Us and a little piece of Paradise!

We left the beautiful Berry Islands behind and sailed to Nassau for a quick one day stop.

Atlantis on Paradise Island, Nassau

 We got there passing by the famous Atlantis Resort and fueled up and headed to Nassau Harbor Club Marina. It was a whirlwind afternoon to get two loads of laundry done, over to Fresh Market to get needed produce and other forgotten things. Next time I won't forget canned mushrooms, they cost me $3.99 for a small can! We showered and met up with Corbett and Robin for a nice dinner at the East Villa Restaurant which is a nice Chinese Restaurant.

Enjoying our last restaurant meal that isn't Bahamian!

 After dinner I was hoping to do my blog, and when I went to put the hot spot on the Ipad to use our computer, the hot spot button was not there! Frustrated, I went to bed.

The next morning we were planning on leaving but because it was showery it gave me time to go to the Batelco office which opened at 8am and within 10 min. one of the young gurus had the hot spot button back. I then went to Starbucks to work on the blog but could not get connected to their wifi there even though others were on. I gave up went back to the boat and did my blog using the hot spot. The captains were wavering due to the squalls, but finally around 11am we left to cross to the Exumas.

Blue Heaven underway.

 Leaving so late we did see the sunset while out there and got into the anchorage shortly after dark. We had never done that before but we knew at Shroud Cay there were no coral heads and we knew two boats were anchored over there. We headed toward their mast lights and were in for the night.

The next day we decided to move on because there was some swell at Shroud which made it a little uncomfortable. Robin and Corbett on Cookie Monster like to find conch, fish and lobster, so we headed past the Land and Sea Park to Pipe Creek where they could do those things. I was not opposed because this is one of my favorite spots. As we had a great sail down we kept missing the rain squalls. But just as we were getting closer to Pipe Creek it poured raining but the wind only got to 21knots which wasn't bad. Now we had a well washed boat!

Cookie Monster entering Pipe Creek.

It is not on land, but in a slot of water in back of sandbar.

We entered the creek from the bank side and anchored just past the narrow cut of two cays. What a beautiful sight! We were the only boats in the creek other than this powerboat who is always there.  The owners come every once in awhile. We have never seen it this empty. Most people were still in the states waiting for a weather window.

First treasures found

Mid afternoon we went over to the exposed sandbar searching for sand dollars. Eagle-eyed Robin found 12 and I found 8. A pretty good haul for our first day of hunting.



The wind picked up and blew through the night. Then it poured raining. I had taken some Nyquil because of some sinus pain, so I was really out of it but I awoke and said to Al, did he close the hatch over our heads? He said he had, so I went back to sleep, only to awake the next morning to find the end of my pillow soaked and the sheet and mattress as well. He closed it but did not latch it! So it was dry out time for the bedding and the rug on the floor.

We went off with Robin and Corbett to a beach where we knew there were trails to the outside beach. We found some sea glass, 2 heart beans (beans in a shape of a heart from trees in Africa and such) and some shells.

More treasures.

This is how the other half live!

After lunch Robin and Corbett went looking for conch and came back with three. They were exhausted so we just chilled for the afternoon and evening.While sitting in our cockpit, this sea plane comes right by our boat to let off some of the island dwellers to their home on the private island.

The next morning before one of the many showers came, we had a beautiful rainbow.  Usually you get them after the rain, but this one was before it!

A rainbow before the showers, however there were showers all around!

We found the lookout!

Afterward we took off in our dinghies to head to a beach to hike to a former submarine station. The subs did not come in there, but their communications base was there. We found the path and came to a cement wall at the water's edge with huge cleats. Cookie Monster knew a trawler with a couple who stayed here the entire winter last year tied up and they blazed a trail and made a look-out tower. We found it, and I climbed up to get  just another gorgeous view.

My gorgeous view!

No, I meant this was the gorgeous view!

Corbett relaxing from his long walk.

Back to our boats for lunch and we decided to sail back to Cambridge Cay which is in the no-take Land and Sea Park. Once again we are the only boats here. Neither couple have ever been here with less than a mooring field full of boats. We hiked once again to the beach where Corbett fixed a hammock left by other cruisers and then decided to take a rest.
 We lucked out with the rain. It seemed to be heading to us and then would break up or head south of us. You can see the rain clouds in back of us in this picture.

