Another fantastic stop at Great Harbour Cay!

For three years straight we have spent over a week of our time in the Bahamas at Great Harbour Cay Marina. As we hardly ever head to a marina, why does this one attract us? The people. I mean, the all-around protection and reasonable rates are awesome, too, but King and the staff are just amazing. They coordinate with the customs and immigration folks, host “chill & grill” and pizza nights, offer trips to the fuel depot and town, deliver fresh bread right to the boat, and are just plain nice! And for the cruisers…$2/ft/day or $10/ft/week with free wash down water, decent showers, free WiFi…RO water, reliable power, and laundry extra. There are also anchorages on both the SW and NE sides of the island.

Clockwise from UL: the cut into Great Harbour Cay; Chill & Grill; delicious coconut bread; the welcome sign over the cut; Lehe Paine all snug in a slip!

Being in the marina also always gives us a chance to easily meet and mingle with other cruisers. This year we loved hanging out with old friends from S/V Pleiades and meeting the crews of Nō Ka 'Oi, Journey, Sloth, Inti, Bay Dreamin', Salty Emerald, and Privateer. And in perhaps the strangest meeting, I got to renew a friendship with a guy from my tiny, cornfield-surrounded hometown in Illinois when S/V Makae pulled in! Such a small world! It was lovely chatting with everyone and we look forward to sharing anchorages with them in the future!

Easily the craziest meet-up yet! Kurt and I hail from the same land-locked town in Illinois and even crossed paths in our younger days. Great to see him and his wife, Shanty, and their beautiful new boat, S/V Makae!

With lots to explore via foot, bike, and dinghy, we really just love GHC and really can’t wait to be back!

We loved exploring Shark Creek and Hawksnest Cay with the crews of Pleiades and Nō Ka 'Oi!

I went a little coco-nuts! We collected 6 or 7 of these yummy guys and froze some of the meat for snacks along the way. The fresh coconut water was such a treat!

Ruins, beaches, beach clean-ups, swimming, game nights with friends...plenty to do even when the wind is up.

We departed at sunset after a wonderful visit! (Photo credit: Kurt on S/V Makae)

~ Jo, 1st Mate

It's all about the people (and the food!)

The title says it all! In my old life, a tough day at work was always balanced by getting to work through the challenges with some pretty awesome people. Now that we're traveling all the time I can say that it still holds true--the best memories, whether they be made on pristine beaches, in a hot engine compartment, or in a crazy storm, are usually all great memories because of the people. But then there's the other travel joy...THE FOOD! And when those two glorious things come together, that's when the real magic happens.

And that's what we have here in Great Harbour Cay. Two years ago we had our first conch salad of our cruising lives (and the Skipper's first ever) at Brown's Garden. Ronnie Brown served up his specialty with a smile and a good dose of stories about the island. We visited him a few times that week, even celebrating our 15th anniversary with his conch salads served in plastic bowls with plastic spoons and cold Kalik beers. That conch salad became the one we compared all others to! We were back again last year, in the midst of COVID, and while things were definitely slower on the island, Ronnie was still in good spirits and we chatted quite a bit over Kaliks. This year, things still aren't quite back to how they were the first year, new family members are working with him, but his spirit at that great conch salad are still there!

Conch salad (background), scorch conch (foreground), and a cold Kalik!

Based on a conversation we had last year, we had a little gift for Ronnie from the states...a culinary treat that is a little hard to come by on the island. Last night the three of us headed to an early dinner at Brown's so we could deliver and Ronnie was so surprised! He has brought us so many smiles over the years and it was great to give him a little joy in return. Hugs and shots were shared, and when it was time to get dinner going, Ronnie took Trent down to the water with him to learn more about conch. We gather and clean our own conch onboard, but here Trent was getting to learn from a real master! Ronnie told him all about how to get the conch out and let him do one, taught him all about the conch anatomy, showed him how to clean it, then gave us a peek at his salad technique. And we ate and chatted and smiled and left with full bellies and hearts. 

Cheers to good friends!

Ronnie's "office" is stunning! And he and Trent had way too much fun cleaning those conch!

Ronnie sporting a big smile while making that conch salad...you can't help but smile back!

