No trick photography. Barbara and Tom are really petting live sharks.
TRIP LOG - The blog has a format mind of it's own.
DAY 0 - Friday 4/11/08 - Filled the SUV with food and Barbara spent hours stowing stuff everywhere possible in the boat. Tom and I went to a local dive shop and put together a complete scuba unit. We later made sure the satellite
TV's worked because we can only rough it just so much. We had an early departure scheduled for the next day to meet up with the fuel barge so we checked the weather and turned in.
DAY 1 - Sat. We left the dock shortly after 8:00am, idled our way north up the
ICW and waited just off the Hall of Fame for the fuel barge (less expensive than at marinas). Apparently a large catamaran had parked directly in the middle of the channel in front of a bridge that wasn't opening for a while and the two fuel barge operators were trying to squeeze by. You know how those catamaran people can be! We listened on the radio to the exchange. They finally got him to move. We were finishing up the fueling when a shadow came over us as a 120'+ yacht docked on other side of the fuel barges and blocked out the sky. They were taking on 6000 gals. of diesel. We headed out the Ft
Lauderdale entrance shortly after 10:00 and set the auto pilot for Bimini. Sport fishing boats all over the place so we did some minor dodging. We had a much easier time crossing the Gulf Stream this year than last year. 2' waves, light breeze hot and sunny as compared to 2007, 8'-10' seas and blowing 20. We slid into the Bimini Big Game Resort early afternoon and Tom checked us through Customs. The locals bring fresh cooked crab or conch bring it right to the boat. I hit the pool and then the salt water after hosing down the boat. It's a pleasure spraying the boat when the temp is 85 degrees. We were on the end of the dock so we had a great view of all the yacht activity for the rest of the day. Later many boats had on their underwater lights so you could see all the fish. The water is amazingly clear.
Shark bait. Wandering cat from another yacht.
Taken from up on a hill.
DAY 2 Sunday - We left the dock around 8:00am headed for Chub Cay, about 80
nm's, much of it over shallow banks. Wind was again light and the waves never got over 2'. About the closest we came to the bottom was about 2'-3' under our keel as we first entered the Bahamas Banks from the deep water. We eventually went from 14' almost straight down to over 1000' in almost no distance. We cruised into Chub Cay around 4:00pm averaging about 10
kts overall. This is a resort where last year you ha-d to watch out for moving equipment everywhere. Construction was booming. But little has changed from our previous visit. The US economy certainly isn't helping matters. Pretty busy restaurant and great food. Local fish, conch and good key lime pie.
Day 3 Monday - We were prepared to scuba dive today but it was too rough outside. Very windy from the north. Also the marina had no gas so we didn't go too far with the dinghy. We noticed a few big boats anchored out in the chop but they eventually came in to join us. Had to have been a tough night for them. Even with the strong breeze it's pretty hot. Tomorrow we'll head to Sampson Cay or somewhere near there if the seas aren't too bad. It's located half way down the
Exuma chain, way below Nassau, I think about 108 miles from Chub Cay. Then on to Georgetown the next day. While walking the docks I noticed a neighbor with large fish on the end of a dock line dangling in the water. He mentioned something about a shark and I thought 3-4' nurse shark. Minutes latter this 8' lemon shark came shooting into the underwater lights and grabbed the bait. The guy yanked it up and the shark almost came out of the water. Blood and fish parts everywhere. The shark kept coming back for more. For two hours as a crowd gathered we watched the shark reappear every few minutes for another bite. Another boat captain supplied more bait and a large hook with no barb, made for catch and release. The shark grabbed the bait and two guys fought with it for a few minutes until it sawed through the line. A few people got some good shots as the monster came 4' out of the water and we all moved way back on the dock.
