Week 19: Back in the US, back in the US, back in the US(SR)

A false start.  The new shift cable needed further adjustment. We waved everyone goodbye and backed slowwwwwwly from our slip and straight across to the empty slip behind us. It was slipping so badly that I felt it had to be adjusted – a small delay. The engine idle was also far too high so I took the opportunity to look for a any faulty grounds – and found a whopper right behind the coil. It was 10:00 o’clock already – so we decided to stay another day. Peter and Kathleen on Now or Never departed at noon for an overnighter to Ft Pierce and we all turned out to see them off.

The next morning it was a beautiful departure, and we already had the sails up as the sun rose behind  North Bimini.  

We goosewinged due West in a light Easterly breeze at about 4.5 knots and had every hope that the forecast winds (“building southeasterly”) would actually develop. And just like the Southwesterlies which bore us to Bimini, the daylight hours passed in flukey-fluffy conditions – building to a robust 15 knots only for the last few hours of the crossing. This coincided with our ‘intense’ Gulfstream time so we were clocking up to 9 knots over the bottom in our little boat.

The sun went down as we approached the Lake Worth Inlet. The engine started on command at the outer mark and lasted almost all the way in the inlet, which we entered on the end of a rising tide. We sailed into the Peanut Island Anchorage and dropped the hook, only to face an hour of unfouling the roller-furling feed line and other housekeeping tasks. We hoisted our quarantine flag at 10:00 o’clock, just as another vessel joined us in the anchorage.

Lake Worth is a busy harbour and we were awakened by the sounds of a nearby dredging operation and the departures of a couple of freighters as the day broke sunny and fair. I stumbled into the cockpit with my first cup of coffee and was listening to the radios, while checking the plotter to see if we had dragged. Something invaded my peripheral vision and when I turned - I found that I was looking at a fifty-five footer 10 feet away - but alongside, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere. I first tried hailing the sailboat Lion King, flying a Dutch ensign and a quarantine flag. Then I tried calling on channel 16, again unsuccessfully. She then moved away and no longer seemed to be dragging anchor.

We made breakfast and tried one more time to get any one of our three telephones to work so that we could ‘check-in’ with Customs and Immigration – with no luck.  Susan had let the Track-phone account slide and there were only a few minutes on it, not nearly enough since our call would inevitably be put on hold. She had purchased 300 minutes for the Virgin phone (the one which served as our camera and which provided 3G connection in Bimini) but had failed to note that the minutes would expire after only one month.

We launched our tender but could not find the fitting for the outboard gas hose which I had removed and put in a SAFE place. So we rowed. We rowed across the busy commercial harbour making a beeline for the combination Casino and Customs Office (no kidding!). The wharves were all posted “NO TRESPASSING” with other dire warnings, so we rowed up the Inter-Coastal Waterway – eventually coming to the Community Marina, still under construction.  I recommend to those who follow in our steps that you anchor in front of the public beach. Had we known we would have been spared having to travel across a busy tidal commercial harbour.

After tying the dinghy to a palm tree on the beach beside a few other, equally ‘tatty’ones. We stowed our PFD’s and started walking. It was a short 5 minutes before we found our way to the building, which is NOT MARKED by any relevant signage. We had a wonderfully brief ‘processing’, received our Cruising Permit, and got our passports stamped as did another Canadian couple. The Customs lady advised that we would need a ‘sticker’, but that she could not sell us one. The glossy brochure in Susans hand at that moment said exactly the opposite thing but we did not argue with her – agreeing that we would seek out the ‘sticker’.  The Dutch couple from Lion King were not so fortunate. Since they were arriving from a country with which the US does not have reciprocal agreements (Cuba), they were given clearance to proceed to their next US port of call, where they would again have to ‘check-in’, getting another clearance to proceed.

