Nassau, Bahamas

Our first day in Nassau, Bahamas was Thursday, May 11th.  Justin and I anchored in East Bay in the early afternoon.  We took the dingy to shore to find a dingy dock and to get the lay of the land.  We spent the afternoon in Starbucks, drinking ice coffee and tea, and researching things to do in Nassau.  We picked up some groceries, and then we returned to the boat for dinner.  We cleaned the boat while talking about what we were going to do in Nassau.

We went to Fort Montagu the next morning.  Afterwards we figured out how to get to downtown using the Tiki bus system.  We meandered around downtown for an hour, seeing Rawson Square, Balcony House, and the Governor's House.  We then headed back to Starbucks to meet up with Jon and Brie.  Jon and Brie arrived from the airport around 3:00 pm.  We brought their bags to the boat and caught up over beers.  For dinner, we took the dingy to the Poop Deck.  Afterwards at the boat,  we played the game, "Joking Hazard."

Myself at Fort Montagu

Justin at Fort Montagu

Justin and I at Fort Montagu

Justin by the Queen Victoria statue in Parliamentary Square

Myself in front of Balcony House in Downtown Nassau

Justin and Jon at the Poop Deck, where we enjoyed dinner

Just Dreamin in Nassau Harbour at sunset

Nassau Harbour

Jon, Brie, Justin, and I on the bow of Just Dreamin in Nassau Harbour

On the 13th, we had eggs and fruit for breakfast.  We took the boat to the fuel dock to fill the boat and diesel containers, and then we re-anchored in the same spot.   Then, we drove the dingy to shore and tied up at the small power boat dock at the Rubis Gas Station.  We got on the 11 Tiki bus to downtown, where we checked out the Straw Market.  We visited the Pirates of Nassau Museum and ate lunch at Smugglers.  We walked up the hill to the John Watling's Distillery, where we did the free tour and  sampled the rum.  Afterwards, we explored the Graycliff Cigar Factory and watched the workers make boutique cigars by hand.  We stopped in an ice cream parlor to sample their goods.   Then we visited the Graycliff Chocolatier.  Later on, we walked along Lighthouse Beach and through Arawak Cay.  After which we caught the 19 Tiki bus back to Harbor Bay Shopping Centre, where we picked up groceries.  We had beer and pizza in the cockpit of the boat for dinner.  As an unexpected treat, fireworks were set off from Paradise Island.

Jon and Justin exploring downtown Nassau

Myself and Jon (who looks a little too happy) at Pirates of Nassau Museum

Justin, Brie, and Jon at Pirates of Nassau Museum

Jon, myself, Brie, and Justin at Pirates of Nassau Museum

Jon at John Watling's Distillery

John Watling's Distillery

Justin, Jon and Brie sampling the rum at John Watling's Distillery

Jon, Brie, and myself enjoying some cocktails at John Watling's Distillery

Graycliff Cigar Factory

Justin at Lighthouse Beach, with five cruise ships in the harbor behind him

Justin, Jon, and Brie with a dingy full of groceries

Fireworks in Nassau Harbour

We were picked up at Harbor Bay Shopping Centre at 7:45 am the next morning to go snorkeling at Stuart Cove.  A motor boat took us to two reefs, which we would have had difficulty getting to in our boat because of (1) the shallowness of the water, and (2) the lack of shelter from strong winds.  We jumped off the top of the motor boat.  We also got to swim with 8 ft long reef sharks.  Afterwards, we picked up beer and ice, and brought it back to the boat.   We left Nassau Harbor at 3:00 pm to make our way to the Berry Islands.  En route, we had an unfortunate and freak accident.  Fortunately, no one was badly hurt.  Justin was tacking the boat.  I was sitting in the cockpit.  The jib sheet whipped over my head and wrapped around my neck.  Justin depowered the jib immediately by luffing the boat into the wind, and I was able to pull the rope off my next.  I was quite shaken, and my throat was bruised.  We anchored for the night at 9:30 pm at Whale Cay.

Brie, Jon, and I on the motor boat about to go snorkeling

Brie, Jon, myself, and Justin ready to go snorkeling at Stuart Cove

Brie snorkeling in Stuart Cove

Justin snorkeling in Stuarts Cove

Jon snorkeling in Stuarts Cove

Jon, Brie, and I swimming with sharks in Nassau

Justin swimming with sharks

The sharks swimming around the bait box

Brie at the helm

Jon, Myself, and Brie cruising to the Berry Islands

On Monday, May 15th, Justin made us bacon and eggs for breakfast.  After which, we played the game called, "Exploding Kittens."  Then, we moved to Guano Island, and we took the dingy to shore, pulling Jon and Brie behind the dingy in the kayak.  On the way to shore, we saw the first of many stingrays.  We spent the afternoon on the beach.  Justin and Jon took the dingy around the island, and kayaked around the bay.  We ended the day by watching the movie, "Waterworld," on the boat.

Brie and Jon guiding Justin through shallow waters into Guano Island

Justin towing Brie and Jon in the kayak

Brie and Jon wake kayaking

Brie, Justin, and Jon after landing on Guano Island

Jon and Justin, solving all the world's problems

Brie and I getting caught up on girl talk

Jon taking the dingy for a spin around Guano Island

Justin on Guano Island

Jon and Justin going off to explore Guano Island

All of us enjoying our beach day on a deserted island

Brie and Jon on Guano Island

We slept in the following morning and had bacon and eggs for breakfast again.  We moved the boat to the bay between White Cay and Fowl Cay.  We swung off the boat using the halyard, this time using the spinaker pole to put the halyard out further over the water.  Afterwards, Justin and I drove the dingy around the Devil's Cay to find the best beach.  Brie did some yoga on the bow.  Then, Justin and I towed Jon and Brie in the kayak to Devil's Cay.  We walked to the sink hole in the middle of the island, and jumped off the overhang into the sink hole (only after confirming that it was sufficiently deep).  We spent the day on the beach, sitting in 2 ft of water and drinking beer.  We saw sting rays, reef sharks, fish, and turtles.  Justin and Jon made a fire and we roasted hot dogs.  Brie and I kayaked back to the boat, while Justin and Jon drove the dingy back.  We had salad, cheese, guacamole (made by Brie), and deli meats for dinner.

