Finally Cruising in the Bahamas

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - Chub Cay, The Berry Islands, Bahamas

MIKE - Well, the long awaited update is here. We are finding very limited internet access, so we can only update where and when available. The same, of course, with email.

Our last update had us in Punta Gorda. Sue had to travel back to Colorado, but my good friend Dutch Daut and I took off from the marina next to our condo about 1pm on December 13th. We headed to Boca Grande on the west side of Charlotte Harbor set for an early morning departure to the Keys. The wind was right out of the south, of course, because that was the direction we headed. We were hoping to find a place to anchor near a bar and restaurant, but no luck. Instead we anchored in the middle of a very exclusive residential development, surrounded by homes that probably start in the $5 million range.

Two more days of south wind finally saw us through Seven Mile Bridge and into the Gulf of Mexico. Two tedious days, I might add, since we had to motor constantly and dodge crab pots everywhere. It is incredible that there could be so many crabs out there to be caught, but I guess there are.

When we got through into the Gulf we anchored in the town of Marathon on Vaca Key. Good protection from the weather, and about a hundred boats anchored there, many on a long term basis. West Marine has a convenient store there which we visited the next morning. We did find a bar – it was a Sunday – there were about five football games going on eight TV’s, and there is not a no smoking law in Florida, I guess, because the smoke drove us out after two drinks.

Then on to Miami where Sue was to meet us. She, of course got caught in the Denver blizzard and was delayed for several more days. It took us three hard days of motoring directly into 30 knot winds and short choppy seas to get to Miami. We spent two very quiet nights in a place called No Name Harbor on the south end of Biscayne Harbor, then on up to Miami Beach and civilization – as it is understood in those parts.

Miami Beach has, it would seem, most of the retired population of New York City. They came for the weather, which is nice, but imported their very rude, to me, behavior. I was amused, however, to learn that they expect the same behavior; I was in the grocery on Friday evening when a grandmotherly woman about 5’ tall pushed past me with her cart, no excuse me, etc., and then stopped in the middle of the aisle blocking it for everyone else. I though “What the hell” and just pushed past her. She didn’t even notice. I guess that’s what comes from growing up in very crowded surroundings.

Miami Beach has an outdoor mall/restaurant area called Lincoln Road Mall –Miami Beach’s equivalent of Denver’s Cherry Creek shopping district--that has many shops and lots and lots of outdoor restaurants and cafes, most of them Italian. There was a nice Godiva chocolate shop where I found a Christmas present (yes, somewhat self-serving, but we already have too much stuff on the boat and got rid of essentially the same things I would have bought her.)

Sue finally got a reservation to get to Miami on Christmas Day. Because of the delay , and because it looked like there would be no good weather to cross the Gulf Stream for a week or so, Dutch went home Christmas Eve. So Christmas Day found me in a coffee shop run by two lovely Russian folks, Boris and Marianna, called the Ice Cube Café, right on Biscayne Bay. Good coffee, free internet, and just a nice place to sit.

Many, many thanks to Dutch – a better friend a man could not have. He came for good sailing, instead he got the thankless job of getting the boat ready with me, and then a week of hard motoring. Thanks to his lovely wife, Jan, for letting him go right at the holiday time.

Sue arrived about 5:30 PM and she will now join me in this narrative.

Jan 1 – We finally got a weather window, so we filled up with fuel and went back to No Name Harbor for an early morning departure. We noticed that Wind In the Willows a thirty odd year old catamaran about 28’ long was still there. Dutch and I met Michael Taylor, a British WWII expatriate who has been living aboard since, if I am correct, 1979. An amazing fellow, little bitty boat, outboard motor, barely room for one person, and he has been sailing for almost thirty years. He summers in the Chesapeake, then spends the winter in FL and the Bahamas. He does all of this despite being fairly crippled in one leg from polio he caught in the Far East in the second world war.

