21. December 15, 2018: Crossing to the Bahamas!

December 15, 2018:

Today is the day we're crossing to the Bahamas! We got up early, and heard splashing and breathing near our boat. It was dark, but we're pretty sure some manatees paid us a visit! We took the dogs to shore for a potty break, then pulled anchor by 5:30. Sunrise was pretty with some storm clouds on the horizon.

Around noon we saw a huge ship. Sailing was smooth until about 1:00, then the wind and seas picked up, enough to make me feel queazy.

We made it into Bimini following the markers and another boat in front of us. Good thing, because it looks like the markers are going to lead you right up onto the beach before you take a hard left! We got a slip at the Blue Water Marina, the cheapest one.

John went off to Customs to check in and pay our cruising fee (six months of cruising plus fishing licenses for $300/boat at this time). The water was so clear it looked as if our boat was floating on air. I thought I'd jump in the water to cool off. A lady on the next boat yelled, "You don't want to do that!" "Why not?" I asked. "Because they feed the Bull Sharks right over there" (a tourist attraction), and pointed to a building maybe 50 yards away. Just then I looked down, and a very big bull shark swam out from under the docks at my feet!

A man came over to our boat, welcomed us to the Bahamas, and sold me four lobster tails for $20! It was a fitting first supper in the islands: delicious!

We met Maik and Alex from the catamaran Hatchi. They have two beautiful children, Kais and Lila. He's an engineer from Germany, and she's a nurse from Haiti. They met online in NC!

December 16, 2018:

We didn't get much sleep last night as the bar near our marina plays very loud music, very late on Saturday nights. We also can't get a BTC phone/SIM card until Monday, so we have no way of calling anyone. I sent the "all's well" satellite phone message yesterday.

John and I took the dogs in the kayaks, and paddled over to where they were feeding the sharks. They guy said not to come closer, as we may get nudged. We complied! We paddled to a little island that looked to be made entirely of discarded conch shells, thousands of them. I found a gorgeous one, but John talked me out of taking that one, "as we'll have to haul it around all winter. You'll find another one." I'm still looking for one that pretty!

We met Dale and Debbie on Prosperity. They warned us that a storm is coming Thursday and Friday, with 30+ mph winds. We need to be in a very protected harbor by then. Good advice! I caught a small pin fish, but threw it back. I should have kept it as bait, but it was pretty cute.

December 17, 2018:

I've had a migraine all morning: ugh. John got a new Samsung phone and BTC card, so we called family to let them know we were okay. I saw my first Curly Tailed Lizard. They are very cute!

Everyone has been telling us how wonderful Bimini Bread is, but the bread store hasn't been opened, so we'll have to try it some other time.

We left the marina and motored to the east side of the Bimini, where we dropped anchor. (Since we plan to leave at 4 a.m. tomorrow, we didn't want to try to leave a marina at that hour). We brought all the pets to shore. I found a one foot wide piece of white coral, but again, no room in the boat yet. I did find a beautiful small piece to keep. We found another coconut, and this one was better. I also found a "hamburger" sea bean! Very cool!

December 18, 2018:

We got up at 4 a.m., ate breakfast, and when John tried to start the engine...nothing. (And it was in neutral). All the batteries were low, even our "extra". Somehow a breaker fuse blew. He jerry-rigged it so it started. Should we stay in Bimini or go to The Berry Islands? John said, "Bimini kind of grosses me out", so it's off to the Berries we go! (Note: In 2018, trash was everywhere on Bimini. Hurricane Dorian actually did this island a favor by whisking it all away. Now Bimini has public trash barrels, and in 2020 it looked much better!) We finally leave at 7:30, motoring all the way as there's very little wind. It's over 70 miles to Bullock's Harbour on Great Harbour Cay. (It should take us about 14 hours.)

It was an absolutely beautiful day!

It was also a "10" as far as fishing was concerned! We landed two Great Barracuda, both over 3 feet long, and lost an even bigger one as we got it up to the boat. Barracuda can carry ciguatera, which can make a person extremely sick, so we threw them back. Then I used a smaller lure, and I caught a Cero Mackerel. Dinner!

By afternoon it was WARM!😁

Since it was so lovely, something was bound to go wrong, right? The engine starting coughing, then gasping, and finally stopped about ten miles from The Berries. John changed the fuel filter, and it seemed to help for about ten minutes, then it went back to gasping again. Poor boat! Thank goodness for sails. We reached our anchorage late; John took the dogs to shore and back, we ate supper and went straight to bed. At least it was a very peaceful anchorage!

December 19, 2018:

We dinghied to the Government Dock in Great Harbour, and walked a few streets, but it seemed more residential than business so we returned to the boat for lunch. Later we grabbed our snorkeling gear and went to a small, sandy beach. (It is NOT all sand here. Much of the coastline is "ironshore", wicked gnarled lava-like rock). I saw some little jellyfish, weird red and purple sponges, and small, colorful fish. Then we dinghied to deeper water, where there was a wreck of a DC-10 airplane. More fish were here, including large Grey Angelfish. I can't believe how much trash is lying around everywhere. It detracts so much from the natural beauty here. (2019: Hurricane Dorian removed most of it!)

