D123: Nassau - 3/2 - 3/4/2020

After my excitement about seeing the White-tailed Tropicbirds, we finally left Shroud Cay around 7:55 am and headed out across the Bahama Bank and the Yellow Banks.  

For those that do not know me well, I was trained as a zoologist and took many courses in ornithology.  So, although I did not work as a biologist, I still love observing birds.  Amazing creatures.  

We headed NNE toward Norman's Stake, a waypoint on the Explorer charts, then turned NE toward Porgee Rock east of New Providence.  The wind started at ESE at 15 knots, so we had a beautiful run across the banks under sail.  We did take the sails down when crossing the Yellow Banks, because I am still a bit wary of hitting coral there.  

As we approached the banks, the waves grew larger and we noticed another sailboat coming SE toward us.  Eventually, it looked like we were going to converge.  I was the stand-on vessel, so I expected him to start altering course.  When he didn't I gave him a blast with my horn to signify port-to-port and he abruptly turned to his starboard to avoid us.  He had crew out on the bow, so I think he was so focused on not hitting coral heads that they did not notice us.  Anyway, we passed each other easily.  

Crossing the Yellow Banks with a following sea and strong winds made me a bit nervous.  I stood on the bow and Cathy took the helm.  As we went deeper into the Yellow Banks, I could see black coral heads in the waves.  I think the wave made them look worse than usual, but we dodged them all the way across the banks for about 30-40 minutes.  I don't remember the banks being that challenging on the way south, but maybe we had better visibility this time.  

Once we cleared the banks, we unfurled the sails again and continued on to Nassau.  The wind had increased so we were moving at a good clip but still avoiding occasional rocks.  We sailed passed Nassau Harbor Club so we could turn into the wind as we entered the harbor.  The wind was blowing about 20 knots out of the east at this point and the current was flowing to the west, but I was able to wedge Flight Risk into a slip without causing any damage.  We were docked around 2:30 pm.  As usual, we had an audience watching us dock.  

At this point, Cathy and I were both exhausted, so opted for showers and a relaxing evening on the boat.  

Tuesday 3/3/2020

We spent the day in Nassau taking advantage of the marina:  getting groceries, defrosting fridge, cleaning stainless, ports, hatches, and deck after our saltwater bath, and washing laundry.  We treated ourselves to dinner at Latitudes, the restaurant that is located on the marina property.  It is really quite good and we recommend it.  

We left the next day.  

I did not take any photos of Nassau this time because we spent so much time in Nassau on the way south.  I did not see anything new to photograph because we did not stay long and were just focused on our tasks.  We stayed at the Nassau Harbour Club Hotel and Marina again.  The docks are fixed and nothing fancy, but we like it there.  It is convenient to the grocery store, liquor store and marina supply.  It is a little exposed to east winds, but tolerable.  

Nassau Harbour Club Hotel and Marina
East Bay Street
P.O. Box SS-5755 Nassau, Bahamas
(242) 393-0771
nhc@nassauharbourclub.com