Welcome to Nassau, Bahamas

                                                NASSAU

Welcome to Nassau.  The Nassau Yacht Club sponsors the Ft. Lauderdale Race each year.  It is a very active sailing club and is low key.  It reminds me of my home club, Davis Islands YC in Tampa, Florida.  They welcome you if you are from another club and we enjoyed the food and drink.

We entered the busy Nassau Harbour in early afternoon and found our way to a slip at the Nassau Harbour Club.  Here we see an anchorage in the shadows of  the large  cruise ships.   Anchoring here one is exposed to current and the  bottom  is  full  of junk to entangle your anchor.  

The Mailboart supplies the other  islands with much needed food, supplies, etc.  When it arrives, the barren shelves once again have fresh produce,  fruit, and meat.  You can also order liquor and goods in Nassau  and have it delivered on the mailboat for a small fee.  It is the lifeblood  of the  smaller islands.  

The Atlantis Marina and Resort rises up on the northern side of the island.  It is quite impressive with its casino, marina, underwater viewing tanks, and beaches and bars. 

Under the bridge to Atlantis, is an area known as the fish fry.  Here we see one of the many working conch boats that dock and sell their  fresh seafood from makeshift stands.   At night, it's a food festival environment.  Yummy.

The Poop Deck is a local  favorite and the seafood  is fresh and good.   Here we see the staples of the Bahamas.....snapper, conch,  stone crabs.  Lobster is also readily available. 

 

Friends of mine, Kat  and Bud on "Kats  Kradle", having spent many years here in the Bahamas, recommended Goldies for the conch salad.  It is also in a fish fry, but more established, built up dining areas.   It was worth the cab ride.  Here is my friend Capt.Andy McDonald....other crew member Debbie Shackelford took the  picture.  We had a great trip over from Stock Island...good to have friends aboard!

                                                                                                 Breakfast aboard "Whitewing"....our motto was who is better than us"....plus we're on vacation.  !!

We had a great stay in Nassau.  We enjoyed other restaurants, bars, and local points of interest.  The winds were strong from the Northeast, so we headed to Allen Cay in the Exumas instead of the Abacos as originally planned...Flexibility and no schedules are the way to plan your sails.

Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Welcome to Staniel Cay.  Whitewing is on a mooring ball near Thunderball Grotto, a famous underwater cavity that was used in the filming to the movie  "Thunderball".  It is best to get  there at a slack tide to avoid the strong current.   I  did move off the mooring ball to a peaceful anchorage in nearby  Big Major  Spot....

The garbage at the dump is burned weekly .   Glad I was upwind from the smoke!

 

Another  beautiful sunset at Staniel Cay, Big Major Spot

/bSailing takes many forms here in Bahamas.  A group of dinghy dames came and sailed their sunfish a good distance to Black Point and also to Sandy Cay.  When the winds died, Bob was at hand to assist in the tow...

Our dingys are our transportation.   Here we see  various types and models.  I recommend the largest and highest horsepower you can accomodate.  A hard bottom rib type around 10 to 11 feet with a 15 horsepower engine seems to  work well here.

Beach gatherings complete with sunsets, food and music are a great way to meet other cruisers and get  off the boat for an evening.  Here at Big Majors Spot, some cruisers have created  a  nice spot with a fire it, picnic tables, etc.   We had over 20 boats represented and a great  time.

Big Major Spot is known for the wild pigs that swim off the beach to dine from cruisers boats.   Often,  cruisers will actually swim with them and pet them while  on the beach.  Here is  Bob  and  Peg with friends continuing the traditon.   They are fed constantly and seem  to enjoy the visit

The Thunderball Grotto was used in the filming of the James Bond film..."Thunderball".  Once you dive under the entrance,  you are treated to a wonderful large roomlike chamber full of fish and opening to the sky .  Young folks have been seen jumping from above.  The best time to visit is slack tide, you have about an hour to enjoy before the current starts to rip. Bring some cereal to feed the beautiful fish. 

   

 MahiHere is a day's catch of Mahi Mahi, or the fish dolphin.  We trolled at 8 knots with frozen ballyhoo.  When one is on, it is kept in the water and the others in the school can then be hooked as well..Thanks to Bob and Peg for the fish that did not get away.   

 

 

I had a great few  months in Staniel Cay and enjoyed all the beautiful water of the area. Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a fine watering hole and good fresh conch/seafood.  The area has become quite popular with the larger megayachts, but all are friendly around the bar.  Good bread can be found at the yellow house , Rhonda the baker.  Coconut is my favorite.

