Izzy told me I'm way behind on these posts, so she brought the computer up to the fly bridge so I can write during the day while we're traveling to catch up. So here goes...
Remember I told you that we’re going to someplace called the Bahamas last time I wrote? Well, I didn’t know that it required going out into the open Atlantic Ocean for an entire day, where I couldn’t even see land, let alone have a walk on it. I would complain about the lack of communication here on the “Izzy R”, but I have to say that I really like it here, so I’m just going to keep my mouth shut so they won’t leave me behind the next time.
Preparation consisted of a Costco run for meats and fish and dog bones, and Total Wine for….well…wine. The basics. Izzy got a rental car and took me to the vet for those shots I told you about and a check up, then to the groomer for my short summer fluff and cut. I’m glad, because it’s real warm here in the Bahamas, and I was getting hot in my longer style. Besides, now you can see the definition of my muscular shoulders and abs. Not sure if you can see from the angle of that last picture.
We had to wait for a weather window to cross the ocean and the Gulf Stream. I’ve been reading up on this stuff on the internet lately when Izzy thinks I’m writing the blog. If the wind is blowing to the south, and the Gulf Stream is flowing to the north, it makes big rough seas that could be dangerous. So Jeff has some weather sites that he watches that predict the conditions and then he makes a decision on when we should try the trip. We have to go about 70 miles from here to our first stop in the Bahamas, and we go real slow, so it would take us about 9 or 10 hours.
Hank and Ann on “Queen Ann’s Revenge” planned to cross with us, so we’d have a “buddy boat”. We anchored in Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale the night before our trip so we could be out of the harbor at dawn to get a good early start.
We left in the dark (too dark to bark).
Hank and Ann led the way under the bridges of Fort Lauderdale and out into the rocking ocean.
We rocked and rolled all the way to the West End in the Bahamas.
I had to stay on my bed most of the time so I wouldn’t fall over. Hank and Ann had a rough ride too, and we took turns leading the way.
Jeff took a rest mid day and let me drive while he read a magazine.
I did manage to catch a few catnaps so I would be fresh to greet the customs guy with some barking at the entrance to Old Bahama Bay Marina.
Here’s a picture of me on the bow looking for a marina dog, and waiting for a walk after we tied up.
And here's Jeff relaxing with a beer under the Bahamian courtesy flag we put up when we got through customs.
The water here is different than I’ve seen so far since we left California. In the Gulf Stream the water was real deep, and the color was dark blue, but when we got to the Bahama Bank the water got shallow and turned light bluish green. The water temperature gauge on the boat said 83 degrees. I think that’s pretty warm. Maybe time for a swim…
If I look straight down, it’s so clear that I can see the bottom and the fish swimming and the coral heads under our boat.
It looks like the water that Izzy takes a bath in back in Irvine. There’s no brown color like the Mississippi River or the Chesapeake Bay, and it doesn’t smell bad.
Sometimes there is a big section of the water that looks like milk. Jeff read that it’s called a Fish Mud, and it’s thought to be caused by schools of fish feeding and stirring up the white sand below.
Our first surprise after we got tied up at the dock – no cell service for Jeff and Izzy – no Mi-Fi card working either. We’ll have to depend on the free Wi-Fi signals from businesses and marinas around us as we travel. Tough getting in touch with my buddies- Neva, Lucy, Maggie, Bella, and Angel.
The next day, we needed a rest from the trip, and besides, the weather looked too stormy for our planned anchorage that night, so we stayed in West End another day.
Uh oh…We’re gonna miss Matt and Aaron's arrival in Marsh Harbor on Sunday morning!
Instead of traveling that day, we used our new Bahamian Fishing License that we got with our customs fee, and fished with Hank and Ann on the breakwater at the edge of the harbor entrance.
Come on Jeff, Hank and Ann are going to catch all the fish before we get there!
(He was carrying my fishing pole for me)
I had trouble holding the pole, but Hank caught a fish and let me investigate…
Sure is wiggly...
They smell different than when Jeff grills them and gives me the skin.
Hank and Ann and Jeff caught some little fish…too small to keep and eat.
Izzy didn’t have any luck with the fishing at all, and she got discouraged when others were pulling some in. Guess she needs some practice, like with her driving the boat.
After we gave up on that fishing stuff, we got our bikes out
and rode around the resort by the marina to the pretty beach with the palm trees,
then continued down the main road into a motley collection of houses that someone calls “town”.
We passed these guys bringing in conch and taking them out of their shells.
We passed these guys bringing in conch and taking them out of their shells.
Here's Jeff checking out the hundreds of pretty pink and brown shells that they are hauling away
There are shells everywhere. I hope conch is good to eat.
After we were sufficiently tired out from the afternoon of fun, we headed to the beach bar for our first rum drink in the islands.
Ahhh.....
They make these with 4 different kinds of rum. Everyone was thirsty and the drinks tasted like wonderful tropical juice, so they each had two. Maybe that's what made Izzy and Jeff a little goofy that night.
The next day we continued our journey In the "Izzy R" over that beautiful water to Great Sale Cay to anchor for the night, then on to Green Turtle to The Other Shore Marina the next afternoon before the big storm came in.
Since the water on the Bahama Bank is quite shallow, Jeff had to be careful not to daydream and go in the wrong direction or we’d get stuck. Makes a guy want to sleep with one eye open.
Jeff and Izzy took turns driving and fishing off the stern most of the day. As usual, Izzy didn’t catch anything except a sunburn…maybe it’s her technique. She doesn’t look that serious about it.
Jeff did slightly better. He managed to catch a baby barracuda. Not sure what his technique is, but it looks like he caught it with his bare hands.
Poor little guy…Jeff quickly put him back with his Mom. Oh well, I guess it’s Purina for dinner again tonight.
Here in Green Turtle Cay, our marina is right near a cute little beach bar called Pineapples.
They have free wi-fi, and make good rum drinks, cracked conch and burgers with sweet potato fries. Not a bad place to sit out the storm and wait for Matt and Aaron. Jeff is happy about that, too. Life is good here in the Bahamas, Mon!
Well, that's enough for now. Another blog post completed. I hope Izzy will let me get down from here for a wiz now and to stretch my legs. This place is too pretty to spend my days trapped behind this computer. Time for a Rum Blaster at Pineapples!
Love,
Ben
Love,
Ben
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