{"id":5247,"date":"2016-02-01T15:37:11","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T15:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=5247"},"modified":"2016-02-01T15:37:11","modified_gmt":"2016-02-01T15:37:11","slug":"in-the-bahamas-finally-and-its-plenty-ok-mon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=5247","title":{"rendered":"In the Bahamas, finally and it’s Plenty “OK” Mon."},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been a long journey trying to find our way to the Bahamas. \u00a0We spent a\u00a0month in Florida, a good amount of that time waiting for a proper weather window to make the crossing. \u00a0But, Pandora is now safe and sound here at\u00a0Great Harbor Key <\/a>in the Berry Islands. This island was once famous for attracting well known guests from the Hollywood but now that building is in ruins. \u00a0It’s located just outside of the marina. \u00a0Bill and I walked by it yesterday. \u00a0\u00a0\"2-1-16aBill, flew down to Ft Lauderdale on short notice last week to make the run with me to the Bahamas. \u00a0We departed from the Middle River on Saturday to take advantage of a several days of light easterly winds. \u00a0 Getting from FL to the Bahamas can be a “waiting game” unless you are what Chris Parker, the Weather router, calls “salty”. \u00a0Crossing to the Bahamas, against the easterly trades, the normal wind direction, for most folks means motoring into the light easterlies that usually follow the passage of a cold front. \u00a0This is about the only time that they winds settle down for a few days. \u00a0 Alternatively, you can “ride a front”, This involves crossing as the winds begin to clock to the SW ahead of the front. \u00a0 As the winds clock, they veer to the West, NW, North and ultimately back to east. \u00a0Properly times, you can sail all of the way. \u00a0This can be challenging, however, if the front ends up moving faster than expected and you can easily find yourself in the middle of the Gulf Stream with very rough conditions. \u00a0A northerly wind blowing against the GS kicks up short steep waves over 10′ and it can happen very quickly. \u00a0These conditions aren’t fun so most tend to head out when the wind is light and settled from the east.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, we left as the wind was dropping and motored all the way here, around twenty hours. \u00a0The Gulf Stream was a “non-event” with swells of about 4′ but spaced quite far apart. \u00a0 Crossing the banks, which are shallow, somewhere between 15; and 25′ deep, was a little choppy but Pandora did fine motoring into them. \u00a0 As the sun set to the west we were treated to a spectacular sunset. \u00a0And, until the moon rose around midnight, the stars were amazing. \u00a0\"\"For some time now, I had been noticing that a small amount of salt water had been finding it’s way into the pan under the engine and after about 8 hours of motoring I was distressed to find that there was a few cups of water sloshing around in the pan. \u00a0Bill, who is very good with mechanical stuff, took a look and discovered that the tube on the vacuum break for the exhaust was dripping. \u00a0This isn’t a major problem, although it shouldn’t be happening. \u00a0Solution? He relocated the hose to drip into a part of the bilge that drains to the bilge pump. \u00a0Problem solved!<\/p>\n

I had been trying to identify where that leak was coming from for weeks, with no luck. Great job Bill! \u00a0 The elbow has a check valve that appears to have failed causing a slow drip. \u00a0Fortunately, it’s not a big deal but it has to be replaced in the spring. \u00a0 This is quite good news as I was fearful that the problem was much worse. \u00a0The leak has probably been there for years given evidence of some rusty spots on the engine.<\/p>\n

By the time we arrived at Great Harbor Cay yesterday it was early\u00a0morning and we anchored outside of the cut that goes into the marina. \u00a0I hailed the marina and they had us come into the dock to clear customs. \u00a0The two officers that came out to do our paperwork couldn’t have been nicer. \u00a0All settled and legal now. \u00a0It’s good to be here at last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Great Harbor Cay Marina<\/a> is very nice and after sitting at the dock for a few hours waiting for customs to arrive, I got to wondering if I should just sign up to stay for a few weeks after all. \u00a0Brenda and I had been planning to be here for ann extended visit and had booked a reservation months ago only to change it several times as weather delays kept us in Florida.<\/p>\n

When Brenda had to fly out last week for a funeral of the son of her very oldest friend, we both felt that perhaps a stay at the marina wasn’t in the cards and I reluctantly canceled it. \u00a0 However, after speaking with Brenda yesterday and hearing how exhausted she sounded, after such a difficult visit, I decided to try and re-book our stay. \u00a0The marina is completely full but happily, with a bit of shuffling, Kimberly, the dock master, \u00a0was able to accommodate us.<\/p>\n

Brenda flies into Nassau on Wednesday and I have arranged for her to to Great Harbor Cay, a 15 minute flight. \u00a0The connection is very tight as she has to make here way through Customs and get her luggage in Nassau before heading to the “puddle jumper” flight. \u00a0I hope she makes it. \u00a0If not, she can stay in a hotel for a night and fly in the next morning.<\/p>\n

As Bill and I were sitting in the cockpit last evening enjoying the comings and goings in the marina, a small runabout came by loaded, and I mean loaded, with lobsters and fish. \u00a0 The fishermen moved their catch to the dock to clean and sell what they had and they had plenty. \u00a0 Bill and I just had to have lobster for dinner. \u00a0I think that we picked the three on the left, you know, the second, third and fifth from the top center. \u00a0No wait, perhaps they were the 17th, 31st and 38th from the right? \u00a0Not certain. \u00a0Which ever they were…they were excellent.\u00a0\"2-1-16aWith all the changes I have had to make, \u00a0the staff here at the Great Harbor Cay Marina have been very understanding. \u00a0They happily do everything that they can to help out. \u00a0 Last night they even called the “liquor store” for me to check and be sure that they had coconut rum before I rode a bike over there. \u00a0 I put “liquor store” in quotes because it’s a relative term. \u00a0In reality, it’s a bar, grocery store, pool hall and liquor store all rolled up in one with the “liquor store” selling what they have stored under the bar itself. \u00a0I expect that the locals get a better price than I did. \u00a0However, I did get the rum.<\/p>\n

I will see Brenda in a few days and I am excited. \u00a0Bill has been great company but I have missed Brenda and it’s been tough having her away. \u00a0I expect that she will need some time to decompress from her trying week but hopefully being in the sunny Bahamas and enjoying the friendly smiles of the locals will help her get into the “Island spirit”. \u00a0Perhaps an “adult beverage” will help too. \u00a0Yes, I expect that it will.<\/p>\n

This is very friendly place indeed. \u00a0Perhaps this sign at the entrance to the airport says it best. \u00a0\u00a0\"\"“Please Come Back Again. (OK?)”. \u00a0And yes, “OK”\u00a0it is. \u00a0 No, make that “Plenty OK Mon!”<\/p>\n

Brenda… See you soon. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s been a long journey trying to find our way to the Bahamas. \u00a0We spent a\u00a0month in Florida, a good amount of that time waiting for a proper weather window to make the crossing. \u00a0But, Pandora is now safe and sound here at\u00a0Great Harbor Key in the Berry Islands. This island was once famous for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5252,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247\/revisions\/5252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}