Blue Holes and Kayaks

A Huge Blue Hole on Hoffman's Cay



Since our last post, we headed out for White Key, and anchored in a nice bay. As soon as we set the anchor, of course, it started to get rough, so we moved past the surge area where the rest of the boats had moved, and settled for the night. Naturally, the wind turned just as we turned in, so we rolled all night, but held the anchor just fine. The next morning we went back to the first spot, where it was calmer, set the hook, and took off in the dinghy to discover a nearby Blue Hole. These are very deep saltwater pools that are supposedly connected by caves under all the cays of the Bahamas. Crystal clear, but so deep we couldn't see the bottom. The path leading from the beach led to a natural jumping off point, but because we couldn't see a way out once in (it's surrounded by cliffs) we continued down the path and found a natural grotto underneath the jumping point, with very easy 'steps' of coral to climb out. The water was marvelous!

Can't beat this swimming hole!

We didn't stay long - we were back at the dinghy within a half hour, and it was a good thing, since our anchor (on the big boat) had dragged. We reset it briefly in the sand, loaded the dinghy, and headed to nice quiet spot between Whale and Little Whale Cays. We were all by ourselves, it was calm, and I had a chance to try the kayak, which I discovered is a great way to get to a beach!

Under Power! (or under powered?)

The next morning we headed for Nassau (we're at a Starbucks now across from our marina). We'll be here at least through Tuesday night, since there is a cold front moving in with high winds, and we prefer to be docked! More from Nassau before we leave here.

Great Harbor Cay

First, a correction on our communciation capabilities. We can RECEIVE unlimited texts without charge. We can SEND up to 50 texts per month with our package. All we need to send/receive texts is Batelco service. We can take care of everything else (email, internet access, texts, etc.) whenever we have WIFI access (like now). We can also receive phone calls and make phone calls on the Bahama phone (number in the last blog), and we have put $50 on our account, so as long as calls are short it will go a long way. Prices aren't silly - less than $1 per minute, even to and from the US. When we receive a call, we pay the Bahamian rate. So communication doesn't have to be for emergencies only!

A gorgeous beach - too bad I ruined it!

We have been at Great Harbor Cay Marina since Sunday. Stayed an extra day so Bill could start installing the new autopilot (our old one gave out on our way to Great Harbor). It's beautiful here - unbelievable beach, very friendly people, interesting little town.

Lunch at the Beach Club

Yesterday we biked into town to check out the stores, and today we biked to the Beach Club for lunch.
The island lost power just as we ordered lunch, so instead of burgers we had tuna salad sandwiches, which were fine. With that view and a nice day, who could complain?

Made it to the Bahamas!

Our communications capabilities are limited here, so messages may take awhile to get out. Here's what we've done so far:
1. Left Coconut Grove on Valentine's Day, and had a lovely, very peaceful sail down to Pumpkin Key, which is right outside Angelfish Creek, our path to the ocean.

Docked in Bimini

2 .We left our very peaceful anchorage at first light, and motorsailed to Bimini on Feb 15. The winds weren't exactly where we thought they would be, so we slammed a bit over the gulfstream, but we've certainly had worse. We docked at the Blue Water Marina, cleared customs, and had a Sailor Jerry (as picture of Bill attests.)
After talking endlessly with AT&T and with other sailors, we decided to do two things: a) signed up to send/receive up to 50 MG of text messages per month with AT&T, and b) bought a local phone from Bahamas Telco. If you need to reach us, try texting us first (Beth is 908 963-9972, Bill is 908 963-9975), and be prepared to wait a few days for a response, so we can get to a wifi connection. Alternatively, call us on 011 (for international calls from US) 242-464-5933.

Shadow of our mainsail on the bottom 

Nothing on any horizon at anchor!

