We got up and left as soon as we could see, around 6:15a. We wanted to sail through the cut at high tide. It was amazing how churned up the water was going through the cut. Steve said it was current. We made it through and are now sailing on relatively calm waters on the Atlantic side of the Bahamas. The waves are less than a foot and we have both sails up. So, it is a lazy day of sailing under a sunny, clear sky. We anchored in Hawksbill Cay this evening. It was the first time this season that we had to pick up a mooring ball. The conditions were calm and we were able to attach ourselves to the ball relatively easily. Steve did need to reinforce the ball underwater, however. Luckily we had an old rope that we were not using so it was perfect for this.
The anchorage was uncrowded, as there were only two other boats there. The bay was pretty, but not gorgeous like so many of the other bays in the Bahamas. The water, however, was crystal clear. And, there were not any bugs in this anchorage, which was a welcomed change from the no-see-ums in the last two places that we overnighted.
After a long sail, we headed through a cut to go back on the bank side to anchor for the evening. The cut was narrow and I was at the front of the boat looking for coral heads. We made it in relatively easily and anchored in the calm, turquoise waters of Prime Cay. There was only one other boat in our anchorage. The water stayed calm all night and we slept well.
We left Calabash Harbour as soon as we could see the different colors in the water – about 7:30a. We had a 3-4 hour sail to the Stella Maris marina. We thought that pulling into Calabash Harbour was challenging with the shallow water. That was nothing compared to pulling into the Stella Maris marina. The depth finder was registering up to negative 1 foot beneath the keel. (Steve manipulated the reading when setting up the depth finder.) We actually brushed the bottom several times. Luckily, we didn’t get stuck.
Pulling into the Stella Maris was interesting. This marina is part of the Stella Maris resort. However, it appears that the resort really doesn’t do much with the marina any more. We had to call on the phone to notify them a half an hour in advance that we would arrive. So, we ended up anchoring outside of the opening to the marina while waiting for the owner, George, to arrive. From our vantage point, we couldn’t tell how wide the mouth of the marina was and we were worried about fitting. We were also worried about the depth since we were barely above the bottom. We made it in with the fenders on the wrong side (we were not told which side to put the fenders on). As we were pulling in, I thought I saw something big diving. It was calm inside the marina and we were able to get tied up. We were the only boat there (other than small fishing/dive boats). The marina looked abandoned and run down, with dilapidated buildings. We did have electric and water hook-ups, however. Staff were very friendly.
The most exciting thing about the marina was that there was a manatee swimming around in the extremely clear water. It spent quite a bit of time under our boat. It turns out that manatees like to drink fresh water. I had the hose out and the manatee would stick her nose above the surface to drink the water. It was so cool to see!
Crystal clear water in the marina
Laundry was located across the street from the marina so it was easy to walk there. The lady working there was very kind and allowed us to sneak our laundry in since we were leaving the next day. Steve gave her a good tip.
The other thing that we did while in the marina was check in. We had been sailing four days in the Bahamas without clearing into the country. We were supposed to clear customs within 24 hours of entering the Bahamas, however, we couldn’t find a convenient customs office before Long Island. They didn’t seem to care and we are now in the Bahamas legally.
We hired a taxi driver, Lisa, who drove us around. She took Steve to the airport to clear customs. Then we went to the grocery store. And, in the evening she drove us to and from the resort, where we ate dinner.
The resort was interesting. It was a low-key, friendly, comfortable resort without much going on. The restaurant was nice and breezy. We had conch fritters which were very good. The rest of our meals were a little tough. But, it was nice to be eating out. There were a few other couples in the resort and the staff seemed to know everyone. They even knew that we were there from the marina.
With our laundry and provisioning done, we filled up the water tanks, did some cleaning, planned for the next part of our journey, and got a good night’s sleep. We left as soon as we could see, around 6:30a because that is when it was high tide. After our experience entering the marina, closer to low tide, we wanted to take advantage of the extra water. It worked. I think the depth finder read above 0 the entire time.
Steve had debated whether to sail on the bank or in the Atlantic. After our adventures to the Calabash Harbour and the marina, we decided to head back to the deep water, where it is easy to sail without worry of hitting coral heads.
Up again and off early. We sailed to Calabash Harbour on Long Island in the Bahamas and arrived around 5p. This was a beautiful harbor with a long sandy beach. It looked like there was a resort on the shore with rented villas. The water was a gorgeous turquoise color.
We’ve been sailing in the deep water of the Atlantic because the waves are small and the water is deep. When we enter the bank, the depth is quite shallow. In Calabash Harbour we were sailing with between 3 and 5 feet of water under our keel. This meant that we needed to keep a sharp lookout for coral heads so that we didn’t hit them. With quite a bit of maneuvering, we made it to anchor.