Jan 2 – At 6:30 a.m. we left from No Name to the Bahamas. Perfect weather, about 5-10 knots from the east, the direction we were going, so motoring all of the way, but smooth seas. We started off in the company of several other boats who were sailing all night to get to Nassau. We elected to put into Bimini for the night. Despite some trial and tribulation finding the entrance we did get in, and tried to anchor but the bottom was bad and the current was strong. Three hundred dollars later we had cleared Customs and were legal. Called and called the marinas on the radio, but no response. Finally we just pulled up to a dock where Pat, the dockmaster greeted us and let us know that we were using the wrong channel on the VHF. Where everyone else monitors channel 16, on Bimini they monitor channel 68. Not one word about that in the cruising guides, but it is all a learning experience.

After getting tied up we walked ashore and found a very dark little bar and restaurant called the Red Lion. We weren’t even sure it was open, but when we went inside they took us to the back facing the water and we had some great local food: Conch chowder (conchs are the animals that live in those great big sea shells you associate with the island) and conch tenders, essentially like calamari except made with the local food.

The next day was spent buying a Bahamas phone and looking around. That evening we went ashore for drinks. Unfortunately when we called home Brooke gave us the sad news that my very good friend of many years Paris (Jim Patterson 1942-2006) had died. Jim, many of you may know, but did not know that he was one of the heroes of the explosion on the USS Forrestal during the Vietnam era. Jim didn’t talk about it, but I believe he was responsible for saving several lives. I for one will miss him greatly and for a long time.

Although everyone else was heading for the southern Bahamas, we had heard that the Berry Islands were beautiful, so we decided to go there. After a second night at the marina – expensive – we went a few miles south to Cat Cay and anchored in the lee of South Cat Key where there were two other catamarans anchored. Very pretty but rolly and hard to sleep. The next morning we motored on over to the east side of Cat Cay where there is a very exclusive development (The Cat Cay Club, a Private Island) and anchored out. It was blowing a bit so we spent the night on board hoping for better weather to dinghy in the next day. When morning came it was nice so around noon we went in to buy more time for our phone and to have lunch. The food in the club was very good, but very expensive ($27 for a lobster salad and a cup of lobster soup). We waited around for a while for the store to open and bought a few things, some tomatoes and two cans of corned beef.

The next morning (Jan 8) bright and early we took of for Chub Cay, about 65 miles, and more than we can sail in one day so we expected to 1.) motor the whole way (what else?), and 2. Spend the night on the Grand Bahamas Banks. Fortunately we did not have to motor, we had great winds for our first true day of SAILING! And how well Jus’ Now sails. Despite 2 tons of stuff we brought on board, we were making 6-7 knots upwind, really good. When it got towards dark, we anchored a bit west of the north end of Andros Island in 10’ of water and spent a very pleasant night.

Jan. 9, up early and sailing at 7-8 knots on a beam reach (wind over the side) to Chub Cay, site of another exclusive yacht club. We were headed just east of there to Frazer’s Hog Cay and the Berry Island Yacht Club. Surprise! The club is closed until March. Tried our cell phone. Despite buying a phone that works “everywhere” in the Bahamas, and despite that we are sitting right under a cell phone tower, no service. So no calls home.

It turns out that what everyone was telling us is right. It is too cold and windy here at this time of year, so no one is here and services minimal. Oh well. Turned around and anchored off the Chub Cay Yacht Club in 8’ of water and dinghied ashore. Went to the store. Not much there. Heard that the bar was closed until 6:30 so we went back to the boat, had a light lunch about 4pm, and took a short nap. About 5pm we called to verify the bar hours and found out that the bar was in fact open, so we went in and had a drink. No one there. No surprise. We did learn that there is internet service, thus this addition to the blog.

We have decided to follow conventional wisdom and head south, tomorrow weather permitting, to the west end of New Providence, Nassau – the capitol, and then on down through the Exumas.

SUE – Mike has provided a good description of our doings to date. Just a further note. Chub Cay is completely under construction. There are houses being built; the marina is brand new. It’s apparent that someone is spending a huge amount of money here.