The Final Leg

The long run from Little Palm Island to Naples was the most mixed potpourri of sea conditions and weather we have seen during our entire trip. With 15 knot winds coming from the SE and seas running 3-4 foot in the Hawk Channel, we stayed "outside" only a short distance before cutting through the Bahia Honda Channel. As we dodged the sea grasses and shallow waters (as little as 5 feet) the seas became eerily calm, almost like we weren't even moving. Then,as we broke out into the Gulf of Mexico, the water became increasingly choppy, to rough, to 3-5 foot head seas, with water crashing over the bow and pouring rain. About 50 miles offshore, the seas altered course and shifted to following seas with 4-6 foot swells lifting the back of the boat up and down into the next wave. By the time we reached the entrance to the Gordon River, things had calmed down again, the sun came out and the winds subsided. A very strange day on the water.

We enjoyed a great dinner at Barbatella, strolled around town and a had restful night at the Naples Yacht Club. The next morning we headed to Captiva Island and our last stop at the South Seas Yacht Harbor. Our dear friends, Bill & Kim were vacationing on nearby Sanibel Island, so we got together at their place for a quick visit and then back to South Seas for cocktails and dinner.

This morning, we left South Seas around 8 am and after cutting through Red Fish Pass into the Gulf started working our way toward our final designation in Sarasota. About an hour into the trip, the seas once again became pretty rough, so we cut through a small (and not particularly well marked inlet) at Lemon Bay. Following what I thought was the "channel", I mistakingly zigged when I should have zagged and ended up running aground in 3 feet of water! Fortunately, we were going pretty slow so I was able to back down off the shoal and reroute ourselves into the "proper" channel before continuing inside the ICW. We finally (and safely) reached Sarasota Yacht Club a few hours later.

Margaritas and Martinis to celebrate the end of our Bahama journey

We have had an amazing and fun-filled trip with incredible waters, sunsets, beaches, bars, diving, fishing and most importantly, good friends along the way. For me, this has been a dream come true and I am so thankful that the Admiral and I were able to share this time together. Just the same, it is good to be "home" and we are both looking forward to re-acclimating to our land lubbers life in Orlando.

Running The Keys

We really enjoyed our visit to Key Biscayne, but needed to move on so we left midday on Friday (the 13th!), and after cutting through the Biscayne Channel out into the ocean, we cruised a short 35 miles to Ocean Reef Yacht Club. We spent two days there relaxing by the pool, checking out the surrounding homes (wow!) and strolling the docks filled with mega-yachts. My little 44 foot Sabre looked like a dingy compared to most of the yachts there.

We have had a prevailing winds out of the southeast each day which has brought lots of isolated thunderstorms, some with strong wind and choppy seas. But they don't last long, and then the sun comes out for a few hours before turning stormy again. Typical south Florida summer weather in the Keys.

Yesterday morning we left Ocean Reef and headed further south (and west) to one of our very favorite spots anywhere -- Little Palm Island, about 30 miles east of Key West. Since the wind was still blowing pretty hard out of the SE we cut "inside" and ran most of the way with only moderate chop. However, we had to go back "outside" in order to reach Little Palm Island and those last 25 miles were really sloppy. We were BOTH glad to get out of that and ENCORE docked.

This small 11 acre private island is dotted with about two dozen grass thatched huts all done in south pacific style surrounded by palms trees. But best part is the restaurant here, with some amazing Caribbean, French and Asian dishes. You can dine on the beach (literally) overlooking the setting sun.

Tomorrow we will make the long open water run from Little Palm Island to the Naples Yacht Club, about 130 miles north.

Back in the USA

Even though the rain and wind let up Tuesday afternoon, the seas were still very rough and not likely to be much better until after sunset. So we stayed another night in West End enjoying one of our many dinner "rations" from the onboard provisions. Amazing how good simple foods can taste after enough gin and vodka!

So we left West End this morning at "first light" trying to get out ahead of another day of forecasted SE storms and winds over the Bahamas. As we pulled out of the yacht basin I couldn't believe my eyes -- the Atlantic Ocean was almost flat calm! Realizing that if these conditions continued we could not only make good time but take a more angled (and longer) route, I set a direct course for Ft. Lauderdale instead of West Palm Beach. Within 3 hours we were at the Port Everglades sea buoy just three miles offshore. SInce we still had a lot of time (and fuel), we turned south and headed to Miami entering Government Cut an hour later. Once inside the ICW, we continued a few miles south in Biscayne Bay to the Key Biscayne Yacht Club for the night.

After clearing Customs & Immigration via the internet and cell phone (we were pre-registered with US Customs and Border Patrol), we are spending the afternoon relaxing by the pool and contemplating a genuine "fine dining" experience tonight for dinner! Almost anything not from a can or vacuum-pack will qualify!

Heading West -- sort of

On Sunday, after four great days in Hope Town enjoying good friends and good times, we headed off to Marsh Harbor just a few miles away for the night. A fairly quiet town (but bigger than most) we strolled the streets of shops, bars and restaurants. 

