Adventures in Freeport, Grand Bahama

We have a restful sleep, waking to a gorgeous, hot, Bahamian morning. It is nice to step off the boat and have a shower just steps away. What a treat! We walk over to formally check in to the Ocean Reef Resort and then wander around to visit with old friends. Andy and Isabella on Southern Cross IV are here, waiting to move south through the Bahamas and probably to Turks and Caicos. It is great to see them and we spend some time catching up. Gary and Lina on Rum Line II are here, of course, along with their friends, John and Annabel on their new sailboat acquisition Rafiki I. We see other old friends from last year, and meet new ones during our stay.
Our initial plan was to leave at the first weather window, however, we decide to return the new camera purchased in December to Henry's Cameras in Toronto for an over the counter exchange. This involves a little bit of maneuvering through the bureaucratic red tape and "tax and duty" jungle of the Bahamas, but we manage to get the camera "fed exed" - holding our breath that it will return. Lo and behold, it does, much to everyone's surprise. The camera situation does delay our departure, but as soon as it arrives, we plan our getaway.
In the meantime, we use our time here to reprovision, socialize, visit with Ruth and Randy, sightsee...and we spend some time giving some very serious thought to buying a condo at the facility that Ruth and Randy live. We get very excited at the possibility of buying a "fixer upper", going so far as to contact a lawyer. As we think harder about it, though, we come to the conclusion that the timing is wrong for us. While the lure of owning a Bahamian getaway is very sexy, we are really just beginning to reshape our life plans - and the timing is a bit off for now...maybe down the road this will make sense. Nonetheless, it has been fun and a little exciting to mull over the possibilities. Ruth and Randy continue to be the incredible host/hostess to us during our stay here. Ruth makes a great chicken curry dinner...and we enjoy an Oscar nominated movie - The King's Speech - in their home. We have them over for dinner on Odissea xx a few days later, but it is not nearly as organized or meticulous as Ruth always manages. The Beck's purchase a new car while we are here - and kindly offer to allow us to use their old car during our stay. This turns out to be a godsend for us as we are able to shop and even refill our propane tanks. Blair volunteers to do a propane run for everyone at the Marina who are in need of a "top up".
The big achievement for us while we are at the dock here was the launch of our watermaker. We have never turned it on to test it - not even at survey when we bought the boat. So we have convinced ourselves that it is probably not operational. Imagine our total shock, surprise, and ultimate delight to discover that it does, in fact, work, and we are making about 16 gallons of RO water per hour. What a great surprise - this will certainly make our upcoming cruising so much easier.
One day, we enlist Ruth's help in finding a hair stylist for Lina on Rum Line II. I convince Lina that she will look sensational with a short-haired style cut. It is a fun adventure that we document with photographs and a short video tape (precut)filmed with a couple of local Bahamian taxi drivers who try to convince Lina to keep her hair as is - a clip of the video will be included.
We stop, one day, along the side of the road to buy some fresh conch from a couple of Bahamians. They retrieve the conch from the shell and skin it for us. I am determined to try to prepare this local treat - one of the small things in my bucket list! I also take two empty conch shells to clean and keep as a souvenir. Once we arrive back at the yacht club, I put on the pretense that I know what I am doing with the conch - when in reality, of course, I don't. Thank heavens for the internet and YouTube. I take off all the dark bits from the conch, encase it in saran wrap and pound the heck out of the conch with a stainless steel mallet. This draws some attention from passers by (as well as some skepticism, I am sure). I end up making home-made seasoned french fries as a side dish - and cracked conch (dipped in egg and "Old Bay" seasoned flour) with a great homemade conch dipping sauce. It is surprisingly good - but way too much for us - so Blair takes the platter out to the dock to share the remains with the group on the dock and walkway. Everyone agrees that is has turned out well, so that has been added to the list of worthwhile adventures!
Given that we have had the use of the car, we invite Lina and Gail Gratton (Gary's sister visiting from Canada) to join us on a visit to Garden of the Groves. We have a nice lunch there and an enjoyable tour around this beautiful sanctuary that is a protected garden habitat that began with the efforts of the Groves family and remains to this day. We enjoy the serenity of the chapel at the hilltop, the beauty of the waterfalls and the surroundings - ending our visit here with a meditative stroll through the labyrinth. Blair, as patient as a saint, sprawls out on a local bench to wait for the three of us to finish oohing and aahing over tour surrounding. All in all, it is very beautiful and well worth the visit.
We have met a very interesting couple, Dennis and Cam Raedeke, aboard Wild Wind IV, while we are here. They have pretty much cruised the world and have some incredible stories to share with us. One night, they invite us to join them for a night of bowling on board their boat. We accept, of course, unsure what to expect - they have a large boat, but can it be large enough to house a bowling alley? Once we arrive, they give us a tour of their beautiful boat...and then set up the bowling vie WiiSports! It turns out to be a lot of fun- we end up playing bowling, and then we finish off the night ski-jumping! I can't help but imagine how many eye-rolls this adventure will illicit from our kids back hom...lol!
Before Ruth and Randy head out of the Bahamas, they invite us out for a fun evening at Tony Macaroni - a kind of a beach shack right on the water. Tony Macaroni's is a rather colourful local who runs the place. This night, there is a band headed up by a great saxophone player. This was well worth the visit and the experience, although, we leave early as the temperature drops and it is quite cool. Nice evening.
In our final couple of days before we depart Ocean Reef, I plant the cherry tomatoes, basil, and parsley plants - an experiment that may or may not work. Final provisioning...we are full to bursting now. I clean the two conch shells, certain that they will be keepers. Last, but not least, we visit Tom on the BASRA boat to take a membership. This is worthwhile, we are sure, as these fellows volunteer their services to help those boaters in need of assistance - and they do a pretty good job. Plus, you never know when it may be necessary to enlist their help - insurance!
By Saturday night, February 5th, we say our goodbyes to everyone at Ocean Reef and pick up last minute pointers on anchorages along the way for our trip south - as well as tips on fishing and the landing the Mahi Mahi that everyone covets so much down here. We go to sleep, excited about starting the next part of our adventure south.