This was explained to us by a professional broker who makes his living dealing with government agencies on behalf of clients for such matters as customs clearance, registrations and so on. He also told us that he charges $2000 to handle the processing of a Canadian Registration and $5000 to handle one for Panama or Nevis/St Kitts. He was extremely helpful, directing me to the nearest auto parts supply house, a NAPA – which, it so happened, was located a block away from the public marina.

We joined Harry and Anse(sp.?), the couple from Lion King, for a hamburger lunch at the beachfront Tiki-Hut restaurant and listened to stories from their three-years cruise from Holland north to Iceland, then to Greenland and on to Newfoundland before travelling to the Azores and then to the Canary Islands and West to the Caribbean Islands. They had arrived in the US from Cuba, their last port-of-call being Veradero-Darsena, and were able to share a few thoughts about our home-away-from-home of last winter.

After lunch we walked to the NAPA where I listed the three Echlin part numbers for a distributor cap, rotor and a ballasted high energy coil, to the young man behind the counter. Only one minute and sixty dollars later we exited NAPA with the goods and began looking for the Boat Owners Warehouse. The heat here in Florida got to us before we arrived at BOW and we dallied in the air-conditioning picking thru ICW cruising guides and chart books, and also getting a replacement gas line connector for the Honda outboard. Another sixty bucks!  It sure is easy to spend money when everything you want to buy is right there – ready to be bought. Welcome back to the USA!

The tide had turned and it carried us down the ICW effortlessly.  As we neared the Entrance channel the starboard rowlock, which I had secured with stainless wire, pulled clear of its socket. We struggled ashore on Peanut Island and I salvaged the wire and reconnected it. The tender had received no maintenance – despite my best intentions. I had meant to get a new rowlock socket while at BOW but forgot to. Now it is time to worry.

We watched the gambling cruise ship leave the dock and pass us in the channel, and after a couple of smaller pontoon shuttles passed, there was a break in traffic, so I went for it. I struggled against an ebb tide which could spit us out into the Gulfstream with the shortest oars anyone should ever have to use. We were really putting up a spray.  Susan was sitting at my back, looking forward while cheering me on with words of encouragement.  As we cleared the channel I was now rowing AGAINST the flow from the anchorage and I dialed to pace up even further. As we tied on alongside Panacea, our new Dutch friends arrived in the outboard inflatable.  They had decided that they would go back offshore and make as few calls at US ports as possible.  Having been denied a cruising permit – they had made an obvious choice.  As I quaffed a cold Budweiser and recovered from my strenuous experience, they weighed and sailed back out of harbour.

We stayed at anchor and relaxed. There would be time enough to put the engine parts on in the morning.

We awoke early and I immediately installed the new ignition parts, also enriching both carburetor jets slightly.  I was pretty focussed on the engine when I started it. Susan’s shouting did not make it immediately clear that I had started the engine with the transmission in forward gear and was dragging our anchor in a big circle. No panic...neutral...engine sounds good...hmmm...the anchor isn’t holding....oh crap!

Susan hauled all 30 feet of three eights chain and the 35 pound hi-tensile Danforth to the waterline.  She came aft after tying off and took over so that I could deal with the ball of chain that was wrapped around the anchor. We had rotated around the anchor all night long! No wonder it would not hold.

Susan piloted us north in the InterCoastal Waterway, past Peanut Island, the Customs Casino and the public park where we had beached our tender. Meanwhile I was hanging off the bow unwrapping the anchor, eventually chocking it home and stowing some of the rode.  As we motored beneath a traffic bridge the engine was purring.....finally....we finally raised Whisper on channel 68.

An hour later we joined Whisper at the northernmost anchorage of Lake Worth. We had not seen Vic and Marilyn in nearly two months and had a lot to catch up on.  The next day we started our trip north on the ICW. Marilyn acted as flotilla commander for a gaggle of four sailboats. She called the bridges on channel 9 to request an opening. As Tailend Charlie, I soon learned the protocol for announcing that our group had passed and calling in that Panacea was clear of the bridge and thanks for the opening.  At one bridge one of the boats from mid-pack called in to announce that he had cleared and to express his thanks – which fooled the bridge operator - who announced that he was closing the span. I hastily advised him that we were still under the bridge. Who needs to have a bridge lowered on top of them? Apparently this has happened in the past.

