We’ve been on this adventure in the Bahamas for a month now. Since the West End and Grand Bahama, we’ve sailed to the Berry Islands, Nassau in New Providence, and then down to the Exumas.
We left the abandoned marina at West End in search of another abandoned waterway but found ourselves, instead, in a section of channels behind the Port Lucaya Marina not far from Freeport. It was late in the day when we arrived. December 20. The sun was setting and the wind an issue so we were hoping for a fairly protected anchorage. We ended up tying up at a piling in a secluded area surrounded by three derelict boats. They were floating but didn’t seem to be capable of much more than that. Two of them had blue tarps strung up, presumably to protect the residents from the elements. One resident, a small yippy dog, greeted us as we tied up. Or perhaps he was warning us to stay away. I may have slept with one eye open that night but we awoke the next morning to blue skies and fair winds and we were on our way to our next destination: the aforementioned waterway with the towering, abandoned Arawak Hotel. This would be our last stop on Grand Bahama before heading south.
The winds had not relented since our crossing but we were planning to meet a friend in Nassau as close to December 26 as possible so, early on December 23 we pushed on to Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands - more than a ten-hour sail. Great Stirrup is one of hundreds of privately-owned islands in the Bahamas; this one by Norwegian Cruise Lines for the enjoyment of their passengers. Sheltered in the leeward side of the island near Great Harbour, we enjoyed the lights and sounds of holiday revelers on shore and celebrated our first Christmas together with a traditional family dinner of ham and pierogis. The next morning, Boxing Day, we were off bright and early to Chub Cay - our next stepping stone to Nassau.
I imagine that Chub Cay is a lovely place to visit but, after a night of rough seas and little sleep - imagine trying to rest inside a running washing machine - we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and wind at our backs. We were up early setting the main and hauling out the spinnaker for the most lovely sail of our adventure up until that point and coasted all the way to Nassau. It was heavenly.