Miami to Nassau in 28 hours

We left No Name harbor last Thursday at 6:30 AM and had S-SW winds at 10-15 kts. boosting us across the Gulf Stream past the island of Bimini around 2 PM.  We now were on the Bahama banks, which are only about 15-20 feet deep - quite a change from the depths of over 2000 feet in the stream.  Water color was beautiful but pretty soon  - NIGHTFALL - and it was one of the darkest we have seen - it was like being in a black tunnel for 12 hrs.  Lucky for us we were following our friends Ginny and Jesse on Winddust & they had done this before plus had better radar and other technology (AIS) to avoid any ships out there.  Daylight arrived just as we were to maneuver an area called "The Tongue of the Ocean" (don"t ask - I don't know).  Arriving in Nassau was pretty easy - and the mega resort of Atlantis was a big landmark.  Many cruise ships and mega yachts here. We walked to Atlantis to check it out - amazing - then went to the British colonial Hotel where we sent our honeymoon. Grocery stores not well stocked here due to delay of supply ships and loss of power to meat coolers but we are already well provisioned.  A few days in a marina has erased the fatigue and remnants of sea sickness so now we are headed further into the Exuma island chain, heading for a place called Waldrick Wells.

Sunrise a welcome sight !

Busy Nassau harbor

Atlantis yacht basin - huge boats -$80/ft./night!

Atlantis

Atlantis

Chicago in the Bahamas

British Colonial where we spent out honeymoon

Megerin at dock - Atlantis just across a bridge from us

Inside British Colonial

buying lobster - Yum

Cruise ship arriving in the early morning close to our anchorage

No Name Harbor

Ok, we are still in Miami, now seriously looking for a weather window to cross the Gulf stream over to the Bahamas.  We have been here for a few weeks, first anchoring near Star Island, which is the South Beach area.  Star island is home to many celebrities, including the person (man) who invented Viagra.  His mansion is the biggest on the island, no surprise.  From Star Island we can dinghy to any number of shops and restaurants, walk the South Beach ocean front to check out the trendy and sometimes kooky people.

                                                                     
Now we are in No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne, which is in a lovely state park, but on the weekends the serenity disappears when the party boaters arrive, rafting up to drink, dance and make a lot of noise.  We really don't mind that so much but worry about their ability to handle their boat and possibly damage ours !
I recently went home to Pgh. for a quick visit, leaving Ray to fend off the revelers over a holidays weekend - his nerves were shot.

Anyway, I will try to keep up this blog when we get to the Bahamas.  We plan to go right past Bimini to Nassau, a long trip, then on to the out islands of the Exuma chain.

Cumberland Island, GA

Dungeness Mansion ruin

Wild horses

Cumberland Island, Georgia - Fantastic.  One of our favorite spots on the US coast.  It has a lot of Pittsburgh history, as the ruin of a mansion there was built by Thomas Carnegie and we thought that the architecture really looked like it had the Pittsburgh influence.  Walking on the trails through live oaks and palmetto palms we saw wild horses and turkeys.  No alligators but hear they are there.  It is now under the National Park system so it will be preserved for us all to enjoy.

Trails all around the island

Boat Improvements

Last year we reupholstered the boat cushions and had a new counter top installed, since the previous owners had drilled some holes in the counter for mysterious reasons. Ray worked hard on plumbing and electrical issues but those results are not so easy to photograph. We also bought a flat screen tv, new generator, and changed the boat letters. Here are some before and after pictures. The blue is before.

It's been a long time

As you can see, I had good intentions of keeping a blog with Megerin but somehow dropped those intentions right out of my life.
I know most people keep in touch with Facebook now-a-days ( I have heard blogs are so 2006 ), but I am not a fan (though liked the movie), so think maybe if i start up a blog again it will give me incentive to keep in touch more. I always MEAN to email but seldom do.
Anyway, we have had Megerin for almost 2 years now and have made it to the Abacos in northern Bahamas last year and this year hope to sail from Florida to central Bahama island chain called the Exumas. Right now we are in Miami, anchored near good cruising friends, with the city as a beautiful backdrop. Everyday cruise ships move in and out and i think we are in a lot of pictures - we sure see a lot of flashes going off. The loud music is playing, huge screens are lit up showing passengers already doing some disco dancing - in and out every day! An amazing industry. And quite a change from the island anchorages we used to be in. But it is fun touring around, having very good restaurants and stores nearby. Enjoy it while we can, right?