Our stay at Port Lucaya had come to and end and we were ready to move on! Our first plan, was to head to the Abaco Islands, but after waiting many days, we could not get a good, steady weather window, so The Berry Islands were our next location for adventure. !t was a long, day sail in beautiful water with a rather rapid current, which saved us a little time. Obviously, all of you know we have a sailboat and it has a keel that "hangs below the boat" which is called our draft. (Sorry for insulting anyone's intelligence)! Our draft is about five feet, so it is important to know the depth of the water in which you are sailing. All of the "everything you should know sailing " give lots of information on reading the color's of the water. One doesn't want to run into a coral head, for example and there are colors to look for to avoid such things. Since we are first time sailors in the Bahamas, we were extra cautious. Two to three miles out from the entrance to our new marina, I stood on the front of the boat and looked for anything suspicious! It was very shallow, but we made it...whew!
I can't say too many good things about Grand Harbour Marina. The harbor master, Hans, and his crew run a clean, neat, efficient operation! Everything is done with a smile on their faces and always there to help with any problem. A good example was the "welcome pack" we received upon checking into the marina. Anything you wanted to know, where to go, tours to take, etc. were all in this little bag. Most of the evenings they had a special event planned such as pot luck night, pizza night, bbq night, and a book signing. In addition, they took orders for homemade bread baked by the ladies on the island, which were delicious, I might add. We were lucky once again, to have friends Carl and Barb, whom we met in Grand Harbor, in the marina, too! This was their second visit, so they were well versed in how and where everything was on the Island. Our biggest adventure with them was our dingy ride through the mangroves in the middle of the island out through the north coast. To say it was shallow, would be an understatement! Then, you must plan your trip with the tides, or you will be "walking" your dingy! On the way back to the marina, we stopped at the "famous" Bardot Beach. Legend has it that Bridgett Bardot use to frequent the island back in the fifties and sixties and sun bathe on this beach (which is a bit remote....use your imagination). Also, around this time the Rat Pack were visitors there, also! Barbara and Carl introduced us to a fun restaurant overlooking the water called the Beach House. GREAT views....just like a postcard. Another day, Steve and I rented one of the marina's golf carts for a day. This allowed us to drive all over the island, visit the grocery stores and make dinner reservations at a place called Coolie Mae's. The gal at the office would call for you to see if one, they were going to be open, and two, what was on the menu for the evening. It was a family owned and run restaurant, which also, overlooked the water. Quite delicious food, I might add. The other "touch" that warmed my heart came on Mother's Day. When Steve and I were out for a walk and returned to the boat, on the captain's seat was a bouquet of island flowers! Ahhhhh! Loved it!
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| Carl & Barbara |
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| Barbara & Nancy at the Beach House |
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| Beach House |
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| Swimming Pigs From Book Signing |
As much as we loved the Bahamas, there are some things that really make you appreciate home. First of all, we are so lucky in the USA to have fresh fruits and vegetables and packed grocery stores readily available at all times. I often complain about the price of food in our stores at home, but the Bahamas were eye opening for prices on many items. Everything that is fresh, comes in once a week to most of the islands on a boat. In Grand Harbour, that was Thursday. You had better be there early for a good selection or wait until the next week. The prices, due to the transportation, are quite high. For example, apples are priced individually! (I really enjoyed my $1.69 apple!) Water and electricity are used sparingly! WiFi was good in our marina at Grand Harbour but not anywhere else we traveled on the islands. Like I said, it makes you appreciate what you have.
While sailing, you must always be aware of the winds and weather. That determines when you can have a good departure and sail to the next location. So, with that in mind, we had fair winds to set sail back to Bimini and then to the good ole USA! Stay tuned for that trip and beyond!
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| Golf Cart with Heated Seats (broken exhaust pipe) |