Hiking without get rained on!

We also hiked the trails that headed up to a high point. You can see the rocks below which are some of the highest we see in the Exumas.

The high cliffs at Cambridge Cay.

That night we had a wonderful Cracked Conch dinner on Cookie Monster complete with plantains and my pepper cabbage and fudge for dessert. We watched a Hallmark Christmas movie which ended the evening on even a sweeter note!

It dawned a bright sunny day so we headed to the trail near Kiss Cay. Al and Corbett brought their machetes to help trim up the trail that begins to get overgrown. The ladies pick up the fronds and throw them to the side of the trail. It was a long trail so by the time we got to the beach off of the Coral Gardens we were quite warm and went in to cool off. It felt so good!

Enjoying the crystal clear water.

The play side of Johnny Depp's Island

After lunch Corbett and Robin took us to see Johnny Depp's island. It looks quite nice but not ostentatious because he doesn't want to draw attention to it. He really wants his privacy.

Robin said that a lot of the furniture and water toys are new since last year. She thinks his wife of less than a year has perhaps made the difference.  The house was quite ordinary and I did not even take a picture.

Accommodations for the help.

These tents are for Johnny Depp's workers. Our friends know this because they befriended the warden at Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park who was hired to help with the security for the wedding  last year.

You can see part of fuselage and the wing. 

After going around Depp's island we went over a spot where a small plane went down. I don't know the story behind it. We were so close I could only get a section of it at a time in the photo.  The cable you see is tied to a mooring ball to mark the spot.

Another gorgeous beach!

They took us to another gorgeous beach for more exploring. We ended the day on Cookie Monster for Happy Hour and a fill of our water jugs. Cookie Monster has a water maker which makes more water than they can use which is very helpful to us!
 

Al looking for the fish and fans.

We stayed another day at this gorgeous spot and finally one boat came in, but anchored further down the anchorage. We worked on various projects in the morning and after lunch we headed to a spot called the “Aquarium” to do some snorkeling. Another dinghy was there on one of the two mooring balls with seven young people snorkeling. Their boat was anchored on the other side of an island which we could not see. The tide was going out which made for some strong current but once you got into the cove it wasn't too bad. Here are some of the sights.

Sergeant Majors with their stripes.

One of the more colorful fans.

I believe a damsel fish.

We saw lots of Sergeant Majors, male and female parrotfish,, a damsel fish, a moray eel, angel fish, some tiny brilliant blue fish and others that I am not sure of their names. Every time I tried to get a picture, they would always turn away, so you see the tails of most of them!

After snorkeling we headed to do some exploring with the dinghy. 

Neat sand ripples in the empty pond.

 We found this one entrance and went in and anchored. We decided to walk in and find out what was there. It was another pond which was mostly sand due to being low tide.

 Robin enjoyed riding the current going out to our boats. 

Robin enjoying a float down the stream.

We also went to a beach where cruisers often gather for happy hour. There were loads of baby conch empty but it is a no take zone in the park. 

Young conch hoping to survive to adulthood!

While there, we saw stingrays, a small shark and a turtle. 

Who ever said turtles are slow, try catching a picture of one!

We certainly got our fill of nature for the day.

Later, Robin and Corbett came for another game of “Sequence.” Finally the girls had their win. A fine day it was! We are heading to Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park tomorrow to go on a mooring through Christmas. We are headed to just another gorgeous spot but one where internet and phone connection are very minimal!

The Happenings in the Berry Islands

Since our first day in the Berry Islands it has been raining five out of six days. Everyone who cruises regularly said they have never had so much rain and cloudy weather. Thank heaven for the Honda Generator because we are not getting much solar.

Al and Corbett 

The one day it did not rain, we borrowed the bikes from the marina and went into the small village on Great Harbour Cay. Robin, who was a teacher also, likes to check out the schools. 

R.N. Gomez School for All Ages

It was a Saturday so we did not expect for anyone to be there, but we were wrong. 