On Monday, after refueling ENCORE (don't even ask), we headed off the Spanish Cay on the northern stretch of islands in the Abacos. We were pleasantly surprised by the simplicity, beauty and size (really small) of the island. We rented a golf cart from the marina and headed about two miles to an fantastic little bar on the exposed reef called Wrecker's Bar. It was on an elevated platform right over the water and with the strong SE winds made for a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon just sitting on the deck.

Tuesday morning I reluctantly turned West as we made the 100 mile run from Spanish Cay to West End, Grand Bahama. While the Bahama Bank was not nearly as calm as our Easterly crossing, it was none the less without incident and we made good time. We arrived at Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina at lunchtime, and after a cold Kalick and sandwich at the Tiki Bar, set out to explore this Ginn Development resort (which I think is now owned by the banks). Suffice it to say, Old Bahama Bay was a great idea that ran smack into the recession. Even the restaurant was closed so the only source of food was the Tiki bar at the pool -- and since I just don't know if I can eat any more fried conch, we opted for romantic dinner on the boat. Gourmet hot dogs, baked beans and Cape Cod chips. Come on, does it get any better than that?

Wednesday morning we awoke to troubled skies to our south with rain and thunderstorms pounding south Florida and the Bimini Islands. It was relatively clear in West End and it looked like we had a "weather window" of opportunity to go ahead and cross back to West Palm. So around 10am so we started out on what was hopefully going to be 2-3 hour run back to the USA. We got about 10 miles out and the radar was picking up some showers directly in front of us. Thinking we could simply "punch through" the isolated storm we continued on -- but not for long. The Atlantic Ocean had other ideas as the sea went from 2 foot to 6 foot in very short order with the bow pounding nose first into the waves. I quickly assessed that going on was a bad idea (ok, really stupid), so we turned around and headed back to West End.

Good Times in Hope Town

Early Wednesday morning I hiked up the hill at Man O War Cay and followed my nose to Lola's Bakery, a very small, in-home bakery that is known for her freshly made cinnamon buns and bread. With a hot cup of coffee in hand (and a cup of Chai for The Admiral), it was a perfect start to the 4th of July.

We then untied our lines and headed out to our next port of call just a few miles away to Hope Town on Elbow Cay. We were greeted by our friends who have a cottage right on the Abaco Sound. We then jumped in their 21' Contender and headed off to Marsh Harbor to pick up a few friends that flew in for the long weekend.


We have been having a great time together enjoying the beautiful water, snorkeling on the reefs, fishing, sand dollar hunting, and checking out some the fun little bars and cays like Pete's Pub on Little Harbor. With all the fresh fish we caught right from the sea we've been eating really well. Of course, along with an appropriate share of "fru fru" rum drinks and a some good red wine, everything seems better --- and it is!


Our plan is to leave Hope Town on Sunday morning and head across the Sound to Marsh Harbor for a couple of days.  At that point, I will need to consider what route we will take as we start to work our way back to the USA. We can either head north back on the Sea of Abaco and spend a night on Spanish Cay before moving on to West End (on Grand Bahama Island), or we can head south into the Atlantic Ocean and head for Chub Cay in the Berry Islands before venturing on to Bimini. Like any prudent Captain (especially one married to the Admiral), I will let the winds and seas make that decision for me!

Loving The Abacos

We spent two great days in Green Turtle Cay enjoying the natural beauty, kind Bahamian people and fresh seafood. The Admiral and I rented a golf cart and explored the island from one end to the other (it ain't all that big). The best part of the day was taking our ATGC ("all terrain golf cart") along the white sand beaches to a remote location where we enjoyed the amazingly clear tropical waters for the afternoon. Our last night in Green Turtle we had a lovely dinner with a good friend, "Capt Keith" who we traveled with crossing the Atlantic Gulf Stream in another yacht. All in all, a great start to our Bahama trip. 


On Sunday, the 1st of July, we headed further south to Great Guana Cay through the Whale Cay passage. This open ocean route is known for being a nasty few miles as the seas can "rage" and make it impassable even for the most seaworthy vessels. Fortunately, we had light winds out of the SSE and the ocean was as calm as the Sea of Abacos. Upon arriving in Great Guana, we headed directly to Nippers, a well known (OK, infamous) bar / restaurant / pool / beach / party place overlooking the ocean. They do a pig roast each Sunday that draws quite a crowd. Crazy place, crazy people, crazy good time!

This morning we untied our lines in Great Guana and ran few miles over to Treasure Cay. We had heard so much about the beach there, which is ranked by Travel & Leisure Magazine to be one of the Top 10 beaches in the world. It IS an absolutely gorgeous 3 mile stretch of pure white powder sand, contrasted by shades of turquoise and azure blue water. After a long walk and swim, we headed back to the boat to read and relax for the afternoon. With a full moon near, the tidal swings are unusually large here (5-6 feet), having to climb up a ladder to get off the boat at low tide yet having to step up and over to board the boat at high tide.

Tomorrow we cruise over to Man-O-War Cay for the day before heading to Hope Town on Elbow Cay for the rest of the week and weekend.