I love learning about a culture through its food. Eat the exotic stuff, hear the stories, and appreciate the work that went into the food!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Back in the Bahamas for another season!

After an overnight sail/motorsail/motor from Lake Worth, FL, we have arrived at Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands! We checked in here two years ago this week and it's great to be back again for our annual stop. We are here for a week (or more depending on weather!) and look forward to exploring some of our favorite spots! And super excited to be sharing this stop with old and new cruising friends!

Clockwise from upper left: sunrise departure; great conditions crossing the Gulf Stream; sunset; sunrise as we approached the Berry Islands.

The Skipper raising the "Q" flag in Bahamian waters.

All tied up at Great Harbour Cay Marina!

Hoffman’s Cay—a quick, action-packed stop!

We gave the seas the morning to settle before making the quick, 7nm run down to Hoffman’s Cay. We really wanted to return as last year only the kids and I went to the blue hole while Frank stayed with the boat. We had anchored in a strong current and were still adjusting to Bahamas anchorages at the time. This time, with light winds and a flood current, we came in the inlet to find the anchorage at White Cay (which is good for our draft and still close to the blue hole) was completely empty! We set the hook as another boat came in the inlet, but they went farther in to another anchorage. We were alone alongside a powdery beach!

After a quick lunch we set up the solar oven to heat up our Super Bowl Sunday dinner of queso and bean dip and took off in the dink to hit the blue hole. The kids quickly found the trail and within minutes we were overlooking the 600-foot wide hole from a cliff 20 feet up. And we were the only ones there! It was so quiet. The only sounds were our feet on the rocks and a few birds. But enough peace...it was time to jump! Trent kicked things off, followed by Frank, Katreina, and finally me! That first jump was kind of scary, but the water felt great and I went back a few more times. Love it there!

We returned to the boat, gathered our snorkeling gear, and headed over to the beach on White Cay to snorkel some nearby coral heads and reefs. It was pretty sweet! The water was fairly warm and we saw a blacktip reef shark, a stingray, lots of small fish, and quite a bit of healthy coral. 

We cleaned up, poured cocktails, watched the sun set, and enjoyed our simple dinner. The Buccaneers are looking like they are going to win the Super Bowl and with very light winds in the forecast we have decided to start our move towards the Exumas tomorrow morning. Another great day of cruising!

Our first visit to Soldier Cay

Several boats left Great Harbour Cay Thursday heading the same direction as we did. While some headed to the Hoffman’s Cay area, we opted for Soldier Cay. We had never been, it looked neat, and we could possibly stay through the next round of southerly winds.

I’m just going to say it—Thursday was an epic cruiser day! We fished the ledge on our way over and caught a nice blackfin tuna (and a cero mackerel that we released). It wasn’t massive, but could have been 3-4 good meals for the two of us that eat fish. Instead we opted for two big, fresh meals! Five boats were already in the anchorage when we arrived and we struggled to find good bottom to set the hook, but we saw lots of turtles during the evolution and finally did find some suitable sand after dropping the dinghy to recon the field. Then to top it all off we had a beach bonfire at sunset and watched the sky change from fiery red to pitch black and glittering with stars. It was just our little family on the beach and it was a beautiful evening.

Friday we decided to hunt for some snorkeling spots. The water was a little chilly and the swells coming in the cuts made for sloppy conditions so we headed to the beach for some low-key snorkeling. Some neighbors had been spearing some coral heads out in the middle of the channel into the anchorage, but we just didn’t feel like getting tossed around and we had some nice tuna ready for dinner! At this point we had also decided to stay put for the weekend’s southerly winds.

Today we hiked over and around the island, played and relaxed on the beach, met another cruising family, then hunkered down for gusty winds. We are getting rocked around a little, but the protection is good enough and the anchor is holding!

We could see making this stop again. It may not be a place with a popular tourist site, but the ease of navigation and peaceful, pristine beach are enough for this crew.

Exploring and adventure in Great Harbour Cay

We spent most of Thursday hunkered down from some strong winds. This gave us a chance to investigate our leaking hot water heater. For now, it's not a huge nuisance and can wait to get replaced until we are back in the States. We also walked out to the cliff over the cut and Katreina decided to use the nearby abandoned pool deck for some skateboard practice.

