We had such a great time at the different cays in the Berry island chain! I think we could easily spend another few weeks exploring the different anchorages here!
I just love the part where Dave sings
“then when we get to the ocean We gonna take a boat to the end of the world All the way to the end of the world
Oh, and when the kids are old enough We gonna teach them to fly …”
Go ahead and listen again!! Turn it up, even. It’s perfect!!
Mike did such a good job on the highlight video. Thanks for putting all that work into it, Mikey! And thanks to all of our readers and supporters for following along and cheering us on in this great adventure!
**Warning: this is a looong post because it was an amazing spot and we stayed forever!!**
We were sad to leave our beautiful spot at Hoffman’s, but very excited to move up to Great Harbour to visit with friends and family. A family friend of Kelly’s, Diane, has been coming to Great Harbour for years with her family. When Diane heard that INNTW was headed to the Bahamas, she offered to fly down to visit with them and even got Kelly’s mom, Kathy, on board to fly in for a visit (not that that takes very much convincing!!).
Underway headed for Great Harbour, the kids were studying their school year books (and you can see Hayley even got Tobin and ALL her stuffed animals interested!!). It amazes me how much these kids miss their school, but it does not surprise me. Schools have such an amazing supportive network and our kids really thrive on that kind of stability and interaction with others. I am proud that they love school so much, but I know they love this adventure, as well. I’m sure it will be a case of “the grass is greener on the other side” someday when they’re back in the daily grind.
We had some pretty good waves on our beam heading up towards Great Harbour, but no better weather window was waiting in the future, so we just bounced around and practiced catching things as they slid off counters. Once we could turn a bit north around the islands, the waves settled down a bit, and we came across two cruise ships anchored out at their private islands. I have to say, it was amazing seeing those huge ships, and once again I realized how lucky we are to be doing our trip completely independently and under our own power. I LOVED our private island stop on our cruise a few years ago, and I truly wished I could stay there forever. On this trip, I can’t stay forever (probably), but I can stay another few days and then skip right down the islands to another amazing spot. It is a dream come true.
Passing by Coco Cay and Great Stirrup Cay with their cruise ships anchored out front. Side note: Rachael, one of my best friends from college, messaged me two days before, asking if we were going to be near Freeport the next day. Unfortunately we were like 60 miles away, so meeting up with her on her cruise was a no go. She never bothered to mention she would be at Great Stirrup Cay the following day or we wouldn’t have passed right between her cruise ship and her and her husband on the beach. Can you believe my friend was RIGHT THERE and I didn’t even know it?! I saw that that ship was in Freeport the day before and even messaged her to see if it could be her, but she didn’t have cell service on the island to get my message in time for a meet up. What a bummer!! The good news is we both had a blast that day!!
Arriving in Great Harbour, you realize it literally is a “Great Harbor” when you see how protected this spot is! It is at the northern tip of the Berries and you have to wrap all the way around on the sound side and circle the tip of the island chain to reach the marina. The area to the west is very shallow and not suitable for navigating with a larger boat (smaller fishing boats are okay, but our boat is not). It is about 30 miles to go all the way from the Atlantic side of the island around the north to the Banks side, where the marina entrance is. When you finally get to the entrance, you have to navigate through a bay (The Bay of the Five Pirates to be exact!) with several twists and turns before you get to the actual marina. This makes it a great spot for bad weather, but not the most convenient to get in to with all that going around and twisting and turning.
We were actually arriving at a perfect time, though, because there was a big front coming through that was expected to bring squalls and high winds to the area for a week or so. We would probably be running to the marina for protection, anyway, even if we weren’t already scheduled to be meeting people there.
And can we just talk about the SCHEDULING by the way?! Do you know how hard it is to read some boating forums and look at a map and a calendar and then tell your mom you’ll be in a certain spot in the Bahamas on January 20th when it is still September in Michigan?! Especially when your method of transportation is a boat?! I figured 1/20 was the middle of the two week window of when we would be in the area, so we could either kill some time if we had it or push a little harder to get there depending on how the timing ended up. In the end, we had plenty of time to get where we needed to be and I was THRILLED it worked out because the #1 rule in boating is to not have a schedule, yet time and time again we find ourselves with a schedule. In general, it has always worked out for us. WHEW!!
We were excited to get tied up at the dock and check out the place, and sure enough it didn’t take long before Diane and Gayle came over to greet us. And they brought us a CAR!! Do you know how long it has been since I have driven a car?! I think it was in early December when we had my mom’s car to go to Disney world! That is almost 2 months people!! AND we had to drive on the left side here. Looking back, it was amazing that Diane trusted us to use her car, but we are so thankful she did, and we had access to it for our whole stay!! We are not used to such luxuries!!
Driving to dinner the first night in Great Harbour. We let Colin ride in front because, ya know, it’s the Bahamas, mon.
Now, Diane had told us that she could arrange access to a townhouse for us to use while we were at the marina. I guess I didn’t quite realize that there would be a huge townhouse directly overlooking our boat in the marina where we could stay for our whole trip and sleep in REAL BEDS and do ALL THE LAUNDRY and watch ALL THE DISNEY JUNIOR. But wow. When I realized what this meant, I was thrilled!!
Townhouse overlooking INNTW.
Diane had more great news (crazy I know!!): we would all be meeting up for dinner that night at a restaurant overlooking the water, with her whole family (or at least those that were in town!!). We went to one of their favorite spots on the island, Cooliemae’s, for dinner, and we got to meet her brother, Jim, his wife Lori, and Diane’s mom, Kit. Right away we were welcomed with open arms, asked a million questions about our trip, and offered all kinds of helpful insights about who could attempt to fix our battery charging problem or where to go for the best fishing, etc. These people were SO NICE even though we were strangers to most of them, it was like walking into Thanksgiving dinner when your whole family is thrilled to see you. They didn’t even seem to care that Tobin played drums with his silverware the whole time, and Colin didn’t touch the chicken he ordered.
A beautiful sunset at Cooliemae’s.
The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise, but we knew that nice weather wouldn’t be lasting very long. But it was gorgeous long enough to enjoy coffee and coconut bread on the deck overlooking the marina.
Sure enough the weather started to get blustery early in the afternoon and a nasty squall passed through the area. I was glad INNTW was tied up tight and relieved I could keep an eye on her. Mike and Colin spent some time at the boat working on the solar panels, and we all enjoyed having an actual building to relax in. Lots of laundry and lazing on the huge couch, watching Paw Patrol.
Colin somehow found time to get this huge puzzle done within the first day of our visit.
Later that afternoon, my mom flew in to join us. The kids were so excited to see her and everyone we knew on the island ended up being at the airport to greet her. It’s not too often that you arrive to the airport with 10 people to greet you!!
Grandma’s plane taxiing in.She was met with a chorus of “Grandma! Grandma!” and lots of waves and smiles.This is our excited “WE MADE IT!” picture.Tobin was especially excited to see his birthday banner Grandma made him. She made one of these for all of her grandchildren, and now that Tobin’s is done, she is done! Whew!
Grandma brought goodies for everyone but overall, I think this was the biggest hit. What a perfect grandma gift!!
After a fun sleepover and some more coconut bread for breakfast, we headed out to explore Great Harbour a little more (of course driving on the left side of the street the whole time). The waves were rolling in at Diane’s house, but the view of the ocean was mesmerizing. As a boater, I have become in tune with the fact that the weather can seem BEAUTIFUL on land, like the best day ever, yet on the water, the waves are rolling like crazy and the wind is howling. Many of our days at Great Harbour were like that–gorgeous to enjoy on land, but not good days to be at sea, so we were extra thankful to be safely secured.
