Our winter adventure is starting to come to an end....

April 30, 2015

Well we knew that this wonderful winter in the Bahamas would come to an end at some point. The last 14 days have been much warmer and more humid – spring is in the air as temperatures reach the upper 80’s F / 30 C! The winds have for the most part also been getting lighter which leaves us often motor sailing to keep our destinations attainable in daylight.

We also notice that at least 50% of the boats that were here over the winter have already made there way back to Florida – the bays, anchorages and moorings are much less busy. This is nice as we have lots of room for just ourselves!

The engine oil leak continues to be an issue – not critical, as I only need add oil every few days and change the oil absorbent blankets in the bilge.  The anchor windlass motor continues to operate even if it does take a whack of a metal bar at times to wake it up – a very non-technical solution!

Unfortunately our slip neighbours in Nassau, also from Lake Champlain experienced the less appealing side of Nassau – they were robbed while asleep during the night. With the hot weather everyone has been sleeping with everything open and fans full blast. Obviously this is exactly what the thief was hoping for. Cash was the only loss but none the less it is more than disturbing to know that someone was rifling through your boat and belongings while you slept. Apparently this is not an isolated incident as it happened to a total of 3 boats this week alone here. Ambition is very fortunate to be able to close everything and have the AC keep us cool.

Plans have been made for our return northward with a stop in St. Augustine. We will make the 380 mile 2 night / 3 day trip from Nassau for St. Augustine during the week of May 4^th as there is a very nasty weather pattern that keeps us docked in Nassau until then. At this point the dinghy is at risk of sinking with all the rain squalls that have been rolling through Nassau. The next leg from St. Augustine to New York City is 800 miles or about 5 nights and 5 days sailing. If the weather is uncooperative, there are always a number of coastal cities that we can duck back into for shelter if needed.

Bahamas continue to delight us....

Wow …. Clara is such a beautiful little girl ….. we are all blessed with her arrival in the family! Got to spend time with her and Cedrick as well as my Mom – 4 generations of the family together is a very special treat! 

We also surprised Maryse’s dad by showing up with lunch in hand – he did not even know that we were in town – he was a happy man to see Maryse.

Back on board we were happy to find that the problems we have been having with the fridge have been resolved – the 12V connections to the 3/4HP compressor motor were loose causing the breaker to trip. Cold beer and ice cubes for rum is a MUST and we are now back in business!

Our last guests for the season arrived on the 10^th and we had a week of fantastic weather – some great sailing days and some with a little less wind than we wanted but hot and sunny every day. 

It is becoming very obvious that many winter cruisers have already headed home, the anchorages have less boats and even at Exuma Park there are no problems getting a mooring in the north field at Warderick Wells.

 

Well the week wouldn’t be complete without breaking something – this time it is the electric motor for the windlass that has started to act up – the old trick of tapping it with a metal bar got it to work again. Just not sure how long it will stay operational – lifting 100 feet of chain plus the anchor off the bottom by hand, is not a task Maryse and I want to do! Will try to tough it out until we get back to the US, to replace the motor with a new one and get the old one repaired, if possible to have as a spare.

Maryse had a special event this week also …. she earned her Girl Guides Achievement badge for Toilette Maintenance – I will spare you the details but she did succeed well!!! Next to having cold beer and ice cubes – a functioning toilette is a must have item!

We are heading off to wander around the Exumas for a couple of weeks on our own before turning the boat northward to St. Augustine for the engine repairs.

Spring has definitely arrived here as the daytime temperatures are getting much warmer and humid. Once I unclogged the plugged water intake, the air conditioning is back working ….. ahhhh a great relief for sleeping at night. Captain gets cranky when short on sleep!

Life is still good in the Bahamas!!!

Nope, we were not kidnapped......

April 2, 2015

We have heard from a number of friends thinking we have been kidnapped – nope, we have been enjoying having guests on board for 3 weeks. 

One thing that a friend had recommended, that we did, was to experience the True Bahamian Food Tour in Nassau. This is a walking tour of 6 local restaurants and during the tour they explain the culture and customs behind each establishment and also the food that the served us. All were sampling sizes but by the end of the 3 hours we were pleasantly full. At the spice place everyone in our group “tapped out” long before Roxanne and I, on the increasingly spicy hot sauces -  the Mants take first place!!

We have explored the Exumas – Allens Cay to see the iguanas...

Warderick Wells where we always enjoy the snorkeling and the hiking paths. It feels good to get off the boat for a few hours and hike.

Another favourite stop is Thunderball grotto at Staniel Cay where a few scenes of the James Bond movie of the same name were shot. The marina at Staniel Cay Marina has had a complete facelift since we were last here, the restaurant is spectacular and the meal prices are the least expensive we have seen anywhere here. At Big Majors we took the dinghy in to see the swimming pigs – WOW – there were about 10 pigs on the beach of various sizes and yes, they still love peanut butter sandwiches!! We have never seen so many pigs – me thinks there will be a màchoui / piggy roast at the local restaurant soon!

While visiting Normans Cay we had the wonderful opportunity to have a tour guide and car at our disposal – visited Volcano – Carlos Leader’s residence

before the DEA and Bahamian government seized his holdings and took back the island, in the early 80’s. We trampled through the bush to find a houseboat dropped on the rocks up on a hill – the story goes that Carlos asked the owner to leave the island during the drug days and the owner refused – Carlos used a crane to lift the fellows boat out of the water and carry it up the hill, before unceremoniously dropping it on the rocks and suggesting to the owner, that the next flight out was probably his best choice!

 Snorkelled around the ditched plane (I think it is an old DC3) from the drug era. 

Had a fantastic swim at what are probably two of the best beaches in the Bahamas – the north and south side of Whales Tail.

Not a soul around – the sand is like flour – gentle surf – WOW!!

The new owners of the southern end of Normans Cay have really destroyed the charm of the place. The runway has been widened dramatically and lengthened to allow small jets to land. This necessitated surrounding the runway with a 6’ high chain link fence. To get landfill to complete the runway extension, they have dug what is supposed to be a new marina that is not near completion and the excess sand is piled in two huge sand dunes, visible from miles away. All this and they still only have 3 beach houses and the old McDuff’s restaurant, which is infrequently visited by boaters, now that the prices have skyrocketed. So sad.

Landed our first Mahi Mahi fish of the season – filets look great – apparently I did not completely loose my finely honed technique.

First time ever, we visited Atlantis at Paradise Island and the aquarium. Interestingly they have a very bizarre business model, if you want to get in to the aquarium you have to buy a ticket – ok, but they will only sell tickets to folks who arrive off a cruise ship, are staying in the hotel or have a boat in the marina! Lucky for us, a friend was at the marina and let us use his access card to gain free access! It is an amazing aquarium and the tanks are beautifully built as if you were in the sunken city of Atlantis.

If you go after 6PM, nobody checks and you can walk through the aquarium for free! It offers a different perspective without the sunlight in the tanks.

For the first time in my life we witnessed 3 funnel clouds – water tornados in the same afternoon – we were moored and a safe distance away but it was disconcerting to say the least! 

Our return to the US East Coast is starting to take shape. We have to make a stop in either Stuart or St. Augustine Florida as the main engine has developed an oil leak that will require potentially pulling the engine from the boat. Yet another surprise gift caused by the boat being so lightly used by the previous owner. Another confirmation that diesels much prefer to work than sit idle.

All is good on board and our favourite phrase remains – “Life is great in the Bahamas”

We will be flying back to Montreal April 1 so that we can visit with a very special new grand daughter, Clara was born March 12^th. Soooo excited to see her! We will be back on the boat April 8^th.