aPhantom.net Bahamas
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Well, we have done it. We have given up our condo in downtown Atlanta and moved aboard the boat. We chose some essential items from the apartment, loaded them into a rental SUV, drove to Daytona Beach and loaded them aboard our forty-seven foot ketch, “Shambhala”. It took us about a week to find places for all the “stuff” from the apartment and to add the essential supplies of beer, wine, and food. While we were only going to the Bahamas where they also have grocery stores, most things are much more expensive so it makes sense to bring as many items as you think you will need. The limiting factor is finding a place for all those supplies.
We finally got everything loaded. On Sunday, June 6, w
e woke early, made our last trip to the fuel dock and set out for Ponce Inlet. We passed the lighthouse at the inlet at about 10am. The Gulf Stream Crossing was, shall we say, interesting. The weather prediction was for the standard afternoon and evening thunderstorms. As predicted, the first thunder and lightning started about 4pm. But instead of the usual afternoon thunderstorm followed by nearly calm wind, the west wind kept getting stronger and the rain came down harder. A particularly nasty storm kept following us down the coast and didn't actually dissipate until about 10pm. There was a huge storm ahead of us with incredible lightning that lit up the sky on our entire southeastern horizon. The west wind was still holding as we bumped along across the Gulf Stream. With the north setting current of the stream, our speed decreased from about 7.5 knots to less than 5 knots. It took us about six hours to get across the Stream and regain our speed. We entered the Sea of Abaco at Stranger’s Cay Cut at about 4pm on Monday the 7th and had planned to anchor just inside the cut. The anchorage was pretty small and open. As the wind was predicted to back around to the North during the night, we decided a more secure anchorage would be desirable. We motor-sailed the extra couple of hours to Great Sale Cay, an anchorage said to 
be preferred by boats transiting from Florida. It turned out to be a pretty open anchorage as well but it was too late to make any other choices at that point. As is usual in the Bahamas, it took us several attempts to get the anchor to set, but we finally managed to get something to grab, hoping we would have no big storms during the night. We opened the champagne and drank a celebratory toast and had no trouble falling asleep after that.
Our next duty was to officially check in with Bahamas Customs and Immigration. We chose to do so at Spanish Cay Marina, about thirty miles from Great Sale Cay, directly upwind, of course. We got an early start and were at the marina by mid afternoon. We were able to check in with Sophie from Customs and Immigration in Wrecker's Bar at the marina. Things are pretty informal here. We knew we were on island time when we saw the “Happy New Year” signs in the bar. The bar décor consisted of T-shirts with many boat names, all signed by the traveling crews. We 
had our first rum and felt like we had really arrived. We decided to stay an extra day to get everything including ourselves re-charged and ready for cruising. Another afternoon thunderstorm arrived and we appreciated the air conditioning on our boat that night. The next day we walked down the road to the five thousand foot paved runway. 
A small jet and a large prop plan landed while we were at the marina. It seems you can bring both your expensive boat and your expensive airplane here.
On Thursday, we headed for Fisher’s Bay on Great Guana Cay. This is the home of Nipper's Beach Bar where we were hoping to meet some friends of ours from Atlanta who were spending a few days fishing and drinking at Nipper's. The big day for Nipper's is Sunday when they have a pig roast and a big party. The place was pretty empty on Thursday. The bartender remembered our friends but thought they had left on Monday. Timing is everything. Fisher's Bay is a pretty protected anchorage for the prevailing easterly winds of summer. Guana Cay village, which spreads out around Settlement Harbor is pretty typical of the villages on the out islands of Abaco. It has a small grocery, several churches, and some bars and marinas. Since our last visit, eight years ago, two new restaurants and a tiki bar have been added. We unexpectedly met a friend of ours from Florida at Grabber's Bar on the Bay, another happening place with a pool, restaurant and busy bar.
On Friday, we headed for Marsh Harbour, the hub of Abaco. The town of Marsh Harbour actually has a traffic signal (and it was working). Several years ago when we were here, everyone referred to the intersection as the place where the traffic light used to be. This is actually a pretty bustling town with real cars instead of the golf carts that are the preferred mode of transportation on most of the Abaco Islands. Most of the cars in the Bahamas come from the U.S. but true to their British heritage, the Bahamians drive on the left side of the road in mostly left-hand drive cars, making passing on the narrow lanes very exciting. It's best to look in all directions before crossing a busy road. The harbor itself is protected from strong winds in just about any direction and is surrounded by bars, restaurants and marinas, making it a great cruising destination. Our main reason for coming here was to replenish the diesel fuel supply. With the price of diesel fuel at $4.50 per gallon we were hoping to see more wind so that we would be sailing instead of motoring.
On Saturday, we arrived at the fuel dock just as they opened at 9am. After reviving Jim from the shock of the fuel bill we headed for Hope Town, a short six miles away. We were hoping to find our friends from the marina in Daytona Beach who were supposed to be anchored near Elbow Cay. Our timing was terrible as we arrived at White Sound on the falling tide. While the chart indicated seven feet of water at low tide, we found a large area of water only six feet deep. Fully loaded as we were, we needed about six foot two inches. About one hour before the lowest tide we were solidly aground. 
It was soft sand so there wasn't any danger of damaging the boat. Luckily, the weather was beautiful, and we had plenty of food, beer, and wine so we waited out the tide. Four hours later, we were finally floating again and very carefully made our way to the anchorage at Elbow Cay. Our friends' boat, "Grace", was in the anchorage, but Richard and Karen were not aboard. We found them at Cracker P's just across the bay. We joined them for rum and some of the delicious grilled conch, a specialty of the house.
The story is that Cracker P's is named after a fugitive from a small town in Georgia who made his way to the Bahamas to escape the law. Patrick, the current owner, is actually a native Bahamian and a gracious host. Somehow the conversation moved to music and Jim was immediately invited to the weekly jam session on Sunday morning. He always enjoys playing music with new people so he immediately agreed to attend. Patrick, his friend Bobby, and Jim played a combination of Jimmy Buffet, island music, and a dash of country and bluegrass. It was pretty pleasant listening and a great way to spend a Sunday morning.
We spent ten days in the anchorage at Elbow Cay. The water was beautiful and we had a constant East wind to fill the wind scoops and make the temperature below deck quite pleasant despite the daily highs of about ninety degrees. The weather was sunny every day and the afternoon thunderstorms over Great Abaco never seemed to get to our anchorage. We had a swim every afternoon to cool off and there were beaches, bars, and restaurants to explore. We were amazed at the number of small fishing boats in this area. Most were about thirty feet long with two or three large outboard motors totaling six to nine hundred horsepower. Since we had just come from the fuel dock, we were definitely impressed. The price of gasoline was generally at least five dollars per gallon. Obviously, their fuel budget was a lot larger than ours.
It was about a twenty minute dingy ride to the harbor at Hope Town. This charming village is dominated by a candy striped lighthouse built by the British Imperial Lighthouse Service in 1863. Homes, restaurants, and businesses are crowded around the harbor right at the water's edge. The narrow paved lanes are crowded with trees and flowers and some beautifully restored old homes. We climbed the old stone stairway to the Harbor Lodge Inn and found a welcoming bar and fresh water swimming pool. The white sand beach on the ocean side was beautiful and there were reefs for snorkeling just off the beach. It was a great place to stop for lunch.
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