Changing Plans and the Turning Around Point

(My favourite beach in the Bahamas - Great Harbour Cay)

So I got a slip at the Great Harbour Cay Marina on Wednesday and that way the following day when Sal would arrive, I would be able to meet him at the airport. I got on the internet for the first time in a few days and was a bit concerned when I saw 5 emails in my inbox from Sal. Titles contained some red flag words such as 'email me back asap and STRESS STRESS STRESS'. I opened one after the other and found out through email and a skype call later how his plans were about to change mine. Sal had gone to Ottawa to fill out some paperwork, and just after they asked him in an interview. (Which is very exciting news and good luck Sal on Monday!!) He decided to postpone his flight for a week in order to stay for the interview. I was looking forward to having him back, but another week alone would be manageable. However my dad had plans to get back to the States and get home as soon as possible… I’m not sure why, I could stay here for at least another few months if not longer! So we checked the weather and there was a good window for crossing back across the banks to Bimini on Friday night. After a bit of discussion, it was decided that mom would come with me on the boat and dad would go by himself because he has an autohelm, where I do not and the predicted 14 or so hours that it would take to get there would be too much for me to do, especially being over night.

So with that all settled we were able to enjoy our three days in Great Habour…

Our first day there we got a ride into the village of Bullocks’ Harbour and did a bit of groceries. The mail boat came in that day (Tuesday) which meant that all the groceries for the week had arrived. Last time we were here the shelves were a bit sparse, in contrast to today where there was fresh fruits and vegetables and boxes upon boxes of food and supplies. We are so spoilt in Canada with the quantity, quality and diversity of foods we have available ALL THE TIME in the grocery stores. At home you think of what you are going to make, get all the ingredients and then make it, compared to here where you seeing what there is available, remember what you have stored away and then make do with what there is. I like the idea of getting what you are going to need for the week from what’s available and using it. It’s so simplistic. You don’t need freezers full of food and you don’t get food going bad because you just get only what you are going to need which equals less waste.

There was a bit of action around the docks on Thursday morning as a family of manatees was spotted. A momma, poppa and a baby whom frequently come around the marina. A couple kids got a hose with fresh water and the manatees swam up and started to drink from the end. They also seemed to like getting sprayed with the hose on their backs and would turn over onto their backs to get their bellies sprayed. They are such quiet, docile creatures. Unfortunately for them it isn’t always an easy life with all the boat traffic in the harbour, as evidenced by the mother who had a fresh gash on her back and an old scar on her tail of where she has had close encounters. I was told that it’s rare for Manatees to be seen in the Bahamas but since Florida has started to get really cold winters, there are more and more migrating over. If I were a manatee, I too would take up residence in the Bahamas, much warmer, cleaner and a lot less boat traffic. The boys then got a boat brush and were giving them a bit of a back scratch and belly rub. It was really cute.

From beaches in Bimini and the Berry’s, the one on the western side of Great Harbour Cay, in my opinion is the nicest one I’ve seen. Beautiful white sand, shallow turquoise waters - it’s a beautiful spot. I decided to show it to my parents as my mom loves going to the beach. The beach must be at least a mile long so we decided to take a leisurely walk down the beach before stopping and eating our picnic lunch (tuna sandwiches) along the way. Of course, the only time it has rained in the past month was today as we were walking along the beach. It was just one cloud and passed over us in a few minutes, leaving lightly clouded, sunny skies behind.

Along our way, we saw a man pulling up a surfboard onto the beach. He greeted us and asked us if we wanted to see his plants. Now I have to try to describe this man to you. He was absolutely amazing. Picture the mad-hatter crossed with Willy Wonka of horticulture. He was naming off Latin names of different orchids he was growing and all the plants, bushes and trees he had started from seeds. I hardly understood a word he said except a key lime tree and a papaya tree. He had flowers growing in coconut husks hanging from a giant tree, and beautiful flowering plants and trees all around. My mom who’s the gardener was in amazement. He was also a beachcomber and had hundreds and hundreds of items organized all along the walkway to his house. To top it all off, just before we left he beautifully recited to us a poem from the book he had written. The unexpected adventures are the most fun!

After our afternoon at the beach, we got back and treated ourselves to an ice cream! Mmmmmmmmmm. It was St. Patrick’s day but I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t have any plans and had just finishing talking to Sal with an update of our tentative sailing plans, settling down to an evening of reading (It was a novel based on the history of Ireland – does that count for Irish spirit?) when the dockmaster of the marina invited me to his ‘impromptu Savannah St Patricks’ day party on the dock’. I had a fantastic time and met so many interesting people. A much talked about topic was the fact that a supermoon was happening in two nights time. Now, you may be asking me what is a supermoon? Well let me explain: From my parents and a couple other people, I’ve learned that Saturday night, on the full moon, the moon will be closer to the earth than it has been in 18 years! The currents are predicted to be very strong and tides about 6 inches higher/lower than normal.

(Beautiful sunset marking the beginning of a long night)

Before I knew it, it was 4 o’clock Friday afternoon and mom and I were pulling out of the dock for a long night passage across to Bimini. Predicted forecasts of NE winds around 10-15 knots. We had our sails up and making good time until after dark when surprise surprise the forecast lied and the winds died. I guess it’s better than having too strong of winds but with the seas rolling us and our sails slamming with the roll of the boat it looked like it was going to be a long night. We pulled our sails in to stop the flapping and vainly tried to let them out when we felt the wind pick up ever so slightly only to have to pull them in a couple minutes later. With the motor blaring we made our way across the banks. After about 2 am the rolling subsided, as we were farther in on the banks so the ocean swell wasn’t affecting us. The moon was very bright as it was only one night before the supermoon. We did see a couple small freighters around but overall it was a very uneventful night. By dawn we were in sight of Bimini and safely anchored just before 10am. It took us about 18 hours to do a total of 87 miles.

Saturday was pretty much a write-off as everyone was too tired to do much, but we did get to see the infamous ‘supermoon’ as it rose at 7:44pm

(supermoon rising)