We decided it was time to move along to Nassau, our next stop on the way to the Exumas. We didn’t want to make a straight shot to the Exumas because I’m a little skittish about traveling through possible shallow water at night when I can’t see the bottom. So, off to Nassau it is! We left early knowing we would motor, but expected the winds to pick up so we could sail some. But the winds didn’t pick up until after we arrived. Best laid plans, oh well.
Just before we left Little Harbour, our friends on sailing vessel Wander dropped off some snapper filets from a fish they caught the night before. Oh my goodness! It was so incredibly generous of them, and talk about the best fish tacos! Thank you, Bond family! (They can be found at https://bond-sailing.com )
We anchored a bit outside of Nassau Harbor, wanting wind protection and some distance from the city and its noise. Our anchor set first try, and we were happy to be in one place. However, the anchorage ended up being quite rolly – the power boats and water taxis fly by starting about 5:45am. We took the dinghy to town check it out & to get fuel in our Jerry cans – we had an incredibly salty dinghy ride back! We were using the manual bilge pump as we went to keep the water level down in the dinghy there was so much salt water splashing in! Our trip was a success, though, as we found several needed items for Two Fish, ate a yummy lunch at The Green Parrot, and did some extra provisioning! We also got to see a spotted eagle ray jumping out of the water in Nassau Harbor. Fun!
The next day we went back to Nassau to buy some scuba tanks. The tanks on Two Fish were pitted and corroded, and the dive ship wasn’t sure they would pass a compression test, so we got rid of them. Unfortunately we couldn’t source the short tanks we needed that fit on Two Fish while in the US. Surprise – Nassau had some in stock! Yes, more expensive than in the US, but actually available! Yay! Wren also got to request a Domino’s pizza for lunch with a Blizzard from Dairy Queen for dessert. Lucky kid.
Weather plays such a big part of this lifestyle. We had a choice to make. Go to the Exumas and have to motor, or wait about 5 days for the next weather window. Our forecaster said to go now, so we went. There was some shallow water, but we didn’t see less than 9 feet as we went across the bank. There were some huge rocks and sphincter tightening for sure, but we made it across and to our chosen anchorage off Highborne Cay. While this spot isn’t going to be great for the first day due to the wind direction, it should be good for the blow that’s going to be coming through over the weekend. What we didn’t realize is that Highborne is a private island. Puts a damper on going to play at the beach.
We got bored and decided to take the dinghy around to the Highborne Cay Marina to get some fuel and a popsicle for Wren, and to see the nurse sharks that hang out there. The staff was so friendly! But they did make sure to let us know that we were only allowed to get fuel and go to the store, unless we decided to eat at the restaurant, in which case we could also use their beach (it is a super lovely beach!). When we came back – holy cow – the waves had picked up significantly. It was our wettest dinghy ride ever. We were soaked and swore to never do that again! The winds and waves had picked up so much we phoned a friend who recommended letting out more anchor chain, given the now 5 foot waves and expected 30 knot winds coming. So we did. As the winds finally shifted overnight, the boat motion calmed down. Horray! Thankful for the protection this anchorage gives us from the northeastern winds.
Saturday was a chill day on the boat. We made bread, watched entirely too much TV, played Clue, made water, and read books.
