Bahamas at Last

Ahhh... those clear blue waters were patiently waiting for us. We made it safely across the Gulf Stream leaving Lake Worth, Florida around 10:00 PM and tied up in the dock in Port Lucaya, on Grand Bahama Island at about 12:45 PM the next day. The 13 hour crossing was uneventful except for that nasty Gulf Stream that slowed our progress to around 3 to 3.5 knots for a few hours. The seas were low (2 to 4 feet) but the wind was on our nose and it was a bumpy ride. We made 100 gallons of fresh water with the new watermaker on the trip over.

The boat was salty and enjoyed the rinsing and rubbing administered by the Admiral while the captain processed a small mountain of Customs and Immigration paperwork to officially clear into the Bahamas. The quarantine flag was soon lowered and our hand-made Bahamas flag was raised on the starboard spreader where it will remain until we leave this beautiful group of islands.

Emily and Kim enjoyed the large heated pool and white powdery beaches and we managed to surprise Emily with a personal Dolphin Encounter. This finally feels like the destination we have been longing for.

Tomorrow, at daybreak, we depart for the Berry Islands, some 60 miles to our Southeast. There we will find protected harbors where we can anchor for a week or so and enjoy some solitude. Tom will get out the SCUBA gear and change some underwater zincs and clean off some bottom growth (on the hull). We are both anxious to introduce Emily to Parrot fish and some of the colorful reef friends that we have missed.

Tom