Bahamas 2017

We left Tarpon Basin on November 17, 2017 and we were escorted out Dusenberry Creek by our friend, Mitch. Thanks for the send off!!  We rested that night near Pumpkin Key off Ocean Reef Club. At high tide the following day, we transited Angelfish Creek to the Atlantic side. We took a mooring out at Turtle Rocks. It was a little rolly so we decided to depart early. Winds were light so we had to use the motor in addition to our sails. We were near Bimini at about 3 AM after a good crossing. This is not a place that we felt comfortable entering in the dark - especially since Irma could have changed things since we were there two years ago. So we continued on.

We rounded the reefs and shoals to the north of Bimini and entered the Great Bahama Banks. Typical waters like the keys - relatively shallow. After daylight broke, Darrell decided we needed to start fishing. We trolled some lures and had a double hit with two great big Mutton Snappers. Sweet!!  Especially since the vet told Darrell that Roxy would benefit from a diet high in omega 3!! She is on cloud nine with all that seafood!

The first night at anchor was spent outside Chub Cay Marina and we were going to try and clear customs there the next morning. They want to charge cruisers $100 to dock the dinghy to do this. So we pulled anchor and sailed to Morgan's Bluff, Andros - not very far away. The people here were lovely and we stayed a few days. Darrell and I got to play some dominoes with the locals. We decided to explore more of Andros Island this trip so we sailed south to Fresh Creek and anchored inside a barrier reef about 1/4 mile from shore. We awoke to find the cockpit full of tiny mosquitoes!!  Ann sprayed bug spray out the net and later that morning, we had to clean up all the carcasses. It looked like pepper all over the cockpit!!

The decision was made for us by the mosquitoes to get out of there and left for New Providence Island (home of Nassau). We anchored in West Bay for a night then rounded the corner to Nassau the next day. We needed to do laundry, grocery shop, and get some diesel fuel. That accomplished, we left for the Berries. We spent 4-5 days there but many of the islands are private and we couldn't walk Roxy on the beaches. Also, we needed protection from certain wind directions that was hard to find. So we left and sailed back to Nassau for a quick trip to BTC (phone company) and grocery store. Of course, we really didn't want to go to Nassau and tried in vain to get east to Eleuthera but the wind and seas wouldn't cooperate. 

We left Nassau for the Exumas. We stopped at Highborne Cay for a night then continued south to Exuma Land and Sea Park for the next several night stops. Ultimately headed for a place to find protection from an approaching cold front. Winds can clock from the south to the west to the north in a front and many anchorages don't have protection from all directions. We stopped at Staniel Cay for the next several days to get that protection, plus cell coverage to be in touch with friends and family. And NO, we're not going to see the swimming, begging pigs!  They have tried to attack Roxy in the past so we don't find them amusing. 

2017 and Beyond

November 2017

We DID actually return to Key Largo on schedule.  Darrell went back to work as a captain at Pennekamp State Park and Ann continued to work on the boat.  She sanded and applied multiple coats of varnish to the teak and took Roxy for long walks every day.  Once the summer heat began to set in, all boat projects came to a screeching halt!

Early in the year, Ann had two impromptu trips back to Amarillo for surgeries on her 89 year-old dad.  He made it through the surgeries with flying colors and she returned to FL without much delay.

In July, she began getting tired of being cooped up on the boat so she went to talk to Michael (owner of Island Ventures) about some part time work.  She went back to work as a dive boat captain within one day of receiving her first social security check - lol!!  The best part of going back to work THERE is getting to see divers who have been coming there for several years!!  So she FAILED retirement!

In September, we had the misfortune of having Hurricane Irma pay south FL a visit.  After evaluating the possible options, we decided we wanted to tie Alibi up in the mangrove creek and go stay with our fantastic friends, Wayne & Sherry.  Their house was so well insulated that we barely heard the wind and the only damage they incurred was to the wood fence.  Alibi was safe and sound when we launched the dinghy to go check on her.  Some tied up near us were not as lucky - they were broken in to by looters!!  We spent the next several weeks helping out our friends in the Keys with clean up.  At two months post storm, there is still repair and clean up being done on the island.

The plan now is to cross to the Bahamas once again and spend the next several months in the beautiful waters there.  We are trying to stay in FL long enough to be joined by S/V Celtic Rover but they haven't made it this far south yet.  We hope to get to spend some time with them in the Bahamas.  We met in the Turks & Caicos Islands just before crossing to the Dominican Republic in 2012.