I tried to make Beer Bread in our two solar cookers. It was cooked on one end and not quite on the other, most likely due to the slant of the boat deck. At least part of it was edible. Here's the easy recipe:

Beer Bread

Stir 3 cups self-rising flour and 1/3 cup sugar together in a large bowl. Add one 12-oz can of room temperature beer and mix. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake in a regular oven at 380 for one hour. Check to make sure an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan. This is excellent toasted with butter and honey!

We had this with the rest of the Cero Mackerel and instant garlic mashed potatoes (cheap and easily stored on a boat).

December 20, 2018:

The winds picked up, so we were rocking this morning. I started smelling our holding tank again; not a good thing. We raised anchor and motored to Great Harbour Cay Marina. So picturesque and very protected with high rock walls. We're so glad to be here and safe.

As we checked in, the lady behind the counter told us it is Pizza Night, and at her suggestion we ordered a large 1/2 lobster, 1/2 conch pizza. We also ordered a loaf of coconut bread.

Then I worked on laundry while John tried to figure out why our holding tank was leaking (yes, I got the better job!). He removed our tank and found a 2” hole in the bottom! It turns out that the holding tank is made of aluminum. Did you know that a mixture of urine and saltwater will create an acid that will corrode aluminum? Neither did we. John rinsed it and fixed the hole in the bottom with aluminum from a Coke can and JB-Weld. (It lasted until we replaced it with a plastic tank!). I helped him clean out the compartments (very gross!), and then he reinstalled the tank. After airing her out, As You Wish smells so much better! And now we only use a freshwater rinse for our potty.

While the boat aired out, we explored around the marina. There's a cool abandoned bar and pool:

...lots of beautiful flowers:

...and a papaya that unfortunately wasn't quite ripe.

The pizza was incredibly delicious!!

Penelope went out snooping on the docks. Then she jumped on Pagan Chant, the neighboring boat. I knew Michael had a cat on board, and sure enough, his cat soon discovered the intruder. Penelope found herself cornered while his cat watched her from a higher vantage point, playing vulture. I called to Michael, and he handed Penelope to me. She was content to stay on our boat after that!

There's more wind and rain, so a hot shower at the marina is very welcomed.

December 21, 2018:

John got up early and made coffee and French toast using the coconut bread: divine!

It stormed last night, but today is sunny. We walked to Sugar Sand Beach on the other side of the island, and it's gorgeous! Beautiful, fine, soft sand and a crescent of aqua water.

We met a Florida family on the 26' boat Tilly (she has a tiller). Dave, Nancy and their son Will were very nice. Will owns Tilly, and Dave and Nancy own a boat named Doggy Paddle. We had our pictures taken by a huge rope that had washed up on shore.

We walked back to the marina, and I witnessed my first drug deal! I was in the tiny grocery store, and a very annoying boater was there also. As he passed another man, a small white package was dropped on the floor between them. Mr. Annoying quickly picked it up. That explains his rapid speech and other strange behaviors. Then again, maybe he's like that without cocaine too.

Laundry is $5 to wash and $5 to dry, so I washed two loads and hung them up to dry on our boat.

December 22, 2018:

We talked to Katria and Jim today, and they are having a GIRL! We're pretty excited to be having a granddaughter in May. Little Girl, you have no clue how much you are already loved and how anxious we all are to meet you!

As we exited the marina, we were following our GPS tracks we had made on the way in. Funny thing, we came in at high tide and were trying to leave at low tide, so we got stuck and had to wait for the tide to rise.

I've been reading Chinese Cinderella by Adeline YenMah. Wow. Niang is SO MEAN!

We're free! We anchored near the Government Dock, about a mile from where we were. We found a nice spot for photos on shore. I finished the rest of the book, as I couldn't put it down.

December 23, 2018:

We took the dogs to shore. It was high tide, and hardly any beach, but we found a good spot for pictures along with a termite nest:

John talked to other boaters about our engine problems while we were at the marina, and luckily someone had good advice. John found the primary fuel filter, as well as what turns out to be the secondary filter, and changed it. As You Wish is now purring away!

On the other hand, I've looked all over for the GoPro and can't find it. I must have left it in the RV, so no underwater pictures this year. I'm SO bummed.

We motored/sailed around the cruise ships and anchored on the SE side of Stirrup Cay, still part of the Berry Islands. We went to shore with the dinghy and found an octopus moving through the turtle grass near the beach.

Then a group of kayaks from the cruise ship came around the corner, and their guide asked us to leave, as it is a privately owned island. He said we could come back once they left, which we did. Check out this machinery used for digging through ironshore! There is a cute lighthouse here too.