From Diane’s we headed to Lori and Jim’s house where some ladies were gathering to make homemade lobster ravioli for a special dinner that night (along with delicious homemade sauce!!). Now I would never think of making homemade lobster ravioli because to me it would be much easier to just boil some frozen ravioli (probably just with cheese inside), open a jar of Ragu, and toast some garlic bread from a box (of course, Lori made homemade bread, too!). But making it all from scratch sounded like just the kind of adventure Hayley would enjoy and she loved every second of it!
First of all, she got to meet a teenager from Great Harbour, CC, so that was very interesting. We had lots of questions for CC about growing up in the Bahamas, attending school, and working there, but of course all of that is very “normal” to CC so she was probably wondering why we were so interested. Lori and CC were a great team cooking together and they were so helpful and patient with Hayley, it was a wonderful experience.
While the ladies worked on ravioli, my mom, Tobin, and I took Lori’s dog, Bodhi, for a walk on the beach. Bodhi walks on this beach every day and doesn’t need a leash but Tobin LOVED walking him. I think they are special buddies.
After a few hours of helping (for Hayley) and walking on the beach and chatting (for my mom, Tobin, and myself), we headed back to the townhouse for some quiet time. Later in the evening, we were hosting a big group for this delicious ravioli dinner, so we needed our beauty rest!
It was so much fun to have everyone together for an amazing homemade meal. It was wonderful to talk with so many new people and hear about their lives. I have to say, I don’t have many occasions to have dinner with large groups of people these days, and it was even better because my mom and my children were all seated at the same table, along with friends, old and new. Extra special thanks to Lori for the delicious meal!!
The next day was once again blustery, but we decided when you’re in the Bahamas, you just have to roll with it sometimes, and we headed out exploring. We ended up at a great place called “The Beach Club” for lunch despite it being super windy outside. We had some yummy drinks and tried to focus on the sun and not on the stiff breeze coming off the ocean.
After a delicious lunch (best hamburger in the Berries? Bahamas?) we walked on the beach for a while.
Walking on the beach, we ran into Lori and Bohdi. Sure doesn’t take long to feel like you know people around here. Look at that GREAT walking beach!!
Diane’s mom, Miss Kit, organized a “Ladies Lunch” one day at Carriearl’s and invited us to join in. Hayley was thrilled to put some lipstick on and head out for a special lunch with the ladies. It was the cutest boutique hotel with a funky little bar and dining room overlooking the pool deck with the beach and ocean beyond. Again, the day was windy, but the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day on land.
What a fun bar!! I could definitely enjoy some time here!We had great company for lunch!!
While the ladies were out lunching, the boys went out with Jim and Junior fishing at “the hole.” It turned out to be a bit windier than they had anticipated, but they still came home with a mutton snapper (caught by Colin!) that Mike cooked up for dinner. The boys loved their time fishing, but of course Tobin was begging for more fishing immediately after getting back to the dock. (Must be hungry for more fish eyeballs?!)
Thanks for this great trip, Jim and Junior!
The next day Diane arranged for us to visit her friend, Frenchie, to chat and also to meet her cockatoo, Fruit Loop. (I think he is a cockatoo, but I can’t promise.) Right away the kids were enamored with Fruit Loop and they wanted to touch him. Frenchie gave us some background that Fruit Loop had been mistreated on a nearby island as part of a tourist attraction, and, smart bird that he is, he flew right away from that bad situation. After finding himself in another similar situation, Frenchie came to Fruit Loop’s rescue and has been working hard (along with her little doggie) to rebuild his trust in others. So the kids couldn’t touch him, and they practiced using quiet voices around him, but Fruit Loop really liked talking with them. He called for his dog several times when he thought the kids were getting too wild (I think he thought the dog would help save him from their craziness). He said “Hello” a lot and even tried to say “Kelly” (probably because I kept saying my name overandoverandover to him).
Pretty bird!
We were all surprised to find out that Fruit Loop loves dancing, so the kids did lots of modeling to get him dancing along. Then we learned he especially likes dancing to to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” which cracked us up. Frenchie turned on the tunes and Fruit Loop showed us his moves.
Dancing with Fruit Loop
When we left, Fruit Loop was hanging out in his favorite tree. Tobin found one of his feathers on the ground and carried it around all day (it is still on the boat somewhere).
We loved meeting Fruit Loop and Frenchie. It is amazing how everyone we met on Great Harbour went out of their way to show us how much they love this island and to introduce us to their amazing life. Between the kindness and hospitality of the islanders and the beauty surrounding us, this place feels like a magical storybook, with a new surprise on every page.
We headed out to an area with a cool cave, tide pools to explore, and huge rocks to climb. Again, the waves were rolling in, but we loved exploring on land (and just up to our ankles or so in the ocean).
These waves came in and knocked Kathy right over!! Luckily she wasn’t hurt, just a little wet and surprised!!Look at that strong girl up there on that mountain!The boys love searching tide pools for small fish, crabs, and other surprises!Look at Kathy, waaay down there!! What a cool spot!Pictures just don’t do these places justice for their natural beauty and color variations. We are truly surrounded by beauty everywhere we look. Thanks for taking us out here, Lori!
Today’s adventures weren’t over quite yet. We heard so much about the sand flats at the end of the island, and we finally hit low tide at a perfect time to walk out there and explore. There are about 16 acres that go almost dry at low tide right off shore. It is a perfect time to explore the sea floor and nature that is usually hidden well underwater. What a magical place.
This was our first look. It almost looked like an outdoor ice rink on a sunny day, with just a little layer of water over the top.What little water there was was completely clear and we could see tons of shells buried in the sand, like this sand dollar.Mike thought this one looked like a great goatee. Maybe for a pirate!!Look at how tiny Colin looks waaaay out there! He could have stayed here forever.Tobin loved collecting sand dollars and finding all the creatures.
The next day we did some adventuring around the island. There were some trails and out of the way beaches we heard about that we wanted to check out. But first, a little bit about the roads:
Some pot holes are like a sneak attack, right in the middle of smooth pavement.
Traveling around the island is sometimes rough with giant pot holes in the middle of the road. There are tight turns and a few hills to contend with around the island, as well. Most areas are a full 2 lanes wide, but the sides of the road are quite often crumbling away, leaving more like a lane and a half of traversable roadway. There are no sidewalks anywhere, though quite often you see people walking and riding bikes along the edge (or down the middle?) of the road.
Other areas are ridden with pot holes and you have to go very slowly over them. If you live in Michigan, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
There are also new street signs to get used to, particularly the one with the giant exclamation point! Like PAY ATTENTION OR YOU ARE DOOMED!! And a good reminder to keep left. That part wasn’t very hard for me, probably because I haven’t driven in forever, but Mike seemed to struggle with it a bit more. I found myself always telling him “left left left” in what I’m sure was a very helpful and appreciated reminder.
Eventually we made our way to a hidden beach that the map called “Ship Builder’s Beach” but Jim called “Bardot Beach” because apparently Bridgette Bardot would frequent this beach often back in the island’s heyday.
We walked down this overgrown path, trusting the satellite view on our map app that we were actually headed to a beach.
The path opened up to this small stretch of beach. Colin found a tire and a log that he entertained himself with for an hour or so. Hayley found a MATCHING PAIR of sandals on the beach that almost fit her–amazing! Tobin played in the tide pools at the end of the beach and Mike and I explored. It was a fun, out of the way place on a sunny day.
This kid can entertain himself with anything!!Can you believe one of these sandals was on the path heading to the beach and the other one was halfway down the beach. AMAZING to find a matching pair that actually fits!! There are so many shoes on every beach, but most of them are trashed and single. What a find!Just hanging out.Any beach day is a great day!! Happy INNTW crew!!
