The cruise to Norman’s Cay went smoothly and we arrived by 3 P.M., time enough to put the dinghy in the water for what may be the last time this winter, and headed out to a beach on the island that received waves from the sound (thus meaning it might be a good spot for shells.) Bob is so ready to stop looking for shells! I, on the other hand, can’t seem to stop looking. We found a nice collection of small shells and then found a place where the waves were calm and laid down in the surf one last time to enjoy the water. The water temps are now like bath water and getting warmer every day, we really hate to leave.
This is the largest Sunrise Tellin I have ever found.
The next morning, Bob listened to Chris Parker, our weather guy, and it still looks reasonably calm enough to head on to Nassau. We had sent a message to our friends on Carleigh, Clay and Rita-Kay, who we had not seen since we left Staniel Cay heading south, to let them know we were coming into Nassau and they arranged a slip at the TPA Marina where they are. Rita-Kay and I will have Friday to do a little shopping and Bob will resupply boat stores of rum and get some more fishing lures. We plan to fish crossing the Gulf on the way back.
Arriving into Nassau on a hazy day.
Passed a group of people on a day trip snorkeling trip just outside of the Nassau channel.
Atlantis
Mail boats in for loading at Potter's Cay
We are in the company of many of our boating friends that are heading back north now as well. Insurance requirements are the reason for everyone leaving the Bahamas at this time as hurricane season arrives mid June. We have to be back north of Cape Hattaras by June 15th.
We arrived at Nassau around 1:30 to greet our friends Rita-Kay and Clay on Carleigh at the TPA Marina. From all the communication on the radio, a whole lot of other cruisers we know are arriving or all ready in port in Nassau. Jim and Janie on Pirate arrived shortly after us and docked behind us at TPA. We will have our own Cinco d Mayo Party on the docks!
Our biggest surprise was that our friends Dennis and Bettye on Son of a Sailor, who had just arrived in the Bahamas (they had not been able to come till very late due to family responsibilities) were at a nearby marina. We had really missed Dennis and Bettye this year and were so tickled that we would get to see them and catch up.
Bob giving Bettye a bear hug welcome.
Bettye, Bob and Rita-Kay in group hug
Penny, Rita-Kay and Bettye
That evening (and the next) Dennis and Bettye, Clay and Rita-Kay, and Bob and I ate at Seafront Sushi a wonderful Sushi restaurant across the street from TPA. Not only is it convenient, it is some of the best sushi we’ve ever had. It was so much fun to catch up with both all of them.
Rita-Kay, Janie, and I did a quick trip downtown to the Straw Market the day we arrived and Rita-Kay, Bettye, and I took our time shopping the next day downtown and treated ourselves to lunch! It isn’t often when you are cruising with your spouse in a country that has few shops in the out islands, do you get to have a day of shopping with women friends. We all thoroughly enjoyed the company!
Our last night in Nassau, Clay and Bob found out that there was a local “Rack and Scrape” band playing across the street from the marina, so Rita-Kay, Clay, Bob and I went over to listen and dance one last time to Bahamian music. We had a blast!
Saw player in the Rake and Scrape style band.
Bob and I with a friendly local Bahamian woman
Me dancing with a member of the band
Bob and I and Rita-Kay and Clay at the Rake and Scrape
The weather on Saturday and Sunday was predicted to be very calm and we decided to make a break for it and head for the states. We left early Saturday morning. Clay was up early to help us throw off the lines.
There was a dark cloud over Nassau, but sunny and almost cloudless everywhere else. Made for some pretty photos anyway.
Atlantis on our way out of Nassau
Atlantis building
Nassau skyline and harbor
Not sure why anyone would build a house on a dock in Nassau Harbor, or why the Nassau Harbor Control let them do it. It is still lived in.
Nassau Port Control Tower
Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island side of Nassau Harbor
Straw Market where locals sell Bahamian handcrafts and fake designer purses.
New Straw Market that should be operating soon.
Looking back at Atlantis and the Harbor lighthouse marker
We fished both Saturday and Sunday. Something hit and took a lure off one line, but other than that, we had no luck catching a single fish.
The water was so calm, I took this photo of the bottom when we were underway at about 7 knots.
Gun Cay Light where we anchored for the night before making the crossing to the US the next day.