Arriving in the Bahamas - At Last!

There are countless rumours circulating amongst the cruising community that Customs in the Bahamas have been very stingy with visas, granting some for as little as two weeks. Blair has asked Ruth Beck to research this for us and to clarify - and she reports back that we should have no problem. There have been some reports that oftentimes at Port Lucaya, the Customs Officer and the Immigration Officer are not in the office at the same time - many times there is a lengthy delay at check-in time. We are almost too tired to care as we are just happy to finally be in the Bahamas, and tied up safely to a dock. We are given a pile of paperwork to complete for our check-in. Once that is done, Blair and Gary make their way over to the Customs Office. Initially, on our arrival, we are told that the Immigration Officer will be delayed. Ruth Beck hears of this and immediately calls the Customs Office. By the time that Blair and Gary arrive, the Officer is being severely reprimanded by Ruyth for the misinformation they provided to her the previous day. Blair and Gary are a little sheepish when they realize they are the subjects of Ruth's conversation with the Bahamian Customs Official. As it turns out,this works in our favour (thank goodness) as we are granted a cruising permit for 180 days - YAY!
Blair has a short nap on the boat as we wait for the tide to flood in order to exit the Port Lucaya area for the entrance to Ocean Reef Resort. Taffy, on Sea Swan, and a few other people we met last year hunt us down on the dock to say hello and to offer help in tying up when we arrive at Ocean Reef.
As we start up the engine and throw off our lines, we head out for the last leg of our trip to Ocean Reef. We are met by Randy Beck in his dinghy, guiding us through the narrow channel. We hold our breath, managing to make it around the "S" shaped sand piles - WHEW! There is a big group of familiar faces at the dock as we throw lines all over the place, relying on the expertise of all the experienced cruisers and sailors offering their help. We tie up on a great dock - with wide access - so comfortable - right in front of the swimming pool! We are glad to be here and look forward to a restful and peaceful night.

