We are in the Bahamas!!

It is true. The sun is brighter. The breeze is breezier. The people are nicer. It is better in the Bahamas, just like they say.

We left Fort Lauderdale on a clear calm morning. The sun was just creeping out. The dog was pooped, the equipment stowed. We were ready!! We met Tony and Shirley from Headquarters at the second buoy outside of the Fort Everglades Inlet at about 8am and we were off.

Bunny Evans

Evan Evans and Kermit

They need scaffolding to work on the comm towers on these big yachts

Pilot boat on a big freighter coming in to Fort Everglades

Gorgeous weather as we leave Fort Lauderdale

Winds were out of the south, southwest all day with waves around a foot or two. Bunny and Evan said it was the flattest they ever saw the ocean in a crossing to the Bahamas. The wave intervals were less than 10 seconds.

This is Headquarters as we begin to cross to the Bahamas
The water is perfect

Evidently this is an important new term we need to understand. Not relevant on the Great Lakes. The wave interval is the time between swells. So imagine you are at the top of a wave. Count to ten slowly and imagine that during that ten seconds you go down one wave and up to the top of the next wave. Ten seconds is a long time so the distance between waves is very long. Now imagine you are on Lake Erie, where we boat. The wave interval is so quick that you can barely say, "Wwwwoo" before the next wave slaps your boat. And that is a good day. I guess that is why we never count wave intervals!

The journey was really nice. Just like a regular working day on the water. Kermit set the GPS target on West End Bahamas at 7:15am and at 3:15pm we reached the end of the absolutely straight line. That is about as eventful as the trip was!! In between Kermit and Even bickered continuously about the relative merits of following a GPS setting blindly, whether the current was taking us off course, how the GPS corrects for current, and other assorted flotsum and jetsum. It was quite entertaining.

Also entertaining was Tony's radio calls asking if we changed course and were heading variously to Puerto Rico, Africa, Cuba, and New York periodically. This because Kermit and Evan were changing the headings and sort of tacking our way to Bahamas. Tony opted for the direct route and had time for a swim in the Gulf Stream!

We thought it was a crab pot but it was balloons.
I always wondered what happened to those balloons we
launch. 

The West End, Grand Bahamas

Katherine tying lines to secure the boat at dock

View from our dock at West End

We did not swim in it but you could tell when we were in the Gulf Stream. The water turned a gorgeous royal blue like I never saw before.

It was fun to watch the depth gauge start flashing. After about 600 feet it stops reading accurately, sort of like it gives up. Another form of entertainment while we traveled.

Bunny helped shop on Saturday before we left. We are doing a delightful multi-use of foods. For example, we bought two roasted chickens. Saturday night we had roasted chicken and salad. Sunday during the crossing we had chicken salad for lunch. For dinner she made chicken soup which we had with fresh lobster we bought from the fellows who catch them and sell them on the docks. We are eating very well. It is hard to get tired of chicken when it is used in such different forms.

I am looking a little bug eyed - not sure why. Must have more wine. 

Bunny, Evan, Tony, and Shirley

Notice the part about eating lobster? Yes, they sell lobster on the docks!!! We walked on the beach earlier and saw a guy swimming pretty far out. Kermit said, "I bet that guy is catching lobster." Of course I said, "No that can't be", because I always say that. But he was right. That was the guy selling lobster!!

Rusty at the pool

Not sure what is the story with these buildings. We think they are part of the resort. 

Evan, Bunny, Kermit and Katherine

West End has Internet so I can send this note out to tell you all that we are safe. But we will be anchoring out and unlikely to have much connection for a while so this might be the last transmission for a few days. I am taking notes and pictures and will post as soon as I can.