Next up, Jim and Junior took us out in the bonefishing boat to explore the super shallow flats along the south end of the island and the Ambergris Bank. We saw turtles, sea urchins, starfish, rays, and a barracuda in the shallow water. The colors were amazing. It was awesome to get a behind the scenes view in such a shallow draft boat with guides who know every twist and turn of these mangrove channels. What a cool boat ride!!
Thanks for taking us out, Jim and Junior!!
The next day was “mail boat” day which means the supply ship was set to arrive on the island bringing packages and groceries and I’m sure much more that I don’t even realize. Due to the front bringing high wind and waves, the mail boat had been delayed several days and there were rumors about all the things that the island was “out” of (including bread). This can be a little challenging, but I’m sure the islanders are used to delayed groceries and packages. For us, we were just excited at the prospect of fresh food whenever the mail boat arrived.
We drove down to the docks and this was the scene where the boat unloads. Lots of people helping to unload the boat, lots of trucks moving in and out, and lots of boxes everywhere.
There was an amazing display of teamwork as it seemed people from all over the island came to help unload the boat and distribute items to where they belonged. Even the grocery stores were filled with people unpacking boxes and restocking shelves. This is the kind of cooperative teamwork that we have seen and been impressed with time and time again in the Bahamas. Life is not as “easy” in the islands, so everyone pitches in to help when they can.
This scene was common all around the island, trucks piled high with boxes. Can you imagine driving that truck?! Especially with the pot holes! At one point we saw a truck packed at least this high with cases of beer. There was no one riding in the back holding it all steady, though the boxes were wrapped with plastic protective wrap attempting to keep them in place. We saw it driving up a fairly steep hill and both Mike and I winced watching it drive by, hoping we didn’t hear all that delicious beer crash all over the roadway. Cases of beer cost about $50 here in the Bahamas.Hope that guy gets paid pretty good to keep everything steady in the back while he’s clinging for dear life! This was the scene at one of the grocery stores–empty boxes indicating new groceries!!These were our goodies from the grocery store. A bargain for only $103. It was probably the “special blend” bread that pushed us over the $100 mark.
After our stop at the grocery store, we headed to the very north end of the island to hike on a trail out to the rocks. It was an overcast, blustery day, and the waves were in agreement, crashing on the sharp rocks.
This is the 2 track road we drove to get to the trail.We walked down a path marked with some green fishing rope to get to the water’s edge.An angry sea and sharp rocks everywhere. This would not be a good place to take a tumble!!The boys loved exploring and even found some crabs to torment. Hayley stayed close to avoid finding any crabs. It was a fun hike adventure!
When we got home (uhhh…back to the townhouse…see how fast that happens?!) Tobin finally got his wish to do some more fishing off the dock while the older kids did some schoolwork in their rooms. Mike and I thought we would have a chance to relax and drink a pina colada, but no way, Jose!! Always an adventure for this crew!!
Tobin suddenly announced that he saw a shark down there in the water. We jumped up to go look, and sure enough, there was a little nurse shark swimming around. We had Tobin pull up his bait and we watched the nurse shark swim away. Whew. That would have been crazy!!
Hard to see with the reflection on the water.
Not 5 minutes later, Tobin yelled that there was a manatee swimming by!! We have seen a few manatees from afar, but this was the best look we’ve had and it was awesome!!
Again, just a few minutes of peace and Tobin announces there is another shark. This time, I told him to leave the bait because I didn’t think the nurse shark would be interested in it, but that was apparently BAD advice!!
Tobin earned a new nickname: SHARK SLAYER!! Just look at that face!While Mike is smiling, I don’t think he was very thrilled about this task.
Tobin fished for a bit longer uneventfully, but I’m not sure many days fishing will be near as exciting as this one!!
There were so many amazing adventures at this stop, it seems like we were on the go all the time, but I assure you we had plenty of down time enjoying the townhouse, as well. We played games, read books, watched tv, did laundry, and relaxed with that beautiful view of the marina. A little time off the boat was a nice break for this crew! This is the longest we have been off the boat since June 2018 and also the longest we’ve stayed in one place on our loop so far.
On our last night in town, the we went out to dinner with all the Langs and some of their other friends who live on the island again at Cooliemae’s. It was so nice to meet some of their other island friends and feel the kinship of this group once again. I have to admit that at the end of dinner when we were saying our thanks and giving goodbye hugs, I broke into tears. I was overwhelmed by their kindness to us during our stay. We were truly welcomed with open arms.
We are so thankful to Diane and Gayle and the whole Lang family for their kindness and hospitality while we were in Great Harbour. It is an amazing place in the Bahamas, that’s for sure. However, what made it so special for us was the people we met, the personal stories and places they shared with us, and the obvious love that they have for this beautiful island. There are no words that can adequately express our gratitude, but I think the Langs could see how much we enjoyed our time here and how much it added to our trip. Thank you for all the fun!!
Thanks for following along on our adventures!! INNTW is moving south!!
We woke up the next day to a 5th birthday on board!! Birthdays on board are a bit bittersweet for the kids, I think, because they miss their friends and all the hooplah they are used to surrounding their birthdays at home–parties, cake, presents, and all the rest. We do our best to make the day extra special, but it doesn’t seem to quite measure up from a kid’s point of view.
Our 5 year old, blowing bubbles at sunrise on his birthday.
Once everyone was awake, the kids were excited to give Tobin their birthday presents. They made him a ton of cards and wrapped up some of their toys that they thought he would like. He was thrilled to get a yo-yo from Hayley (though to me it sounds like a weapon) and his favorite Pokemon card from Colin.
The birthday boy wanted to get started baking his birthday cake. When cake is involved, of course Hayley will want to help!!
Mike and Colin worked on the solar panel project for a bit. Grandma Hays was bringing the rest of the items we needed to complete the connection, but Mike wanted it to be as ready as possible.
We had a beautiful day to travel to a new spot!! We stayed on the inside, which is shallower and calmer, but there were some areas that were pretty skinny. We held our breath for a minute while we passed over a sand bar, but we crossed it no problem. Whew!
The kids played Pokemon underway.
We were looking forward to the anchorage at Hoffman’s and it did not disappoint!! We found a cove all to ourselves since we have such a shallow draft, leaving the mega yacht and sailboats around the corner. (Side note on drafts: we only draft (stick down in the water) about 3’7″ where sailboats and true trawlers stick down much further (maybe 4 to 8 feet). A shallower draft means we can anchor in shallower spots, but it also means we don’t have quite as much stabilization in waves as they do.)
Right after dropping the anchor I started working on scavenger hunt clues for a birthday surprise on the beach. I paddled over to the beach so I could hide the clues and the loot while Mike “got the kids ready.” By “got the kids ready” I mean he did not sunscreen anyone or actually make anyone put on a bathing suit, so apparently there wasn’t much readying that took place, but he offered.
A selfie before we start!! Tobin didn’t want to join us because sometimes he is “shy in pictures.”Reading the rules (that Tobin leads the way and takes turns asking Hay and Colin for help).Looking for one of the first clues.
One of our first clues took us on a completely different adventure down a path to a blue hole.
The blue hole was beautiful and a complete surprise to the kids. Mike and I learned about it from some of the cruiser guides and even saw videos of people jumping off the cliff into the water. Of course Mike can’t let adventure like that pass him by!!
Contemplating the leap…We watched for a while to see if anything could actually be living in that water. All we saw was a turtle swimming around on the opposite shore, so we hoped there was nothing else in there with big, pointy teeth.Birthday muscles showing off.I was down below and Mike was getting up the courage to jump. After he did it, Colin was motivated to jump, too.
Our jumpers loved it!!
