbor Club when we reached Nassau on Monday. Our goal was to get checked in through Customs and then head out to shop for our winter’s supply of Rum, for me to go to the Straw Market to purchase purses for all our girl’s (daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters,) birthday gifts, and to purchase a cell phone with local calling Sim card. Of course a check to see what is new in the jewelry stores was on my list also.
Lighthouse at entry to Nassau Harbor
Monday’s run into Nassau will also include passing over the “Tongue of the Ocean.” This is a part of the Atlantic Ocean that is very deep. It is a good place to fish and Independence and My Sharona were ready with their fishing gear. We decided that since our fridge was completely full, we would pass on this fishing opportunity as we had no place to keep the fish if we caught anything.
We were all up at 6 and all underway by 7 heading toward Nassau. That makes two mornings in a row that I saw a sunrise! Only happens when we are cruising – I miss all the others. When we are cruising, my morning alarm clock is the engines starting.
During the early morning, we passed Chub Cay. This is a lovely little island that has a struggling development and marina. Since it sits strategically between Florida and near the “Tongue of the Ocean,” it is used mostly by the sports fishing group. They have a number of lovely homes along the beach, and overlooking the marina, with a beautiful club house and infinity pool area. It is also serviced by a small private airfield. Nice marina – but very expensive to stop there.
By early afternoon, we were entering Nassau Harbor. Two large cruise ships were in town. We heard that the newest and largest cruise ship was to arrive in Nassau on Friday. I can’t imagine what the traffic would be like in that town when 6,000 arrive on one cruise ship! We went this time to the Nassau Harbor Club Marina, which is the last marina on the right as you go through the harbor between Nassau and Paradise Island where the large Atlantis Resort is. You can see the Atlantis resort buildings long before you see the island itself as you approach Nassau by water.
Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island
Cruise ships in port in Nassau
Bridges Over Nassau Harbor
By the time we were checked in to Immigration and Customs, it was about 4 in the afternoon. We had three missions to accomplish before stores closed at 5. We wanted to purchase a cell phone for use in the Bahamas, purchase our supply of rum for the winter, and make my annual trip to the Straw Market to purchase purses for all our girls. We also needed to be back for dinner with My Sharona, Independence, and Carleigh - and provide rice pilaf as our contribution. Given rush hour traffic, we both thought this was an impossible mission. We have never accomplished so much in so little time before in Nassau. Although we didn’t make it back till 5:45, it turned out that the rest of the folks weren’t all back yet either, so we had enough reprieve to each take a quick, badly needed, shower while the rice cooked.
That evening we talked about our successful crossing, a boat repair that My Sharona had to make to a leaky pipe, and the all important subject – weather. Our goal had to not be socked into Nassau through a period of bad weather, (like we had been last year). Since we had completed our shopping missions, we decided to leave Nassau and head further South with the goal of reaching Shroud Cay, one of the islands that is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, where we could pick up a mooring ball and ride out the next period of bad weather.
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