Day 58-59. May 19-20. On to. Nassau. MIles. 37 Total Miles. 838.8
Day 58
We left early to start our longer voyage today to Nassau. The seas were calm with a slight swell and winds were light.
We headed out to our waypoint marking the sand bar off Norman's Cay and then headed North Northwest in Exuma Bank.
One hour later we lost sight of the Exuma Cays.
Two hours later we could see taller buildings on New Providence Island and we began to cross the Yellow Bank, a deeper sand bar that is dotted with lots of coral rocks. Had to navigate between a few of them!!
Three hours later, all of New Providence Island and the islands to the west -Athol and Rose rose from the horizon. We are now following a large yacht who is taking the same route to Porgee Rock just east of Nassau Harbor.
Thirty minutes from our destination we see eastern shore of New Providence which filled with homes and a few condos/apartments. We can also see the tops of the cruise ships in the harbor.
Before entering the harbor's east end we have to proceed cautiously, working our way through coral heads lining the small channel. Finally we enter the harbor proper. At first we come to Fort Montagu which is one the late 1700 forts that was used to protect Nassau Harbor.
After the fort, the harbor's shore on both sides are lined with large homes and marinas. Then the scene changes as we approach the first bridge, and the shore is mostly working docks for small freighters, fishing fleet boats and tugs and boats for taking tourists on excursions. After that is the cruise ship port. Today there are 5 boats in the port!!!
On the north side opposite the working docks is Paradise Island with its fancy resorts and water themes park. We are in a marina on the Paradise Island side.
We are surrounded by huge boats. We feel like midgets!!!
Spent the rest of the day doing laundry, making grocery lists and making plans for our stay here in Nassau.
Day 59
Woke up early and took the ferry over to Nassau. We got a view of the harbor on our ride!
We wandered around the Straw Market, a traditional open air market with straw crafts and souvenirs. We did find a few gifts along the way.
Then we wandered around and Bill found lots of pirates!!
One was even a live One!!!
Next we took in most of the older buildings in the inner city. Balcony House is the oldest known residence - a 18th Century wooden Loyalist structure.
Then we saw Government House, built in 1806, residence of the British Governor General
Parliament Square - the pink and white Neo-classical buildings, housing the Senate and House as well as the Supreme Court.
Also walked past the old library.
Walked up into the city to visit Fort Fincastle, now a partial fort built of limestone in 1793. Lord dunmore built the fort shaped like a paddle wheel ship on Bennet's Hill which overlooks the city. Later this building was used as a lighthouse.
Next stop was Queen's Staircase just outside the fort. This 65 step staircase carved from limestone by hand by slaves to have a shortcut to Fort Fincastle. Looking at the wall those slaves did a lot of hand carving. There is a small waterfall next to the steps.
At the top we walked thru an older neighborhood back into the city.
Back in town Bill made friends with the local police
We ate lunch at Sharkeez right down by the waterfront!! Was fun to watch all the tour busses and boats go by while we ate conch fritters.
After lunch we headed over to the Christ Church Cathedral with its magnificent stained glass windows.
the wooden chruch was first built on this site in 1695, but burned to the ground in 1703 and rebuilt to the current structure in late 1800's.
To end our tour, we walked east past the Colonial Hotel, originally built by Henry Flagler in 1901 and refurbished after a fire in 1924 and renamed the British Colonial Hotel
and past Junkanoo Beach - with its white sand and small bars and restaurants and vendors.
then we walked west past The Point and its resaturants and Margaritaville complex
Finally making it to our westernmost destination - Fort Charlotte. This is Nassau's largest fort built in 1793 of limestone as a defensive structure to fend off the Spanish attacks.
The fort walls have numerous carvings all over the walls from those who built the structure.
We also walked under the fort where the soldiers slept and ammunition was stored.
Will end our story for today here and pick up the evening in the next entry.
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 pla...
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...
Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...