At 6:30a we were on our way again. We made it through the coral cut unscathed, luckily. It is hard to see the coral shadows in the water when the sun isn’t bright. However, our AIS had the coral marked fairly well.
As you can see, this is a quick sailing season. We are trying to get our boat to the Miamai – Fort Lauderdale area in time for the Miami boat show, which takes place in a week and a half. It is unfortunate that we haven’t had a lot of time to enjoy our stops. Luckily, the weather has been good and we have not been held up too much waiting for better sailing conditions.
We pulled into the bay just before sunset and anchored off of Clarence Town on Long Island. This was originally a populated area. However, a hurricane hit the area and the locals decided to rebuild elsewhere, closer to the airport.
We woke up and set sail to the Crooked Islands district and anchored at Atwood Harbor. To enter the harbor, we had to go through a cut in the coral. There was one other boat in the anchorage. This anchorage was gorgeous! There was a long sandy beach, beautifully colored water, and coral in the water. We had an enjoyable evening enjoying this pristine part of the world.
Tom, Steve, Christine, and Jan in the Turks and Caicos
The next morning we did some more boat chores and then met Jan and Tom for lunch at their place. They have such an enjoyable location and it was truly wonderful to spend more time with them. After lunch we headed back to the marina, said good-bye, and sailed to a more western part of the island. This enabled us to prepare to depart early in the morning for Mayaguana, the closest island in the Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos. We made it just as the sun was setting. Luckily anchoring went well and we were set for the night. We were the only ones in the anchorage.
We both were watching from the helm during this sail. The Turks and Caicos has a shallow shelf on the side that we were sailing. This meant that there were between four and ten feet of water beneath our keel. We had to keep a sharp lookout for coral heads to make sure that we didn’t hit them. With strong winds, we made good time.
We were able to pull into the South Bank marina by mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, the marina was full and they didn’t really have a place to put us. We ended up tying up at the fuel dock. This meant that the marina was not able to sell fuel. After several hours, they asked the police to move their boat and we were able to squeeze into a space in front of the restaurant. It was a great spot. Steve did an amazing job of parallel parking the boat in strong wind. We had a couple of people on land assist with the lines and we made it in unscathed. Yea!
I had called my Aunt Jan and Uncle Tom to let them know that we arrived. They met us at the fuel dock. I was so excited to see them, as it had been a couple of years since we have been able to get together. They watched as we moved to the other slip. Then we went back to their place for dinner. It was really nice to see where they have vacationed for so many years. And, we got to meet their precious little dog, Sophie. They were so kind and offered us the use of their car while we were there. We took it back to the marina that evening. The next day was filled with boat chores and provisioning. We again met for dinner at the fabulous Caicos Café. The food was wonderful. We returned to their place after dinner and washed some laundry, Skyped with my dad, and simply enjoyed each other’s company.
We arrived at the outer most island of the Turks and Caicos and anchored before sunset. The anchorage was a little rough, but at least we were able to get some sleep. We started out the next morning just after the sun came up. Unfortunately, we hit some rain that wasn’t mentioned in any of the forecasts. After sailing for a half a day, we decided to drop our anchor off of another small, idyllic island with a sandy beach and snorkeling off of the back of our boat. There was coral in the anchorage but Steve managed to squeeze our boat in without mishap. When we arrived, the sun was shining and we were well protected by coral. It was about low tide and the water was very calm. Unfortunately, the wind shifted, some storms blew through, and the tide rose. So, our idyllic anchorage became the most dangerous anchorage that we have ever stayed in. We both slept up top with our harnesses and life jackets on. Steve set anchor alarms in case the anchor slipped. We only had 100 feet behind us before hitting coral, which could potentially poke a hole in our hull and sink the boat. At some point in the night, the wind shifted and we again were protected. As soon as the sun was up, we left the anchorage and headed to Providenciales.
Samana Bay was easily the most exciting and interesting bay that we sailed into while owning our boat. As we entered the bay, we saw several humpback whales frolicking in the water. The were breaching and swimming around the boat. There were also dolphins jumping out of the water. They were exciting to see but if they landed on our boat, it would not be a good scenario.
The marina was really nice. It was more like a resort than a complex, thought it was also self-contained and secured. By now I was feeling better and we were able to go out to dinner. It was so nice to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. I was also able to do laundry.
After a couple of nights in this marina, we left at first light and headed to the Turks and Caicos. This is an island that I’ve heard was so pretty and have wanted to visit it. Also, my aunt and uncle have a place there and I was looking forward to visiting them.
When leaving early in the morning, we passed by this cruise ship in the channel.
