December 30, 2019 to January, 5, 2020
We were waiting for a package containing light bulbs for our running lights which we will need on our crossing to the Bahamas. Since they were to arrive by noon we spent the morning showering and finishing up some preparations. When we made it to the fuel dock to fill up our water tanks the Fed Ex truck arrived and thankfully the light bulbs were there. We left Vero Beach Marina at noon and proceeded down the ICW toward our anchorage for the night. It was another gray overcast day with small bits of sunshine. The wind felt good as we opened up the enclosure to facilitate the breeze. It was great to be moving again, even Lola seemed happy to be on the move. We motored down the Indian River until 4:30 pm when we anchored just south of the Jensen Beach Bridge. We appreciated the sunset, even though it was not spectacular, since the no-seums kept us inside at sunset in Vero.
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| The sun is setting over the town of Jensen Beach. |
On Tuesday we continued south to Lake Worth. The ICW was crowded with fishing boats, jet skis, runabouts, etc. It made for a hectic trip. There were multiple opening bridges to maneuver through, but luckily we were only held up at one bridge waiting for it to open. At Lake Worth we motored out of the inlet and then turned around and motored back to our anchorage. Bob wanted us to have a clear track on the chart plotter to follow the next morning when we were leaving the inlet in the dark.
We celebrated the New Year by finally making our crossing over to the Bahamas. The day started at 4:30 am with a 10 knot wind that caused the boat to rock and roll more than was comfortable. With nine hours of motoring ahead of us these conditions were discouraging. Thank goodness for Dramamine. Motoring in the dark is always a little scary because all we can do is follow the rhumb line on the chart plotter to stay on course. By mid morning the winds had quieted and the sea state had improved. We discovered that about a dozen flying fish had landed on the boat in the dark. The closer we got to West End, Grand Bahama the more the sea quieted and the better our attitude became. We arrived at The Old Bahama Bay Marina at 2:00 pm exhausted but happy.
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| Lola was happy to be out on deck after our long crossing. |
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| Our view from the stern of our boat |
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| The marina also has a small resort connected to it which provides us with some great amenities. Since summer is their high season we were able to enjoy the facilities without the crowds. |
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| The marina is on the left and the resort condos are on the right. |
Thursday was sunny and warm. Being surrounded by the beautiful water and palm trees of West End was exhilarating. For lunch we ate at Teaser’s Tiki Hut between the beach and the pool. We were talking to the couple next to us when in the conversation we realized that we had met before. They were the captain and mate (Adrienne and Sam) on the catamaran cruise we took six years ago in Bocas del Torro, Panama. What an improbable coincidence. They were our neighbors in the marina and we spent some time everyday with them during our stay in West End, mostly at Teaser’s Tiki Bar. One day we had them in for lunch of lobster Mac ’n Cheese which I made using lobster bought from a local fisherman.
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| While we sit at Teaser’s bar this is our view. |
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The beach is narrow, but the water is that beautiful turquoise color.
Relaxing in this hammock could be great
after a couple of Bushwhackers at Teaser’s
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On Saturday a couple stopped by inquiring about our anchor and Bob realized they are a couple with a u-tube channel that we watch. We talked for awhile about our experiences and our plans. We will probably run into them again when we get to Georgetown, too. It’s great to have other cruisers to discuss ideas and plans with.
All of the cruisers in the marina were stuck in West End for several days because of… you guessed it - the wind. On Saturday night and Sunday we had gusts up to 30 and sustained winds between 20 and 25. Bob and I considered many different plans for continuing our adventure and have settled on an overnight passage to Nassau. Hopefully, this will help us avoid being anchored out in an exposed bay in the Berry Islands when the next predicted wind event hits.
Thank you for reading my blog.
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