After we had enough time to let anyone jump in the blue hole that was going to, we headed back to the beach to finish the scavenger hunt before dark. There were about 10 clues that lead to one big pile of treasure at the end (given away by an X in the sand, of course), including birthday cards from family, sticky mustaches, oatmeal cream pies and more.
Hayley and Colin paddled back to the boat together on the paddleboard just before sunset.
Since we got back to the boat so close to sunset, we decided to skip right to the cake and call that dinner. When there’s a birthday on board, you can do things like this.
I promise I wasn’t threatening them with the lighter. I’m pretty sure Tobin was clarifying the rules of making a birthday wish–he always asks if he’s supposed to tell, we always say no, and he always tells us anyway. Today he wished to use his Kindle tomorrow. Technology is obviously the devil!
The next day we woke up to a beautiful, sunny day ready for adventure. The boys couldn’t wait to get off the boat so they paddled over to the beach much earlier than the rest of us. It was great watching them run up and down the beach with buckets and shovels, exploring, collecting, and building.
We enjoyed the day with lots of paddleboarding, kayaking, skim boarding, and exploring. What an absolutely beautiful and magical place!!
Super shallow sand bars just off the beach were not only beautiful, but also really fun to explore!There were live sea biscuits crawling along the sand bar. The sea biscuits collect grass and shells on top of them because then they think they are hidden. Not very smart, but very interesting!Two dead sea biscuit shells. The live ones were a little pokier, covered with grass and shells for protection, and not hollow.Tobin and I explored the next bay over with a smaller beach. We found a very interesting crab that was white, just like the sand, running around in the shallow water. When we got close, he would duck into the sand to hide.
Hayley helped Mike secure the solar panels on the hard roof over the sundeck. After the work on the boat and all the exploring on land, we were ready for a longer paddle. There was a big basin nearby that reminded me of a salt water swamp at low tide, which is when we happened to get there. It was so cool because it was protected and there were lots of creatures. However, it was creepy because we didn’t know what creatures we were going to come across next.
Heading for the basinWe saw a few small nurse sharks. This guy was in about 2 feet of water and held very still so that I wouldn’t “see” him.
These giant sea stars were all over the place!We were amazed by all the creatures in this one place! The huge sea star is there next to Mike.We found these beautiful conch shells on our way back to the boat.
We also saw lots of turtles in the basin as well as a triggerfish, something the boys called a pufferfish though that is unconfirmed, and conch. About 3 bigger nurse sharks were headed into the basin as we were paddling out–they were probably 5 foot long. At that point, the boys were distracted looking for conch, and Hayley and I were paddling after sea turtles. I was glad I was on my board when those big guys passed by underneath.
After all that paddling, we needed a little sun break. The kids watched a show and I relaxed with my book. Mike was probably working on a project somewhere.
One of my favorite spots on the boat. I rotate between the flybridge and the sunset quite regularly depending on where the sun and the breeze are.
Later we went on a dinghy ride around some of the closest islands. There was so much to explore in this area!! One of the islands had 2 adirondack chairs and a bon fire pit tucked in at the top of the beach right by the trees. It had a perfect view through the cut into the ocean. I’m sure it’s someone’s secret spot!
When we got back to the boat Mike was ready to harvest some conch. Let me just say that youtube videos and asking for advice from friends is apparently not enough good information to help you get the conch out of the shell. It was much more difficult and time consuming than we imagined.
I don’t think Mike was having much fun, but Tobin sure was!!
At this point, Colin and Hayley were paddling back to the boat from playing at the beach a bit longer before sunset. I was on the swim platform giving moral support to Mike (who was still fighting with the conch) when I glanced over at them and saw a fin following behind the paddleboard. We didn’t see sharks close to our boat here, but it sure freaked me out. What do you say to your kids to express the fact that you want them on the boat NOW but you certainly don’t want to panic them and have them fall off the board?!? I probably announced the fin before I even put 2 and 2 together. Then, I told them to stay steady but paddle over quickly without lots of splashing. They did a great job getting to the boat and getting off the board before becoming some shark’s dinner. I’m sure they weren’t in any real danger, but I am 99% certain there was a shark behind them for a moment. Mike was working on that conch, so he was probably unknowingly chumming them in.
What a beautiful sunset! Made even more amazing by the fact that no children were eaten by sharks on this wonderful day.
Thank you so much for following along on our adventure!!
We were so amazed by the beauty at our anchorage that we really didn’t want to leave. The white sand was so beautiful and bright under the clear aqua water that it was like looking down into a swimming pool. Looking out to the islands you could see about 10 different shades of blue. Just amazing in every direction. But everyone says it gets better, so we decided to keep going.
Cay looks like CAY but it is actually KEY. I know this and am struggling daily to get it right.
Our buddy boats, Heartbeat and Ceci Kay, left the anchorage earlier in the morning headed for Nassau and said they had flat calm water. As we got going, we had a little chop to push through, but it slowly built as we made our way. We probably pushed through consistent 2 footers with some 3s for fun on our front corners.
Now in our boat, waves like that are not uncomfortable, but they make moving and getting any work done difficult. I made lunch and helped the kids get their Leap TV hooked up and those were not easy chores in that chop. Carrying full lunch plates thru the salon in a steady chop takes some good balance and often results in mysterious bruises. Today was the kind of day that plates and cups would slide right off tables if they didn’t have a ledge. Keeps you on your toes!!
Another fun aspect of today is that we didn’t REALLY know where we were going. We never do, I know!! There were about 7 anchorages we were eyeing in the direction we were heading, so I was scrambling to read over the active captain reviews (again) and read the weather report (again) and search for the best path thru shifting sands and coral heads (again) and check the tides (again) all to make the best decision on where to go.
Our location at Little Harbour Cay in the Berries
Mike saw an opening he could cut thru to head to more protected water on the banks side (not Atlantic side) and still have enough depth to make it to our chosen destination. We made the rocky turn and were thankful for smoother water right away, but the wind kept on blowing pretty strong. By the way, they have these things called VPR: Visual Piloting Rules marked ALL OVER the charts (maps) that we use. They basically say you need to watch where you’re going, be an experienced pilot, read the color of the water, and not hit the big black circles under the water (coral heads). Sounds easy enough, but it creeps me out that the charts are covered in these VPR reminders, as if they’re reminding you that they actually have NO IDEA what is under the water, in the middle of the Bahamas, right where you’re headed!!
We rounded the corner and this huge yacht sitting in an anchorage started to become visible. It was way bigger than the yacht we saw the day before—Mike looked it up on AIS and found that it was a 158 footer that charters for 275k A WEEK (I mean, it did have a pretty cool slide from the top deck all the way down to the water!)!! We had to pass by this beauty to stay in deep enough water to carry on, but I decided that if this was a protected enough spot for him, we could probably stay here too.
We told the kids if they got to be friends with this boat, they could probably go on the slide. Of course that didn’t happen.
Once again, there were deserted beaches surrounding the anchorage and beautiful blues everywhere. After we dropped the hook, Mike and I looked at each other and just started laughing at our choices in life. Who are we that we get to bring our boat down here with our family and drop anchor right next to these huge mega yachts?! Same experience, in general, but we get to be on our own terms (good and bad) and do it for a fraction of the price. We are so grateful we decided to take the leap and make it all happen!! This is why we looped!! Start your own adventure, people!!
Laughing so hard I started crying. “Pretty good vacation idea!”Check it out!! We grow our own sprouts! Sustainable veggie growing in the Bahamas!