Day 4 Tues 4/15/08 - Wind was blowing 15-20
kts out of the north all night. We checked the weather and headed out of the harbor. Forecast was for 3'-4' waves and 15 -20
kts right behind us, increasing to 20-25 later in the day. Forecasters were right on. We had changed plans last night and decided to go to
Lyford Cay on Nassau which was only 30 miles away. Pretty easy ride down the waves. Barbara managed to run down a few times and do laundry. I stayed topsides rather than chance it. We crossed paths with a tanker that wasn't having a good ride as they motored cross ways to the waves. We averaged 11-12
kts and closed on Nassau quickly. There's a well marked channel into
Lyford. We had to turn across the waves and rock and roll our way in. Didn't last long. Well protected. Had to back into a very narrow slip with a strong quartering wind. Of course one of the headsets quit part way through the process but no problem. The guy in the boat next to us seemed quite nervous though. This is a really fancy place. Very explicit on what you can and can't wear and where and when to wear it. The booklet they hand out says you must even wear white underwear if you plan to play tennis. Guess I won't be playing tennis. No one's checking my underwear. Been walking around checking out the mega yachts. Several between 120'-160' and one 190'. One 160 footer is listed in a magazine as #80 in the 100 largest U.S. owned yachts.
Wind inside the marina still gusting to 25+ at 5:30pm. We can look right down the channel and see the breakers on the reef.
We heard a yacht call in that they would be heading in shortly. We watched what we thought was a medium size sailboat go by the outer marker quite a ways offshore. It was being tossed around like a toy. It continued to roll and yaw violently until it finally got in behind the reef. It was huge, maybe 140' (actually 134'). Can only imagine what it would've been like for us if we'd continued on to Sampson Cay. Dinner at the
Lyford Yacht Club tonight. Jacket required.
I met the crew from the 134' sailboat at the crew lounge. It was the ride from hell so they said. Met some guys on a 42' catamaran who plan to sail to New Zealand. They started in Charleston, SC and will work their way down to the Panama canal and then into the Pacific Ocean. They'll hit places like Pitcairn Island (
sp). They plan to make it to NZ by October. Apparently in no big rush
***Finally got a connection in the middle of nowhere. 4/21/08 Monday. I'll fill in the last few days.
Day 5 Wed. 4/16/08 -
Nice trip from Nassau to Sampson Cay. Averaged 12
kts most of the day in the deep water just off the bank. Maybe 2' seas at most. We headed in over the
Exuma Bank a little above Sampson, following the Decca route in (a route for Naval vessels during World War II, I believe). We could have come down straighter but why add the worries. Beautiful clear water. Able to see the bottom clearly in 15-20'. We tied up in the inner harbor and had a nice spot to watch everyone go by in their little boats. We splashed the dinghy in prep for diving the next day. Little snorkeling over what I thought was a rock but what Barbara pointed out must be a moving rock because it was in fact 'moving'. Just a nurse shark and his friends. Teddy the bartender kept the crews from many of the boats juiced up until late into the evening, so they tell me.
Next day we shot over to
Staniel Cay to visit friends from
Tiverton, RI. Busy little marina and great restaurant. Sharks and a large stingray feasting on fish near the dock as we got ready to leave. We buzzed back to the boat and did an easy scuba dive just to say hello to Fang the nurse shark (I know Tom wants me to call it a Great White, but..) Then we went zipping around in the dingy and had to wiggle our way back home through the numerous sandbars as the tide was super low.
Friday, Day 7. COMPASS CAY
Had a long day. We moved 8 miles to Compass Cay. That included out of the harbor, out around the shallows and back into the new harbor. As the crow flies it's probably only 3-4 miles. What a great place to visit. What a tricky place to get into the first time. We pulled up to the outer marker and the
nav program indicated to keep it to port while we believed differently. We'd been told by lots of people to call into the marina and Tucker the owner or his assistants would come out in a small boat and lead us in. Wasn't a tough decision, not when you draw 5 1/2' and the depth is not much more than that in the middle of the channel and coral to either side if you screw up. They sent out a Boston Whaler and lead us in the meandering channel. Several other yachts also radioed for a guide. The next day they went out with red placards to attach to the posts. Before, all you saw were bare posts.
