BAHAMAS and back to the USA (Feb.2 - June, 2014)

There are approximately 700 Islands in the Bahamas. We couldn't have possibly visited them all but we managed to stop at many of them. We met the most wonderful Bahamians & Cruisers. Some, we hope to meet again.

We left Double Breasted Cay for our voyage back to the US. We couldn't make it directly to Beaufort, North Carolina because of thunderstorms & wind so we stopped in Charleston, South Carolina for a few days. Afterwards, we sailed another 2 days to Beaufort, NC where we put Alpenglow on the hard for the summer.

                                Here's a short view of what we were up to in the Bahamas:

SAND DOLLAR BEACH (Exumas): When the tide is ebbing, you can see the sand and walk quite a ways.




What is this ???? It has 3 inch spikes on one side and looks like millions of feet on the other side. It's about the size of a football. Tim stepped on it and it hurt for about a week.

The water is so clear in the Exumas you can see star fish from the boat.

                      I was so lucky that Natalie was able to come and visit us from Montreal.

Tim's parents, Pat & Dave celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary

David Copperfield commissioned this stainless steel grand piano and mermaid named "The Musician". It is submerged near his private Island of Musha Cay. It was installed in 2011, 4 meters below the surface. Below, I am playing the piano. Notice the difference between 2011 and 2014.



TIM UP THE MAST

DEAN'S BLUE HOLE:  It is the world's deepest known blue hole. It plunges 202 meters (663 ft) in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.



















PAPAYA

BANANA POD

We managed to spear many spiny lobsters & share them with Nancy & Rick on "Angle Eyes"


























You can find these beautiful carved brain corals by Bobbie, the owner of the Sumner Point Marina in Rum Cay. Unfortunately, the marina was hard hit by hurricanes and is now closed however you can dock for free but there are no amenities.

























How many people can say that they biked the whole length of a runway? I did, at Rum Cay.

RUM CAY AIRPORT RUNWAY

  Locals having fun playing instruments in Rum Cay




















In San Salvador we had strong winds so we decided to hide away in a marina. I'm really glad we did that since I got vertigo for 4 days. Here's a picture of Alpenglow and our buddy boat Angel eyes from a cemetery in San Salvador.

We biked around the whole island of San Salvador, 38 miles.  Along the way we visited the Dixon Hill Lighthouse.

ANGEL EYES in SAN SALVADORE



While sailing to Cat island, we caught our first fish ever ! 
A mutton snapper.  It was YUMMY !

In North Eleuthera, I found the biggest asparagus ever !



PINK BEACH IN ELEUTHERA ALL TO OURSELVES

While biking we found a pineapple farm.  The owner was very friendly and showed us all around.  This was between Hatchet Bay and Gregory Town in Eleuthera. 

PINEAPPLE PLANT



PIGEON PEAS



WORKER TENDING TO THE PINEAPPLES

Hatchet Bat caves in Eleuthera. It's very deep and dark, requiring at least 2 headlamps in case one goes out !

                           Brenda & Al got free crab from a fisherman and shared with us

HAPPY IN THE BAHAMAS (Dec.23, 2013 - Feb.1, 2014)

BIMINI, BAHAMAS

Between December 2013 and February 2014, we've been to Fort Lauderdale, Key Biscayne, Hurricane Hole, Bimini & Nassau in the Bahamas and several Cays and Islands along the Exumas.

IRENE, SUSAN & TIM at IRENE's CONDO in POMPANO BEACH

While in Fort Lauderdale, we visited my cousin Irene and her husband Jacques in Pompano beach.  They are originally from Shediac, New Brunswick, where my mother grew up. 

We all went to see a Panther's hockey game which was awesome since I haven't seen a live game in years !

Over 100 boats participated in the parade

Fort Lauderdale has a yearly Christmas boat parade that went right by our boat.






FORT LAUDERDALE

Every place we stopped had a different feel and there was alway much to explore. The water in the Bahamas is extremely clear so you can see the bottom in about 30 to 40 feet of water. The weather has been mostly dry and it's just getting warmer and warmer, so much so that the water is starting to feel like bath water. Snorkeling occurs on most days where we've seen Nurse sharks, Reef fish, turtles, Southern Stingrays, Spotted stingrays, Conch, Slimy large wormlike looking things, Lion fish, Barracuda, Dolphins, Lobster, Squid and more. The most wonderful experience I had was when I saw a single dolphin around our boat. I jumped in with my snorkeling gear and we mimicked each other for about 20 minutes until she took off at the speed of light. 



Arrived in the Bahamas where Brown's marina invites all Quebecers & Canadians

XMAS pot luck with Quebecers



BIMINI, BAHAMAS

Both Tim & I aren't fishermen so even though we have tried very hard, we have yet to catch a fish. We often hear of people catching Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Snapper & Mackerel. Cruisers are extremely generous with their fish, so at pot lucks, we'd often eat sushi and baked fish.

We've had lots of great days of sailing and we try to take advantage of the favorable winds as much as possible. Our two day sail from Bimini to Nassau was outstanding. We anchored for one night in what's called the Bahama banks which is an area of very shallow water, 10-20 feet deep and 50 miles across. It was a weird feeling anchoring in the middle of nowhere with no land in sight. Sailing down the Exuma Cays was possible on some days, and on other days, unfortunately, we had to motor. We haven't had any bad weather while sailing and the winds were mostly from the South East at an average of 15 knots.





NEW YEARS at PARADISE ISLAND RESORT



PARADISE ISLAND RESORT



New Year's Eve JUNKANOO parade in NASSAU

JUNKANOO started at 2:30am until about 2:00pm the next day

 Our boat is holding up well. Along the way, we found several anchorages where we were the only boat so it was like having an island all to ourselves. That was a real treat. However, in Georgetown, we have about 250 neighbors. We've enjoyed both being on our own and socializing with new & old friends in Georgetown. Georgetown has almost all the amenities a cruiser would need. For example, the local hair salon also sells seafood & lobster, go figure ! There's a good deli, grocery store, bakery, laundromat, restaurants & bars and so on.   

CLEAR WATER OF THE EXUMAS

Fresh water in the Bahamas is expensive. They charge anywhere from 40 to 80 cents a gallon. However, in Georgetown, you can tie up at the city dinghy dock where you can fill up your jerry cans for free. However, you have to make several trips to fill up your tanks, and each jerry can, when full, weighs about 50 pounds. 

On Stocking Island across from Georgetown, there is a small restaurant/bar called "Chat N' Chill" that plays killer music some nights and where many people dance the night away. It is an absolute blast. Near the bar is a stand where you can order conch salad which is made fresh right in front of you.

My friend Natalie from Montreal visited us then Tim's parents. We had a fantastic time with them. It was like Christmas when they arrived with treats and things we needed for the boat. But now, it's time for us to move on. We will be heading south to the Jumentos, Long Island and Conception Cay with our buddy boat "Angel Eyes", Rick & Nancy from Ontario. 

NATALIE OF MONTREAL, STOCKING ISLAND

SAND DOLLAR BEACH

PAT & DAVE TIEFENBACH

CATCHING SPINY LOBSTER

Commissioned by David Copperfield, the grand illusionist, "THE MUSICIAN" was submerged in clearn, warm shallow waters on the private island of Musha Cay, part of the Islands of Copperfield Bay, Bahamas.