It was Monday morning and we had been in Bimini, Bahamas for six days due to weather. Several boats left in rather windy conditions the day before and we were hoping that Monday would be better. It looked like a short weather window and if we didn’t leave we would likely be stuck for several more days. We finally decided that we would head out and turn back if we had to. The wind and waves were out of the north and north-northeast so we were nose into it as we went around the top of the Bimini Islands. A cruise ship called the Carnival Sunshine was sitting well off the cruise ship dock, and appeared stationary, or possibly just in a VERY slow reverse. We heard on the VHF radio that they had directed two sailboats to pass in front of their bow because they were backing up to the cruise ship dock. We thought we had time to pass their stern as they were reversing so slowly (or not at all) so we hailed them to ask. Apparently, they had just aborted their docking and they instructed us to pass their stern as they were going forward. The closest of the two sailboats that had been instructed to pass their bow radioed for confirmation, and came about quickly to get out of the way of their bow! It can be intimidating maneuvering around large ships, especially when they change their minds and forget about the little boats that they can’t always see.
It was rough going north of the island, and Heather had to secure the cupboards with bungee cords again. Once we got to the Bahama Bank, it seemed manageable but rough. We were going at speed and the boat was handling it well. The waves were on our port bow, so it was rocky and we were getting a lot of spray on our windshield. Once again, Heather needed Gravol, but she took the non-drowsy kind instead and wore her sea bands. Moving around the boat was tough, especially since it was coated in salt. We adjusted course after Mackie Shoal and then we were getting the waves directly on the beam. The auto pilot was essentially tacking back-and-forth to give us the best ride possible and it was handling it fairly well. By the time we were able to see the tip of Andros Island to the south of us, the water was starting to calm down. That surprised us as we were expecting it to rough up as we approached the Tongue of the Ocean. We had been travelling with depths of about 10 feet across the Bahamas Bank. At the Tongue of the Ocean, the depths suddenly go to thousands of feet. We probably didn’t get much past 1000 feet deep as we were just about to enter the harbour for Chub Cay. We had arrived exhausted, but in paradise, after about seven hours of travel. We had to take a break before cleaning our boat outside and in! We toured the resort, registered, got wrist bands and cards, and signed away our firstborn...sorry Andrew. Then we headed back to the boat and happily enjoyed leftovers. It was tough to stay up to 8:30 or 9 PM!
We would spend another seven days at Chub Cay waiting for our next weather window to go to Nassau and eventually the Exumas. During our time there Cam did office work either on the boat, at the pool, or on the beach. We worked on boat maintenance too, including changing the filter on the water maker, which was disappointing because it was fairly new but without it, the water maker kept shutting down. We got laundry done, toured the resort, enjoyed the infinity pool, including some rum punches, a Corona, and a Bird of Paradise. We also had some conch fritters and fries by the pool. We enjoyed the luxury of the pool bar but it was a bit pricey. Hanging out by the pool felt a bit like a vacation. It seems odd to think that we would need a vacation, but constantly planning, navigating, driving, and maintaining the boat can be a lot of work. We attempted a few ocean swims at the beach. The beach was clean and pretty, and we enjoyed watching the boats that were anchored further out, but the water was very shallow and if the tide was out, the water only came up to our waists, so most of the time we swam in the pool. We would have lots of opportunities to swim in the ocean soon.
We ate out a few times while we were there. The first time we went to the Club House where Cam really enjoyed the Grouper. Afterwards, we were both so full, but the waitress had
enticed us with dessert. Instead of gorging ourselves, we decided to return the next day after our dinner for dessert only, which we did and it was yummy Key Lime Pie and Flourless Chocolate Cake! We decided that we had to try the Naughty Rooster one night, which is a bar that the locals like to frequent. Beers are $3 during happy hour which is 3 to 6 PM. We
were the only guests there as they were preparing for an event later on so it was a little quiet and strange. The menu was limited,
but we each managed to find something to order. Cam‘s burger and fries were great. Heather‘s fried chicken came with hot sauce smothered on top. That wasn’t even mentioned in the menu. We’ve been noticing that the menus are a bit outdated at various restaurants. We need to learn to ask how things are prepared when we order because you can’t count on the menu descriptions. There were lots of boat stickers that people had put up in the bar. We saw one of a yacht called Sea Clef. We had heard of another Sea Clef but this was the first evidence of it. The bartender said they used to come a lot but they hadn’t seen them in a while. It looked like a much bigger yacht than ours.
Our last meal out was for breakfast at the Club House after a long walk around the grounds. We ate outside and noticed dark clouds rolling in. We checked the radar and saw a lot of rain coming within 10 to 15 minutes. Cam settled the bill while Heather hurried back to close up the boat, so Cam ended up getting wet when he arrived later. We bounced around a bit in our slip, but the rain passed quickly. It was blowing like crazy in the marina before bed and continued well into the night. It made it difficult to fall asleep. It was a cold front and it felt significantly cooler in the morning. It was actually a relief to wear warmer clothes and not be sticky and sweaty all day.
