Bahamas 2000
By
Sue and Bob Mimlitch
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In this adventures aboard Windancer, we will cover our trip down Florida’s West Coast, on to the Dry Tortugas, and the Florida Keys, across the Gulf Stream, through the northern Bahamas, and back again in 2000.
We had made it from Texas through Louisiana, across Mississippi and Alabama, and hopped off shore along the Florida Gulf Coast, and arrived at Bahia Beach Marina on the east side of Tampa Bay. On the 12th of April, Sue and I departed Bahia Beach Marina with our son David who was on board for a few weeks of vacation. We hop scotched down the west coast of Florida to the Dry Tortugas and Key West as follows:
Crow’s Nest Marina, Venice, FL – We peddled all over this pretty little town on bikes provided by the marina. We departed the next morning, but I’ll skip the latest in our “Adventures with Cooling Systems” or what happens when you suck up a jellyfish in the raw water intake. We departed in heavy fog and were glad to have radar and GPS.
Useppa Island Anchorage, FL –
“Adventures in the Tunnel of Love”. We had heard that across from Useppa Island and behind Cabbage Key, there was a bayou in Cayo Costa that lead to a passageway through the mangroves to a small lake. From this lake you could walk less than 50 yards to the Gulf of Mexico and to one of the best shelling beaches on the coast. Cayo Costa is a national preserve with no roads or vehicle access, so the beach has few visitors. From the description of this passageway, the “Tunnel of Love”, we expected it to be maybe a ten-foot break in the mangroves. Were we surprised when the “Tunnel of Love” turned out to more like a ride from Disney’s Adventure Land.
We dinghied out of our anchorage near Useppa Island and around Cabbage Key. While rounding Cabbage Key an osprey carrying a freshly caught fish flew within 20 feet of us. While flying past, the bird adjusted the fish in its talons to make it more aerodynamic for the trip back to the nest. We traveled between numerous other mangrove islands and finally into Murdock Bayou. For much of this trip, we traveled in water only one to two feet deep; these flats are some of Florida’s finest tarpon fishing country.
We found the tunnel, whose entrance was about 4 feet high and 6 feet wide. We entered the dark and winding tunnel in the dinghy with the engine tilted for shallow water. The mangroves crowned in from both sides and branches hung to within 3 feet of the water. For those unfamiliar with mangroves, they have an elaborate root system, which arches down from the trunk to the water in all directions. As Dave drove, Sue and I fended off branches and pushed past stumps and logs. It truly looked like something out of Disney’s Adventure Land. You expected a robotic Rhino to raise up aside the dinghy in a mock charge.
We were 75 yards into the tunnel when we rounded a bend and could see another 50 yards of the tunnel before it disappeared around yet another bend. All of a sudden the quiet was broken by loud thrashing sounds that we could not identify. Fifteen feet in front of us a group of about nine wild boar charged out of the mangroves, across the stream and disappeared into the mangroves and thicket on the other side. The last of the boars, and probably the youngest, had trouble quickly crossing the stream. We were within five feet of him when he got to land and dashed through the tangled mangrove roots. We all looked at each other in amazement, and said no one is going to believe this!
The tunnel continued for another 100 yards before it opened into a small lake. We landed the dinghy on a white sand beach and crossed over the dunes to the Gulf. The beach was as we had heard. We walked the beach and in the surf picking up shells and sand dollars until we couldn’t carry any more. Shells of all descriptions and colors were piled deep all along the beach.
The water was so clear that we were picking sand dollars off the bottom in three feet of water. Occasionally a stingray would scurry away as we approached. We shuffled our feet to give the rays plenty of warning. The adventure was cut short when, in a breaking wave, Sue took a big step to catch her balance and stepped on the ray. The ray retaliated. Sue was in pain for a few hours, but by the next day was ready to head back to the “Tunnel of Love”.
Another adventure that we will never forget.
Next we made stops at Ft. Myers Beach & Naples, FL, before we jumped off on a 21-hour, 105 nautical mile, overnight trip. On the way to the Dry Tortugas, we caught a King Mackerel and two Bonita. Each fish weighed about 30 pounds. The fish was great marinated and cooked on the grill.
Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, FL – Fort Jefferson is a very unique and well preserved pre-civil war fort. Fort Jefferson can be visited by boat or seaplane from Key West. We had a great time there. Stayed 3 nights at anchor. Did some snorkeling, fishing, walked and climbed around the Fort, we took the dinghy over to Loggerhead Key and explored it, and searched the reef for the wreck of a wind jammer. It was fun.