We headed out right away to do some dinghy exploring and beach combing. We found a ray of some sort and 2 sea turtles swimming thru the channels that surround these rocky islands. Colin promptly renamed the channel “Sea Creature Cove” as a result. We passed by a restaurant famous with boaters for serving whatever is fresh right on the front porch of the house. I think they serve Conch, Conch, Conch, and more Conch. We hear it is a unique experience that you should try once. I would go, but mike voted to skip it. In reality, arguing with the kids about eating Conch and keeping everyone in line in this mans house didn’t sound like a great way to spend the evening (and a bunch of money) so we decided to plan on tacos on the boat.
Flo’s Conch Shack
After our dinghy tour operator (Colin) finished his tour of the islands, he took us straight to the beach—hard to know which beach to go to because this little island had about 7, but we finally found a small one, backed by jungle, where we could see our boat.
Our view of INNTW (and her great grandma) from the beach.
The kids immediately took off to explore the jungle and rocky areas and I immediately got out my chair and book. This was just absolute paradise. Mike wandered around and ended up loving a beach around the corner even more, so he explored that area with the kids and I just enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was a pretty amazing Wednesday!! Paddle boarding, searching the tide pools, finding tons of empty conch shells and sea biscuits, dividing up land and building “houses” is how we spent the rest of the afternoon. And also picking pokey balls out of the bottom of Tobin’s feet, because of course he walked through lots of pricker bushes without shoes. Ouch!!
Then that night we watched the big orange sun set right into the blue water and light up the sky in pink, purple and orange. We ate tacos. And we played Crazy 8s. We enjoyed our last night with a 4 year old. And we enjoyed our time together. Because this kind of together time doesn’t come around very much.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures!!
Okay, this is where things got real exciting for us in the Bahamas. This anchorage was amazing!! Heartbeat anchored here the night before when we stayed at Chub, so we decided to join them the next day. Ceci Kay also joined in the fun, so we had 3 loop boats together in amazing blue water surrounded by white sandy beaches on 2 different cays. It was post card perfect!!
Buddy boats!! There were a handful of other boats within sight, including a megayacht.
The boys couldn’t wait to get on their kayaks and zip around.
Hayley was excited to get the under side of her hair buzzed off. She has been having a very hard time brushing the snarls out under there, and it is hot, so this is the solution we came up with. It’s great because you can’t tell it’s cut when her hair is down, yet it is nice and cool when her hair is up in a pony. The brushing has gotten easier, but probably more fresh water washing would also help!! Who has time for showers!?
We couldn’t resist those beaches very long, so we had a quick lunch and then headed over to the beach on Whale Cay. Between the white powdery sand and the beautiful water, I was in awe! We heard Whale Cay was private, but all cays in the Bahamas are public up to the high water mark, so we just stayed right at the waters edge and didn’t see a person.
After a little while, our friends were going to go on a hike to explore an abandoned mansion on Bird Cay. That sounded like a perfect adventure, so we joined in. It was a short dinghy ride to the other side of the anchorage where we beached our dinghies and walked along this trail for a short while.
We passed by a few out buildings that appeared to be servant or guest quarters, and then we came upon the main house. I was first amazed by the size of the house, then surprised by the territorial Osprey who built that huge nest at the top of the chimney, and finally charmed by the grandeur of the place.
Check out that Osprey perched on the antenna as we approached.
We walked in through the kitchen and were surprised to see condiments, cans, and pop bottles still on the shelves and in the pantry. The pantry was HUGE, by the way, complete with a walk in cooler. There were dishes and other items all over the counters and in the cupboards. It was obvious that many items were left behind when the place was abandoned and that the house has been ransacked many times since. Some rooms were completely empty while others were filled with items left behind.
The main room. We read ahead and knew that there was a chance that peacocks could be in the house. While we didn’t see any actual peacocks, we did see peacock poop EVERYWHERE!! The bar in the main room , complete with a staircase that leads directly to the master bedroom.The pool was huge. I’m sure there were some amazing parties on this pool deck! And that view!!The courtyard was surrounded by a stone wall and had these beautiful covered walkways leading to what appeared to be guest rooms.There was a game room complete with a piano and pool table.Upstairs, this sun room overlooked the pool deck off of the master suite.There was stuff everywhere in the master. We were surprised at how many books and magazines were strewn about. Most of them were dated in the 1960’s.Staircase leading down to the main room from the master. Another view of the guest wing from the courtyard.After we finished exploring the main house, we followed the sidewalk that goes along the shore, expecting to find docks or loading areas. We found this inscription in the concrete. “Finished Apr 27, 44. ARC”This sidewalk had a gorgeous view, and it seemed to extend for quite some time. We would have wandered further, but suddenly there was a groundskeeper weed-whipping further down the sidewalk. TOTALLY UNEXPECTED!! So we decided to head back, happy with our explorations.
We were so curious about the mansion after our visit, that I was thrilled when a friend loaned me a copy of “The Queen of Whale Cay.” It turns out Whale Cay and Bird Cay (along with several others nearby) were both owned by Marion “Joe” Carstairs starting in the mid 1930’s. Carstairs sold Bird Cay in the early 40’s to her brother, Francis Francis, who was the heir to the Standard Oil fortune. I believe he had the house and grounds built shortly after the war ended, and his wife lived there until the early 2000’s.
Francis Francis led a very interesting life. Not only was he rich, but he is maybe best known as one of the developers of the ejection seat that many militaries still utilize today. He was also an Olympian, a golfer, a horseman in the British army, a pilot, and a nightclub owner in London during WWII.
Now if you think Francis led an interesting life, you’d love to read more about Joe Carstairs (NOTE: if you could care less about amazing people in history, feel free to skip this paragraph!!) Carstairs was born in England in 1900 and went on to lead an amazing life, blazing a wild trail of adventures. She was openly gay and kept a photo album of her girlfriends–there were over 120 pictures in her album when she died (most famously Dolly Wilde (niece of Oscar Wilde) and Marlene Dietrich). She carried around a doll that a former girlfriend gave her and she treated him like a real child, special ordering his clothing from her tailor, arranging photo shoots for him, and even officially adding his name to her address. “Lord Tod Wadley,” as he was named, was cremated with Carstairs when she died in 1993. She drove ambulances for the Red Cross in WWI and raced speed boats, even participating in several events on the Detroit River. She purchased Whale Cay in the 30’s when she started to feel ostracized in England, and she went on to settle the island, building a school, church, airport, lighthouse, stores, roads, and homes. For a while, over 200 natives lived on her island and answered to her. Once she left Whale Cay in the dark of night on a ship she built to single-handedly find and rescue 47 American soldiers who’s ship had been sunk by German U-Boats during WWII. She found them 30 days after their ship sank, drifting 350 miles off the coast of Nassau. Her life (especially the Bahamas piece) is obviously fascinating to me. If you’re just as intrigued, read the short version of her life in this article or read the whole book “The Queen of Whale Cay” to get all the details.
After we got back to the beach where we left our dinghies, we did some chatting before heading back to the boats. Colin had so much fun exploring the shoreline and collecting “treasures” that he chose to stay on this island by himself for a while to collect and build and create. We left him water and he took care of the shade part (don’t worry–he knows not to go in the water and we could see him the whole time). He was officially marooned for an hour or so while we went snorkeling, and he loved every second of it!!
He must have been inspired by the mansion we just explored on the island!! INNTW and friends can be seen in the background.
After a little sun break, we headed out to snorkel a boat that sunk, just off to the side of our anchorage. It was a great first snorkel for us because Heartbeat and Ceci Kay joined us, so that made it more comfortable. Of course we were a little anxious about all these sharks we’ve been seeing in the Bahamas, but we hadn’t seen any in this anchorage, so we figured we’d give it a try. Can’t live in fear, right?!
