Farewell Mainland good ‘ol US of A.

Bob was up early doing chores around the boat, checking oil, trying to get the macerator to work and most importantly blowing up the dinghy that would be our life raft should we need it during our crossing to St. Thomas. We hadn’t realized that we needed to fly a Bahamian flag while in their waters nor did we remember that we needed a quarantine flag until we cleared customs. Both Bob and I had chartered in the British Virgin Isles and although we had to clear customs there, we never had to fly flags. Gary S’s extensive knowledge of the Bahamas and Exumas was already proving priceless. Gary S said he’d stop by the West Marine store in the AM and pick up the necessary flags. Our goal was to leave by 8 AM but West Marine didn’t open till nine so we had to wait. Gary S and Bob went back to the store when they opened, got the flags and the last macerator pump they had since ours was declared dead. We quickly made the boat sea ready and left the dock. June 21 9:30 AM 662 hours

Making our way down the intercoastal we cleared the two bridges and headed for Bimini 60 miles due east to check in at customs. Gary S guided us thru the narrow cut in the reef and we made our way over very shallow water to Blue Water Marine where we picked up our customs papers, filled them out and had Captain Bob check us in. Customs lightened his wallet by $300 for the privilege of traversing their waters. Once we cleared customs, we cut down the quarantine flag and made our way out the cut. Our first waypoint was the cut between Gun cay and Cat cay which would put us on the Bahamian bank. This cruise was amazing. Sixty miles of aqua blue water only about 8 feet deep over pure white sand. Traveling 22 knots over this was truly an experience. No matter where you looked all you could see for miles was this aqua sea. On the horizon where the sky met the water there was a pink tinge. Stunningly beautiful.

We’ve been in seriously steamy heat for three days now. Everyone is clammy and everything you touch is sticky. The sun is directly overhead as it reaches its’ most northern apogee. The diesels drone on for hours as we broil in the strong sun. The water temp is a hot 92 degrees.

We reach our waypoint at the end of the bank. As we turn toward our final destination for today, Nassau, we literally run off the bank. It’s a cliff in the ocean. The depth drops from a mere 14 feet to over a mile and a half deep. This area is called the “Tongue of the Ocean” probably so named because of its’ shape on the charts. It is a vast area almost completely surrounded by very shallow water.

As we approached Nassau harbor around 7 PM, Gary S told us that we had to call Nassau Harbor Control to get permission to enter their harbor. We answered their questions, got permission to enter and proceeded to our slip at the marina. The end of another very long day on the water. So as we do when we finish each day, we opened a bottle of wine. Choosing to stay on the boat, we BBQ’d up some steaks with rice, beans and Gina’s terrific salad. A rum night cap and bed.
Pictures to follow we're tired had a few nitecaps and will post pics later in this blog and the next two.