Playing Tourist in Nassau

After going ten days without any human interaction (except for the Berry Island Club bartender).  We decided to head back to civilization, Nassau, The Capital of the Bahamas!

The winds were pretty good and we finally got to sail without the engine and make progress!  It was a nice silence except for the waves.  This was our third ocean crossing so the big waves didn't scare us.  Neither did the 10,000 feet depths we were crossing!

Come sail with us

We cleared into the Nassau harbor and found a nice anchorage directly in front of Atlantis!  We walked around downtown Nassau and found another Lovers Lane.

We don't have internet from the boat but the free dinghy dock at The Green Parrot has internet so we either just sit on the dock for internet or go in and order a blooming onion!

We walked across the bridge to Paradise Island.  The bridge was really steep but the walk was worth it. 

We walked into some resort (Dolphins Cove) and could go to their beach if we wanted to but we were hungry so we tried to eat at their restaurant.   Apparently you need a room to eat there so i just made one up  but the lady didn't buy it and we had to "go back to our room to get it".  

Luckily Atlantis allows day visitors and we could walk around that huge resort.

and Casino!

I really wanted to see their famous aquarium so we coughed up the $38/person fee and got to see all of our sea nightmares come to life!

Nassau has been pretty cool so far.  Our anchorage is a lil crowded but the boat doesn't rock constantly so thats plus.  Party boats go by pretty often but we just enjoy their tunes.  We go into town for $3 for 10 conch fritters or just to walk around and get internet.  Lately we have been waking up at noon, staying in bed till 3 or 4pm and then hanging out all night. 

But just like Miami we will get our people fix, make our boat repairs, buy some fresh food and move on soon.

The main things we need are fuel and The Exumas Explorer Charts.   

Peace at last, Fraisers Hog Cay

After four days of rough waves and wind we finally found sanctuary at Fraisers Hog Cay.  We wanted to lobster hunt at Chub Cay but the waves were too choppy and I was ill from the boat motion, we left asap.

The storms here are so fast that sometimes they stop before we can even close all the hatches!

At Fraisers Hog Cay we had our own beach but it was really rocky.  We found lots of big starfish tho.

We tried to eat at the Berry Islands Club but you have to give them two hours notice so they can run to the airport and get your ingredients.  So we told them we wanted cheese burgers and would be back the next day.

We found a feisty hermit crab

We are still too afraid to get in the water so we use our underwater camera to take pictures.

Theres a starfish in the middle of this pic

Christine has broken out the sprouts again.  mmmm Healthy

The Bahamas burn all their trash. We found one of their piles and added our trash.

We hiked the island to feel better about eating the cheese burgers

Sunday we moved onto Nassau, blog to come.

Why Are The Bahamas So Windy

We are finally losing track of the days which is pretty fun.  And we wear the same couple outfits, bathing suits.

So one of those days we moved down to Gun Cay.  

We passed a really old shipwreck named Sapona

We anchored in Honeymoon Harbor and were able to get really close to the beach!

We explored the island

and found a lot of old shoes...

and plenty of conch! (side note: conch has upset my stomach and is on a temporary ban)

fun in the sand

Our personal postcard

Picnic on the beach.  We were the only people on the island so it was a private beach picnic!

Before we left we found a great deal on cream of mushroom and tomato soup, 25cents a can, so we bought a ton of it!  Then came the problem of how to use it.  We can't make grilled cheeses and have limited french's fried onion for green bean casserole.  Christine discovered if you mix the two it creates a delicious soup broth and then just add veggies of choice.  Two birds, one stone.

We moved down to North Cat Cay but it was private so we couldn't go ashore. Lame.

That night the winds were out of control and we dragged for the first time ever.  The anchor reset itself tho and then we watched the boats around us skeptically to make sure they kept their space.  One boat got really close to us (about 20 feet) but right as I yelled to them they motored away.  We didn't get too much sleep.

The next day since we couldn't go ashore we decide to keep moving and head toward the Berry Islands.  To get there we had to cross the Great Bahama Banks which are about 86 miles long but only 10-15 feet deep.  So the first day we just went about halfway and then pulled over and anchored.  We made sure we anchored far enough off the channel so no other boats would hit us.  It was still scary tho being completely surrounded by darkness.  Plus the waves were bouncing us up and down till our davit hardware snapped.  What was that about cruising just being a fancy word for fixing things in exotic locations...

Again, not much sleep.

Nomy finally got tired of being sick in the cabin while underway and now hangs with us in the cockpit.  Nala was glad to have him.

The last 15 miles of the journey were across more Atlantic and we got to see the pretty deep blue water again.

We arrived at Chub Cay just before a squall came over us.  The beach is private here too and it costs $100 to go to shore, wtf.  However we can still use their Wi-Fi so ha!

The water is even clearer here but since George told us those wildlife horror stories we have been afraid to get in the water. Something we really need to get over.  We have each been in the water once and all we can think about is SHARK SHARK SHARK!!!