Thanks to my friends Bob and Peg for their hospitality and friendship during my brief stay in their paradise away  from Tampa.

 

 

 

 

Georgetown, Exumas,Bahamas

Yes, Georgetown, Exumas is my present home.   Whitewing is in a very well protected hurricane hole on a mooring.  All the boats here survived hurricane Irene with winds over 120 knots.  Hope we all have a mild hurricane season.  We did have quite a waterspout the other day .  It did not cause any damage but did show us the strength and  quick developing nature of these storms.   This photo was taken close to my mooring off St. Francis Inn.                          

Kalik is the beer of the Bahamas...It sells for $4 or $5 at the beach bars,  $45 a case.  It comes in light, regular, gold, and now a lime flavored.  My friend  Jane Hardison loves this beer, and I as well am enjoying it.  Here it is at Chat and Chill Beach ,  waiting for me to finish it.....Cheers.

Welcome to Georgetown.   It is nice to see handpainted signs.  This one welcomes you from the dinghy  dock behind the Exuman food market, a popular well stocked  store.  In other islands the vegetables and fruits are  dependent on the delivery of the mailboat.  With over 400 sailboats in the winter months ,  the store  is able to  stock good, fresh food. 

Chat and Chill is a very popular beach bar in Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown.  My morning  routine is to kyak, walk on the exuma sound beach, kyak over to Chat and Chill, chill out and swim.  Then I kyak back to my mooring a short  distance away.  Here is my chair by the water.   On Sundays, Chat and Chill have a pigroast.   It  is visited  by many tourists and regulars.  Nice place to  be.

Here is the entrance  to the dingy dock.  The speed limit  is 3mph....and  it is quite  shallow.  Many nights upon leaving the village, swells are coming in and I know I am in for a wet ride across the harbour to my mooring. 

   Yes,there are mangroves in the Bahamas.  I found these in the lagoon and was  reminded  me  of  Davis Island YC and the many  mangroves around the property.  Very peaceful and serene, not many manmade noises .

Here is the inside of Chat and Chill.... Instead of burgees,  tshirts  are hung all over the bar.  Quite a following.   The conch  salad is fresh and delicous.  The beer is cold!!

Another beach bar in same area is Big D's.  He has done a great job and also specializes in local seafood and conch.  It's a nice  place to  bob,  cold beer  in hand in the water chilling.  I think  I  am getting the hang  of  it....

  

Below is an old homestead I found while kyaking early morning.  The foundation looks good, but the  timbers are  rotten.  I wonder if I can afford to make it liveable?...Not!

Here is my home for  hurricane season.  The mooring is triple  screwed to a bed of limestone and I sleep good at night.  It is  in a hurricane  hole and  is close to the opening for  some breeze.  A popular blue hole  cave  is closeby and  is  inhabited by a large school of beautiful fish.
I  am enjoying the peace  and quiet of the anchorage ,  and the cloud  watching is superb

Imagine my surprise  when I took a  beach path and was greeted  by this beautiful beach on the Exuama Sound.  The sky and water  change daily and is very interesting to behold.  I  snorkel the reef  when conditions allow and am enjoy the variety of fish.  Any suggestions for a name?...




Thanks for visiting me in Georgetown.  I will have further blogs on Staniel Cay, Allen Cay, Nassau, and more as I explore   Georgetown, Exumas, Bahamas.  Til then, I hope you all get out on the water and enjoy.





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Key West to Bimini

Bimini Sands Resort was the first port of call after leaving Stock Island, Key West .

After an overnight passage across the gulf stream in southeast winds, the cut into the marina was a thrill to locate and we proceeded to our slip. 
Bahamas here we are.

Since the winds were strong out of the northeast, we stayed in Bimini and enjoyed the area.  Not all days were sunny, as squalls would often remind us that the weather can be quite severe at times.

Below we see a mountain of conch shells along the side of Joe's Conch Stand in north Bimini.    Business must be good over the years.  All throughout the Bahamas one finds mounds  of  conch shells or even walls made out of conch and cement.

Capt. Andy and I were already to try our lobstering gear out in the ledges south of this point.  With high winds and strong current, we had to wait until we sailed to  Chubb Cay and then to Allen Cay in the Exumas.  Patience.....

 

 

  Welcome to Sailislands,   Capt. Herman Bips' blog on his sailing adventure aboard "Whitewing" a Freedom 40 Cat/Ketch.

This blog will have pictures, comments, and videos of the trip.

Welcome Aboard!.