Sunday, we arrived in Fort Lauderdale inlet. Arriving on a weekend is always tricky as there are so many pleasure cruisers on the Intracoastal Waterway and going in and out of the inlet. Unfortunately, they are not always courteous. Two express cruisers – one going in and one going out – both swamped us and rocked the boat the refrigerator and freezer doors opened and food came crashing out everywhere on to the floor! What a mess I had to clean up. Luckily nothing much broke open.
Fort Lauderdale skyline
Cruise ship port in Fort Lauderdale
We planned to stay at the same marina that our friends Mac and Shirley on Cat’s Paw spent the winter at called Loggerhead Marina in Hollywood. Mac and the doc hands were waiting for us. The only place they had for us was an inside slip all the way to the end that required a turn to back in. It was very tricky, but Captain Bob did an excellent job of handling it with his joy stick controller topside. Dockhands always get a kick out of seeing him use that to dock the boat.
Shirley has been having medical treatments all winter and battling cancer. She is fighting this disease as hard as she can. As a result, we missed them terribly this winter as Shirley is our “organizer.” It was so good to see them and see how good Shirley is doing. We hope she progresses well and is able to make the trip to the Bahamas next winter.
Dinner with Mac and Shirley
We left early Monday and decided since it was so calm in the straits outside in the Florida coast, that we would go north a day on the outside. Since that stretch of the ICW is loaded with bridges that require opening for us to pass, it would save us a lot of time. We decided to out past the three mile limit (because we do not have Florida Fishing Licenses) and put our lines in and see if we could catch anything – again nothing!
We entered back in to the ICW at the St. Lucie Inlet and stopped for the night at Vero Beach City Marina. When we entered the mooring field, we spotted Blew Moon moored there and waved at Gail and Houston, folks we had met in George Town and joined them on their boat with some other folks after we were settled. em c
We soon found the boat covered in what we thought were maybe May Flies, but later heard them called "Love Bugs." Luckily, they slowly died down by the time we reach Palm Coast and were replaced by white butterflies!
Love Bugs all over the boat.
Vero Beach Municipal Mooring field
When we entered, a pod of porpoises followed us and played alongside. They were quite the welcoming committee! They circled the boat and played with us while we got our ropes tied to the mooring ball as well. How fun!
The next morning we were up and underway by 7:30. We realized that some bugs that had been in the mooring field, had hitchhiked a ride on the boat and to our surprise were mating all over the boat and windows! Many were still there long into the afternoon.
Passing our friends on Blew Moon in the morning as we leave Vero Beach
One of the beautiful homes we passed in Vero Beach on the ICW
Another gorgeous home on the ICW
It grew steadily hazier as the afternoon progressed making a photo of the NASA Verticle Assembly Building pretty hard to take, and an incredibly lazy day on the ICW. This part of the ICW is the Indian River too. It is a very wide river and you must use binoculars to see buildings on the shore clearly on either side. I should have gotten out my jewelry-making supplies and gotten to work!
NASA Vertical Assembly Building taken from the ICW on a hazy day.
After anchoring beside Titusville, FL for the night, we were up and underway at 7 A.M. in the morning. Destination was Palm Coast, FL where Al our mechanic would work through Bob’s list of maintenance items.
Approaching Palm Coast, we noticed that all the Azalea bushes have started to bloom. What a treat for the eyes!
Our mechanic Al, his wife Annie, and son Jered went with Bob and I to dinner to celebrate Bob's birthday at a favorite local restaurant called La Piazza.
Since we were going to be at Palm Coast a few days, we took a weekend rental from Enterprise and went to Jacksonville to the COSTCO, a huge West Marine (that actually had a bunch of things we had been looking for), a Chico's Outlet ( to satisfy my shopping needs), and a Publix Grocery store. I also got a haircut and a pedicure! Wha Hoo - we're home!
Since the car did not have to be returned until 5 P.M. on Monday, we decided to get up early and head to Titusville to watch the Endeavor launch. We made it to the Bridge over the ICW at Titusville that the police had closed for the launch with 4 minutes to spare before lift off. This was the first time we were close enough to hear the roar of the engines!
Lift off of Endeavor
This was our third lift-off we have caught while passing through this part of Florida.
We will be in Palm Coast until Wednesday or Thursday for Al to complete the work on Bob's list, then will continue north to home.
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