After 2 days in Bimini, we headed across the 'flats' toward the Berry Islands. Had a wonderful sail (with some motor assist) to reach the Berrys bank, and anchored in the middle of nowhere last night. After a really quiet journed, as soon as our anchor was out the winds shifted and picked up, and we spent the night rockin' and rollin'. Two pix: one showing the very blue water on our crossing of the flats, and the shadow of our mast on the bottom (it was basically tion20 feet deep or less, and clear as could be). The other one is at sunset, and could have been taken in any direction. We were in the middle of nowhere!Came to Great Harbor Cay Marina this morning, and will stay here a couple days until a forecasted front moves through. This afternoon we're off to the beach. It's 84 here!

A Wonderful Week in Coconut Grove (Miami)

One of the women crews of the 29ers,
which look like leaves on the water!

Double Rainbow

This is our last night at a mooring as guests of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. It has been an amazing, fun week, and we love Coconut Grove. Yes, South Beach is fun, but Coconut Grove seems a bit more diverse, down-to-earth, and appealing to people with lots of different interests. Among our experiences were several rainy days when we went to the movies (saw The Artist - great!), watched two regattas (the Melges and 29ers), met a lot of friendly people at the club bar, met folks from RYC - Kim Meyer, Jeff Pierini and Katy (sorry, don't know her last name) who were here for the Melges, sampled the local restaurants, and got all our errands done (filling the propane tank, doing laundry, making several trips to West Marine and Crook and Crook - another marine store. You get the idea.

Books in the Grove Loves Dogs!

Most mornings we walked or biked to a bookstore that is a great place to get a sense of the people here. Well-to-do older folks, college-age young people, even a few folks who appeared to be homeless. And LOTS of dogs. This is a dog-friendly town, and the bookstore allows people to bring their dogs in, even though they serve food. It seems to work.

Gelato for lunch!

The Optis were out along with the
two regattas - a busy club!

This weekend the town of Coconut Grove is readying for a huge art show - the whole town is full of tents in readiness for all the exhibitors. We wish we could be here, but we've got a good weather window, so we'll head to Pumpkin Key tomorrow, and to Bimini on Thursday, provided the weather forecast holds.

Nothing but Bridges! The route to Ft. Lauderdale

If the weather had cooperated, we would have taken the outside route from West Palm to Fort Lauderdale, but it didn't, so we stayed in the 'ditch.' This stretch of the IntraCoastal Waterway (ICW) is made up of myriad bascule bridges, all of which need to be opened in order for our mast to clear. Altogether we cleared 20 bascule bridges today, which considerably slowed our progress. It was a lot of hurry up and wait as we raced to get to the next bridge for their scheduled opening, then waited while the bridge operator ran the opening sequence.

All the way up - starting through

Still opening, we're getting closer!

The bridge begins to open

We're through! (Beth at helm)

For those who haven't been through a bascule bridge, the pictures give you some idea what it looks like. We ended up anchoring in Sylvia Lake (Ft. Lauderdale) and tomorrow will head up the New River to public docks, so we can find a place to watch the Superbowl on Sunday. Go Giants!



End of Day Reward at anchor

A Great Week in Jupiter, now moving on!



Carol Fanning (in blue) and friend Dee Dee

Perfect weather (cool nights, warm but not hot days, and no rain), family nearby, a rental car in a place close to EVERYTHING - what more could we ask for? We got a whole lot done this week, and enjoyed a lot of local restaurants (including the restaurant of Susan (Adams) and Larry Connor. Thanks, guys!
Had a surprise visit from Carol Fanning and her college friend Dee Dee, who stopped by the boat on their way to golf.

Cockpit Workroom!

Managed to just about finish installing the single sideband antenna, finished and painted the storage box seats so they will look presentable in the salon, got a replacement matress section for our Sleep Number bed, did laundry at Susan's, and provisioned to the teeth for the Bahamas, so we're ready to go! Also got set up with basil and a tomato plant, so if all else fails we can have a modified Caprese salad.

A tomato and basil garden to go!

Tomorrow we turn in the car, give the boat a wash, and either head south or just around the corner to anchor, depending on when we acutally get away. As great as it has been here at Old Port Cove Marina, it'll be nice to be at anchor again.