One of the attractions on Chub Cay is called Turtle Creek. It’s a natural river that is home to many turtles, stingrays, sharks, and other little sea creatures. You can dinghy there, walk or ride your bikes, or have the staff drop you off with their Jeep. We decided to bike there and swim with the turtles. Heather packed a lunch while Cam got the bikes, masks and snorkels ready, and then we rode to Turtle Creek. Unfortunately, we couldn’t swim because the tide was going out and the current was very strong in the wrong direction. We didn’t want to be drawn out with the tide so we were only able to walk along the shore. Later we enjoyed our picnic lunch and visited with the owners of Salish Sea, while watching a couple of turtles and a shark swim by. We biked back to the boat, stopping to pick some green
coconuts on the way. Cam drilled two holes in each of them, and we drank the coconut water right out of the coconuts! It was very good and refreshing. Since our Turtle Creek visit was a bit of a bust, we checked the tide tables and made a plan to go back. We had high hopes as we got our kayaks ready and arranged for a ride
to Turtle Creek. The plan was to kayak around before high tide and then during slack tide. All was going according to plan. We got to Turtle Creek, unloaded our kayaks from the Jeep, and dragged them to the shoreline when we suddenly realized that we had forgotten our paddles! We tried using the VHF radio to hail the driver
but there was no answer. Cam decided to try laying on his belly on the kayak and paddled with his arms. He crossed the creek and came back easily, so Heather joined him. After we got across, we thought we should sit up and somehow Heather managed to flip her kayak! She panicked a little, worrying about stingrays and sharks that might be in the water while her feet sunk deep into the mud bottom. After some struggling she managed to get back on, and we paddled down the creek with our hands, while watching all the turtles. It wasn’t easy but it was fine. When it was time to go back to shore, we tied the kayaks together, and got on our tummies again with Cam in the lead. We didn’t want to take any chances as the tide was starting to go out again. Back on shore, there was a young family, and two young woman who were crew from a ship called Freedom. The two women came over with two starfish they had found. They were able to keep them under the water, and we all got to hold or touch them, which was very cool.
There is a large area to explore on the western shore of the island that was protected from the rough water. We took the dinghy out of the marina and around the end of the breakwater and went up a creek bordered by thick mangroves. We saw lots of turtles along the way, and tried to capture them on the GoPro underwater but it is hard to aim the camera underwater from the dinghy! It was fun to get the dinghy out for a spin and we enjoyed poking around the mangroves.
We took the bikes out one afternoon and biked to an abandoned house that was almost as far as Turtle Creek. The house was called Point Nirvana. As we poked around we saw furniture in disarray, while there were still condiments and jars on the kitchen counter, and soap in the bathrooms. It looked like it had been deserted quickly. We learned later that when the wife of the owner died, the owner stopped going to visit, and his kids never came, so eventually he sold it, but no one ever did anything with it. Apparently someone from Nassau bought the property recently. We suspect it will be a rebuild. We walked around the grounds, and it would be a beautiful place to have a beach house, or beach mansion! It truly must have been Nirvana in its day. We passed another place that was private property but it was labeled The Escobars. The locals assured us that they were not related to the infamous Escobars. Our tour also took us to the solar farm that powers the island, and the farm where they grow a lot of the vegetables for the island.
Our second last day was still very windy. As we sat at the pool we watched two big yachts coming in that were really getting thrown around by the waves. We even video recorded one of the yachts, and later met a couple that was on the boat that we videotaped. It was a 100 foot yacht and the woman said that it made a mess of their galley. She was pretty upset by it and was not keen to get back on the boat for their trip back to Florida. Watching the spectacle got us talking to Aaron, the captain of a 120 foot vessel called Odessa. He and Cam chatted for quite a while. He gave Cam some tips on the Bahamas and offered to share some tips using charts on his iPad the next day but we never reconnected.
We learned two important lessons in Chub Cay. One came from a visit to the store. We saw some things that we would like but we didn’t need them right away. It made sense for us to buy them closer to our departure date. We didn’t realize that they only got a delivery once a week, which is true for most of the islands. So if you see something you want, you should buy it right away or it will be gone. Things go fast after the supply boat comes in. The second thing was that you should not go kayaking without your paddles!
Many boats left today, some just to nearby anchorages as Tuesday is shaping up to be the better day for travel. We plan to leave for Nassau on Tuesday, and connect with our new friends on Salish Sea who are doing the same.
Click on the photos below to view the images in slideshow mode. Coming up next, we're going to Nassau and Rose Island!
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