Key West, FL – After the Dry Tortugas, we sailed 11 and a half-hours to Key West for Easter weekend. While waiting for directions to our slip, we circled in Key West Bight and spotted a 57 foot catamaran, "Windy III", motoring to the marina next to ours. It was Debbie and Don Balthaser, cat racers from Dallas Fleet 23, who now live in Florida. What a small world. We visited with them and went out to dinner, etc.
We had been in Key West several days and have gone to watch the sunset several nights at Mallory Square. There were lots of little sideshows going on. It is a ritual here to watch the sunset. It is a real event. We ate lots of seafood and walked so much our feet were numb. We were having a great time!
Dave went back to Texas after 2 plus weeks with us. He left us with a new 10 hp outboard for our dinghy. Always need more power!!!!!
Dockside Marina, Marathon, FL – Marathon is on Vaca Key, 50 miles northeast of Key West. We waited here for another boat to join us and then we planned on leaving for the Bahamas in the first good weather window. Dockside is a great little marina with an indoor/outdoor bar, restaurant and live music every night. It was pretty neat.
One weekend we got to see the end of the first leg of the Keys 100 catamaran race. Rick White and Mary Wells of Catamaran Sailor magazine were one of the sponsors along with the Hogsbreath Saloon. Got to see and talk to Rick. Had not seen him in several years - since his training camp at Cedar Mills, Lake Texoma. Some really neat boats in the race. Marathon was the middle point in the race. The next day they raced on to Key West.
While in Marathon, we went on several excursions around the area: kayaked in the mangroves, went for an airboat ride in the everglades and ate great Cuban food.
We had seen some great sights, beautiful sunsets, clear blue water, dolphins, huge Tarpon and Barracuda, Manatee (Sue got to pet one), 3 foot spotted ray feeding just off the back end of our boat, and a 4 foot Iguana sunning itself on the deck of the boat docked next to ours.. Got some pictures of a seahorse that was by our boat. It was tiny.
The weather was improving for the Gulf Stream crossing so we moved up the keys, anchoring behind Rodriguez Key the first night and in No Name harbor, Key Biscayne, the next night.
Crossing the Gulf Stream – Trip over went smoothly. I was beginning to wonder if we ever would get here. Waiting for a good weather window was definitely worth the wait. Seas were relatively smooth and winds were under 10 knots for our crossing. The winds were coming from behind us so it made for a smooth but long ride. We left Miami at 5 am and arrived at Old Bahama Bay Marina at 7:30 pm. Only 14.5 hours - but it was a beautiful day. We really used our new GPS with Cross Track Error. The GPS is definitely useful in the Gulf Stream. Our navigation worked flawlessly.
Sue fished for awhile and caught 2 dolphin (the fish) or you know it as Mahi Mahi. We were going to cook them that night and share them with our friends, Sammie and Dick. It was nice to have Sammie and Dick on an accompanying boat to make the crossing with. It was a very large ocean out there. In that entire ocean we did have to alter course twice for large freighters.
Old Bahama Bay Marina, Grand Bahama Island – We spent a couple of nights in West End on the Northwest tip of The Grand Bahama Island. It was a new marina built on the site of an old Jack Tar Village. Once we cleared Customs and Immigration we went bike riding into the small village. Very small, but we had a great coconut tart, fresh from the oven, in a woman's home kitchen. It was delicious! Also got some good bread. Went shopping in Freeport and Port Lucaya.
Ate our fish for dinner - it was fantastic. Cooked it in olive oil with garlic, some blackening spice, fresh basil and lime juice. Went snorkeling today and got some neat shells. Went to town again this evening to get some essentials - bread and rum.
Crossing the Little Bahama Banks - After leaving West End, we went from 1,000 feet of water in the Gulf Stream to miles of 10 feet deep crystal clear water over the Little Bahama Bank. It was fantastic to sail over water that you could see through as if there was no water at all. Crossing the banks took two days. We spent the night anchored off Great Sale Cay and then on to Allen Pensacola Cay.
Our night in the anchorage at Allen Pensacola Cay was rough and one boat drug anchor and ended up on the rocks. Another boat drug anchor and had to motor in circles all night because his anchor would not hold in the wind and sea conditions. Ours drug about 3 feet and that was all. It was real windy and rough that night. Bob did not get much sleep.
