Back to the Exumas!

 After Jan and Mark departed, Steve and I stayed in Marsh Harbour for a few days, waiting for favorable conditions for the trip to Nassau, where we would pick up our next guests at the end of the following week.  As we always do when weather conditions don't support watersports activities or sailing, we took advantage of the time to take care of the mundane "must-do's" like boat waxing, brightwork polishing, and tax filing. We also availed ourselves of the nearby restaurants, grocery stores and laundry facilities since they are so convenient from the Marsh Harbour anchorage.

On March 12 - three days before we needed to be in Nassau - the wind finally dropped enough that we could get there relatively comfortably, even though we would still be traveling upwind and couldn't sail. Our normal procedure as we're leaving an anchorage is to start both engines so that we have maximum steering control of Starry Night, since we're traveling at a low rate of speed between boats and the rudders require a boat speed of at least 2 knots to function. This morning though, Steve pushed the start button, and we got nothing but clicking. A little troubleshooting confirmed that the battery was still good, and we expected that the issue was the starting solenoid. We had a spare on-board but decided to go ahead to Nassau with only one motor and replace the solenoid there. The favorable weather conditions weren't expected to continue, and we decided it was low risk to proceed with a single motor

We fished along the way, hoping for another tasty Mahi. We didn't snag one but did bring in a nice marlin off the coast of Elbow Cay. We didn't keep it, but it provided a bit of fun along the way.

Marlin Fighting While Steve Works the Rod

The trip to Nassau was projected to take somewhere between 15 and 24 hours, so we left at noon and motored overnight. We arrived a little before dawn the next morning and waited until the sun had risen to pass through the cut to our anchorage at Saunders Beach. 

By noon, Steve had replaced the starting solenoid and our port engine started on the first try. We both breathed a sigh of relief since getting boat parts can be difficult in the Bahamas and our friends would be arriving in two days. With that chore completed, we were free to finalize the preparations for our visitors - Daniele, a friend of ours from Siemens, and Brenda and Mike, a couple that are friends of ours from Satellite Beach.

Our new crew arrived right on schedule on Saturday afternoon and the next morning we got up and motored through Nassau Harbour with the intention of traveling to Warderick Wells in the Exumas. The wind and waves were pretty much right on our nose and higher than expected though, so forward progress was very slow and very uncomfortable. We quickly decided to turn around and try a new anchorage off the coast of Rose Island, which lies just to the northeast of New Providence. 

The anchorage was well-protected and quite lovely, and we found decent coral so close that we could snorkel right from the back of Starry Night.

Rose Island

The wind shifted directions the next morning but was still too high to make the trip to the Exumas, so we moved to the Montague Bay anchorage a short distance away, back on New Providence. The anchorage has access to a public dock so Mike, Brenda, Daniele and I went for walk in Nassau that afternoon. 

This was the first time I had walked through this part of Nassau and it was pretty interesting to see the ramshackle and decrepit adjacent to the bright and shiny. 

Tale of Two Cities

On Tuesday morning, the weather decided to cooperate and we had a beautiful sail to Warderick Wells, our speed over ground between 8 and 11 knots the whole way.  Mike and Brenda were keen to learn the ropes and helped with raising and lower the mainsail, while Daniele served as our photographer/videographer.

Brenda Stowing Mainsail Halyard

Mike and Laura Flaking the Mainsail 

Warderick Wells is one of our preferred destinations in the Exumas because it offers hiking as well as snorkeling, and simply because it's gorgeous.

The day after our arrival, we hiked to the top of Boo Boo Hill in the morning and snorkeled afterward.

Happy Crew Atop Boo Boo Hill

Steve and Brenda with a View to the Atlantic

View of the Warderick Wells North Mooring Field from Boo-Boo Hill

Coral on the Atlantic Side of Warderick Wells

Limestone Structures to Conquer

Mike Checks Out the Coral at Warderick Wells

Blue Runner

Laura's Favorite - Hawksbill Turtle :-)

In the afternoon, Daniele and Brenda took turns on the inflatable paddle board. It was Daniele's first time trying it, and she managed quite successfully and even stayed dry!

Daniele Tries Out Our New Toy

The next day's activity was fishing for Mahi, as we motored north to Leaf Cay. Unfortunately, no luck in the Mahi department once again. We needed to split the return trip to Nassau into two days since the wind was coming from the north and we'd be unable to duplicate the speeds we'd had on the outbound trip. 

Returning to Nassau After the "Cold-front"

On day two of our return trip, we had enough of an angle to the wind to unfurl the jib and get a boost from the wind, as least part of way. We arrived early enough for a second outing to Nassau. I dropped Steve, Mike, Daniele, and Brenda at the public dock and they visited to a palm garden in Nassau and got ice cream.

 

One thing I haven't mentioned is that Daniele and Brenda and Mike didn't know one another before this trip.  It became apparent during the planning process that the only week that would work for each of them was the same week, so I asked if they would mind sharing the time on-board. They were all fine with the proposal, and everything worked beautifully!  We had our outdoor fun during the daytime and played cards together in the evenings. 

The three of them shared a taxi back to the Nassau airport the next morning, and Steve and I split up to get ready for Daryl and Sue, who would arrive later that afternoon. 

Next up:  Spring Break in the Bahamas, Part II