Crossing the Grand Bahama Bank and the Tongue of the Ocean

To get across the banks for our Nassau destination we had to first leave Bimini, heading back into the Gulf Stream for 6 or so miles then enter the Grand Bahama Bank at North Rock. The first miles were a bit uncomfortable in the northern wind, but once we entered the bank, things smoothed out. We motor sailed until dusk and dropped the anchor about 10 miles from the Northwest Channel Light. It was the weirdest feeling to be out there with no land in site and in depths of 15-20 feet. That night was relatively calm, but was like sleeping on a see-saw. Nick and Ethan slept great and I was up pretty much the whole night. The moon was so bright it out shined the stars. I could see way out in the distance, even making out the shape of some ships as they moved across the bank. The water was so clear and the moon so bright we could see the bottom in the moonlight.

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We got moving early the next morning making our way into the Tongue of the Ocean. You should take a look on google map to see the tongue shaped area of DEEP water jutting into the Bahama Bank. We went from 20 feet of water to close to 10,000 feet in just a few miles. The weather was close to perfect, except we had the wind pretty close to the nose (which seems to be typical for all our sailing) so we motor sailed to Frazier Hog Cay (pronounced ‘key’ by-the-way). We had planned to grab a mooring at a boat club there.  After some doing we were able to get in touch with the owner to find out that he was not on the island. He told us the moorings were not in good shape and for us to tie up to the dock and make ourselves at home at no charge. Awesome!! The club is small with the owner’s home, a T-dock and a bath house. With its remote setting it was very peaceful . . . Generally he charges a nominal fee to stay at the dock, then fixes dinner for his guests. We met two other cruising boats there and got recharged for our crossing to Nassau the next day.

We had a great motor sail down to Nassau arriving early afternoon. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and is a very busy port. When we arrived there were five cruise ships and boats everywhere. Nassau is so busy it has a Harbor Control you must call and gain approvals for entry and departure from its port.  We made our way to the marina and started learning all about Nassau. It was a bit of a culture shock for me and took some time to adjust to. The pace is much different than Bimini and it is much more expensive. Atlantis is HUGE and can be seen from miles out. Our boat is technically not even large enough (40ft minimum) to use their marina (not that the budget could take that hit either). Plans were in full swing for New Year’s Eve and Junkanoo.

Junkanoo is a celebration and parade that starts just after midnight and ends the next day around 11 am. It is a big deal. There is a contest and all drums and costumes are hand-made. They don’t mess around either . . . the costumes were so intricate and ornate. In talking with some of the local folks, the participants work all year on their theme and costumes. All their work is for this one night, and then they throw most things away and start fresh for the next year. It was amazing to see. The music goes all the way through your body with the heavy beat and everyone is moving. We went through the streets around 9:30 am and things were still full steam! Folks watching were dressed in their finest and shiniest. Some were of clear mind and others not-so-much. It was wild.

For New Year our friends Steve and Cosy arrived in Nassau. We celebrated on the boat and were able to see fireworks in every direction. The displays were amazing and it was fun being right across the harbor from Atlantis and able to see their show so well. The next day we explored a bit of downtown and enjoyed the beach by their hotel. We took Night Music for an overnight trip with them to Rose Island. We had heard that it was a beautiful island and we were not disappointed. The first day we anchored for the night south of the island hopped in the dink and went to explore a small beach. Ethan had an absolute blast running around the shallow waters, dunking his head under with his goggles to see what he could find. It was very pretty and peaceful. Some local fishermen came by and we had fresh lobster and conch fritters for dinner. The next day we went to the northern anchorage and spent the morning on the most beautiful beach we’ve seen. The sand was so soft, the water clear and it was almost completely our own. Beautiful.

We will leave Nassau Saturday to head into the Exuma Cays. We can’t wait to see and explore all the many islands in this chain. Everything has been so beautiful already!

Hope everyone is enjoying a great start to a new year. So hard to believe it is 2013!