Now the fun began. Believe it or not they have semi trained sharks. They all have names and personalities. About 20 nurse sharks live in the marina. You can pet them, you can swim with them, you can feed them and you can get a hand chomped if you don't pay attention to your little kid when he's playing around them. Yes in
deedee. Chomp! 3 year old boy dangling his hand and mommy not watching because her 18 month baby was trying to put his foot in one sharks mouth. What happens is that the moon tide brings the water up over the dock. The sharks come up and actually perch on the dock in 2" or so of water. It's funny to see. Some have just their heads and some have half or all their bodies up on the dock. They line up and patiently wait there. They like to be petted. Little 3' babies and big Squirt (huge). You can lean down, keeping your feet on the step and pet them or the brave ones like Barbara will step down into the water on the dock, feet in between their mouths and pet them (in the dark of night). Picture at top to prove it. During the day the people clean fish and drop the scraps into the water and you watch the sharks suck the chunks down with a big pop. Back to the kid and the arm. These sharks don't see too well. A small shark up on the dock sucked in the kids hand in a flash but apparently realized it was attached to something live and released it immediately. The kid yanked it back and scratched it a little on the sharks teeth. Barbara still patted them and the next day even swam with them in deeper water behind the boat. Tom swam with them too. It's only little iguanas he's afraid of.
Real sharks on the dock
We had a nice reef under our boat. Oops, did I say our? Loads of fish under us day and night. The boat is equipped with underwater lights so you can see the fish at night. We jumped in many times with snorkel gear to swim with the fish although you could easily see them from above the water. Big ole puffer fish guarding his reef, eerie shadows at night as the sharks swam past the lights. I took down some crackers and broke them up at about 15 ' deep. It attracted a slew of little fish but then the sharks were immediately all around me. Menacing little buggers.
Later Tom and I hiked several miles to the north end of the island. Up and over hills and coral and eventually came to Rebecca's bubble bath. It's a large pool that eventually drains out on the other side of the island. It's fed by the waves crashing over the wall of
Coral which creates a foam for a minute or so. Beautiful, crystal clear water. Long hike back through the tropical jungle, along beaches and by fording an inlet but well worth the effort. There's an easier way to get there with the dingy and by hiking the river bed. There's a beautiful beach on the west side of the island. Barbara painted a piece of driftwood we found along the rugged east shore with the boat name and our names and she and Tom hung it along the trail with other markers.
Monday 4/21 - Day 9
Somehow I lost a day but that can happen on these trips. I'll try to fix it later when I check the ships log. Today we moved a few miles farther north to the
Exuma Land and Sea Park. You make reservations on the radio a day or so before and at 9:00am the morning you want to come in you listen to channel 16 and they let you know if there is a mooring available for you. Not cheap but better than at the marinas. You call in just outside the entrance and they assign the mooring and give details of how to get into the mooring field. Boats are moored dead center in the narrow channel. You slide by with few feet to spare because you have to stay in the dark water. We checked into their office to register and they gave us info on snorkel locations. (you can also drop your payment in boxes on one or two islands instead). We tried one nearby snorkel spot and I saw the largest barracuda up close I've ever seen. He had an attitude. We looked at each other, he opened his mouth real wide to show me his teeth (he has a lot more than I do)then he slowly swam toward me. He stopped about 3' away and just looked at me then slowly turned and moved away. Lots of colorful fish among the coral. We then motored to a mooring ball next to a coral head in about 7' of water. We all thought it would be ho hum. What a surprise when I jumped in and saw hundreds of fish, many schooling, some along, a myriad of colors. Didn't have to say much and Tom and Barbara were back in the water and as impressed as I was. Oh ya, they do mention in the cruising guide that there are two large lemon sharks in this little harbor but they also say they won't bother you. One is called the Harbor Master. Just as I went over the side the first time I heard a yell and they pointed to a large dark object that buzzed in and shot away quickly. Lemon sharks streak in while nurse sharks meander by. I didn't see anything meandering so I'm not sure what it was but it probably was a man eater. Many large cruising catamarans sliding in and out of the mooring basin all day as well as a lot of
monomarans. Lots of Canadians seem to come to the Bahamas to cruise. Everyone heads to the beach to party, relax or head out for a hike.
I hiked up Boo Boo Hill (I kid you not about the name) and checked out the blow holes. That's where the water shoots up through the coral and rocks as waves crash in. Problem was they weren't crashing today. Apparently makes a booing noise when it happens.