Secondary students voluntary came to be trained.

There was a program similar to ROTC going on with about 30 secondary students.

Robin talking to the business teacher.

There were also two teachers there. Robin got talking to them and so did the rest of us. 

Al and I with math teacher and former student

We learned from the math teacher and business and computer teacher that there are about 170 students in the school. Their scores rank quite well and the community feel that education is important. The students doing the ROTC -like program are all their voluntarily. They do several days after school and on Saturday. The discipline is good for them and helps keep them out of trouble. We also met the principal who came by and a pastor who works with the community. It was interesting to talk to the local people.

The principal is in yellow, the pastor in blue.  They showed up, I guess word got around that we were there!

The unloading of supplies at public dock.

The school was near the public dock where the supply boat comes in. They were unloading the supplies people had purchased and just put them in the parking lot with their name on it. They were responsible to come and get it. I cannot see that working too well in the US!

After lunch we, Robin and Corbett and two other cruisers decided to take our dinghies and ride into the mangroves where there is a path through the water that a dinghy can go. 

Corbett and Robin following us through the mangroves.

 I felt like Katherine Hepburn in the African Queen going through the close flora. We were looking for turtles and other wild life. We saw one turtle, one shark and a few small fish but that was about it. It was neat when it finally opened up to beautiful turquoise water where there was a pretty white beach with shells.

The shelling beach.

The shells I would have liked to have!

I got all excited about the small conch but they all had a dying creature inside which stunk beyond belief. I was not taking them back to our boat. A picture is good enough.!

That evening the marina had set up a dinner for the cruisers. We placed our order early in the day and at 6PM we went to the little cafe at the end of the dock where they had set the tables for us. The food was quite good and it was a great way to get to know other cruisers. We happened to sit with a couple who had a 59' Hinkley. They invited us for a drink on their boat. It was a beautiful boat and they were a nice couple but their hidden agenda was to try and find crew to help take the boat in May to the Mediterranean. Crossing the Atlantic is not our thing, so we declined and so did Robin and Corbett.

After three days in the marina we wanted a change of scenery so we went outside the harbor to anchor where it was nice and flat. We wanted to go on the other side of Great Harbor Cay to Devil Hoffman but it was too blustery so we stayed put. We tried to do some conking but had no luck. The only thing we saw was a large starfish.

These starfish are about 10-12 inches across.

Corbett and Robin came over for a shared dinner of Shepherd's Pie, Salad and Dessert. Afterward we played Sequence and once again the guys won. I swear they have a deck of jacks hidden under the table!!!

The next day was suitable for going to Devil Hoffman so we left and had to pass Little Stirrup Cay now called Cocoa Cay. This is where some cruise ships, like the Disney Cruise line come in for their passengers to play. 

Little Stirrup Cay renamed Cocoa Cay for the cruise lines.

next cay is Great Stirrup and the Norwegian Get Away was anchored there. 

That is some paint job on the Norwegian Get Away

 Although it was gray and ugly looking, thousands of people were over on the cay pretending to sunbathe and to have fun. You can see the tenders they use to get the people there. It was a shame they had picked the rainiest week in the Bahamas to come.

The tenders along side of the ship.

We were about a half hour from our destination and it began to rain again but the most wind we saw was 21 knots. 

You could see the rain coming!

 I know it would had looked a lot prettier between Hoffman Cay and Devil's Cay in the sunlight but it still was great being the only two boats there. It continued to rain the rest of the evening and night.

Although it was gray and cloudy with drizzle the next day, Al and I put on our swimsuits with our diving tops and headed out to do some exploring .

Al at the blue hole on Hoffman's Cay.

There was a blue hole on Hoffman's Cay so we headed to the beach, found the path and hiked to it. Due to the gray skies, it wasn't very impressive but the shelf of rock around it was interesting. However, the mosquitoes sent us on our way quite quickly. (With all this rain, we know the mosquitoes are going to be bad this year.)

Under the ledge of rock.  If you look closely, the one rock to my right is separated from the rock below.

He is under the water, that is how clear it it!