Walks, bike rides, and skateboarding—plenty of exercise options!

We did a little bit of provisioning on Friday via bike and topped off our diesel tank before enjoying the marina's "Chill 'n Grill" with other cruisers. Each group stuck to our own tables rather than mixing, but we were able to chat with each other. It was almost like normal cruising times! 

$50 with of groceries, diesel transfer, and a great marina dinner!

By Saturday it was time for another new adventure--Shark Creek! This is a "high tide only" experience and with the other high close to sunset the past few days, we decided to wait until the morning high was at a "cruiser-friendly" hour. With our little dinghy engine it was a solid 30 minute ride out to the creek entrance. We rode over the shallow bars and were soon enveloped in mangroves. It was so cool! It was tough navigating the turns in the narrowest parts, but we made it and come out on the northeast side of the island. The seagrass and mangroves make for a great shark nursery, giving the creek its name, but we only saw one and it was really fast! But we also saw a giant spotted eagle ray, several turtles, fish, and birds. It was a morning well-spent! 

Shark Creek

After a solid laundry effort Sunday morning (two full sets of bedding and a big bag of laundry, washed by hand in a bucket!) we decided to do something a little crazy. Last year some friends had told us about a bridge that locals would jump off of and ride the current under. We donned wetsuits and went to check it out! We were at about mid-ebb tide and the current was RIPPING under the little causeway bridge. It looked like there might be a shallow bit in the middle of the bridge, so we decided to wade into the current instead of jumping, and of course Dad had to go first! After the first few rounds, we had a feel for the depths and current and started jumping off the bridge. Are we nuts? Maybe! Was it fun? ABSOLUTELY!

Antics at the Causeway Bridge

Stunning sunset tonight as we brace for another front that begins to move through tomorrow.

First destination of the season--The Berry Islands

So happy to be back in the Berry Islands! We spent one night on the hook in Slaughter Harbour, between the cruise ship islands of Little Stirrup Cay (a.k.a. Coco Cay) and Great Stirrup Cay. We struggled to get the hook to set, but finally found a worthy patch of sand between the hard bottom and grass beds. The next day we anchored on the west side of Great Harbour Cay. The kids donned wetsuits to check the anchor and clean the prop, and we had a nice, peaceful night before heading through the cut on a rising tide to tie up at the Great Harbour Cay Marina. 

Our two anchorages before heading into the marina.

We LOVED our time here last year and decided to return. It just makes getting our COVID tests super easy, we can weather a cold front or two this week, and the people are just wonderful! The next morning we knocked out our 5-day COVID tests (all negative!) right at the marina with Nurse Lorell--we celebrated with a beer run to town and a trip to a nearby beach with the whole family.

We wanted to explore a few places we didn't get to last year. As the fleet of marina bikes is in better shape, we hit the road early today to check out Sugar Beach and the caves. It's a slog to ride almost 5 miles each way on single-speed beach cruisers over hills and through the occasional rain shower, but as one of the kids said, "...so worth it." We were surprised that the water was relatively warm! We explored the cave, identified some chitons and periwinkles, and swam. It was amazing! After checking out some ruins of an old hotel nearby we rode back (through a few rain squalls!) to knock out school for the day.

9.5 miles round trip to this amazing beach!

We decided to really make this a full day and take the kids to meet Ronnie at The Brown's Garden for dinner. We went here a few times last year for conch salad, but the kids had never been (they aren't conch salad fans). While we got conch salad, Trent had a delicious burger and Katreina had a pile of peas and rice--they loved it! Ronnie is a great cook (and makes conch salad that is the standard we compare all others to), but his joyful personality really makes the experience!

A “must” while in Great Harbour Cay 

We are keeping an eye on a few cold fronts rolling through the islands--one tomorrow and another early next week. We had planned on staying a week, but maybe we will stay longer. There is plenty to do here, even during a big blow!