As lunchtime approached we noticed a return of ignition breakdown and pulled over to investigate.  Everything was HOT. The engine had used a lot of coolant. I rigged a hose into the header tank and placed a funnel in the hose. Susan had a new job.  She monitored several parts of the engine which seemed to be overheating using the laser thermometer...annd...added what turned out to be 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes to keep the coolant topped-up.

The verdict was clear...a blown head gasket, and pretty seriously blown –too, since we were running the cooling system ‘open’ – as in:unpressurized. We went back on the waterway after things cooled down. The engine continued to purr and I began to plan my next visit to NAPA.  Flathead engines are relatively easy to change a head gasket on – right? Within an hour the accessory drive noise that I had previously dealt with by overfilling the oil was making a roar again. The oil level had dropped.  We added some – but this time the noises just got louder. Like Kurt Russell (as captain Ron) said:         “after you get away from the dock anything that happens” ...(he looks far away)...”is going to happen ... out there.”.  In our case  it is more like everything than anything.

After due consideration I told Victor what was going on and told him we would be stopping at Ft Pierce to effect repairs. Whisper went on to the actual destination of the day, Vero Beach after standing by to make sure that we were not in danger of breaking down before making port.

We had called ahead to Harbourtown Marina and been given a slip number.

I hope no one witnessed our arrival.

My heart was in my mouth.  Susan was still trying to get tie-up lines on and to shorten the painter when we left the Waterway for Harbourtown channel.  We started to haul in the Genoa like a well practiced team.  Unfortunately the furling line was on the windlass in a perfect triple-wrap clove hitch. I have been critical of Susans clove hitch in the past, but this one was PERFECT ! By the time we realized it was knotted she had winched it very, very tight. And we were turning out of the channel and into the docks. We loosed the jib sheets to de-power the flailing genoa sail and Susan went on bow-duty calling out dock addresses. We overshot and had to loop back to the odd numbers of our dock.  As we approached our slip, we noticed that the promised line handler was nowhere to be seen. I lined Panacea up and - in we went. I whacked reverse as if I was driving a Bay of Fundy fishing boat....and presto....we were right where we had to be and motionless. The engine stalled as I leapt into action – securing the windward spring-line.  I assumed a more casual aire as I stepped to the dock and tied the bow lines and then the other spring line. Together we went to work on the ball of rope at the windlass and had the genoa furled nice and tight, in an easy minute. A couple of minutes in the tender with a boat hook placed the stern lines and we were secure.

My pulse was coming back down as the adrenalin subsided. I sat down and breathed a sigh. Susan came to the cockpit and stood before me, head cocked to one side and announced: “I think that went rather well!”

Laughter shed any remaining stress that I was experiencing.

After we checked-in and paid the dockmaster we looked at the hundreds of neat and tidy boats around us and went back into hyper-manic mode one more time, arranging fuel cans, scrubbing the anchor mud off the bow and washing the anchor itself. And then we went visiting. We immediately met our friends Peter and Kathleen on Now or Never, whom we had last seen only a few days ago in North Bimini and made a date for happy hour. 

We also met Marty and Lori who had sailed Caribee East from Bimini only a week ago. They had been bound for the Turks and Caicos and points south. We were so surprised...and they filled us in on a sad tale. Their engine failed departing Nassau and they struck a submerged rock while entering an anchorage to fix it. The grounding broke one of the steering cables and they required a tow to Nassau where repairs were made. An inspection was required of the underbody and they decided to return to the US to get hauled out for an inspection. After arriving in Ft Pierce they decided that they will continue the trip next year and might bring their 34 foot C&C south from Montreal, as it is probably more suited to Bahamas waters.  Their ‘southboat’ is a Bavaria 44 and it draws a whopping seven and a half feet.

