More Nassau

Steve "conching" at the Port of Sea market in Nassau.
Bill, Steve & Mike, waiting for fritters.
Mike & Kylie at Port of Sea.

Pea, whipping up our conch salads.

Across the Banks to Nassau

Sunset on the Banks. Anchored in 15 ft of water 30 miles from land.

We awoke early the next day & another long day got us into a nice sheltered spot at Chubb Cay where we hooked up again with Surfer Girl. We had planned to go to the marina at Chubb to clear into the country but found out they charge $100 at the marina just to stop & clear in so we decided to anchor out & wait until Nassau. Thursday was forecast for increasing winds all day so we decided to head out before daybreak to get into Nassau before it got too rough in the “Tongue of the Ocean”, the 2000 ft deep area between Chubb Cay and the next segment of the bank. We had one of our best sails of the trip averaging over 6 kts and covered the 35 mile to Nassau in record time. Meggie had left earlier & radioed us to keep a look-out for flying fish as they saw a bunch of them and even had one land in their cockpit. Possibly because we were later leaving we didn’t encounter very many but Danielle and I each saw one. We both had the same reaction which was shared by Mike & Kylie. ‘‘They actually fly!”. We, like they, had always pictured fish that just jump a long way out of the water but these things have wings, almost as long as their bodies, that buzz like a hummingbird & they fly for a long time, traveling up to 750 meters according to our resident expert on all things aquatic, Steve.

Here we are tucked in at Nassau with Bill on Surfer Girl, our sister boat. Next to Surfer Girl is Mike & Kylie on Meggie & we’ve all spent a couple of days together chilling out in Nassau & resting up after a long, but pretty eventful week.

Mike on Meggie, next to Surfer Girl and us.

Steve on the one of the local fishing boats helping crack conch shells with the owner of te stall where we stopped for Conch salad, Conch fritters and cold Kaliks.

South Florida and across to the Bahamas

After leaving Fort Pierce, our home for most of December through early January ,we started back on our southbound trail to select a spot to cross the Gulfstream to the Bahamas. We traveled the ICW down to Hillsboro inlet north of Ft. Lauderdale where we went outside for a great sail down to Miami. After so much motoring it was great to be under sail again. The south Florida portion of the ICW has to be seen to be believed, with hundreds of miles of multi-million dollar homes on both sides of the waterway each bigger and more elaborate than the last. Most have huge boats, including many with 80-100 ft mega yachts, parked in their “back yards.” We passed an empty lot about 100 x 200 ft listed for $4.8MM ( no house!) and a typical house was 4-5000 sq ft with dozens and dozens that must have been at least 15-20,000 sq ft. Mind boggling.

Sunset over the gulfstream.

We got to Miami last Friday where we anchored & did some final provisioning (mainly loading up with beer) while waiting for a good weather window to cross to the Bahamas. While there we met Mike and Kylie, a young couple from Thornbury on Meggie, a beautiful 30 wooden Choey Lee ketch and Bill, on Surfer Girl our sister boat, another Sabre 38. Both boats were planning to cross on the impending Monday/Tuesday forecasted weather window so we decided to buddy up for a group crossing. After a strategy session over a couple of beers it was decided based on the forecast to pull anchor 3:00 A.M Monday morning when the wind & seas were supposed to subside. When we awoke at 2:30 the wind hadn’t changed so back to sleep until 5:30 AM. It still hadn’t changed much but we were all anxious to go so we headed out the Miami inlet at daybreak only to be met by 4-6 footers on the nose. Deciding 10-12 hours of that didn’t seem like fun we elected to tuck our tails between our legs and retreat. Another strategy session that afternoon & we decided we would try again that evening but only if the forecast wind changes had actually occurred. So it was anchors up again at 11PM that evening and out the inlet at midnight only this time the wind direction and strength were much better so we forged onward. It was our first real night passage & we encountered about 8-10 freighters on our way across which was somewhat unnerving while we tried to learn to read their lights & determine if they were going to run us down. I felt a bit like George Costanza playing “Frogger” except we were the frog & we couldn’t see the trucks trying to squish us. With lots of help from our fellow travelers we managed not to get smoked & finally by about 5AM passed clear of the last of the ships.
Near day break we woke up the kids up to show them the amazing bio-luminessence being created by our wake. It’s sparkling irradescent flecks that look almost like green coloured sparks flashing in the water. The kids stayed up to enjoy the sunrise with us and the sunlight revealed the gorgeous color of the Gulfstream water, a deep rich indigo blue that we a hadn’t seen before. We crossed on to the Great Bahama Bank just north of Bimini at 9AM and in a space of about ¼ mile the water goes from 3000 ft deep under 20 ft and we were amazed all over again by the colours and legendary clarity of the water on the banks. You can see starfish on the bottom over 20 feet down as clear as if they were behind glass. It takes some getting used to it’s hard not to constantly think your going run aground because the bottom’ s so clearly visible. Surfer Girl pulled in to Bimini to get some rest as Bill was single-handing but we and Meggie carried on through the day.

