Livin' on Island Time

After learning we couldn't cross to the Bahamas for another week, we decided to spend some time in the Keys. We spent a few nights anchored off Elliot Key, a night at Thursday Cove, and then a night at Key Largo. We had planned to move on to Islamorada, but when Chris Parker (Marine Weather Service) speaks we listen. He suggested with the upcoming forecast, we would have a good opportunity for a good crossing from Miami to Bimini. So we turned around and headed back toward Miami. With all of our comings and goings, we had some nice sails.




Back in Miami, we decided to splurge and spend a night in a marina. This gave us the opportunity to make some trips for even more provisions, refill propane, and do some boat work. We then headed over to Hurricane Harbor, an area of million dollar homes in Key Biscayne. We had a nice treat our last night there, with a parade of boats motoring through lit up for Christmas, some playing Christmas music.




We left Hurricane Harbor at 7:00 a.m. on December 15. We shut our engine down an hour out in the ocean and didn't turn it on again until we passed Mackie Shoal on the Grand Bahama Bank. Although we have not been traveling with another boat, we did not feel alone. There was a flotilla of boats around us, others who had taken the same opportunity to get across while the getting was good. We had the sail of a lifetime all the way under a full moon. We then motor sailed the rest of the way to Nassau, with Dan bringing in his first Mahi shortly before we entered Nassau Harbor. We were tied up to a dock at the Harbor Club Marina by 9:00 a.m on December 16.




We cleared customs and immigration, then took care of getting our IPhone unlocked and getting a Bahamas phone number. Dan had been chatting on the radio with Steve from Slow Flight while we were traveling along the Banks. He and his friend Kelly stopped by Glory Days for drinks that afternoon. The following morning, while fueling up before leaving, we met Bo and Joyce from Dream Catcher, who are friends of our Michigan friends, Lee and MaryPat. Small world.

We left Nassau and sailed to Highborne Cay. From there, we spent two nights at Saddle Cay. The winds were howling, so we mostly stayed on the boat at these anchorages. That was OK though. We were ready to relax after the long crossing and were just happy to be back in the beautiful turquoise waters of the Bahamas.







We then moved to Norman's Cay, where we finally had a chance to go ashore and do some exploring. Norman's Cay has an interesting history in that it was under the control of a major drug runner, Carlos Lehder, from 1978 to 1982. Cocaine was flown into Norman's on jets from Columbia, then loaded onto small planes and delivered to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolina's. The character of Diego Delgado in Johnny Depp's movie, "Blow," is based on Lehder, who is now in a federal prison.




We met a local resident, who told us that he is one of the dozen current residents, but the only one who was on the island when we visited. There is a runway and several small planes came and went while we were anchored there. The water here is beautiful and there are some nice beaches. Dan found two sea beans while walking along one of them.





After two nights at Norman's Cay, we moved onto to Hawksbilll Cay, which is part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. There are two marked trails to hike here and a gorgeous beach on the ocean.

Location:Hawksbill Cay