As I write this we have all decided to haul out in Ft Pierce for the summer. Now or Never, Whisper, Panacea and Caribe will be together even when the sailing companions are apart.

On Wednesday Vic, Marilyn, Susan and myself drove a rental car to St Augustine to retrieve our vehicles from the marina at Palatka. We took the opportunity to visit the Sailors Exchange, where Sue picked up 2.5 yards of our signature colour (jockey red) of sunbrella material to make solar collector covers.

Riverside Marina will be hauling the boats, but probably won’t get to us until next week. Apparently they tried to call us yesterday – while we were in St Augustine - about an opening. They had the wrong phone number so we corrected that at the office and had a long visit aboard Osprey with Joe and Yvonne. Joe gave me the ‘tour’ and has offered to assist when I bring the ‘new to us’ Westerbeke diesel into service next fall.  He has the identical engine and the tidiest installation I have ever seen. 

 Susan and I are now in a big hurry – as Justin is advising us that a record spring freshet is already affecting the Saint John Power Boat Club. We are getting out the long underwear in readiness.

Week 18 –Preparing to Leave This Golden Place

Week 18 –Preparing to Leave This Golden Place

The gulls, the gulls....oh the gulls ... it’s a lot like Digby wharf with the herring boats in. Their cries are a lot like those of crows.  I had been dreaming about being attacked by a flock of crows just before awakening....

It is Homecoming Week in Bimini. There are lots of family groups wearing their ‘family’ tee shirts. Booming base guitars notes until 4:00 am. It is clearly audible at the other end of the island. This is not ‘quaint’ island reggae or steel band music for tourists. This is something else. Most of the boaters could not sleep – but only one claimed to be able to follow the lyrics being bellowed out.

This week we are going back to the USA – but—many of the cruisers here in Bimini are waiting for a break in the weather so that they can travel on to Nassau and the Exumas. The news from Nassau is basically all BAD! The Nassau Yacht Haven Marina – a place where we have felt ‘at home’ in two separate years, has been the target of boardings and thefts while the owners were sleeping aboard.

The eastern-bound group have been sharing e-mails with those who went before and are adjusting their plans accordingly. The level of crime, and lethal crime at that, has ballooned in Nassau. The murder rate is very high. A bus-load of cruise-ship tourists was hijacked recently and from the way I read the press on this – the Bahamian Tourism Board is dreading that phone call from one cruise line or another announcing cancellations. Tourism is the largest industry here and the out-of-control rate of violent crime has everyone who is in the known planning around the problem. Most of the cruisers are planning to anchor on the western side for an overnight stop and then to press-on for the Exumas.

The other day we went to the RBC ATM and as we stepped away we were confronted by the front fender of a golf cart. The guy was typically unintelligible except for the words “sorry ‘bout that black boy’ – to which my confused response was “ha ha – no problem!”   Maybe I am learning the idiom here? Since that time I have heard the expression on channel 16 and 68 as a hailing call. One example:”Black Boy, black boy – come on back” ....  typically no response...”Black Boy, black boy – bring the ferry to the xyz wharf, we got passengers here for ya.”

There has been a lot of debate among a few of the cruisers who have emergency bottom work to perform as to the breed of shark being chummed by the fishermen next door. As far as I am concerned the finer points which differentiate the docile Nurse Shark from the less than docile Bull Shark go by the board when they are being fed fish offal. The one thing about our home waters that is eminently superior to the local condition is the amount of tide available at home. Anyone can find a wharf to tie against on the Bay of Fundy, and with a little planning they can do a whole lot of bottom work on only one tide. And with no bother from sharks.  