Some Interesting facts about Freeport and Port Lucaya:
Freeport and Port Lucaya are located on the south coast of Grand Bahama Island. Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas, ranking behind Andros, Eleuthra and Great Abaco. The Island runs east to west and is almost 70 miles long, seven miles wide and stretches `16 miles at its widest point.The southern coast of Grand Bahama is a vast, narrow track of scrub-covered, almost flat territory.

Crossing the Gulf Stream

Well, departure dayis here, and everything is in order. So, we secure the dinghy, tie everything down, clean off the windows, and do the countdown to dusk. As a final send off, a squall blows in and causes a frenzy in the cockpit as we try to prevent everything from getting soaked on our way out to the Atlantic Ocean at night. Of course, it passes, and Rum Line II arrives to join us on the grand crossing. We realize as we head out and find the Gulf Stream that we may have been smarter to head a little further south - perhaps Fort Lauderdale or even Miami - in order to enjoy the benefit of the Gulf Stream rather than to fight our way through it.
Rum Line II is keeping pace with us - although truth be told, we cannot help but feel we are holding him back as we motor along at 4-5 knots. He could easily pass us at 8 - 10 knots, but Gary chooses to stay with us. By about 10pm, we are grateful that he has lagged along with us as Blair races below and I assume my station at the wheel. This feels like the repeat of a bad horror movie. It seems that we have lost all the hydraulic fluid for our steering. Blair reports that some pieces haver come apart that are related to the pump for the steering. I don't exactly understand the inticacies of the problem. All I know is that this situation we find ourselves in means that Blair is scrambling around in the aft cabin under the bed with a flashlight as he tries to add more fluid and repair the pump which has come apart. And I, accomplished manual steerer that I now am, have assumed my position at the wheel. I am grateful for my previous crash course in our last offshore passage, and we are equally (or even more) grateful that Rum Line II is our buddy boat. Gary is forced to stop playing in the waves and the Gulf Stream, and agrees to assume a position ahead of us to act as a beacon in the night. We manage to get the steering back, but no autopilot. We use the sails to give us a little added power as we motor along until the last fury erupts from overhead - an ugly squall that persists through to our arrival into Port Lucaya. We find our way in as the sun is rising, tying up to the dock behind Rum Line II. Randy Beck hails us on Channel 16 to welcome us to the Bahamas.
Some Interesting Facts on Crossing the Gulf Stream:
Crossing the Gulf Streanm in a vessel can best be compared to the progress of an ant trying to traverse an airport's moving walkway. The ant might have to make a direct crossing. But, inevitably during its transit, it will be taken beyond its target. For every hour a vessel is in the Stream, it will be pushed about 2.5 nautical miles to the north. Like it or not. If a vessel is crossing from a departure point, more or less on an equal latitude to its destination, its first concern is to minimize the time it will be in the Gulf Stream. If a vessel is departing south of its destination, then it is a different story. The goal, then, is to stay on that walkway for as long as possible to enjoy the free ride north before turning toward the destination.

