After Julie and Stef arrived, we got the worst weather we've had in all of the Bahamas. A cold front came through on Sunday blowing 30-35 kt winds consistently, with waves crashing through the fairway of the marina. We saw one gust of 54. Hunkered down during the rain and wind on Sunday, we hung out until there was a brief spell of clear skies and went shopping to provision for the week.
Monday was more of the same, only less rain. Each day we'd check the forecast hoping for lighter winds so we could leave the dock and show Julie some of our life here. Julie had brought mail from home that included income tax statements, so Bob and Maggie were busy preparing to file returns, taking advantage of the lousy weather and the internet connection near the marina. We signed up with Skype so we could chat with family and friends over the internet. Bob was thrilled to find his son Matt online at the same time.
Tuesday was more of the same. The highlight of the days became what we would eat (banana, walnut, chocolate chip pancakes; French toast made with home-made coconut bread; chicken with Stef's special salsa....I'll quote Mark from Kardia who says he's "waisting away in the Bahamas." It's easy to gain weight here.)
By Wednesday morning it was clear we were not leaving the dock, so Maggie, Julie and Stef took the ferry to Hope Town. As we crossed the Sea of Abaco and saw the 8' waves, we were glad we were in an enclosed ferry doing about 20 kts.
Hope Town is a special place - with it's renowned lighthouse, pastel cottages, fabulous beaches, and great restaurants and shops. Julie had hoped to rent a golf cart, but since we were in peak season, we could not get one for just one day. As we walked through the streets, a man started a conversation with us about Julie's Red Sox shirt. Turns out he's from Marblehead MA and has spent each of the last 20 years on Elbow Cay. Biff, head of the Salem Witch Museum, offered to take us on a drive to the north end of the island, and we jumped in his golf cart ("so much for not taking ride with strangers," Julie said).
Thursday was more of the same weather, although the wind was beginning to lessen. Julie and Stef finished their souvenir shopping and we attended the weekly happy hour for boaters ($2 drinks, bring an appetizer to share). We said farewell to Cool Breeze, who would be starting their trip back to the States.
We raised the dinghy and motor, and cast the lines Friday morning, finally, still with the wind at 25+ and a forecast that called for it to diminish through the day and overnight .. and the sun was shining. We sailed across the Sea of Abaco to Scotland Cay, dropped the hook, ate lunch in the cockpit and loaded our snorkel gear into the dinghy.
We went back to anchor in Marsh Harbour, watch the first sunset of the week, have dinner, and relish the flat-calm water and the stars that appeared. In the end, Julie did get to experience some of what we have all along.
The girls left at 6:00a Saturday. We made one last quick trip to the grocery store, and headed out of Marsh Harbour. On our way to Hope Town, the center of activity on Elbow Cay, we could see starfish from SeaTryst in the crystal clear water. We anchored outside the harbor and dinghied all around Elbow Cay. What a beautiful place this is. We went back to town on Easter Sunday, rented bikes and rode for about 10 miles. This was a fabulous day.
We left this bit of paradise on Tuesday morning when the forecast was for another front. Ducking into Man-O-War for its moorings and all-round protection, we were happy to see Grand Style pull in right behind us. After talking with them, we realized that we had the same goal to leave the Abacos and cross the Gulf Stream about the same time, so we decided to stay in close touch. Man-O-War is a quiet village with a shipbuilding history. The landlord of CD Dimensions has a home here, so we asked around to see if he was on the island. He wasn't, so we walked around a bit. Here's an example of how quiet this cay is:
Unfortunately, Maggie needed medication to take care of a sinus infection, so we went back to Marsh Harbour (the only place with a pharmacy). Within an hour, we had gone to the pharmacy, did 2 loads of laundry, and picked up a few things at the store. We wanted to leave as early as possible Wednesday.
Wednesday, we anchored in Fishers Bay, Great Guana; walked over to the famous Nippers Beach Bar & Grill and watched the activities near the pool and at the beach.
On Thursday, we made our way through Whale Cut, and into Green Turtle Cay. Grand Style anchored near us in White Sound and we dinghied to the town to check it out ... Maggie was in search of Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar & Grill, birthplace of the Goombay Smash. We found it! The recipe is secret, so we'll have to keep trying to perfect our own.
The next day, we rented a golf cart with Carole and Gilles and rode all around the island and even shopped a bit. It was such fun. We had dinner at the Green Turtle Club, complete with candles and white tablecloths, to celebrate the closing of our visit in the Bahamas. We did some last-minute shopping for souvenirs, realizing this was the last Settlement we'd be visiting in the Bahamas. Emotionally, we were not quite ready to leave but the weather window looked good and we had things to take care of that we knew would be easier in the States.
We left Saturday morning, to begin our passage north. After sailing the 32-miles with following winds, we anchored in Allans-Pensocola Cay, it was the first desolate island we'd seen in a few weeks. It was nice to be there. Bob cleaned the bottom of SeaTryst to make sure we'd have optimum speed on our trip. Then we followed the path to the beach - the sand was the softest we've seen, the water was clear and warm. We wondered why we were leaving. Up until now, we felt the Abacos were too developed and Americanized.
We had drinks on Grand Style and made plans for our passage. Sunday we made the 33-mile trip to Great Sale Cay (again desolate, no stores in spite of the name!). It was another beautiful sail followed by a short swim, and drinks on SeaTryst .
Underway at 7:15a for a 55-mile passage across the Little Bahama Banks to Matanilla Shoals to anchor for the night. When we arrived around 3:30p we discovered that the Shoals were too rough to sleep, so we decided to keep going for a night crossing of the Straits of Florida, back to Fort Pierce USA. The wind was heavier than predicted (ahh.... haven't we learned this by now!), and we sailed the whole way, averaging 7.5 kts.
Once we knew we were in American waters, Bob removed our tattered Bahamian courtesy flag, which has flown continuously since we arrived in the Bahamas.
We dropped the hook at 3:00a in Ft Pierce, to the smell of pollution and the sound of train whistles. We turned to each other and said "why did we leave the Bahamas?". Up at 7:15a, we drove the boat up the ICW to Vero Beach, to raft with Grand Style. Bob rented a car so we could drive to the airport to check in with Customs. Talk about culture shock!
It still has not settled in that we are back in the real world.
We will be in Florida while we figure out our plans for SeaTryst 's summer home and expect to be back in Mystic by early June. Maggie does not want to leave the boat and face the reality of America. As Bob drives along the congested highways of Florida, one thought keeps playing in his head "Paved Paradise to put up a parking lot". We're in no rush!