WE MADE IT!!! Left Ft. Lauderdale today at 5:30 a.m. and buddied with a sailboat coming to the same marina. Fortunately, they had made this trip across the Atlantic to this same spot 3 other times so were very knowledgeable about the nuances of crossing the Gulf Stream and landing in the spot at West End, Great Bahama Island we intended. It was a mixed bag of weather...choppy seas, calm seas, then very choppy seas, sunshine, clouds threatening rain, the entire spectrum. Fortunately, it was a very enjoyable trip, and we arrived in West End (Old Bahama Bay Marina & Resort) at around 4:00 p.m., got settled into our very protected slip, checked in through customs and managed to meet several boaters around us. At least 2 of the couples we met are going in the same direction we are, so we will have buddies for our upcoming trip to the Abacos.
Weather is predicted to be VERY nasty for the next couple of days so we will spend time exploring the Grand Bahama Island before weather improves enough to depart on the next part of our journey. We had thunderstorms tonight, but only for a short period. We are both exhausted from the long day, so will embrace our pillows early and start tomorrow with new energy.
This is an absolutely GORGEOUS place! As we explore tomorrow we will take pictures and share them on the blog. The water is truly the most beautiful color we have ever seen...a sparkling deep blue (in the deep part) that gave the name to "sailing the ocean blue". The color is indescribable
and probably something we won't be able to capture with pictures. The resort/marina has a beautiful sandy beach with hammocks, and lots of other sporting opportunities while we are here. Stay tuned for more details.
Tonight we were treated to fresh lobster, purchased very inexpensively from a local who visits the docks with his fresh catch of the day...lobster, conch, etc. It was out of this world delicious!
We will likely be here at least until Thursday, when the weather is forecast to be relatively calm for traveling on the next leg of our journey. We will likely go to Great Sail Key to anchor for a night and then proceed the next day to Green Turtle in the Abacos. Our hope is to be in Marsh Harbor by Saturday, or Sunday at the latest. Again, Mother Nature will dictate.
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| Good-bye, Dinner Key mooring field. We won't miss your fierce roughness! |
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| Good-bye, Miami |
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| This is only one of the MANY huge boats in Ft. Lauderdale! |
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| Leaving Ft. Lauderdale before sunrise this morning, met by several cruise ships coming into the harbor |
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| Sunrise over the Atlantic, a welcome sight in the beginning of our journey to Bahamas |
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| This, an even MORE welcome sight...the shore of West End, Grand Bahama Island |
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| Ahhh...entrance to the marina |
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| Sapphire blue water, impossible to capture the beauty in the photo |
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| A closer shot of the entrance to the harbor. Beautiful contrast with the blue of the water and the turquoise of the water. |
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