With two days to go before departure we still have not conclusively resolved our fuel issues. We are going to use the fuel tank of the outboard motor (from the tender) as our main fuel tank for the main engine. This is straightforward and when testing the concept today I noticed that if I used the primer bulb of the outboard tank to assist the electric fuel pump, then the engine behaved more reliably.

The fuel pump is rebuildable and I hope that this resolves the matter. If not, we can pay an outrageous amount to Mrs. Weech at the chandlery and purchase what will be a ‘temporary’ replacement fuel pump.

It has been a long and slow series of discoveries in the course of bringing this Atomic Four back to a level of reliability. The fuel tank dirt cannot be blamed on the engine – and I should have ruled it out sooner. In my tests of the fuel in Cuba I could find no dirt in the tank. I was a lot more thorough this time around and was very surprised at the amount of crystallized varnish residing on the bottom, as well as a significant amount of sweet black goo, source unknown. This tank will have to be removed for steam cleaning before being put back in service.

The cruisers gathered around the pool tonight for a going away pot luck dinner. Most of the Eastward-bound cruisers will be leaving at 7:00 am tomorrow so this was a goodbye dinner. As the eating ended things got a little quiet – and then, led by fellow NB’er Greg and his wife LizAnn, the Happy Birthday song began.For Susan! And there were gifts! Sue made a very brief speech and then LizAnn came forward with a tray of brownies sporting 3 candles, a clutch of plastic balloons and an electric sign that flashed “Happy Birthday” as it emitted the song again.

Some cruisers seem to plan for all occasions! And what a great thing to do. The birthday card was signed by all of the cruisers with their boat name and little messages to her (such as: “you win the cleavage contest!”).

Pics of the party

Tiki Man

There is another 105 footer at the end of the dock tonight. This one is extreme shoal draught at 3 1/2 feet. With jet drives this boat can probably make headway on a wet lawn. However the captain who brought her in says she is a terrible handful that skates all over the place as well as rolling too much, conditions which he attributes to her lack of stabilizers.    

She would be a perfect fit at the power boat club with her draught and dimensions.

Another mega yacht was travelling past earlier today and managed to stray from the channel, running aground right in front of our little marina. The show was brief as a rising tide resolved the issue.

We just missed our departure time for Lake Worth this morning. I took one last look under the engine for gas leaks ANNND I found a steady drip! An hour later I had replaced supposedly gas tolerant thread sealing compound with silicone caulking. This explains a nagging problem on the suction side of the fuel line by which air was entering the system and airlocking the fuel pump.

Having been delayed only an hour, we gave the departure a try –only to discover that our reverse gear does not fully engage.  That adjustment held us up until 9:15 am which would have put us at the entrance to Lake Worth at the crest of a high tide and after sunset. Another day here is not a terrible thing! Either we will do an overnighter or we will leave early tomorrow. The east winds are ideal and the chop is only 1 to 2 feet – and is predicted to remain that way for a couple of days.

News that the tourist is not supposed to see

Week 17 –  News that the tourist is not supposed to see

Four years ago when we met Mrs Rolle at her store in Staniel Cay, she expressed to Sue the locally held concern of parents in the Out Isles caused by an educational system which, from middle school thru the higher grades, requires that the children be boarded ‘out’ in Nassau, where they would be taking classes. Mrs. Rolle told Sue then that the community would greatly appreciate a teacher who could cover those years of education without exposing the children to “the crime”. When back in Nassau Susan and I looked for signs of a crime rate – but apparently we overlooked the obvious.

Enter: The Punch

Billing itself as the Bahamas Biggest Selling Newspaper, The Punch carries a tabloid air about it with a scandalous slant.  I will share a few of the front pages from the Feb 27^th issue: Front Page

“PLP drug pilot ‘Blackjack’ cuts deal with DEA!” The boiled down version is that Blackjack Johnson is a campaign manager in the PLP, (governing political party), who made an emergency landing in the Dutch Antilles with a load of cocaine in his aircraft. Blackjack has been working his way through courts – first in Panama and subsequently in Miami and is naming names of PLP bigshots involved in the cocaine trade to the DEA in return for a reduced sentence. He is unhappy that his government buddies didn’t try harder to get him extradited from Panama.