We explored a few more beaches. We saw this white crab as we came into one. You would think it was dead, but it definitely was alive. This is a perfect example of camouflaging into your surroundings! A ray was also just lazing around in the shallow waters. 

A stingray taking a nap.

We also found a” cruiser's yacht club.” The palm trees with the make shift hammock is just what you picture the Bahamas to have. 

A cruiser's yacht club.  There was a fire pit nearby too.

Although it was a drab gray day, it still was a pretty place.

Gray days in Bahamas are better than gray days up north.

Later we headed over to Cookie Monster for a great stir fry, salad and the apple crisp I baked that afternoon.

The sun came back the next day so we headed over to Flo's on Little Harbor Cay for a late lunch.

My captain taking me to lunch!

Flo's on the hill.

Flo died a few years ago but Chester and Edna now work the restaurant.  They serve a lot of conch as you can see by the piles of conch shells.

Mounds and mounds of shells.

Chester greeted us at the bar area, more than ready to hand us a cold drink.

Chester getting us a cold one.

Edna mixing up conch fritter batter.

We had conch fritters first for an appetizer and they were delicious!

Yummy conch fritters.!

Then Al and I had the fish dinner with slaw and beans and rice, while Robin and Corbett had cracked conch for their main dish.  All were very good.

Robin and Corbett enjoying Flo's.

After lunch we went outside to enjoy the ambiance of Flo's.  There were ducks all around.  This one looked like he was trying to decide whether or not to eat this caterpillar, but none of them touched it.  It must not had been very tasty!

Should I or shouldn't I, that is the question!

This is what we came to. 

Roosters are a must in the Bahamas!

There were roosters and even peacocks wandering the grounds.  We decided to hike Chester's so called highway, a path through the brush to the other side.  The waves crashing on the rocks was a pretty sights to see.

Blue Heaven enjoying the sun,.

Afterwards we headed back to our boats to later enjoy the beautiful sunset.

A sight to behold, but no green flash!

What a way to end our stay in the Berry Islands!

Making the Move

Cavu and Blue Heaven on mooring in Vero.

We finally broke away from Vero Beach (aka Velcro Beach-since everyone sticks there longer than planned) on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, leaving our buddy boat, Cavu alone on the mooring . We had three boats on the mooring at one point, and when Ron and Maryann got back on Tuesday they could find one or two new boats tied to them.

The crowded mooring field in Vero

We enjoyed meeting up with our friends from Dawn Treader, Dawn and Ron, who now live in Ft. Pierce before we left. We left with a new buddy boat, Cookie Monster, with Robin and Corbett on board and headed to Peck Lake. It is not really a lake but a wide section in the ICW which is good for anchoring. One nice aspect is there is a path across to the beach that everyone uses there. Unfortunately, we discovered our windlass was not working. However, after a little investigation Al discovered it needed a new solenoid. He rigged it so we could use it until we got one in Ft. Lauderdale.

Cookie Monster being highlighted by a rainbow spot.

The next day we headed out at 7am motoring hard at times to get through the five drawbridges that only open at set times.
I caught a rainbow spot in the sky behind Cookie Monster after we left Peck  Lake. (I cannot think of the name for those rainbow spots.)

  I finally got a lot of hooking done while motoring.  It has been so humid I did not need wool on top of me!

About two thirds done!

Along the way near West Palm we saw some gorgeous houses 

I would not want to wash those window!

and some interesting boats. This captain had a sense of humor. 

Jaws 3, I guess?

 We got through Lake Worth and out the inlet and motor-sailed to Ft. Lauderdale. We were pushing to get south fast so that we could take advantage of the weather window that was going to be Wednesday and Thursday. Normally, we would have spent the night in Lake Worth. When we got to the Ft. Lauderdale inlet around 6PM it was getting dark but there were plenty of lights from the surrounding buildings and ships docked. It actually was a good time to come in because we saw several cruise ships come out between 4 and 5 pm and we don't like being in the channel with them. We had to wait until 6:30pm for the bridge to open and we were hoping there was room in Lake Sylvia for us to anchor. We motored past the numerous luxurious yachts and homes

enjoying the lighted palm trees decorated for Christmas. 

Palm trees decorated for the holidays.