A brief stop at Hoffman’s Cay

We left Great Harbour Cay, hooked around the north side and headed down the Berry Islands.  We dropped our hook on the south end of Hoffman’s Cay near Saddle Back Cay.  With three other boats already there, we had to settle for some sub-prime real estate right off the cut in some decent current.  Though we were holding well, Frank didn’t feel comfortable leaving the boat so the kids and I hopped in the dinghy for a short ride to Hoffman’s Cay in search of a blue hole!  This was my first beach landing with the dinghy and the kids were a huge help.  And just when I was on the verge of giving up and trying another beach, they found a trail.  And boy, was it worth it!

I was so proud of them for having the guts to make the big jump from above!  Trent went first, then Katreina.  They had so much fun they did it a few more times and even went together once!  We were the only ones there and it made for a very memorable experience.

Unfortunately, our time in the Berry’s is going to be super short. There is a big blow forecast next week and we decided to head for New Providence Island today for the most comfortable ride.  It’s not what we had planned or hoped for, but safety and comfort are in play.  We should be anchored in West Bay by mid-afternoon.

A GREAT week in Great Harbour Cay!

It’s official—we love Great Harbour Cay!  There is a small town feel, yet there is no shortage of groceries and liquor for those that need a provisioning stop.  There are miles of sandy beaches, buildings that are being reclaimed by the island, plenty of great dining options, fresh baked bread...and the marina?  Great staff, resident manatees, good showers, laundry, free wash down water, events throughout the week, and did I mention the staff?  It was tough to leave!  Everyone we met on the cay was nice—we got picked up by locals and given a lift three separate times!  Considering twice was with the whole crew of four, that’s pretty awesome.  

We went snorkeling, lounged on the beach, are amazing conch at Brown’s Garden, explored via foot and dinghy, gawked at the manatees, sharks, and fish in the marina, celebrated a birthday and an anniversary, did lots of laundry, joined the local Jollification party, and met some really nice fellow cruisers.  And as our first stop in the Bahamas on our own boat, it will always hold a special place in our hearts!

We made it! 🇧🇸

After pouring over the forecast, we made the call to leave Thursday morning.  We planned to pop out, use the north wind to get south some, then turn east when the north wind dropped, and have a lovely cruise in 2-4’ seas.  Here’s what really happened—the north wind was a good “+5” and as we headed out seas were hitting us on the quarter in the solid 6-8’ range.  The swells were impressive.  But we were keeping up great speed and the forecast was still for everything to lay down as the day went on.  As I was resting on my “off” watch they called me up on deck to discuss.  It was rough!  We decided to gybe and head south again and reassess in an hour or so.  By noon, the whole family voted to turn east and tough it out for a few hours in the stream.  We were enjoying the fact that we didn’t have to motor!  

Everyone was holding on and doing quite well.  Trent even read a whole book!  At 1400 we were solidly in the Gulf Stream so we launched a message in a bottle with our info, date/time/location of drop, and a note from K.  The Captain had worked hard over the previous few days to provide the Russel’s Reserve bottle.


After the Stream, it was a pretty straightforward trip.  We eventually lost the wind and had to motor part of the way.  Watching the changing depths and water colors was magical!  Photos just don’t do it justice.  On a rising tide we made our approach to the cut into Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands.  The entrance is literally a cut in the limestone and we were excited about this cool arrival.  We were NOT excited when we were in the cut and saw another boat heading for it to exit on AIS.  It did not respond to hails and soon we saw a huge catamaran turn the corner at a pretty good clip.  We are depth-limited and had to stay in the middle—this was not going to work!  We blew our air horn repeatedly but they came anyway.  The catamaran hit its rigging on trees overhead, gave us a thumbs-up, and was off.  Holy. Crap.

The cut, right before we got company!

But then, we were here!  The staff tied us up and called customs and immigration to the boat.  The entire arrival was over in less than an hour.  And it was a great birthday present for Swab!

We placed our order for the marina’s “chill and grille” event that night and ventured out to see the beach on the other side of the island (and had cranky kids because we didn’t have time to snorkel, too).  After that trip (and honestly, some momma frustration from the cranky kids), I set to trying to bake a birthday cake for the boy while Frank hung Christmas lights.  Talk about a busy day!  

Beach!

Chill and Grille

Happy Birthday!

This is our home for the next week and so far it looks like it’s going to be a great week!