The Bahamas

• We usually try to leave early in the morning no matter where we are going. We have everything ready. All provisions are on board. Our course is decided and our charts are laid out. Our buddy boat, "Grand Marnie" with Manard and Marnie are up in Indian Town. Due to the low water table on Lake Okeechobee the lock only opens 2 times a day. It opens at 10 A.M and 3 P.M. The plan is to go through the lock at 10 in the morning, fueling up and meeting us about 5 miles out in the ocean. So the earliest they will be there is 1 P.M.
• We got up on Dec. 8th, went to mass and are now ready to leave. Mike talked to the dock master, he felt that today would be a good day to leave. The waves are less than 3 and tomorrow they are supposed to get much higher. My stomach is in my mouth, with my heart. Eight out of ten stories I have heard about the crossing are horror. Why is that? Why do people talk more about the bad than the good. Since my bad experience in Lake Michigan, I'm prepared for the worse, I'm a nervous wreck. Mike takes both my hands, holds them and says, "We'll head out; I promise you if it is at all bad we will turn around and come right back."
• We are crossing about 55 miles, no big deal. Lake Worth to the West End Bahamas, Old Bahama Bay Marina. I have everything I need ready - sandwiches made, snacks, fruit and drinks in a bag. I even have that special bottle Nancy A. gave us so that Mike does not have to leave the bridge for anything.
• It's a little after 11, I'm anxious, we decide to leave the dock. We figured an hour to get to the inlet and an hour to get to the rendezvous spot. To my surprise the inlet was a piece of cake.
• I look at the horizon and I don't see elephants in a row. You know, when you look out from the beach and the horizon looks like a straight line, it's calm. If it's lumpy, it looks like a herd of elephants and you know it's rough. The waves were less than 3 feet, they were rolling, not breaking. I'm very happy.
• Grand Marnie took longer then we expected. We sat and waited just barely moving. I started to get that feeling. The one where you think you have to throw up. It's near 3 when they finally got to us. Mike checks with Manard..Are you sure we can get there before dark. No problem, it turns out that "No Problem" is Manard's standard answer. He's very laid back and easy going. Thank God we are moving. My stomach settles and we're on our way. Bahamas, here we come.
• We came across one cruise ship that was crawling, the passengers all gave us a big wave. You can feel the difference between the ocean and the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream was a delight; gentle ocean swells and startlingly clear blue water and the current kept pushing us north. You could even feel the difference in the temperature.
• It's getting dark and I can see the first signs of a jetty. Flashing green and red beacons clearly mark the harbor. They are the only markers. We pull in make a sharp turn to starboard and we are ready to tie up. It is now very dark and we are safe. We have to display a yellow flag. We are quarantined until customs comes aboard and checks us out. We were told that I was not to get off the boat until we cleared customs. We are in this country less than an hour and we are breaking the rules.
• We go to the main dining area. It's very upscale for the way we are dressed. On the other side of the dock there's a party going on. Rum drinks, wine and some hot and cold food. You know Mike's saying, "If it's free, it's for me." The party is a sales promotion for condos. We didn't know... We picked up a plate had a couple of drinks and met some very nice people.
• The first thing the next morning Mike took all our forms and headed to the customs office. Again we have heard so many stories that you're a little intimidated. We have a 12 gauge double barreled shot gun on the boat. They didn't care, just wanted to know how many shotgun shells we had. When you fly into a country they always give you a form to fill out, the Immigration form. You hand it in when you leave that country. I forgot to sign mine. Mike decided instead of walking all the way back to the boat to have me sign it, he would sign my name. Immigration jail, here comes Mike. We are in this country less than a day and he's going to jail. Each incoming boat pays $150. up to 35 feet in length. Over 35 feet you pay $300. We now have a permit to stay here up to 90 days. Once your vessel is cleared you replace your quarantine flag with a Bahamas courtesy flag.
• We spent the morning in the pool and checking out the marina. This is a very expensive marina, we decided to head elsewhere.
• We headed south to Freeport. This is a commercial harbor. It's dominated by container ships, cruise liners, tankers, and ferries. A quick look to say "we've been there" and we are on our way.
• Next - Xanadu Marina. This is a tourist center with all kinds of shops and restaurants. There were several cruise ships in Freeport, this means that Xanadu would be very crowded. We decided to pass this by also.
• Port Lucaya, our next stop. You have to stay at least 1 nautical mile offshore of the Grand Bahama Island to avoid the reefs that parallel the coast. A well marked bell channel leads to Port Lucaya. It is identified by a flashing red and white stripped buoy. As you sail in you pass beautiful condos. We entered the Grand Bahama Bay; you could not turn around without seeing the ongoing development. We decided to stay at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club. There's a ferry that runs every half hour to the Port Lucaya Marketplace. You name it, they have it here. You can spend the day kayaking, parasailing, horseback riding, hiking, biking, fishing or just relaxing. Unfortunately they have a casino. We spent the mornings at the pool, the afternoons at the marketplace and the evening at the casino. I wish that I could say we were big winners. Once again I broke even and my friend is wearing a big "L" on the front of his head. We had to stay here an extra day because of rough water.
• A large development that was started in the late 1960s and has never materialized is the Grand Lucayan Waterway. The entire waterway is protected. It saves you about half the time it takes to go around the West End. There's no traffic along the route and one bridge that keeps the big boats out. It clears 25 feet. The depth is 6-12'. The walls on both sides are cement. You see a couple of abandoned projects, a hotel or a condominium, I'm not sure. The only signs of life are a couple of mansions. When we got to the end of the waterway it was too shallow to pass through to Dover Sound. We spent the night on the hook in the waterway.
• Next day we had a long ride to Green Turtle Cay. We are still not sure how to pronounce Cay, some say "key" and some say "kay!" We pulled into Green Turtle Club and were very impressed with the amenities. They have what is called "dock dollars." If you eat in their restaurant, you subtract the money you spend from the cost of docking. The food was excellent, I had rack of lamb. It's all white pristine beaches and crystal clear water. This Cay is small enough that you can cover a good part of the island on foot. You can't ride your bikes because the roads are too full of holes. We rented a golf cart and took a tour. Everything is on one street, it's like a circle. You have a grocery store a hardware store, three restaurants, a bakery. We went into a bar and I was introduced to a goombay (a delicious rum drink).