I was a little rusty preparing to travel the next morning double checking everything I hadn’t even thought about in the last 6 1/2 weeks we had been “sheltering in place.” Portholes and hatch secured, Baby Belle tied tightly to the stern, generator stowed, the radar arch line triple knotted and, of course, the engine lunch strategically placed, we glanced back one last time making a mental note of the splendor and beauty of the Family Island that had taken us in during these unprecedented times. We had left home 265 days ago which, on one hand seemed like forever, but right now we were dumbfounded how life had passed by in the blink of an eye even under the monotonous lockdown.
We were heading back up the Exuma chain and each of us mulled over our favorite spots and picked one must return to destination to reexperience before we headed home.
Our first stop was the Captain’s choice…Snorkeling the Aquarium off O’Brien Cay. Even though the wind had picked up, it was a calm day on the Bank with gentle stern rollers pushing us along. Arriving late in the day, we decided to snorkel in the morning as not to be rushed for time. Backing down on the anchor making sure it had dug in solid, we opened a bottle of wine and toasted to a successful travel day as the sun dipped below the horizon. Duane was like a kid on Christmas morning the next day. He had his snorkel gear lined up and was diligently cleaning his mask for optimal visibility when I woke up. The underwater camera was all charged and the dinghy ready to roll before I even brushed my teeth. The fish were extremely feisty that morning….maybe they hadn’t had many visitors due to recent circumstances and were swarming us as we slowly fed them crackers. They were constantly sucking at our fingers and masks and even nipping us with sharp little teeth. It also didn’t help that the Captain slyly sprinkled his crackers under me as I swam around unknowingly, thus creating some uncomfortable situations for both me and the fish. After we were out of fish food, we meandered over to a deserted island just beyond the snorkel spot to beach the dinghy and wade around the crystal topaz water. The tranquility was beyond measure as we sat on the sand listening to the breeze rustle the palm trees while breathing in the crisp salt air.
Arriving back at the boat in time for lunch, we planned on pulling anchor to motor over to Warderick Wells that evening. Half eaten chicken wrap in hand, Duane emerged from the cabin with a smile from ear to ear after hearing that Chuck and Maggie were on their way and he would have the opportunity to snorkel his favorite spot one more time before we headed out. Everything was perfect about the day….the brilliant sunshine, the pristine blue waters, the majestic fish darting about, the soft white sand…Climbing back into Baby Belle after round two of snorkeling, we wished Chuck and Maggie safe travels and made plans to meet up back in Florida.
It was a two hour ride to Warderick Wells and, being as calm as it was, we decided to travel out on the Sound outside the boundaries of the Exuma Park and do a little fishing. Well… while we did catch a fish, once it was filleted, the meat was just enough to make an appetizer. We had been looking forward to stopping at the North mooring field in Warderick Wells the whole trip as, when we were here on the way South, it was packed with cruisers enjoying the sun and surf reveling on the beach with music and cold drinks in hand. But, over two months later now, we battled the current into the cut and turned into the basin which was completely empty. There was not one boat in the mooring field, the chairs on the beach were stacked up and all the kayaks were stowed and locked away. The stillness was very eerie as we puttered passed one mooring after the other and eyed Boo Boo Hill looming over us. Out of the silence a voice came over the radio asking our intentions and, once satisfied we were traveling home, instructed us to pick a mooring and reminded us that the beaches were closed and we were not permitted on the island for any reason. It was definitely a letdown, but we were fortunate to be here in any case. As we dined on our appetizer of grilled yellow snapper, as the Captain had determined was our catch of the day, and barbecue chicken, we watched the sun sink low in the sky reflecting orange hues off the water. Five nurse sharks were doing laps around the boat (Saul’s relatives for sure) as a sea turtle was frolicking in the underwater lights. It wasn’t the scenario we were expecting a few months ago, but it was hard not to truly appreciate our surroundings and still be happy for the unexpected turn of events that led us here.
It was so serene in the mooring field that when the winds picked up the next morning, we decided to stay another day. A Royal Bahamian Defense Force boat came through late morning and wished us well. We spent the day doing relatively nothing but soaking in one of the last few days we had in our island paradise. Duane waited until the sun was high the next morning so he could fly the drone over the area. The footage was spectacular as the shades of cobalt and turquoise unfolded as the drone inched higher in the sky to capture the whole breathtaking landscape.