Let me tell you, it takes FOREVER to get kids ready to snorkel, so Mike jumped in right away and I worked on getting Hay and Tobin all set with fins and masks. Of course, Tobin was ready to get out before I ever got in, which actually worked out fine (it helped I was still in the dinghy and could just pull him up out of the water.)
Mike, Tobin, and Heather snorkeling.
Hayley waited for me to get in the water before she went too far. We held hands and circled the boat twice. We saw lots of cool fish and 1 ray about 10 feet down, by the wreck. It was pretty awesome!! (Let’s just say the snorkeling was awesome, but Tobin yelled my name the whole entire time I was swimming which was not awesome.) After Mike dropped us off at the boat, he went back to pick up our marooned pirate and they went snorkeling again. Everyone loved it, though there are a few kinks to work out, but aren’t there always?!
2 thumbs up from Hayley girl!!
Later that evening, we went to Heartbeat for happy hour and sure enough, on the way there we saw a shark swimming right next to our boat. We also found out that Heather was going to swim to our snorkel session earlier, but she saw a shark about halfway, so she turned back and brought the dinghy instead. I’m so glad I didn’t see a shark there before going snorkeling or I would have never gone in the water!!
Thanks for reading about our awesome adventures! This one holds a special place in our hearts because it was the first really beautiful, really remote spot that we got to play in the Bahamas! Looking forward to more of this!! INNTW!!
We left our anchorage around 6:30 am to finish the 30 some miles to get to our next destination (which, of course, we weren’t exactly sure where we were headed yet…) We were treated to a beautiful sunset. Mike called it one of the best morning commutes ever!
The green line marks our path for the day.
As we got closer and closer to Northwest Channel Light, we started to see quite a few big sportfish boats off in the distance. At this point, the water becomes significantly deeper where the “Tongue of the Ocean” creates a very deep trough between islands and shallows in the west and Nassau and other shallows to the east. That darker part of the map above that goes north to south gets to be over 8,000 feet deep (only up to 6,000 in the area we crossed on this day–FYI our chartplotter blinks 913.2 consistently when the water is really deep). Where the shallows drop off into the deep is apparently amazing fishing, so there were several boats out there filling the freezer. We tried to put something in our freezer, but no luck.
This giant stick in the water is supposedly the “Northwest Channel Light”–an important aid to navigation, though it’s actually tricky to see and no one’s quite sure if the light on it actually works anymore. It’s hard to keep markers on station and lights working with the currents, storms, and large areas to cover in the Bahamas. Rule of thumb is “don’t expect to see a marker.” But, there it was! Also, can you see how the water is darker here because it is so deep?
We decided to anchor in front of Chub Cay to wait for another Looper friend, Ceci Kay, to arrive because they were bringing over our SOLAR PANELS (happy dance!!). We planned on meeting them here as they went into the marina, and then we would continue on a little further to a different, more protected anchorage.
Arriving at the anchorage. Look! 2 markers AND a boat to dodge.
After we anchored, we got to work on a few chores. Mike made water (our water maker is in the case on the bow in this picture–and in every picture come to think of it). I needed to rinse out the sheets and bedding from the front bed. Ahem. Which is really fun in some 2 foot rollers. Saltwater rinse, fresh water rinse, and then hanging on the bow to dry until we get to do real laundry. Thank goodness we have extra sheets on board!
The houses/resort lining the beach looked beautiful, but from what we’ve read, they aren’t very welcoming to guests unless you’re staying in the marina or you’ve paid a per person fee to land your dinghy. So, we’ll just admire the view from afar.
Mike got the call to come pick up his solar and he was so excited to FINALLY get this package. After first being delayed in Key Largo, he decided to ship the solar package anyway and have a friend bring it when they crossed. Sure enough, that first boat got the package, but had a change of plans due to an ill family member and wasn’t sure if/when they would cross, so they passed this huge box on to Ceci Kay who agreed to bring it the rest of the way from Florida for us. Once again, boaters are amazing!!
At this point, it was getting close to sunset and we really didn’t want to pick up anchor and move to another anchorage in the dark, so we decided to hang out in our spot for the night. It was a nice location, but not great with the wind and wave direction, so it was a little louder and rollier than we’d hoped. That night we played Crazy 8’s for a while with the big kids and we got to see a megayacht come in to the marina in the dark. It was very interesting to watch the lights get closer and closer and then see it navigate right through the small channel markers into the marina. It looked like a battleship, all lit up at night. Crazy!
Another amazing sunset!
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures!! Start your own adventure!!
We left Bimini Sands mid-morning heading out onto the Bahama Banks, with our ultimate destination being Chub Cay in the Berry Islands, but we planned on anchoring halfway in between overnight. Once you are east of Bimini, the water is shallow for a LONG time, like 10-15 feet deep for over 70 miles. This means that any winds will kick up big waves and will make the crossing very uncomfortable. (Funny how wind in shallow water=big waves and opposing wind in strong current=big waves. See?! There’s a lot to this weather planning stuff!) We were lucky enough to have very light winds forecasted and waves of under 2 feet predicted. We were also lucky enough to have most of the cruisers that were stuck in Bimini the last few days moving right along with us, so we had plenty of company, including Kent and Heather on Heartbeat.
“Living the life” she says.Lots of sailboats cruising right along!And there’s Heartbeat!
We had a pretty long travel day so the kids did school work, played with their toys, and I’m sure they watched a movie, too. It is nice on these longer, easier (no shallow water or obstacles to avoid) passages to play games together, too. Thank goodness for autopilot!
Just about an hour before sunset we made sure we were about 1 mile off the “magenta line” and decided to drop anchor. The chartbooks map out clear paths to travel on and use magenta to highlight these paths, so quite often we call that the “sailing line” or the “magenta line.” It’s crazy to see how many boats travel EXACTLY on the sailing line– like ants marching–so we just made sure we were well off that line to anchor overnight. We also stayed pretty close to our buddy boat, left AIS and the VHF radio on overnight, as well as a few extra lights on on the sundeck so we were well lit in case anyone was traveling off the charted path at night.
We were treated to a beautiful sunset.These clouds were to the east–beautiful sky at dusk.Grilling with no land in sight!!
As calm as those pictures make the water look, it was actually pretty rolly with a little swell coming at us all night. There is a big debate among boaters in the Bahamas about if they like to anchor on the Banks or travel through the night, and usually people say “only anchor if it is calm.” I would say NO–too rolly despite the “calm”–next time we would continue traveling through the night.
Look at all those stars!! (I couldn’t resist taking the picture even though I knew it wouldn’t turn out.)
But I will say, the stars were amazing out there!! We sat on the bow and watched them for quite a while before bed, and I also went out in the cockpit in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep and was even lucky enough to see some shooting stars.
Here was our anchorage in the middle of the Banks. Bimini is to the west and Chub Cay/the Berries to the east. We were literally out in the middle of nowhere. As beautiful as it was out there, with the roll and the idea that lots of boats were continuing to travel through the night, it was a little unnerving just being out there in the open. Luckily the kids slept great, and they don’t worry about all those “what-ifs” like we do (ignorance is bliss!!).
We were up and moving again before sunrise the next day. What a beautiful time of day when you don’t have to head to work!!
Following Heartbeat.
Thanks for reading and following along!! We are definitely not in Kansas anymore!!
**there is a highlight video at the end if you’ve got better things to do than read about our adventures in great detail, but you’ll miss out on some of the good stuff!!**
First sunset in the Bahamas
The kids and I waited on the boat while Mike went to customs to get us cleared in to the Bahamas. I was mostly cleaning the boat and they were mostly watching a movie. I happened to glance out the flybridge window was super surprised to see sea creatures right outside our boat!!! I didn’t think it was going to be this easy to see sharks and rays, but there they were!!