What a peaceful place this park is to visit.
Had a little rain come through this morning Tues. 4/22. We headed into the park office and bought some shirts. Heard the young lady's story about the 5' snake she found on her boat one evening (think she called it a pygmy boa). She went to stow a black line in the fading evening light and then remembered they didn't have any black lines on board. Her husband (who thought she was drunk and didn't initially believe her - understandable right guys?) eventually flung it into the water. They were impressed with it's ability to swim but thankful the current finally won out. They hadn't been on a dock in two months so they think a bird dropped it. Apparently one heck of a large bird! They found it's shed skin on the
flybridge so it had been there a while.
Tom and I tackled Boo Boo Hill and I then continued on along Causeway Trail. I crossed the Sunshine Causeway Bridge (little island humor) and made it almost to the termite mounds before running low on drinking water. Hot as ever in the moon scape terrain. Great views from the hill tops. I eventually swam across the two channels and boarded the boat to bring this story up to date. I've unfortunately had continual
internet connection problems so the story has been delayed.
Finally back on Wed., 4/30/08. Only thing to do is head to the beach when stuff like
internet problems happen.
We headed to
Highbourne Cay from the Land and Sea Park. Once docked we walked across the island and went to the beautiful, several mile long beach on the east side. Only a few snorkelers there. Nice easy snorkeling around the coral heads and
stromatolites. We had planned to scuba dive the better western side but the wind and waves came up strong. Supposed to be some of the best areas in the Bahamas but they'll have to wait. I paid for the internet connection in Highbourne but it stunk and continuously disconnected me. This is the place where 'Cool Runner' will cook meals at his house and deliver them to your boat in classy dishes. No Tupperware here. You just wash and leave everything on the tables on the dock and he picks them up when he gets around to it later that night. You can order various cakes or bread and he'll deliver. Great stuff but not cheap.
On Thursday we headed to Atlantis (Nassau) and had to traverse an area with coral heads. The game plan is, slow down, look for the big dark spots and zig zag around them. Nothing is ever easy though. We had scattered clouds today which darkened large areas making everything look like possible coral heads and obscurring the real ones. You can't go over the heads because they're just below the surface and they'd destroy the boat. All of a sudden the cloud would move and there'd be another head right in front of you. We were in the company of several sailboats and you'd have thought we were all drunk with everyone turning this way and that. At the same time you'd look up in the distance and they'd be a large cigarette type boat or several of them racing toward you with day trippers headed to the islands. They seemed not to care about the coral as they flew along at 40 kts.
We radioed in to the harbor control and got permission to enter Nassau harbor and eventually docked in one of the best slips in the Atlantis marina. We were backed up to the hotel and had only a short walk to everything except the new Cove area. Too much to write about this place other to say you ought to see it for yourself. Bring a wheelbarrel full of money because it's very expensive. Examples: The local beer is Kalick (regular grade -$8.00 a bottle). Glass of regular wine $15. Breakfast $18. -$25. for nothing special. (Golden (hi-test) Kalick in Bimini is only $4.) We stayed 5 days as Tom and Barbara's daughter Christine came to join us. She wouldn't do the scary slides I have to say. She did get up and exercise every morning by running for miles and if she thought that was going to influence our lazy vacation routines it had no effect. If you like walking then this is the place for you. You can walk yourself into the ground with all the places to investigate right on the hotel grounds. Barbara and Christine shopped til they dropped and Tom whiled away on the river rapids. Christine and I actually came away with winnings from the casino. Meager, but winnings non the less. A New England Patriot player and his family were vacationing at Atlantis and I'm happy to say people left them along as far as we could see. We did have a few Patriot fans in our group who enjoyed his presence.
We had a funny thing happen when the Bose systems came on very loud a few times in the early morning and late evening without us touching the remotes. We found that the boat next to us had the same system and they were controlling us.
Atlantis Marina, Nassau. 60'-70' yachts in far left corner for comparison.
