Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas.

Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!!

We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!!

We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!!

We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative plan to leave later in March and cross to the Bahamas via West End on Grand Bahama in early April.

From there we will discover the Abacos with its unique towns, its history and of course, its beautiful beaches. This has been a dream trip for Bill for ages.

Our travels will continue south to Eleuthera Island and to the Exuma Island chain before heading back via Grand Bahama and the Berry Islands and Bimini. Leaving the Bahamas we will cross the Gulf Stream and head back to Florida. A chart of the Bahamas is below.

Our journey will include visiting historic towns and lighthouses, snorkeling in pristine waters, discovering caves and blue holes, walking through ruins of plantations and resorts, strolling the beautiful beaches and enjoying the hospitality of the Bahamas.

We look forward to our Bahamian adventure on Crustacean!!!

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Lay day in Lake Worth. March 31 . Day 9 and Cruising to the Bahamas. April 1 Day 10. Miles 64.4. Total miles. 319

I am writing this blog and will add our travel day to the Bahamas on as an update tomorrow because we will be traveling eight hours and will be tired when we arrive. So will post today and will update the same post when we have completed the crossing tomorrow late afternoon. Day 9 Spent a lay day in North Lake Worth cleaning and prepping the boat for the crossing. Not too exciting! Since it is such a boring day - blog wise, I decided to regale you with some Bahamian geography! Here goes - The Bahamas are a collection of over 700 islands or cays which sit atop a plateau just off the east coast of Florida. The islands stretch from West Palm Beach to the north to just 30 miles from Cuba at their southernmost point, covering over 500 miles. The cays are low lying with few hills over 100 feet. These cays have a limestone base which is worn by wind and water and honey-combed with caves. The waters surrounding the Bahamas vary from the Little Bahama and Great Baha...

Crustacean Travels

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