While we were super excited to see them in the clear water, it was a little unnerving to see bull sharks swimming right through the marina. It made me think that the kids better not fall off the dock and also that I need to learn more about sharks ASAP! Luckily, Mike got back from customs just in time to see the sharks and we got to get off the boat and see them better as well.
It didn’t take long before we were ready to get off the docks and go exploring. Where else would we head first, but to the beach?! We went with Kent and Heather to check out our first Bahamian sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.
Tobin was amazed by all the conch shells and wanted to collect them all. No thank you-there were way too many!The water was still calm and beautiful. We were amazed at how much sea glass there is on the beach in Bimini. Anyone have any idea why there would be so much sea glass in this one place?! There was so much that we collected about a shopping bag full, but we couldn’t even pick it all up because there was so much!!
After the sun was just about set, we headed up to the road to walk back to the marina through the town. It was interesting to see the houses and shops along the main street. The road is paved, but it was only about a lane and a half wide with no sidewalks to speak of, so we had to be aware and alert for cars.
Ruins of a former hotel.
It was a great experience for our kids to see how people live in other countries. While it isn’t that different than the US, it is interesting that the kids didn’t mention, ask, or question anything. No one wondered about all the people walking and riding bikes, the kids playing in yards, the garbage piles in empty lots, or the differences in skin colors. They didn’t balk at walking through the dusty streets in flip flops or question all the uneven pavement and broken walkways. As an adult, these are things I notice, that catch my eye, yet as curious and blunt as kids are, they never seemed to question anything. It is amazing how children see past all of these differences and just see “people” and a “new town.”
The next morning we were treated to a beautiful sunrise and we walked around the docks looking for more creatures in the clear water. We saw lots of fish and a ray, but no sharks at this early hour. (Shark sidebar: We would learn later that the marina next to ours feeds sharks for a show and even puts people in the water with them in a cage, so that is probably why they are always lingering around the area. We saw large bull sharks multiple times a day, every day in Bimini. Bull sharks are apparently responsible for many shark attacks on humans and are not the kind of sharks you want to mess with. Seeing them so often was quite a surprise to us.)
Later in the day, one of our boat neighbors came over because he heard we had a power issue, and he wanted to see if he could help. We were thankful for his willingness to give it a try, but he was unable to figure it out after working on it for an hour with Mike. I’m always amazed at how helpful boaters are when they hear someone is in need. Still waiting for just the right person who will know just the thing to get our batteries charging on shore power. If you’re out there, SPEAK NOW!!
We were planning on heading across to South Bimini (a whopping trip of a half mile or so) on the ferry and going out to lunch with Kent and Heather, but we spent a little too long trying to figure out our batter charging issue, so we decided to meet Kent and Heather at the restaurant. Just as we were heading out, they messaged us and said the only thing the restaurant was serving for lunch was oxtails. So… that stopped us right in our tracks. Now we were just out for a walk, it seemed, and still had to figure out something for lunch.
We did a little exploring at the general store and the beer store. Just when we thought we were heading back to the boat for lunch, we stumbled upon Sister Jen’s Lunch Wagon. Her menu was taped up on the car window and she was serving hot meals right there out of the back of her car parked in that skinny little street. How could we pass her by?
We ended up with some fried chicken and bbq chicken with sides of rice and peas, mac and cheese, and plantains. Sister Jen was very nice and told us all about how there was a holiday the next day, Majority Rules Day, so she would be closed. On Friday, though, she said she would have meatloaf. Tobin instantly wanted to know how many days until meatloaf day. It’s funny because I don’t think he’s ever had meatloaf, and I’m not sure he’d like it, but we tease him with that Will Ferrell line all the time: “Mom! Meatloaf!” because he is ALWAYS calling for me! Because of this, he apparently thinks meatloaf is amazing. We said goodbye to Sister Jen and headed back to the picnic area at Blue Water Marina for lunch. It was delicious!!
While we were eating lunch, some locals were fishing on the docks, which of course was interesting to the kids. Before we were even done with lunch, I was the only one at the table and everyone else was over watching Mr. Tiny fish.
The way things work out on random Wednesday afternoons in Bimini, one thing lead to another, and everyone was fishing WITH Mr. Tiny. He said he only needed 10 more fish, and then he was going to go use these fish as bait fish to catch bigger fish.
Well it didn’t take long for us to catch 10 fish and then 20 fish and then who knows how many fish?! We just kept filling up Mr. Tiny’s bucket. Then another local fisherman came over and told us that the fish we were catching are good to eat. Hmmmm. Who knew? So he helped Mike clean a few up and Mike made everyone a mid-afternoon snack.
The man who cleaned them said they leave the eyes in the fish, and when the eyes turn cloudy, they are ready to be eaten. So of course, Tobin ate some fish eyeballs. Later, when I was super disgusted that he ate THREE fish eyeballs, he asked me how many hours until bed. When I told him, he said “Good, then in 5 hours you will have to kiss my fish eyeball lips goodnight.” Smart kid.
This is what happens when your kids steal your phone, apparently. Selfies and duck lips. There is a reason they aren’t allowed to use my phone normally.
The next morning, the kids did some schoolwork. Hayley is practicing typing and she wrote a summary about a book she recently finished.
Colin read and worked on writing. The kids are keeping journals about their experiences, so I try to have them write several times a week. You wouldn’t believe how much they complain about just a few pages a week!!
Quite a view for school work, right?!
In the afternoon we checked out the Dolphin House. The Dolphin House is a home that local Bimini historian and artist Ashley Saunders has been building and covering with recovered items from the island/beaches for 26 years. He is very passionate about his project and loved taking us through the house, room by room, and pointing out some of his favorite design features. We were amazed by the items he has found and how he has repurposed them. It was a lot of fun for the kids to look around and find little trinkets here and there, like a giant game of I Spy. It also introduced them to a new type of art. Perseverance and determination pouring into a project like this is something I can totally see Colin getting into.
View of INNTW in the marina from the top (unfinished) floor of the Dolphin House.
The Dolphin House was such a great stop. We were amazed by the amount of detail Ashley puts into his work and how excited he is to show it off. If you’re headed to Bimini, put this on your list of things to do!
Next up, the beach was calling our name, so we headed over to check it out. It was much wavier than the day we arrived!! High winds were predicted for several days, so we knew we were sitting tight until the waters settled down again. As wavy as it was, it was still so beautiful from the shore!
Tobin wrote his numbers, 0-10 in the sand.Hayley wrote her “count bys” in the sand. Count by 5’s, count by 2’s, count by 3’s. Squeaking in boat school in fun and creative ways!!After playing for a while, we decided to head out for some lobster pizza at Edith’s, which we’ve heard is amazing. The restaurant turned out to be a bit further than we’d bargained for, so we ended up hopping into a golf cart with a nice lady who lives on the island with her husband doing dolphin research. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. The lobster pizza did not disappoint, and we thoroughly enjoyed dinner out with Kent and Heather. The kids sat at a different table, and I used that magic trick of technology to keep them occupied so that we could have a peaceful dinner. It worked!! The walk home was quite a ways and in the dark, but the kids didn’t complain one bit. We even snuck in a quick stop at the grocery store for some fresh foods since the mailboat came in the day before.
The next day we headed out do so some dinghy exploring around North and South Bimini. The waves were once again nice and calm. We zoomed past some sand bars and some more bull sharks and ended up stopping at the Shark Lab for their informative tour. It was interesting to hear about all the research they do and how they tag sharks.
The kids got to touch a nurse shark at the Shark Lab.
I was glad we got to hear some more info about the behavior and habits of sharks here at the Shark Lab. She said a quick fin to the nose will keep them away if you’re snorkeling and don’t ever turn your back on a shark. No worries there!!
