and on to nassau

go to bottom of post and read each day. pictures to follow hopefully tomorrow.

December 13^th, 2011

Gas Dock to Atlantis

Kirk decided in the morning after listening to the weather (chris parker) that we needed a secure place to hole up with the weather that was coming. Unfortunately for us we do not fit under the bridges in Nassau and the only marina before the bridge is the fancy dancy resort that is most expensive. Once we got in here and settled we worked on solving problems and cleaning up the mess from the previous day. Check out this place at Atlantis.com We explored a little last night and were fascinated by the rays check out kirks video. coming soon

We have worked on laundry, rugs, mast, chasing down where the water is coming in by our berth. Of course kirk the sleuth figured it out. Now we just have to fix it. Good news is the mast job held for our trip over here. We went out to dinner at an Italian place and had one drink and were both knocked on our buns. I do not know if from exhaustion or not. We will be eating Italian for a few meals which is good cause I do not have to cook.

December 12^th, 2011

Fraizers Hog Cay to Nassau

Upps change of plans. The winds had picked up and changed direction a bit and the boat was rocking like you were in rolly polly sea so instead of tracking down the water intrusion it was up and at em back in the ole ocean to get the Nassau. When the sky is blue and the sun is out the ocean is that color of blue that you can’t quite put a name to. But it sure is pretty. HOWEVER, when the sky is not sunny as it was not sunny today the ocean is an ugly black color. The sailing conditions were the same. Maybe a little worse. The swells were definitely bigger than the day before. They came is sets just like when you were a kid waiting to catch a wave and ride it into the beach. The timing between the swells is a big deal. If they are more than 8 seconds apart you can almost deal with them cause you ride from one to the other but if they are less than that it is hard work to steer the boat through them. Coming into Nassau harbor was another lesson and we are learning and taking our medicine. You have to ask permission of the harbor master if you can enter the harbor. You also have to give him your registration number and tell him where you are going and if you intend to clear customs.

Now for the nasty part

The truth be told there really is no good holding (anchoring) in Nassau. We found out the hard way. We were set with our anchor but then the current took control of the boat and swung us around way to close to another boat anchored next to us. Then the chain rode started rubbing against the boat. Then the anchor since I am sure it got flipped a few times started dragging. Now get this. It was dark. Felt like the old commercial “ever eat a pine tree?” well ever pick up your anchor after it is dragging, is under the boat and there were crab pots in the mix of all this in the dark where a sand bar is about 20 feet away? Kirk was a bundle of nerves. He was on the bow handling the anchor giving me directions while i tried to make the boat do what he wanted it to do with a really strong current and winds gusting to 25. Praise God there was a gas dock not far from where we were having an anchor up circus and we made our way over to it and tied up there for the night. The security guard came down and we told him our problem and he advised us when the gas dock opened in the am. So we were at least set and safe for the night. Kirk was still a bundle of nerves about damage to the hulls of the boat and how we were gonna get of this gas dock that the wind had us pinned to. I do not think or I know he did not sleep much that night even with a security guard. You hear stories of not leaving your boat unattended in Nassau.

One of the boats we have been traveling with was anchored across the channel and watched what was going on and was just about to get in his dingy to see if he could help us when I radioed and said all was well for the moment. They are very nice and supportive, have cruised these island a couple of times so are a wealth of information. We have not seen them but have talked on the radio. Is very nice to travel with buddy boats. I hope to see them in person some time soon.

Bulloch harbor to Fraizers Hog Cay berry islands

December 11, 2011

We had a beautiful sail leaving bulloch harbor. The water was not deep so you could see the bottom. The seas and the winds were behind us so not lumpy. A little to far behind us as we struggled along trying to make the way point. For the first time it was not hard work. Ah but then came the turn into the ocean and the seas were dead on the nose and with out the protection of an island they were once again ugly. We motored sailed through the cut and up the northeast provident channel. It was another rock and roll story. Yuk. Onto a little anchorage that runs on the back of Fraizers Hog Cay with bird cay at the entrance and looking at cockroach cay. The anchorage was cool cause it was skinny and long and on one side were flats that were asking to be explored and the other was a beach. We were even invited (all the boats in the anchorage were) to a pot luck the next afternoon on land. After two hard days of sailing we planned on staying put for a day and doing some r & r and exploring. Also planned on getting together with the two boats we had been sailing with.

It was not well protected but we were game, our anchor did well and even though it was blowing about 20 knots steady we felt secure. All was well even had a glass of wine. Sometime in the night we discovered that there is water in a cavity next to our bunk and that was a fire drill. Ah we will deal with it in the am, the boat was not taking on water just had water that we did not know the source.

lucaya to bulloch harbor, berry islands

December 10, 11

Hurrah we got off the dock this am. Kirk told me he was not settled with leaving so I went to the bath house thinking we were not leaving and when I got back he was putting lines on board. I am so happy we got off the dock. Today was an exciting day.

Words to describe the trip that were heard over the vhf (two other boats from Annapolis left also today, one couple lived across the creek next to magothy marina ((small world)) that are cruising together) words being crash and bash, lumpy, bumpy, rocking and rolling, smashing into, leaky this and leaky that, nasty etc.) today was supposed to be a calm day and we had winds no less than 16 knots up to 27, seas were a constant 3 – 4 but in some areas were 6-9 with your occasional “where did that come from” wave breaking over the bow soaking both of us. BUT WE MADE IT!!!!! A couple of boats came out of the marina and called to see if the conditions were any better further out and they turned back and headed back to the marina.

We saw those crazy flying fish as entertainment. The real entertainment of the day was when kirk left the helm and I was up there kinda sitting to the side with a towel wrapped around my legs ( it was cold in the wind) and all of a sudden I got hit in the leg from under the towel. So of course I screamed and jumped up. It was a beautiful flying fish about 8 – 10 inches long, blue in color with translucent wings, poor thing was flopping around. Kirk came flying up and started howling with laughter. I gave him the helm and tried to pick the fish by the tail. He flopped down the steps and onto the deck. Blue fish scales all over the place. I felt so badly for him(her) finally was able to swoosh him overboard. All this while we are crashing about. We had a few little blood stains but many more fish scales. So we now know that the bigger ones are blue. Still do not know about the little ones that appear to be white.

A whole new world awaited us today. Somehow the chart plotter got changed and we did not have any depths showing on the chart plotter. Kirk was most upset. You know the commercial about earning money “ we did it the old fashioned way” well that is how we had to come into this anchorage as the chart plotter did not show any depths. So good ole map reader (haha mj) donna got the paper charts and navigated us in here. Praise God there was a boat in here so kirk felt a little more at ease doing what I said. After anchoring (our first time in sand) wahoo !! you can see the anchor when it drops. I did not see it as I was at the helm but had checked it out when kirk was at the helm. Kirk told me to make sure we were in reverse when he dropped the hook as we were not sure how the anchor was gonna do in sand. It held!! Then we started trying to figure out why the depths on the chart plotter went away. I stayed back and out of the way as kirk is much better at that stuff than me. Once he put the manual down I started trying to figure it out and was giving him suggestions (haha kel). Anyway one of the things I asked him to do worked (declutter) and life started to improve on ainulindale`.

We watched the other two boats come in and anchor. They are following the army navy game and were a hoot to listen to on the vhf. They are very nice and checked in with us for a plan for tomorrow.

So today made up for all those boring days at the marina.

We really are doing it. Can you believe it? Or at least we are giving it our best try.