So there’s Randy…naked as a jaybird prancing around the cockpit of the boat. Does that mean we’ve arrived? I guess so!
What fun we had in White Cay. Our trip from Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island to the anchorage at White Cay in the Berry Islands went really well. We had scouted out the destination on our charts and I had researched it online via other cruisers’ blogs and articles from different cruising forums. It sounded like a perfect place to stop on our way to Nassau, which was our final destination on this leg.
We left Lucaya at night…again we leave at night!! One of these days, Randy, I want to be able to see well when we leave a spot. But we had good moonlight, so that helped…a lot. And if we left at 9:00pm we would get to our waypoint at White Cay at a perfect time in the morning. Because we had been at Lucaya so long I knew the way out, so it was easier. It was a nice calm night. I easily backed Kwanesum out of her spot and slowly made way out of the port with Randy standing on the bow to make sure I didn’t hit anything; a.k.a. Proactive Boat Protection Management. Got out no problem and off we go. The seas weren’t bad at all and we motor sailed the whole way. Randy and I both put patches on this time to be sure we did well. We put them on and then covered them with bandage tape to make sure they stayed on; a.k.a. Proactive Puking Protection.
We did our 3 hours on/ 3 hours off. There was plenty of company out there. Lots of cruise ships all lit up. But nothing that came near. It keeps you entertained. We arrived at White Cay in the morning. It was a beautiful day. We found our plotted waypoint and worked our way into the anchorage lining ourselves up with the various islands per the guide books; a.k.a. Shoal Avoidance Management. We anchored just as they said we should and started our day. We relaxed a bit, napping a little. I did not like how the patch made me feel. Though it did keep me from getting sick it made me feel lousy otherwise: dry mouth, kept having to clear my throat…just a funny feeling. I think next time if I use them at all I will cut it in half and see how I do.
Randy jumped in the water with snorkel and fins and checked our anchor.
Ahhh…to be able to see your anchor: a.k.a. Clear Water Excellence! We put the dinghy down and went exploring on the island. We are by ourselves except for one boat anchored far, far away. We did, later, have a few boats come in and out and one catamaran anchored that first night in our little area but far away from us. It was a Saturday and people were out and about. Even way out there.
The next day was a beautiful morning and we put on our bathing suits. “Today, Ran, we are going to take champagne to the island and do some snorkeling. We need to toast our arrival!” What a great day we had! We toasted ourselves and prepared to snorkel. I just love to snorkel. I could do it for hours. The water was so clear. There was plenty to see, too. Randy found a huge conch. Unfortunately we didn’t know how to get it out of the shell or prepare it so we put it back: a.k.a. Conch Survival Management! It was so big and beautiful with lots of yellow on its shell edge. I found what I thought was a jackpot! There was a pile of shells just waiting for me. But Randy signaled to me, no, no, no! I surfaced and he said that hole that’s next to the pile of shells might be an eel’s hole. You do NOT want to put your hand anywhere near there…just in case. That eel might pop out and bite your hand. Allll…righty…then! I don’t need to do that: a.k.a. Ellen Survival Management! But it killed me to leave all those neat shells behind. It was still so wonderful to swim and to see everything so clearly. More! More! I want more!
We went back to the boat and continued to celebrate. The sun felt so good. We put on music and drank wine and danced on deck. What a fun day! This is what I’ve been waiting for! I could have stayed there a week.
But…we were headed to Nassau so off we go the next morning. At least we’re leaving in the daylight! Woohoo! Having had so much fun the day before, with all that sun and adult beverages, I wasn’t sure how I would do the next day. I didn’t want to wear the patch so I took a Bonine and put on my wrist electrifier. It gives you a little electric shock that you feel up your fingers. The day was nice and sunny and the seas were calm so it’s not a good test of whether it worked or not but I felt just fine on this trip. I manned the helm the whole way, until we docked for diesel.
Before you come into Nassau harbor you have to hail the harbor patrol and ask permission to enter the harbor. We had never had to do this before. They get your information and ask where you will be and that’s it. Apparently before you leave you also have to let them know.
Once we were in the harbor Randy pulled Kwanesum into the diesel dock like frosting a cake. That’s sort of a lame analogy but it was so smooth! We are definitely getting better at handling our boat. Our friends Jack and Marianne who had been in Nassau a few weeks recommended the Texaco dock. Best price. It’s good to have friends in the right places. We filled with diesel and water and were on our way to the anchorage.
Drop the anchor…have a beer. Wait, and wait, and have another beer. Back her up at 1200 rpms, hold that and wait. Finish that beer and stop. Holding good. By golly, Tonto, we’re getting this anchoring thing! Take a reading with the hand held compass. Get SPOT out and send off our location to the kids. Get that dinghy down we’re going for sundowners on GravyBoat!