Meanwhile, another pilot, nephew of another jailed drug-lord is the subject of an intensive manhunt  after ramming his plane into a police jeep at Sandy Point in the Abacos and escaping on foot – but leaving his cargo of Haitian and Dominican illegal immigrants  and $57,000 in cash in the plane.

Still on the front page, two murders in Nassau bringing the total for 2014 to 16 SO FAR!

Lastly (on the front page), there has been a run on the Bank of Bahamas, which has been a solid performer for 24 years. The run by depositors making big withdrawals allegedly signals a loss of confidence because of a rapid decline of the banks loans portfolio. The only government department not running in the red (public health) has transferred $7 million to help the bank stay solvent.

Page two – advertisements for food bargains on “stamp day”, when Bahamian mothers get their food stamps.

Page three – Marvelous Marcella: a full page colour picture of scantily clad “swinging single” Marcella, who works at a shop to finance her way through a nursing program. She is said to be looking for a good man to date.

Oh, and jammed along the margin beside Marcellas slim midriff, a developing scandal about government ministers, possibly including the PM himself, who have been failing to pay their property taxes, some for up to 10 years.  And a follow-up on an earlier shooting during a home invasion – one alleged perpetrator going before the courts, two remain at large.

Page four – International News

Mexico: Details on the capture of drug-lord Guzman,

London: teenager threatens mother with knife because she failed to purchase the ‘right’ brand of sneakers

Paris: Cops are failing drug tests as a result of breathing near the huge amounts of confiscated grass stored in police stations

Zimbabwe: pres. Mugabe gives himself a huge birthday party – 45,000 in attendance, costing $1million

Thailand: police nab some guy trying to have sex with a corpse

Rome: mother fails in attempt to kill newborn offspring

Charleston SC: Husband tries to enlist his sisters and wife in sex orgy – wife calls cops

Beverly Hills: Life Imitates Art Department – Blondie Bennet undergoing hypnosis to make her into an even more brainless blonde – the better to emulate her role model – the Mattel toy: ‘Barbie’

The rest of the ‘world’ in a nutshell.

The Caribean Beat Section has some real news (mostly Jamaican):

Jamaica is poised to legalize marijuana and to treat it as a big-earning agri-crop!

The Dominican Association of Evangelical Churches is banning a Jamaican Reggae singer who they say glorifies the devil.

In Grand Cayman Island – budget rent-a-car has inaugurated an all-electric fleet of rental cars complete with solar charging stations

Chinese to build $2.2million dollar ornamental pond at the public gardens in Kingston, Jamaica.

Barbados has failed to pay damages specified by the Court of the Caribbean for illegal body cavity search and deportation of a Jamaican woman. The Jamaican government is taking-up the case while the Barbados Government remains silent.

THE CRIME & COURT BEAT – Nassau:

One dead, the other in critical condition in hospital – gang rivals have a shoot-out

Man shot in stomach by unspecified assailants while at home with family

Gunman holds up and robs passengers on a city bus (jitney), shoots one passenger, who was DOA at the hospital. Still at large.

Gunman in black Nissan assassinates guy waiting at the takeout window of a Chinese Restaurant.

$800, 000 haul by police in drug bust.

Activist cleared by the court when charged with commiting a grossly indecent act by posting photos of the body of someone killed (probably by police) while in police custody.

That is IT to page ten of this 55 page paper. Lots to read.

No wonder Mrs.Rolle and the mothers of the Out Islands want to keep the kids at home. It looks like gangs, drugs and violence are even worse in Nassau than in Miami – for sure on a per capita basis. Almost all of the killers and their victims are young men of ages between 22 and 30. And the smuggling business continues with the only change (from time-to-time) being the product.

