A new appreciation for New Providence Island

Having visited Grand Bahama Island annually as a kid, I was always a little irked by folks that said to just bypass it and New Providence as you cruise the islands.  I didn’t really mind that they commented on New Providence/Nassau—it’s crowded, crime can be an issue, it’s crowded...  But I was wrong.

We stayed at a dock in Coral Harbour, on the south side of New Providence Island for 12 days.  In that time, we rented a car for a week.  We got parts, provisioned, enjoyed the national parks, and got to experience Boxing Day Junkanoo.  We went through some rough neighborhoods in our travels, but generally felt safe and welcomed by the people.  Junkanoo, a wild party starting at midnight, should have been our riskiest venture, but it was amazing! 

Our dock felt like home.  In fact, it was at our host’s home and we quickly got accustomed to 5pm happy hour with the hosts and other boaters.  We met some great boaters and got to learn a bit of French from our new Canadian friend.

One of our favorite bits of exploring was at Clifton National Heritage Park.  We walked miles along the shores and through the trees to learn about the history of this area.  I think we all loved the Pirate Steps!

Christmas brought new traditions along with the old. We went on a nice beach walk on Christmas Eve before happy hour, then we watched a movie and the kids exchanged gift before we put out treats for Santa.  Christmas morning was a small affair, but both kids were surprised by what they got!  And we established another tradition—Christmas breakfast cooked by Katreina!  We also had a bit of excitement! As we were having our coffee we got word that one of the boats that had just left had experienced engine trouble and was anchored before the channel.  Frank and I raced out to help our solo sailing friend.  The guys drove dinghies alongside while I helmed the 35 boat.  We gracefully tied up after my FIRST TIME DOCKING EVER! Can you believe it?  Crazy day!


Christmas just kept getting better as our host who is a local nature expert took us to the Primeval Forest!  It was an amazing maze of sinkholes and native trees.  She even drove is to a few other spots for birding and we used the book she wrote to identify species!  Could it get better?  Yes, it could!  We decided to pull the steaks and some chicken out of the freezer and cook up a Christmas feast for our hosts and fellow boater.  It was so nice sharing a meal with our neighbors.


After a brief nap, we were up at 2am and headed into Nassau for Junkanoo!  We were in our seats just after 3am and stayed until 8am.  It was great!  It’s like Mardi Gras, but all the floats are hand-pushed and the “Kalik” of the cowbell thunders through the streets.  I’m so glad we stayed for it (even though Christmas had great weather for crossing to the Exumas!).

We spent a few windy days after Junkanoo sewing and doing laundry.  I ended up completing a fuel line cover, three fuel tank covers, a bucket top, a boom shade and a foredeck shade for the boat during our stay at New Providence.


Did we need to stay that long?  No, but the people we were with were delightful and we aren’t in a rush!  And we now know that New Providence can be a wonderful stop.