We’re in Nassau! Cheers: a.k.a. Active Attitude Adjustment!
What fun we had in White Cay. Our trip from Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island to the anchorage at White Cay in the Berry Islands went really well. We had scouted out the destination on our charts and I had researched it online via other cruisers’ blogs and articles from different cruising forums. It sounded like a perfect place to stop on our way to Nassau, which was our final destination on this leg.
We left Lucaya at night…again we leave at night!! One of these days, Randy, I want to be able to see well when we leave a spot. But we had good moonlight, so that helped…a lot. And if we left at 9:00pm we would get to our waypoint at White Cay at a perfect time in the morning. Because we had been at Lucaya so long I knew the way out, so it was easier. It was a nice calm night. I easily backed Kwanesum out of her spot and slowly made way out of the port with Randy standing on the bow to make sure I didn’t hit anything; a.k.a. Proactive Boat Protection Management. Got out no problem and off we go. The seas weren’t bad at all and we motor sailed the whole way. Randy and I both put patches on this time to be sure we did well. We put them on and then covered them with bandage tape to make sure they stayed on; a.k.a. Proactive Puking Protection.
We did our 3 hours on/ 3 hours off. There was plenty of company out there. Lots of cruise ships all lit up. But nothing that came near. It keeps you entertained. We arrived at White Cay in the morning. It was a beautiful day. We found our plotted waypoint and worked our way into the anchorage lining ourselves up with the various islands per the guide books; a.k.a. Shoal Avoidance Management. We anchored just as they said we should and started our day. We relaxed a bit, napping a little. I did not like how the patch made me feel. Though it did keep me from getting sick it made me feel lousy otherwise: dry mouth, kept having to clear my throat…just a funny feeling. I think next time if I use them at all I will cut it in half and see how I do.
Randy jumped in the water with snorkel and fins and checked our anchor.
Ahhh…to be able to see your anchor: a.k.a. Clear Water Excellence! We put the dinghy down and went exploring on the island. We are by ourselves except for one boat anchored far, far away. We did, later, have a few boats come in and out and one catamaran anchored that first night in our little area but far away from us. It was a Saturday and people were out and about. Even way out there.The next day was a beautiful morning and we put on our bathing suits. “Today, Ran, we are going to take champagne to the island and do some snorkeling. We need to toast our arrival!” What a great day we had! We toasted ourselves and prepared to snorkel. I just love to snorkel. I could do it for hours. The water was so clear. There was plenty to see, too. Randy found a huge conch. Unfortunately we didn’t know how to get it out of the shell or prepare it so we put it back: a.k.a. Conch Survival Management! It was so big and beautiful with lots of yellow on its shell edge. I found what I thought was a jackpot! There was a pile of shells just waiting for me. But Randy signaled to me, no, no, no! I surfaced and he said that hole that’s next to the pile of shells might be an eel’s hole. You do NOT want to put your hand anywhere near there…just in case. That eel might pop out and bite your hand. Allll…righty…then! I don’t need to do that: a.k.a. Ellen Survival Management! But it killed me to leave all those neat shells behind. It was still so wonderful to swim and to see everything so clearly. More! More! I want more!
We went back to the boat and continued to celebrate. The sun felt so good. We put on music and drank wine and danced on deck. What a fun day! This is what I’ve been waiting for! I could have stayed there a week.
But…we were headed to Nassau so off we go the next morning. At least we’re leaving in the daylight! Woohoo! Having had so much fun the day before, with all that sun and adult beverages, I wasn’t sure how I would do the next day. I didn’t want to wear the patch so I took a Bonine and put on my wrist electrifier. It gives you a little electric shock that you feel up your fingers. The day was nice and sunny and the seas were calm so it’s not a good test of whether it worked or not but I felt just fine on this trip. I manned the helm the whole way, until we docked for diesel.
Before you come into Nassau harbor you have to hail the harbor patrol and ask permission to enter the harbor. We had never had to do this before. They get your information and ask where you will be and that’s it. Apparently before you leave you also have to let them know.
Once we were in the harbor Randy pulled Kwanesum into the diesel dock like frosting a cake. That’s sort of a lame analogy but it was so smooth! We are definitely getting better at handling our boat. Our friends Jack and Marianne who had been in Nassau a few weeks recommended the Texaco dock. Best price. It’s good to have friends in the right places. We filled with diesel and water and were on our way to the anchorage.
Drop the anchor…have a beer. Wait, and wait, and have another beer. Back her up at 1200 rpms, hold that and wait. Finish that beer and stop. Holding good. By golly, Tonto, we’re getting this anchoring thing! Take a reading with the hand held compass. Get SPOT out and send off our location to the kids. Get that dinghy down we’re going for sundowners on GravyBoat!
We’re in Nassau! Cheers: a.k.a. Active Attitude Adjustment!