Staging for the Crossing to Freeport

We are up bright and early to untangle the line from the mooring ball here at Stuart. Ekotopia has left slightly ahead of us, headed in the same direction - south! The only minor disaster: my brand new camera has stopped working. There is an error message, and the call I made last night to the Canon support line has not given me any promising news. The camera will need to be returned for repair. I feel a little sick about this, but there is very little I can do now.
The trip to Lake Worth is reasonable uneventful, other than the inconsiderate sport fisherman in "The Big Wahoo". They came up behind us at full throttle to pass in the very narrow and quite shallow part of the exit from Stuart. Blair tried to get his attention to slow down, but he would have none of that. So, Blair did the only thing he could: he turned our boat directly in to the path of the oncoming boat to force him to slow down. It was a little exhilarating watching The Big Wahoo slam to a near stop. He wasted little time passing us and powered back up ahead of us. The wake he left was a little scary and we did manage to bump the bottom. The worst part is that these powerboats stir up the bottom so much that we are unable to get any kind of reading as to the depth of the water beneath us until they have long passed us and the wake settles down.
The biggest surprise along the way was hearing from Gary and Lina on Rum Line II. They have been stranded in St. Augustine (shudder!!) since American Thanksgiving having a new engine installed. But they are finally underway and bound for Lake Worth as well. We will meet them there and do the Gulf Stream crossing to Port Lucaya together.
We motorsail through West Palm Beach and try to guess where Tiger Woods yacht might be anchored - in the area somewhere close by, but alas, we don't spot it as we pass through. We wind our way around Peanut Island where we drop the anchor - our temporary home until the magic moment arrives for our window to cross the Gulf Stream. We will leave at around dusk to ensure our arrival at first light in Port Lucaya. We meet a nice couple on s/v Blue Rhapsody - Greg and Luba - parked off our stern. We all share a lunch at the marina close by - they are headed to Georgetown where we hope to catch up with them once we arrive there.
Over the weekend, Blair makes a repair to the dinghy - the elusive slow leak which he manages to track down. Gary and Lina on Rum Line II have stopped at a dock to deal with a generator issue that sounds serious. But nothing seems to get in their way this time to get underway, so they make their plans to meet us behind Peanut Island for the grand exit - scheduled for Tuesday at dusk.
Some Interesting Facts about Peanut Island:
All of Peanut Island continues to be developed as a park and environmental restoration project. It is very popular locally and is usually surrounded with many small boats anchored all around, especially on weekends. Island facilities now include picnic shelters and facilities now include picnic shelters and restrooms. There are kayaking lagoons and scenic outlooks. Native vegetation has replaced the causarina trees (Australian pines)overgrowing the island. The former Coast Guard Station and the JFK Bomb Shelter are now part of the Palm Beach Maritime Museum.
Some Interesting Facts about Lake Worth Inlet:
Lake Worth Inlet is a wide, well-marked, jettied and deep straight forward ship channel that is one of the easiest to enter on the Atlantic Coast. The meandering Gulf Stream is closer here than at any point in the United States (sometimes as close as a mile offshore, but usually out about 12 miles), and both commercial and recreational craft give the inlet heavy use. It is a favourite point of departure for boats bound to and from the Bahamas.

Preparing for Stage II - to the Bahamas

With Christmas behind us, and having said all our goodbyes to family and friends at home, we have returned to Stuart. Dave Patzer picks us up at the airport - we are so grateful for this, and truly overwhelmed by their generosity. We get to work organizing and provisioning for our departure, listening for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. We will be heading to Ocean Reef Resort in Freeport and plan to stay for a very short time. We have a parcel to deliver to Ruth and Randy Beck and look forward to seeing them when we arrive.
Jesse and Ginny on s/v Wind Dust are still here - we catch up with them. It is hard to know what their plans are - although it seems they are undecided. It seems that the longer you spend in any one place, the harder it is to leave. We don't want to fall into this trap, so we work hard at staying focused on a departure date.
Most of the other boaters we have met here are either working at the upcoming Stuart Boat Show, or have already left to begin their cruising season. We decide to rent a car for two days to make our provisioning job easier - Tuesday and Wednesday. We return the car early Thursday morning and complete our last checks, including a trip to the fuel dock for diesel - we top up the water tanks and flush out the head. The weather is looking favourable for a crossing on Monday or Tuesday, so we pay our bill at Sunset Bay and plan to leave for Friday to make our way to Lake Worth to stage for the next leg of our trip.