Manjack Cay – Rough weather forced us to move down the Sea of Abaco to Manjack Cay, where we got to explore miles of white sand beaches. We snorkeled the coral edges, and saw a 4 foot Ray and 5 foot shark, plus lots of other reef fish. Then we went to the South end of Manjack Cay and explored Mangrove Swamps and coral strewn beaches. Bob and Dick tried their hands at spear fishing. No luck so far.
Green Turtle Club Marina, Green Turtle Cay – We reported back to friends, "No, we have not fallen off the edge of the earth, but we can see it from here". Green Turtle Cay, our first marina in over a week. Here we discovered Goombay Smashes at Miss Emely's Blue Bee Bar, ate cracked conch at Laura's Kitchen, explored the quaint town of New Plymouth, and traveled lots of small roads via a golf cart. We discovered fresh baked coconut bread, - what a treat! I cannot stop from marveling at the beauty of the water.
Fishers Bay, Great Guana Cay – We explored the island and stayed for the famous Pig Roast at Nippers. Nippers is a multi-level bar and restaurant, sitting on top of a 75' white sand dune, over looking the coral reef and Atlantic ocean. See for your self at www.nippersbar.com. or hear about Nippers from The Barefoot Man on his CD titled 'In The Bahamas'. We had not heard of The Barefoot Man until this trip, but found the songs that he writes and sings about sailing, the islands, and the sea to be reminiscent of Jimmy Buffett 20 years ago. www.barefootman.com
Man-O-War Cay – Another pretty Cay and a small settlement to explore. This is the center of boat building in the Abacos with two good harbors.
Hopetown Harbor, Elbow Cay –Has been very windy here. Have done lots of site seeing. We are having a good time. We rode bikes around the entire island. It took us about 3 hours of riding. Had to stop in the middle and have rum drinks.
Mangoes Marina, Marsh Harbor, Great Abaco Island – We snorkeled Mermaid reef, just across the peninsula from Marsh Harbor. This protected reef is about 50 yards off shore and has some of the largest fish we had seen. One grouper that swam lazily within a few feet of us, was about five foot long.
Marsh Harbor is the boating center of the Abacos with five marinas and the base for the Moorings charter operations. The town is a good resupply and repair point. Marsh Harbor is also the base for the "Cruisers Net", which provides an excellent daily VHF (channel 68) broadcast of weather, sea conditions, news and activities for the cruisers in the eastern Abacos. The "Cruisers Net" also relays e-mail messages from the states to the cruisers. You can learn about the Abacos, the Cruisers Net and e-mail to cruisers through the web at "oii.net/oii.html".
Marsh Harbor was our turn around point. From here on we were heading back towards the West End and Florida.
Treasure Cay, Great Abaco Island – This is the whitest, widest, and longest beach that we found in the Abacos. It is touted as one of the “Ten Best Beaches in the World”. We believe it.
Bakers Bay, Great Guana Cay – Bakers Bay is an abandoned cruise ship destination. Although the facilities lie in ruins, exploring and kicking around the area was great fun.
Fishers Bay, Great Guana Cay – We returned to Fishers Bay for another trip to Nippers and a chance to see Brown Tip playing the saw in the Rake & Scrape Band at Guana Beach Resort.
New Plymouth Anchorage, Green Turtle Cay – Another opportunity to explore this neat little town during an overnight stop and some more great food.
Powell Cay – We explored the cliffs, ship wreaks and snorkeling on a wreaked seaplane. The seaplane is a reminder of the drug trafficking which flourished here not too many years ago. The plane is now the home for hundreds of fish.
Our return across the Little Bahama banks took us to Great Sale Cay, then to Double Breasted Cay, and on to Mangrove Cay. Mangrove Cay was our last overnight stop on the little Bahama Banks before reaching the western tip of Grand Bahama Island. Sue went snorkeling for the last time in the Bahamas. I joined her after I finished my daily engine checks. As I caught up with her, she said that she hadn't seen a single fish. The banks have a flat sand bottom and don't have a lot of cover or underwater structure to hold fish. As we snorkeled back to the boat, I spotted a few small fish heading west. I pointed them out to Sue and we followed them to a large crack in the bottom. The crack was alive with a couple dozen Spiny Lobsters, their tentacles and legs in constant motion. They were prancing, waiting for the sun to go down so that they could come out and forage for food. Spiny lobsters, often called crawfish by the locals, are as large as any lobster that you have seen, but they do not have claws. Their meat is just as sweat, but alas, lobster season was still a week away. Taking lobsters out of season in the Bahamas carries a fine of $500 per lobster, they confiscate your boat and deport you. We saved the GPS coordinates and plan to return during lobster season next year.
