Marina at Emerald Bay to Stirrup Cay

April 19, 2020 - April 23, 2020

We got up at 6:00 am on Sunday hoping to get out of the marina by 7:30.  After final showers, we readied the boat for taking off.  One glitch in our plans was that we weren’t able to get the ice we needed for the trip until 7:45 am.  One of the dock hands helped us push off at 8:00 am.  It was a long hot day.  The wind was behind us and at approximately the same speed as we were motoring.  Consequently, no refreshing breeze.  In the afternoon Lola started panting regularly which worried me, but she seemed to be okay.  We anchored off Big Major Spot Cay (remember the pigs)  at 4:00 pm.  Bob grilled some red snapper we had gotten in our grocery order and with sides of peas and rice and cole slaw it was a perfect Bahamian meal.

Rocky islands line the channel
through Galliot Cut which takes
us from the Exuma Sound to the
more protected Exuma Bank.

On Monday we hauled anchor at 7:00 am. Not being allowed to get off the boat at any stop and only being permitted to stop at designated marinas to re-fuel on weekdays made us anxious to get back to the US.  Our schedule gets us to a refueling stop it Port Lucaya on Thursday night just in time to refuel the next morning.  Obviously we can’t take the trip slow and easy.  The wind was stronger than predicted which gave us a cooling breeze but also big swells that rocked the boat uncomfortably.  Occasionally, there were seven foot swells. When in the trough all you saw was water and on the crest all you saw was sky. It was a little unnerving to say the least.  We made it to our anchorage off Highbourne Cay at 2:00 pm. While anchoring My hand accidentally got caught in the chain stop and I suffered a big scrape on my left index finger that bled profusely.  We finally got the injury under control with lots of gauze and bandage tape.  Hope it heals well.

On Tuesday the weather was much calmer by mid-morning. The winds were light but still provided us with a cool breeze.  Our destination was Rose island which is just east of Nassau.  We were avoiding traveling through Nassau Harbor because that is where all of the Coronavirus cases have been diagnosed.  We anchored at 4:00 pm in a lovely deserted anchorage and spent a restful night.

We left our anchorage early on Wednesday, around 7:00 am. We made it past the small islands around New Providence headed to the Berries which ( according to our auto pilot) was eight+ hours away.  The countdown to anchoring dragged on and on as we took our one hour shifts at the helm.  We reached Great Stirrup Cay at 4:00 pm and anchored in a sandy patch amongst the sea grass.  We experienced significant boat motion all night, but still got some sleep. 

The sunrise as we prepared to leave our
anchorage at Rose Island was spectacular!

We passed the huge Atlantis Resort on Paradise
Island just across Nassau Harbour.  This is a
totally different side of the Bahamas than 
 we experience in the out islands.

In the morning Bob and I discussed our options for travel.  He was concerned that if we continued as scheduled we would find a rage condition in the seas around the entrance to Port Lucaya since the winds would increase as the day continued.  We decided to move the boat to a more protected area and remain in the Stirrup Cay Harbour until noon on Saturday and then make an overnight passage across the Gulf stream to Fort Pierce, FL. So we have a couple of days without traveling. The islands near our anchorage are used by different cruise lines for passenger excursions.  On one island I can see what looks like elaborate play equipment.  On the bigger island there are buildings that may be kitchens to provide a beach buffet. 

In the afternoon we transferred all of the diesel fuel in the jerry jugs to our auxiliary tank in preparation for our 24 hour journey starting Saturday at noon.   

Hopefully, my next blog will be posted from Vero Beach, FL.

Stay safe and healthy!

Thank you for reading my blog.