Puerto de Vita, Cuba to Nassau, Bahamas

We traveled along side the shipping lanes between Cuba and the Bahamas to avoid the Great Bahama Bank, which rises from a depth of 2500 ft to 20 ft almost instantly (within a nautical mile). As such, we had to watch out for shipping traffic. We saw lots of cargo and cruise ships. Over the passage, we read, played crib, and watched episodes of Bones. We got into the rhythm of Justin taking an afternoon nap one day and myself taking one the next.

Calm Bahamian waters

Justin and I left Puerto de Vita, Cuba by 3:00 pm on Friday, May 5th. As we were leaving, we saw a tiny row boat with a homemade square sail made out of bed sheets. We had lovely, reaching conditions with 15 to 20 knots of wind. We were moving at 7 to 8 knots with only the jib up. However, we lost the wind during the night, requiring us to motor for half the night.

Leaving Marina Gaviota in Puerto de Vita, Cuba

Myself at the helm as we navigate out the channel

The tiny row boat we saw with a homemade square sail made out of bed sheets

Justin saw dolphins the next morning. The weather changed from reaching conditions to upwind conditions at 10:00 am. In addition, the wind strength diminished to 5 to 15 knots. On average, the boat did 5 to 7 knots that day.

One of the many cruise ships we saw during the passage

We were sailing to weather on May 7th, with 2 ft seas and no white caps. We had 6 to 12 knots of wind. The boat was doing 5 knots, but we were only doing 3 to 4 knots on course made good due to our tacking angles. The wind died down in the middle of the night again, and we had to motor.

Justin starting up the water maker

Chef Justin making us lunch

Ships passing at night

We approached Bimini at lunch time the following day. We tried to come into Bimini following the channel markers; however, we ran aground on a sandbar. Apparently, the channel had shifted. We found the channel to be on the opposite side of the red channel markers. Justin manned the helm, and I directed Justin (from the bow) towards deeper water and away from coral. We docked at Brown's Marina on North Bimini Island. While Justin cycled to check in with customs and immigration, I called my mom. We cycled to the South end to see the Gallant Lady Shipwreck. We visited the Dolphin House Museum, a home converted into a mosaic using discarded materials. The owner used conch shells, glass, bottles, buoys, tiles, marbles, etc. We had dinner at CJ's Deli, and we walked along the beach. That evening, I updated facebook and the blog.

Coming into Bimini via the channel

Brown's Marina in North Bimini

Just Dreamin at Brown's Marina

Justin ready to explore North Bimini Island

Justin at Gallant Lady Shipwreck

Myself at Gallant Lady Shipwreck

Myself exploring North Bimini Island

Justin at Dolphin House Museum

Myself at Dolphin House Museum

Myself and Justin at Dolphin House Museum

Myself with both the east coast and the west coast of North Bimini in the background

Myself walking along the beach in North Bimini

Justin working on increasing the circulation in the freezer

After sleeping in on May 9th, we cycled to A Little Taste of Heaven Bakery, and we purchased breakfast, fresh bread, and baked goods. We brought breakfast back to the marina so that we could enjoy it on the reclining beach chairs. Afterwards, we cycled to the laundromat. We played cards (crazy eights and diamonds) while we waited for the laundry. Afterwards, we checked out the markets (Justin got a long sleeve, sun safe shirt, and I got a stubby cooler). Then we picked up some local beers at the liquor store to go with my new stubby cooler. We had an early dinner at Big John's. After which, we prepared our boat for departure. We set out for Nassau with plenty of light to make it out the channel. Again, I watched the water depth from the bow and directed Justin through the channel. We had very calm waters, and we were able to sail throughout the night.

Justin at A Taste of Heaven Bakery

Justin cycling back to the marina with our breakfast, including my coffee (no lid and still minimal spillage)

Justin in front of the ruins of an old hotel in North Bimini

Justin keeping hydrated

Justin and I enjoying the calm waters and the baked goods from the bakery

We motored the entire next day. As we past the northern section of the Great Bahama Bank, we experienced 5 knots of current for about 2 hours. The tide going out must have caused the bank to shed large amounts of water quickly, which is apparently quite common in the Bahamas. I saw dolphins at sunset. We anchored outside of Nassau beside Salt Cay at 10:30 pm.

Calm Bahamian waters at sunrise

Some of the sea traffic

Myself taking advantage of the calm waters to get in some yoga at the bow

Dolphins playing at the bow

We had a lazy morning on the 11th, which included sleeping in and getting in some exercises. We left Salt Cay around 11:00 am and motored into Nassau Harbor via the west side entrance. This means we had to pass under the Paradise Island Bridges, which was nerve wracking to say the least. At the highest point, we should have 9 to 10 ft of clearance; however, there were ships docked in the middle of the harbour, forcing us slightly away from the bridge's center. From the vantage point of the cockpit, it very much appears that there isn't enough clearance even when there is. We anchored in East Bay by all the marinas.