PhotoBahamaSouth

Bahamas Southbound

	We had a good crossing of the Gulf Stream, but that is not to say uneventful. Before we made it to the Bahama Banks we found a small motor boat adrift. A fuller account of the event is in the reports page so I will not repeat it all here. Once the USCG helicopter arrived on station, we raised sail and left. We believe they took them off on a cutter and left the boat adrift to be retrieved later. Talk about a hazard to navigation. I hope they left some lights on it.
	Early afternoon 12/26 we were at the entrance to Nassau Harbor. In the top photo, the entry is to the right leading down by the cruise ships. As we got closer Lynn got the lower photo which has the breakwater and small light house in the foreground and Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the back.
	George was beginning to think we were going to haul our bicycles on the whole cruise and never use them. On 12/27, however, we rode them to the Cruisers Lunch and then to Porters Cay to by fresh fruit. George guards the bikes while Lynn shops.
	Lynn in one of her natural settings, shopping in an open market.
	The day we went to the straw market for souvenirs we took another bus farther west along the beach to an area of stalls and restaurants called collectively the Fish Fry. The food and scenery was great and we will almost certainly return on a future trip. The top photo is of Lynn in Front of the "Twin Brothers Seafood and Steak" restaurant where we ate on the bus driver's recommendation. The lower one promises cold ass beer. This place was a lot of fun.
	When we have a good Wi-Fi we use Skype to catch up on family phone calls at about $0.02/minute. A real blessing. This photo is of George with the head phone on talking to Stacy.
	We frequently think that people on mega yachts don't take time to enjoy the simple pleasures. They are hiding in the air conditioned cabins or dressed for dinner at the nicest restaurant in the area. To our surprise we looked off our stern to see this girl on a mega yacht taking life simple and slow. In retrospect we decided she was probably a member of the off duty crew.
	JUNKANOO For more information click on this link Junkanoo
	After Junkanoo you get so tired. You can sit on a bench by the waterfront or put our head on Daddy's shoulder and go to sleep.
	What is the easy way to go to Junkanoo? Hop in your dinghy and zip over to the quay one block off Bay St. Of course had we gone for the start, we might not have felt the dinghy was secure, but in the daylight and locked with a stainless steel cable. We felt OK. Ours is the little yellow dinghy, last on the wall.
	There is a new Bahamian beer, Sands, brewed in Freeport. George tried it and likes it better than the other local, Kalik.
	Sunspot Baby sailing into choppy waters. When we go from crest to trough, we often catch the wave under the solid foredeck and water and/or spray is ejected forward. Sometimes this results in green water over the bow but in lighter chop, as seen here, it is just a spray. Photo taken by crew of Lagoon 38 catamaran *Adventures*.
	Our Dinghy, Chase Boat, anchored near Exumas Land & Sea Park Headquarters.
	George & Lynn on the trail to Boo Boo Hill George crafting new sign for Boo Boo Hill
	Pig Beach at Big Majors Spot. We are careful not to walk Toby where the pigs are in residence.
	George snorkels on the anchor to assure it is well set. The pigs don't come out this far (he hopes).
	Lynn cleaning shrimp off the stern after a swim.
	Sunspot Baby at Black Point, one of the most cruiser friendly places we have found. There is a trailer at the dock for trash and a free water tap nearby. A couple of stores and restaurants plus a super, if expensive, Laundromat. Good holding in the anchorage and protection from every wind except those with a large western component.
	Going out Dotham Cut against the early morning sun and flooding tide can be challenging, but is really very doable. Looking back it is apparent it is not a large opening, but looks pretty benign from this angle. The white cliffs on the left are called the "White Horses" and are a great landmark to find the cut when coming in from seaward.
	EMERALD BAY RESORT The marina at Emerald Bay Resort is different. We describe it some in our reports so won't repeat that here. Each morning, we sit on the veranda, sipping coffee and tea, and chat with other cruisers. We are held here waiting for parts and a break in the weather. Looking up at our mast through rain covered hatches, or seeing the wind speed at 21 knots. Most of the yachts here are MUCH larger than us. Typically we prefer yachts with traditional styling, but there is a 135' Palmer Johnson in here named Dragon that we find most impressive.
	Lunch at Cocoplum's with new friends form Dawn Dancer. The beach is picturesque and the food wonderful. From the pictures, however, you can tell the facilities are very basic beach shack style. We considered taking the dinghy but a 5 mile ride in the chop that day would not have been good, so it was taxi there and back.
	Lunch another day was at Big D's Conch Spot, less pricey and more Bahamian. We walked up with the crew of High Five. The Bahamian boy and girl were just too cute not to include in these photos.
	Our favorite anchorage is an area called Red Shanks. A tradition is the occasional meeting of the Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club. This is very tongue in cheek as there is no such club but boaters anchored in the area meet on the beach when low tide and cocktail hour coincide for snacks, drinks, to meet and swap sea tales. The first picture is a meeting when there were few boats in the anchorage. Photo courtesy of Sea Fox. About a week later, there were many boats in the area and the wind was out of the west (unusual) so dinghies had to be anchored off the beach to avoid having them blow ashore. We were treated to bag pipes by the captain of Strathspey which apparently means Scottish bag pipes in Celtic.
	Toby is incredulous that anyone would write a book about a cat.
	They say the definition of cruising is working on your boat in exotic locales. The two pictures show George replacing and outboard prop and installing a replacement control solenoid on the propane system. Thanks to John and Marge, our neighbors, for sending us the new solenoid.
	Most of the George Town cruiser activities occur off Volleyball Beach. There is a nice little beach bar, places to assemble under the cassurina trees and of course sand volleyball courts. Looking back across Elizabeth Harbour from Volleyball Beach toward George Town itself, we are treated to a lovely rainbow.
	While George Town is the ultimate destination of many cruisers, there are also a lot of boats that stop here to stage up for voyages on into the Caribbean. We organized a meeting of cruisers wanting to go with boats that have been there, done that. George Moderated the first part of the meeting to get general information we all wanted, then we broke into groups to pour over charts and cruising guides for more detailed recommendations.
	The entry to the Marina at Emerald Bay opens almost directly onto Exuma Sound. Usually this is not a problem and conditions are great for entering. However, as seen the lower picture, when the wind picks up and comes out of the North to East, it can be down right dangerous. While we used to make entries into Oceanside Harbor in California with similar conditions, our boat then had the power and maneuverability to get through. It would be a white knuckle flight in Sunspot Baby. The swell works right into the marina and boats near the entry get rocked about considerably.