 We were lucky, “there was room for us at the inn,” so we put down our anchor in Lake Sylvia for a good nights sleep.

Robin and Corbett have friends who live in Ft. Lauderdale so we arranged to meet them at the end of a side canal at a restaurant called the Raw Bar. Getting there can be a little tricky at high tide because they have some very low bridges. Corbett actually had to lift a pipe under the bridge to make it under!

What we won't do for a ride to get supplies!

Since Joanna and Tom's car only fit five, we sent the men off to West Marine and Sailorman for their shopping, while we ladies had a beverage and enjoyed each others company. Then the men came back and we ladies went to find Costco and a Walmart. We ended up having quite an adventure as the directions from the Ipad and phone took us way out of our way and into an unsavory part of town. (I did not realize that Ft. Lauderdale had a bad section!) We eventually got to our destination, loaded up with what we wanted and headed back. We had planned to go to an Italian restaurant called Anthony's for “linner.” That is lunch and dinner combined. Since we took longer than expected., Robin who was driving their car, dropped Joanna and I at the restaurant and went to pick up the men. It was taking longer than expected and finally both our cell phones rang and our husbands asked if Joanna had the key. This was one of those cars with the push button start, only needing the key to be with you. Robin had gone to pick them up and turned off the car to give the driving to Tom in the middle of the Raw Bar parking lot. He however did not have a key and so they could not start it!!!!! He ended up calling Uber which came and picked him up, brought him to the restaurant where he got the key, and was driven back to the car. Then the men and Robin finally came where we had a delicious pizza dinner and definitely alcoholic drinks too! We needed them!

By the time we got back to our dinghies and loaded them, it was getting dark and we did not have our lights with us. The only good thing, was that we did not get caught with no lights. You hardly needed them with all the homes and boats lit up on both sides of the canal.

We prepared for our crossing and went to bed only to get up at 3:30 am to leave. We went out the inlet once again in the dark with no problems. We had discussed that it would be best to head to Miami and then across. The wind was out of the southeast which allowed us to motor sail. Once in a while we would get a little rain but nothing to fret about. As we were passing Miami, a huge rainbow appeared.

Our lucky rainbow?

Al taking a little nap as we crossed the banks .

I thought it might bring us good luck, but as the morning progressed the wind did not move more southerly and it would have been difficult to cross, not making much headway. So we decided to head into No Name Harbor. We were there about 11 am and there were only two other boats there, which was very unusual. We anchored, had lunch, took a nap and about 3pm Corbett says the wind has gone south so lets head out. That is exactly what we did and it could not have been much nicer. We did not even get the usual agitation that you often get in the Gulf Stream. The wind was steady out of the south at about 12-15knots. 

We took our turn at watches with Cookie Monster following behind us. Another boat, Pura Vida called on the VHF radio asking to join in the crossing which they did. 

We arrived in Great Harbour Cay Marina in the Berry Islands where we have never been, around 11:30am. That was only 19 1/2 hrs. which was really good time.

The entry into Great Harbour

 It was one of the easiest crossing we ever had. I guess that rainbow did bring us good luck, because a boat came in the next day making the crossing in all sorts of squalls with lightning all around them which might have been us if we had waited one more day! 

Once in we filled out all 5 or 6 pages of information they wanted for customs.  The customs official was very nice giving us 120 days which can be added on to if needed at another customs office.  Once we were all cleared through, Robin and Corbett, Al and I headed out for a walk to the beach.

Our first Bahamian beach for this trip.

The first thing we saw when we got to the beach was a sea biscuit.

We left it there for others to find.

Robin was so excited about being at the beach, she chose to go in, clothes and all!

Robin enjoying the warm Bahamian waters.

 We came back to our boats and ate a light dinner and crashed!  We were asleep by 8pm and slept until 7am the next day.  We were tired!

We were all ready to explore the island but it rained almost the entire day which is highly unusual for the Bahamas.  So we got some games in playing Farkel and Sequence.  It truly poured which was good.  The boat needed a good rinsing off of all the salt. Rain is predicted for the next week but not steady like we had our first day in the Bahamas.  We are anxious to get exploring the islands!