Old Bahama Bay Marina, Grand Bahama Island – We were back on the edge of the Bahamas and the weather looked good for a crossing the next day. At five o'clock the next morning we left the harbor and watched the sun rise as we crossed the Gulf Stream.
Looking back over our time in the Bahamas, it was outstanding. We were ready to go back and spend more time there next year. We spent a month plus in the Abacos and got to visit many of the islands, sample great food and drink, play in crystal water, and relax in this beautiful climate. Each island was unique and we enjoyed each one. We had great weather. Did a lot of eating (especially fresh coconut bread and conch), swimming, snorkeling and just relaxing. The time flew by.
Crossing the Gulf Stream – The crossing went smoothly. We met another cruiser while crossing the Gulf Stream. The 560' guided missile cruiser, USS Valley Forge crossed our bow about 10 miles off of Florida.
The interesting part of the trip was as we sailed west approaching Palm Beach. We were doing about 6 knots and were fighting the Gulf Stream which was traveling north at 3+ knots. To travel west, to our destination of Palm Beach, we had to point the boat southwest, 40 degrees left of our desired destination. We watched Palm Beach grow larger, 40 degrees off our starboard bow as the boat crabbed across the oncoming Gulf Stream to our destination. The stream pushed hard, all the way to the breakwater, which is the entrance to Lake Worth, our destination for the night.
Palm Beach, FL – We anchored in Lake Worth about an hour before sunset. The next night we spent in Palm Harbor Marina, West Palm Beach, FL. We explored the sights, shops and restaurants in both Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. We had a great meal at a Mexican restaurant. As Texans, being without Mexican food for over two months had put us into withdrawal. The next morning we headed south, down the Inter-Coastal Waterway.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Anchored in Lake Sylvia just off of Don and Debbie's place. Course they were still in the Bahamas. The next night we spent in Cooley's Marina in downtown Fort Lauderdale. We rented a car and explored the coast. We ended us in South Beach, off Miami, and had another great meal before returning to the boat in Ft. Lauderdale. The next morning we again headed south in the Inter-Coastal Waterway past South Beach and Miami to Biscayne Bay.
The run down the coast through the Florida Keys was the reverse of our earlier trip, with overnight stops at No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, Rodriguez Key, and Dockside Marina, Marathon, where we spent a couple of days while I fixed a fuel leak. Then on to Key West.
Key West, FL is a fun place to visit. We saw the most spectacular fireworks show on the 4th of July. It was a perfect moonless night and the fireworks reflected off of the calm water of the Keys. During our stay we sailed to some of the outer keys for snorkeling and fishing.
Boca Grande Key, FL – Anchored off Boca Grande Key, fished, listened to Jimmy Buffett sing about sailing and Barefoot Man sing about the Bahamas. The nearest other humans were in a ketch anchored two miles to the west. We watched the ospreys and egrets, the dolphins at play, giant turtles and rays passed by, and tarpon cruised the flats - could it get any better than this?
The next day we moored off and snorkeled the following reefs; Sand Key, Rock Key, and Eastern Dry Rocks.
Key West, FL – Back in Key West, Sue's sister and her husband joined us for a week in the keys. We took them for a sunset sail to where you could see the sun setting into the water, and they got to see the “Green Flash”. After our visitors left, we made ready for an overnight sail from the keys to Ft. Myers Beach.
The Run up the southwest coast of Florida was not without it's exciting moments. Our first overnight stop was Ft. Myers Beach, FL. We left at 5 the next morning as we had a long way to our next stop. Trying to maneuver while backing out of a slip with a full keeled boat is a challenge, but we had the tide coming from the stern at about 3 knots and no one else on the dock at that hour to help keep us fended off. The departure was hairy and scary, as we got pushed every which way. We finally got out with a few scrapes to show for it.
We traveled up the coast and spent the next night in Venice. The next day was a run up the coast to Tampa Bay and the forecast called for thunderstorms and heavy rain but well north of Tampa Bay. We started our run up the coast and the weather deteriorated. We had no way to escape as the storm grew darker and the rain began. We monitored the growth and movement on the radar. We slowed to allow the heart of the storm pass in front of us. After the storm passed the sun came out and we sailed into Tampa Bay and under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We reached our final destination for this adventure, Bahia Beach Marina, Ruskin, Florida.
All in all we covered 2300 nautical miles in 550 hours of cruising. We were together 24 hours a day for five months on a 33 foot boat. We didn't feel cramped and we got along better than ever.
Time to plan for next year.