Our early morning visitor

Jon swinging on the main halyard

Myself while we were trying to find the best beach on Devil's Cay

A stingray on Devil's Cay

All of us traveling to shore

Myself kayaking around Devil's Cay

The sink hole on Devil's Cay

Brie and Jon exploring the sink hole

Justin and Jon before jumping into sink hole

Jon and Justin swimming in the sink hole on Devil's Cay

All of us at the sink hole on Devil's Cay

Justin holding up the wall at the sink hole

Jon, Brie, Myself, and Justin enjoying Devil's Cay

Beautiful beach day on Devil's Cay

Jon and Justin after making a bomb fire

Early in the morning of May 17th, I did yoga on the bow.  It was a beautiful, windy day.  Brie and I made avocado and eggs wraps and cut up cantaloupe for breakfast.  We pulled up anchor at 9:30 am and had left the bay by 10:00 am.  We had 15 to 25 knots of wind (with gusts of 30 knots) and 7 ft swell.  We were also sailing into weather.  Brie suffered from mild sea sickness.  We were anchored on the other side of Salt Cay by dinner time.  After dinner, we watched the movie, "Idiocracy."

Jon and Brie while sailing back to Naasau

Jon steering in 25 knots of wind and 7 ft seas

Sunset at Salt Cay

The next morning, Justin baked sour dough bread.  We moved the boat to Atlantis Marina, arriving at 11:00 am.  We spent the afternoon exploring Atlantis and trying out all the water slides, including one that entails going through a transparent tube through a shark tank.  We ate ice cream and checked out "the Dig" aquarium.  We ate dinner at Carmine's Italian restaurant in Marina Village.  We ended the day by having a round of beers at the casino and by exploring Atlantis by night.

Coming into Atlantis Marina

Jon and Brie with the turtles at Atlantis

Justin with the stingrays at Atlantis

Atlantis

Jon coming out of a waterslide in Atlantis

Justin entering the rapids on one of the waterslides

Brie being a sweetie by pulling Jon back into the current

Brie and I chilling on the river portion of the waterslide

Justin floating down the river

Jon about to enter the rapids

Jon and I floating down river

Justin and I enjoying the hot tub

Justin in front of the Royal Towers in Atlantis

Myself at "The Dig" aquarium in Atlantis

"Flotsam and Jetsam from the Little Mermaid"

Justin at "The Dig" aquarium in Atlantis

Jon at "The Dig" aquarium in Atlantis

Myself, Brie, and Jon on the rope bridge in Atlantis

Myself with a sword shark in the predator's pool

Jon and Brie with the sword shark

Brie, Jon, and Justin at Atlantis Marina

Brie, Jon, myself, and Justin at Carmine's for Dinner

Justin exploring Atlantis at night

Myself exploring Atlantis at night

On the 19th of May, Jon and Brie packed their belongings.  Brie and I went Marina Village to pick up some rum cake and Starbucks coffee for breakfast.  Jon and Brie got picked up by a taxi at the Marina office at 11:15 am to go to the airport.  Justin and I did laundry and got showers.  We checked out of Atlantis Marina by 1:00 pm, and we motored over to anchor in Nassau Harbor.  We took the dingy to shore at 2:00 pm.   I worked on my computer at Starbucks while Justin went to the chandlery to pick up parts to install the bow sprit (Justin had ordered the bow sprit for the new spiniker, and Jon and Brie were kind enough to deliver it to us).  We returned to the boat by 4:30 pm for dinner, and we started installing the bow sprit.  Afterwards, we watched the movie, "Fool's Gold."

Myself with the Rum Cake from Tortuga

We slept in the next morning.  I finished my book.  We watched episodes of Bones until 11:00 am.  I got ready and sorted photos for the blog for an hour.  Afterwards, Justin and I took the dingy into shore.  Justin went to the chandlery to purchase an impeller for the macerator pump and parts for mounting the bow sprit.  He then returned to the boat to work on the forward head macerator pump, to install the bow sprit, to defrost the freezer, and to repair the cockpit table.  I stayed at Starbucks for the afternoon to catch up on the blog and call my family.  Justin picked me up with the dingy at 6:00 pm, at which time we came back to the boat for dinner and Bahama Mamas.  We watched the movie, "Down Periscope" before going to bed.

Justin installing the bow sprit

Myself enjoying a coffee fix while updating the blog

Cheers!  Brought to you by Bahama Mamas made by Justin

On May 21st, Justin and I went to shore in the morning.  After checking the weather forecast and enjoying a cup of tea, Justin returned to the boat to finish installing the bow sprit.  I updated our blog, and then I picked up groceries.  Justin picked me up with the dingy at 3:30 pm.  We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the boat.  We met my Uncle Mike at Starbucks at 8:30 pm, and brought his bags to the boat.  We went to bed not too long afterwards, because we're leaving early in the morning to go Florida.

Justin drilling holes in the boat as part of the bow sprit installation

Justin cleaning the boat