Danielle raising the yellow “Q”( quarantine ) flag we had to fly once we entered Bahamian waters until we were cleared in by customs. We weren’t allowed to go ashore anywhere until we landed at an entry port.

The crew was hot & tired so we stopped about 2:00 & all went overboard for a quick dip enroute across the banks.
We carried on until about 4:00 in the afternoon where we anchored for a much needed nights rest. Although it was a relatively calm night and we were in about 15 feet of water it was rather odd being anchored 30 miles from the nearest land.

South Florida and Miami

Danielle and Steve making like a Tiki outside the Tiki bar at the marina we stayed at during Christmas. We have a similar picture with the two of them plus Grampa but it was at night & unfortunatley didn't turn out.
At Uncle Bill & Aunt Dianne's beautiful home on the ICW. They hosted our ragtag crew for a nice dinner & overnight stay & the kids had to be pried out of their pool when it was time to go.
A picture of our Xmas lights. Doesn't compare to the elabotate Griswaldian displays our Newmarket neighbours (Greg) put up but they looked pretty good.
A 100 year old bahnyan tree in Maimi. This one's just a baby as they live to be 1000. Danielle was dying to climb this one but it was in the middle of the waterfront market & wasn't allowed. She & I caught the "World Soft Pretzel Eating Championships" here on our way to the post office.

Florida

We are experiencing some minor technical difficulties so unfortunately can't post any pictures at the moment. We had a wondeful Christmas and wanted to say thanks to those who visited and hosted us which was a great help in mitigating homesickness over the holdiays. Danielle's friend Callee came down first for a whirlwind tour of Disney & a couple of quick visits to the beach. We dropped Callee at the airport & picked up O.G (Grampa) the same night & he was here over Christmas & we had a terrific visit. O.G was in a very nostalgic mood recounting many great old stories (including many which were not to have been shared with our kids!) & hashing over the world's problems well into the night. Next up were Ken, Carol & all 4 kids who drove down (6 people- 1 vehicle -24 hours driving yikes!) also for a whirlwind visit. OG was still here & we had a great time complete with outdoor fondue dinner at the marina picnic tables, hosted by Carol, and we also managed to squeeze in a short sail one day while the girls all made it to the beach. Our kids especially really enjoyed seeing their cousins.
Just as the Collins crew were leaving town Gerry flew in and we all went out for dinner that night & then OG & Gerry took off for a few days in the Keys over New Years. New Years at the marina was pot luck dinner of about 30 people highlighted by a mildly innebriated neighbour launching flares into the night (& nearby parking lot - no fires or deaths).
When O.G & Gerry returned on the 3rd we all piled into OG's car & invaded Uncle Bill & Aunt Diana's absolutely beatiful house for dinner & an overnight stay. The kids got to swim in their pool & ride in their golf cart & Darlene & I got to sleep in a LARGE soft bed. There was a near mutiny when it was time to herd the crew up & return to the boat. And lastly, Uncle John & Helen came down to visit Uncle Bill & dropped by the boat for a couple of visits. Uncle John & Bill came by one day & treated Steve & I for a lunch at the Tiki bar (Dar & Danielle were out shopping) & regaled us with great boating stories, including a good number of mishaps experienced under Captain O.G. It was enlightening to hear the crew's side of these stories and Mike & Jeff you'll be interested to hear that Captain O.G. apparently yells and swears at his brothers as loudly as at his kids when things go bad on the boat. I also found out it's a bit of a tradition for a family member to stick their back-end through a window in each of O.G's boats. I guess someone will have to step up for the new boat.
Anyway, we had a great holiday & thanks to all who visited & Uncle Bill & Aunt Diana for taking us all in. We're leaving Fort Pierce today for points south & hopefully over to the Bahamas soon if we get a weather window.

Disney World

It's me, Danielle again. Calandra visited us before Christmas from the 19th to the 23rd. This is Calee and I at the beach looking for sand dollars and shells. It got a little chilly when the wind picked up but the water was warm. We found out on boxing day that there was a school of 100 bull sharks seen at that beach just outside the inlet!

At Disney World we watched a Christmas parade including everyone's favorite dwarf... Dopey!!

This is after Calee left when my Grandpa came to visit for Christmas. This is in front of the light show at the water front. It was a very good light show, the lights flashed to the music. Although, it didn't seem very Christmas-ish since it was on palm tree's and we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. The picture is a little fuzzy.

We went to Magic Kingdom and MGM studios each for 1 day. We had lots of fun. My favorite ride was the Rocking Roller coaster at MGM (I think that's the name). This is at Disney World again, there was a place where you could create your own Mr. Potatoe Head! Or Mrs. Potatoe Head. Or a Mr./Mrs. Potatoe Head combo!