Day To Day Life in the Bahamas
I have gotten a couple questions about what we do every day living in the Bahamas. So I thought I would provide a brief portrayal of what life is like for us in the Bahamas.
The Abaco Cruisers Net
The first thing we do every morning is listen to the Abaco Cruisers Net on our VHF radio (channel 68). The Cruisers Net is run completely by cruisers and comes on at 0815 hours every day of the year. The “Net” has been ongoing for about 20 years. Currently it is broadcast out of Hopetown Harbour on Elbow Cay where our marina is located.
What is the Bahamas Like?
Being Christmas time I thought I would log a short post providing a general description of what life is like in the Bahamas.
Crossing the Bank to the Abacos
After completing our Bahamas check-in, we topped off our diesel fuel tank and motored out of the West End marina at about 1200 hours. In the daytime, it seems pretty simple to get out of the marina. We spent the next three days on the “Bank.”
The Crossing
We spent about 8 days at the North Palm Beach Marina in Florida where I completed some engine maintenance tasks – changed both fuel filters, changed oil and filter, and installed a new raw water pump, in preparation for the crossing over the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Velcro Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, FL is fondly referred to by the cruising community as “Velcro Beach.” This is because the Vero Beach municipal marina is set up very well to accommodate cruisers. It is so easy to stay here that the area acts like “Velcro” for cruisers as people end up staying here for much longer than originally planned. While we were in Vero there were over 120 sailboats moored in the marina.
Central Florida
The trip through central Florida was pretty uneventful. However, the weather was pretty breezy. Every day the wind speed was about 20 knots and the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) has been pretty choppy. Normally we would not travel in this kind of weather, but the wind direction was from the north. This means, when travelling south, the wind is at our back so we did move further south in smaller segments.
Northern Florida
This part of our trip presented some real challenges. I don’t remember having this many obstacles the last time we made this trip, but perhaps this is because you tend to remember the good times and not the frustrating moments. So far we have been slowed but not stopped.
Georgia – The Long and Winding Road
The southern part of South Carolina and Georgia is the most winding part of the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). It seems like you travel almost as much east and west as you do north and south. Because of this many people avoid this part of the ICW. Some sailboats go offshore at Charleston, SC and come back into the waterway at Fernandina Beach, the first ICW stop in Florida. This 30-hour trip offshore allows you to avoid about4 days winding down the ICW.
The Second Half of South Carolina
After waiting out Tropical Storm “Sandy” at the Isle of Palms Marina for a week, we again headed south on the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW). We stayed a couple days longer at the Isle of Palms Marina as the winds remained elevated (about 25 to 30 knots) even after “Sandy” had passed. We are one of those sailboats that do not like to go out if it is too windy.