Susan and I have pursued other plans – she not really wanting to start teaching again and I would have to ‘invent’ a job to occupy myself. The call should go out for help. Perhaps we actually know someone who could make this their mission.  My totally from the hip guess is that the Baptist Church (over which Mrs. Rolles husband is the presiding reverend) could provide or find sponsors for the school space if a Canadian Church would pay the teachers salary and fund the supplies. Mrs. Rolle suggested that up to 30 young people could attend from Staniels Cay and the neighbouring islands from communities such as Black Point Beach.

Meanwhile, we remain storm-stayed in this lovely island of paradise. We are amidst a fairly large group of cruisers, including two boatloads of young children, all waiting for sufficiently good weather for crossings to the Exumas. Three charter boats left today for Miami – despite adverse conditions. The 50 foot sloop from Key Largo ( Zephyrus ) managed to back out of the docks area without hitting any other boats, although he did whack his anchor on the dock. He had solicited among the cruisers at Happy Hour for a couple of hairy-chested gorilla-types to make the crossing with him since his charter passengers are non-participants in the working of the vessel. For me, it would have been ‘interesting’, but only if I was 30 years younger.  A charter power-boat captain declined to make the crossing under these adverse conditions and sent his passengers back to Miami by seaplane. Tonight he is alone aboard – with his underwater lights.

 We are in a lull as I write this but are expecting 50 knot gusts tomorrow.

My friend Yvan from the adjoining boat frequently bores into my eye with his - of late. I think that he believes I understand everything he says  -  which is NOT the case.  We continue to waffle our way through all kinds of subjects. Clearly he does not understand everything that I say.  I’m not sure how I led him to believe that this is an opportunity for moi – but somehow he thinks that I could be making an absolute ‘killing’ fixing electrical systems on Recreational Vehicles in ... da da dum... Quebec City! Tabernacle!

It is all fun, however. I told him it will not be happening.

A large gaggle of the ‘cruisers’ set out on foot to explore the northern end of the island yesterday. We entered the ‘gated’ condo-estates of the World Resorts property and stopped for a drink by the infinity pool which overlooks the Florida Strait. The group split up after that and 7 of us carried on to the mega-yacht marina, the casino and the recreational pool area for the truly wealthy. There is almost no business going on, but there is still a massive amount of construction under way. The cruise ship dock construction was closed down due to heavy winds but the new multi-story cruise ship reception center and hotel was moving forward with a major cement pour on the second level.

Resorts World has closed off access to the northern tip of the Island including the famous Bimini Road,  also known as Atlantis Road, and access to the land trail to the “fountain of youth”. We were picked up by the complimentary shuttle bus and driven to the Northernmost Beach – with a running commentary about the project, the workers and so on from our driver: Anthony Antonio. He told us that he is a typical outsider worker like 70% of the workforce at the Resort. He hails from the West End of Grand Bahama Island. He commented that most of the locals don’t seem to want jobs.

Our return to the Marina occurred just in time for the East-bound Cruisers Conference at Happy Hour.  They had chartbooks out and were planning their trips to Nassau and the Exumas. Some have the Chris Parker weather subscriptions – a definite must for the serious Bahamas cruiser. Chris had predicted a good weather window for Saturday and Sunday.

Chris will answer your forecast questions online during his morning web-based briefings. His Single Side-Band briefings are not so ‘cutting-edge’ because they lack that feature. That decides the matter for us. We go with the web-based Chris Parker Service ($200 per year) via one of the new (and cheaper than ever) satphone data packages.

First to leave

They were filled with anticipation of a smooth sail on Saturday – but the gale force winds through the night brought with them a revised forecast – and we are all still in port together until next Wednesday.

Well the giant speakers are blasting away in celebration of ‘Homecoming’ this Friday night. The wind is turning out to be a mixed blessing – because it is carrying the roaring music away from our little haven.