We also checked out Bimini Sands, a marina on South Bimini, which is another popular spot for cruisers. North Bimini seemed busier, like more of a town where lots of Bahamians live. South Bimini was a much quieter, sleepy island, with lots of noseeums around the marina. Overall we were glad we stayed on North Bimini, but we decided to move over to Bimini Sands for our last night to see what it was like and check out their awesome pool, too.
Look at all the fish in the marina!!The bottom in Sands seemed grassier, so it was harder to see creatures in the water (for the most part–looks pretty easy to see them here!). We did see a shark or two swim through the marina, but not as many as at Blue Water.
We took great advantage of this amazing infinity pool right on the ocean, but don’t let the beauty fool you–it was COLD!!
The kids had never seen an infinity pool before, and they were very intrigued by the idea of “going over the edge.” So, of course, they did.I took this “hot dogs or legs” picture because that cracks me up. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, google “hot dogs or legs.” Hilarious.
We walked down to the beach for some much warmer swimming in the ocean. It was beautiful and so calm!! We all had fun floating in the easy swells and didn’t see one shark!
The next morning we woke up leisurely and got ready for yet another big crossing. The high winds had passed and the forecast for the next few days was for calm winds and flat water, so we knew it was a great time to move across the Banks to the Berry Island chain. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Bimini, though 3 nights would have probably been enough time to enjoy and explore. I’m glad we got a taste for both North and South Bimini, and it was a great introduction to the Bahamas for us!
Here’s our Bimini highlight video!!
Thanks for following along on our big Bahamas adventures!!
We were up before first light to make preparations for our departure to Bimini. We were anxious and excited to get moving across the Gulf Stream to The Bahamas!!
We left out of Angelfish Creek, north of Key Largo, Florida. It is a popular jumping off spot to head to Bimini because it is an easy place to anchor and a fairly simple trip right out of the channel into the Atlantic.
The main factor in heading to the Bahamas is WEATHER, particularly concerning the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a very deep (2000+ feet) area of strong current that flows south to north between Florida and the Bahamas. If the wind is coming out of the north, opposing the current, it creates huge waves that make travel very dangerous. So aside from choosing a good weather day, you also need to make sure the wind speeds are not too high in general, especially making sure the wind is not coming out of the north. We have been watching this weather window for a week or so and all sites say it is a great day to cross.
The Gulf Stream also pushes you north as you travel, and there is a whole equation you need to use to set your course to take advantage of the push from the stream (and so you don’t miss making landfall on these teeny tiny islands out in the middle of the ocean). Luckily for us, there is also a magenta line on our chart plotter that already considers this equation, and we can just follow all it all the way to Bimini.
We followed our buddy boat, Heartbeat, out of the channel right at sunrise. The water was like glass, so we took that as an omen that we were going to have a great day!Somehow, on days when we hope they will sleep in, they are always awake very early. Who could blame them on a day like today, though?! We’re going to the BAHAMAS!!
An interesting thing about the Gulf Stream is that it is always changing. The width, speed, and location of the stream changes constantly. Our water was flat and calm for the first 15 miles or so before we got into the strong currents of the stream. At that point, the waves picked up significantly, coming right on our bow, and bounced us around for a good 2 hours or so in 3-4 foot chop. It wasn’t scary at all, but it was very bouncy. I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco for a bit. The helm of our buddy boat is much closer to the water, and they didn’t get the bouncing near as much as we did–I guess having that great view from the flybridge comes with a trade off.
Mike was throwing out fishing lines and I was holding on tight in the captain’s chair, bouncing through the waves.
This is a screenshot of our path heading over to Bimini on Nebo, one of our favorite boat tracking apps. I didn’t pick up Heartbeat’s signal, but they were actually just in front of us.
In the heart of the stream we also encountered a lot of commercial shipping traffic. There were several tankers and cargo ships heading in a north/south direction and other pleasure boats heading east to the Bahamas. Again, another time that we LOVE having AIS, crossing the stream we were able to see what direction these ships were headed and what/when our closest point of approach would be. At one point, 2 ships were heading in our direction and the path for the second one was going to be within 300 feet of us which is way too close for comfort. When the ship was still 2+ miles away, the captain called Mike and told us he adjusted his path by a degree or two so that we wouldn’t come within 1 mile or more of each other. It is so comforting knowing those big boats can see us and our path just like we can see them.
Mike tried fishing as we dropped off into the deep water of the stream. You can see some of our cargo ship friends crossing in the background. These ships look pretty massive on the water!!
About 4 or 5 hours through our trip, the waves suddenly smoothed out and the water was flat as can be. I have to say, that part of the trip was much more enjoyable than the bouncy hours. Taking the waves on the bow and having a friend boat nearby made the bounciness bearable, but smooth water is much more comfortable! Look at how blue that water is!! It was gorgeous!!
We took down our normal burgees for the crossing and put up the yellow quarantine flag that showed we hadn’t cleared customs into the Bahamas yet. We had to fly this flag from 3 miles offshore until after clearing customs. At that point, the yellow flag gets tucked away and the Bahamian courtesy flag goes up.
We actually saw quite a few flying fish crossing over to the Bahamas which was a first for us (I didn’t even know there was such a thing?!). It is almost like the boat startles these little fish (with wings?!) out of the water and they skim or skip across the surface, sometimes for quite a ways and sometimes in big groups. It is pretty amazing to see, but of course, very difficult to catch on video!!
I was so excited to see other pleasure boats on the horizon and hear them on the radio. Also, seeing land and getting cell signal back were both so comforting. We’re in the Bahamas!!
The kids were up in the flybridge and in the sundeck for the early part of the trip through the wavy hours. After things settled down, they headed to Colin’s bed to play with legos and then watched Harry Potter. It is always nice having them around underway, but we also appreciate the peace and quiet when they are cooperating down stairs.
Just look at that chip hammock over Colin’s bed!! We loaded that thing up with snacks because we hear the prices are 2-3 times the price in the Bahamas. I bet he dreams of chips and cookies with that thing hanging over his head!!
The closer we got to land, the water changed to different shades of blue. It kept getting lighter and lighter. It was beautiful!!
We got all settled into our marina and were anxious to go exploring, but first we had to clear customs. Technically only the captain is allowed off the boat until we’re cleared in, so we quick filled out the forms and had the kids each sign their own so Mike could make us legal!!
I love that they signed their own forms!!Mike and Kent headed off to customs!!
Thanks for reading and following along!! Lots more adventures to come in the Bahamas!!
I can’t believe I don’t even have 1 picture from this stop, but we were there less than 12 hours and I’m not even sure I really got to see it in good daylight, so maybe that explains it. Plus, after the day we had in Key Largo, I was overwhelmed and distracted with planning for our crossing.
We probably left Key Largo shortly after 5pm, so about half of this trip was in the dark. We ran fast for a bit, trying to make sure we took advantage of daylight, so our speed was up a bit. Again, we were in a shallow channel in the middle of big water. Luckily, there were very few crab pots, though I did hold the spotlight for about a half an hour (which was actually pretty tiring) just in case.
Overall, we were just trying to meet back up with our buddy boat, Heartbeat, so that we were set to leave at first light for Bimini. We had great directions from Kent and Heather on how to get to the anchorage and we could see their anchor light from quite a distance. There was no dragging to speak of and the night was fairly uneventful, though it is always unsettling to me to get to a new anchorage after dark. Part of my restless sleep that night was because I was anxious about the long-awaited crossing to the Bahamas the next day.
Not much to report on this stop, but thanks for reading all about it anyway!! Sometimes no adventure is the best adventure!!
