Normans Island (Part 1) ....

After two days at Highborne Cay it was time to find a new anchorage.  An anchorage that would provide protection from the coming northerly winds.  After a look at the charts, nearby Normans Island looked like our best option.  We'd spend four days stuck at Normans and while that sounds dreadful, four days stuck in the Bahamas is really not so bad.  After all we had a beautiful beach and an inland pond to explore.

On the fourth day we turned on the radio and heard a familar voice on the other end.  It was John on Marylee.  While we were anchored on the east side of the island he, Mary and Goliath were anchored on the west side.  Once the winds subsided we hoisted the hook and surfed through Normans Cut (as the waves were still quite wicked) to locate Marylee. 

Friends and a new location could only mean two things - happy hours and more gunkholing.  Our gunkholing tooks us to the sand bars at Normans at low tide where we found plenty of conch.  After collecting what looked like the most mature specimans we went ashore and had a conch cleaning party.  Conch - always delicious but lots of work to clean and prepare.

The Admiral

Highborne ....

Once the front passed we were able to sail across the Yellow Bank to Highborne Cay - our entry point into the Exuma islands.  There we went ashore and explored the pristine beaches.

Once back on board the Breezer we decided to explore the nearby coral heads.  Tucked underneath one Dave found a lonely little lobster just waiting for us.  He weighed in at over three pounds and sported a nine inch tail. An excellent catch for our first venture out.

The Admiral

Nassau ...

 

 

Next was Nassau.  As we approached, it was apparant that Nassau was busy with tourist traffic given all the cruise ships in port.  Off in the distance we could see Atlantis on Paradise Island.  During our previous stay we had anchored west of the city but this trip we opted to travel through the busy Nassau Harbor and anchor on the east side. 

 

After dropping the hook we went ashore and it took the Captain all of 15 minutes to find - yep - a Dairy Queen.  I swear the guy has a DQ homing signal hidden somewhere.  We, of course, had to stop.  After all, it would likely be the last DQ we would see in quite a while.  We also found more important things along the way like a supermarket and liquor store. 

 

We spent several days in Nassau as we waited for a cold front to pass.  We explored the downtown district and spent our days bustling about like the tourists off the cruise ships.  We stopped at Potters Cay, Fish Fry Village and generally bummed around.  Our favorite stop was on Paradise Island where we stopped at the Aquarium at Atlantis.  The size of the aquarium surprised us and the number of fish amazed us further.  The sea animals included a hge manta ray with a wingspan larger than Dave or I's.  Truly unbelievable.

 

The Admiral

 

Photos 1 & 2:  Approaching Nassau Harbor

Photo 3:           Dave finds heaven

Photo 4:           Atlantis Aquarium

Photo 5:           Jellyfish at the Atlantis Aquarium



The Banks and Frazer's Hog ...

 

 

We left Bimini and motored over to Cat Cay for lunch.  From there we began the journey across the Banks.  We let the wind and sails carry us along until sunset where we opted to just drop the hook where we were in the middle of a vast desert of shallow water.  

 

About 2 am our pleasantness ended.  The winds had settled and the tides shifted and suddenly Tropical Breeze was being hit by waves broadside.  It happens and when it does the boat jerks about and is generally uncomfortable.  We'll take more wind any day to avoid the rocking the absence of wind causes.  

 

With our choices limited to stay and let the motion continue or move on, we opted to hoist the anchor and continue the trek across the Banks.  We motored and motored and motored (and a little sailing when the wind shifted south enough) until we finally reached Chub Cay.  We hid behind neighboring Mama Rhoda Rock for the evening for a pleasant nights rest.

 

But yet another wind shift was expected - and not in the direction which would enable us to get to Nassau.  So instead we motored up towards the shallows of Frazer's Hog Cay and found a place right near a beach to drop the hook.  We would hang out for the day in hopes of a wind shift that would take us to Nassau.

 

The Admiral

  

Arrival Bimini ....

We departed No Name Harbor as the sun was setting, hoisted the sails and began the trek to Bimini.  The weather was beautiful with southerly winds 10-15 knots, rolling seas, a near full moon and 70 degrees all evening. 

We made quick work of the crossing arriving well ahead of sunrise.  Given the darkness we anchored off Turtle Rocks and caught some zzzzz's before entering Alicetown for Cusoms and Immigration clearance. 

We are currently tied up at Bimini Big Game Club but will be departing shortly to begin the trek across the banks.  Once on the banks fishing gear will come out and we will hope to catch a snapper for supper.   The southerly winds are expected to continue for several days so we look forward to a great journey to Nassau.

The Admiral

Strange Sightings Part 2 ...

 

 

So we started with the floating Fiat 500 - in a nice canary yellow.  From there the group swapped out cars and decided to give this red Fiat Abarth a test drive or should we say dive.  Yes, this version is a submersible.  From the looks of things it is still very much in test phase - but coming to a dealership near you - after a bit more testing.

 

As for me, I think I'll hold out for the Trifecta version which is able to travel by land, sea and air.  Its air capability will enable it to transform into a helicopter.  The Fiat team promised the Trifecta would be available in 2015. 

 

The Admiral

 

PS - Don't miss Strange Sightings Part 1 below.

 



Strange Sightings Part 1 ....

 

 



 

 

We left the Marine Stadium anchorage and headed a few miles south to Coconut Grove, a Miami suburb and home to the Dinner Key Mooring Field.  This would be our last opportunity to do laundry, grocery shop and get a great meal out before our departure so we opted to take full advantage.

 

On our stroll through town we sighted many unusual things.  The artsy community had lots of interesting shops including the first condom store we had ever seen.  After reviewing the stores website I can confirm that the merchandise is everything you'd expect - condoms, toys, lingerie and much more.  Also, as expected, the condom store was flanked by a piercing store on one side and a tattoo parlor a few stores down.  For enquiring minds the cigar shop was a block away.

 

Back at the marina we happened to find some strange stuff going on at the launch ramp.  Some people, not sure if they were from Fiat or not, were launching a Fiat 500.   Yep... a car.  But this wasn't just any car this was a floating car.  And while you may not want to believe the photos we can promise that, yes, the car exited the launch ramp and drove around the mooring basin.  If that wasn't enough they had a second car with its own unique abilities...but you will need to wait for part 2 of this adventure for the footage.

 

Back on land, another boater recommended we try Lokal for a great burger.  The burger decision was tough but we opted for the Fidy Fidy.  It is a burger of 1/2 organic ground beef and 1/2 bacon topped with monterey jack cheese and onion marmalade.  It is served with a 1/2 order of sweet potato fries and a 1/2 order of french fries.  Definitely tasty and whatsmore no guilt since the beef was organic. (Yeah, and at Dairy Queen we get our calcium requirement for the day =)

 

So much for justifying our diet....  

 

The Admiral