You should have seen the mega yachts cruising in and out of the marina. A constant parade of wealth. There was a 150' sail boat with a 35' Hinckley tender, several 160' to 180' foot yachts and many 110'-140' yachts, all with 25'-30' tenders for fishing or playing. The smallest boat was the Pershing next to us. Maybe 60'. Cruises at 35-40kts and tops out around 50kts. We saw him go blasting by us the day we left. Rooster tail shooting up 20'. He carries two jet skies, one of which is tucked inside a compartment in the stern.
We headed from Nassau to Chub Cay on Tues 4/29/08. We thought about going the day before but the waves were stil up. Not that this monster couldn't handle the conditions but why fight it. The seas were pretty calm and we just moped along at 10 kts. Along the way we heard a radio broadcast to be on the lookout for a 22' outboard which had been overdue for about a week. They were on the reverse of our route. The conditions had been rough most of the last week. As we pulled into the harbor we past by a
130' Westport on the end dock and another beautiful large blue yacht, maybe 130' long on the next dock in. The blue one had just come in from Staniel Cay after steaming overnight. They had come straight from the Panama canal to Staniel and were now headed back to Ft Lauderdale once they fueled up. Problem was there was no fuel again at Chub Cay. They had to go in the wrong direction to get enough fuel to have some reserve. They carry 10,000 when full. The owners flew out of the little island airport and would meet the boat elsewhere. It was scheduled to head up to Nantucket for the summer.
I had little to do so I went to the private beach and swam for a few hours in the 78 degree water and roasted on the beach. Doesn't that just make you northeners want to scream? After a great dinner I walked the docks for a while.
Wed 4/30/08 -
Little rougher than most of our days but not too bad. We headed out at 8:10am for Bimini. About 80 miles. Winds got up to 22 kts from the northeast and we were headed northwest. Getting hit broadside. Waves between 2-3' with a stetch of 3-4'. Lot's of rocking and rolling. Tom made lunch today. We played about every CD we had other than the Bare Naked Ladies. The Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley tapes are about worn out. Only had one of each. We came up on a 45'-50' yacht towing a large yacht in the rocky conditions. They had been towing for a long time already and still had 30 plus miles to go into Bimini. It looked like from their heading they were going to cross the Gulf Stream over to the mainland. Going to be a very long night.
As we rounded the mark so we could head south toward the entrance to Bimini we saw a large catamaran with reefed main and reefed headsail headed west across the Gulf Stream. They were flying. We could also make out the elephants (huge waves) in the stream. Perdicted to be 5-7' today. Wasn't long before the catamaran was back and heading into the harbor. I think it was just someone taking people out for a thrill ride. They got it for sure with the big waves and 15-20kt winds. We docked at the Bimini Big Game Resort Marina after feeling our way in through the channel at low tide. Sandbars close on one side and unknowns on the other. Blowing 19' kts at the dock. I washed the boat and took a shower at the same time. We walked up to the dining area and found the place pretty busy. Food was very good and much more reasonable than Nassau. We're headed back to the states tomorrow if the Gulf Stream conditions are favorable. Just had a few boats go ripping by the dock with no running lights and no spot lights. It's 11:37pm. That's the norm in the Bahamas.
Thurs., May 1
I woke to the sound of something big close by. A shadow covered us as a freighter slid by down the narrow channel. We were on the end of the dock so he was close. We checked the present and future forecast for crossing the Gulf Stream and it wasn't great. 4-6' waves and 15-20 kts, worsening later in the day and the waves would be hitting us broadside. We decided to venture out and give it a shot. We got pretty much what we expected. The winds never got quite to 20 kts luckily and the waves were 4' with an occassional 6 footer. I few things went flying onto the floor down below but no one got sick. We averaged around 12 kts. As we neared the entrance to Ft Lauderdale harbor we could see a bunch of U.S. warships docked down along the ICW to the south. Destroyers, two aircraft carriers, cruisers and some support vessels. Security was tight as the CG had a large cutter strategically located with guns at the ready. Numerous smaller armed inflatables were scattered about.
So we're back in the country, we've visited with Customs to check in and we now only have to meet the barge tomorrow to put on fuel. A
lot of fuel.
Rick