We let the mooring loose and set our course for Shroud Cay early the next morning. This was my must stop destination of choice. And it just so happened to almost be my birthday 😁. Traveling on the Bank snaking our way through the shifting shallow sandbars (we spent the better part of an hour trying to say that tongue twister fast five times…not too sure either one of us succeeded), we caught a glimpse of a few starfish in our path and brilliant coral formations that were scattered about. This time I was the one who was super excited to jump in Baby Belle and travel through Sanctuary Creek to one of the most amazing beaches I had ever seen. The creek was narrow and winding and, being a nature preserve, had baby mangroves being cultivated on the banks as well as curious turtles swimming about the shallow waters. The end of the creek spills into the most amazing water leading to the ocean we have set our eyes on the entire trip. A melding of brilliant turquoise, aquamarine and cobalt, the surf rolled over the sandbar providing a barrier to the deeper ocean waters. The island was completely deserted so the rest of the afternoon we strolled the white sand beaches and swam around letting the current sweep us into the creek and back again. The Captain even complied with my request to lay in the sun for a few moments to bask in the serenity of our private little oasis. Well, I did have to bribe him slightly, as I promised to help scrub the bottom of the boat when we returned later that afternoon. Since he valued the help, he didn’t really mind the “torture” and layered on the sunscreen.
The next morning was my birthday and I had been looking forward to making some pancakes, but was disappointed when I realized I had hard boiled all the eggs. The backdrop of a spectacular sunrise cured my momentary birthday blues quickly as we pulled anchor and plotted a course for New Providence Island. About half way to our destination, with no land or boats in sight, we traversed the Great Exuma Bank which was an ever changing spectrum of colors. The brilliant blue waters had shifted to deep emerald and seafoam as the depth and the sandy bottom evolved the further we pushed across. In the deep waters, I figured I would try my luck at fishing and almost caught my birthday dinner. A two foot long king mackerel (I think closer to three feet) had snagged my hook and, after we thought I had sufficiently tired him out, managed to wiggle himself free as we pulled him out of the water attempting to reel him on board. Another birthday letdown, he fought valiantly and deserved to live another day.
We anchored in West Bay off the coast of the island around 4:30pm and I had plenty of time to situate myself for my virtual birthday Happy Hour. I was overjoyed to see friends and family and felt blessed that everyone was doing well and took time to check in with an abundance of birthday wishes. Laughing as we updated each other on what was going on in our own secluded bubble, we longed for the day we can all physically get together. We have been away for 9 months now and I sometimes mentally plan out our “return to reality” party.
Leaving West Bay in the morning we motored passed the ritzy Lyford Cay and observed what looked like a Mayan Village being erected on the shore. Surely this was to become another extravagant getaway destination for the ultra wealthy. Soon we were traversing the deep royal blue waters of the Tongue of the Ocean. At depths of up to 8600 feet, I had an uneasy feeling about what creatures lurked below. Andros Island was prohibiting travelers to anchor off their shores at this time, so the next morning we set our sights on the Berry Islands. On one hand, we were excited to see a whole new island, but, on the other hand, since the area was basically shutdown, we could only realistically admire from afar. We dropped anchor in Chub Cay and decided to take Baby Belle to the Yacht Club to view the grounds at a respectable distance. There were 4 boats in the entire 100+ slip marina that choose to shelter in place after the borders were closed. One transient boater yelled from the dock that they had been holed up there for 6 weeks and nothing was available to them at the marina but water and electric. It was a truly surreal situation wherever we went.
We cruised around admiring the waterfront cottages and had a barbecue on the boat not a hundred yards from the now shuttered beach bar. It was a early night for us as tomorrow we planned on banging out 96 miles across the Great Bahama Bank. We settled in for the night as the moonlight shone through the hatch signaling the end of another fabulous day bringing us closer to home.
Duane roused me at 3:30am to begin preparations to pull anchor in thirty minutes. It was imperative that we arrived in Bimini before dark as to avoid the anchoring catastrophe we encountered our first night in the Bahamas many weeks ago. Guided by the moon that I had just fallen asleep gazing at not 5 hours earlier, we set off following the GPS coordinates leading us to North Bimini. At that point, we would have come full circle in our Bahamian adventure. Just as the sun was rising we encountered a tow guiding a huge barge through the emerald waters of the Northwest Channel. We exchanged pleasantries and the tow captain wished us safe travels as we passed effortlessly port to port. Our only other contact the whole day was a catamaran traveling a few miles ahead of us. It was nice to know we were not completely alone out there.
Actually, I misspoke, we did have an encounter a few hours later with some stowaways on the boat. I descended from the fly bridge into the cabin to get some refreshments and came face to face with Bradley who was just hopping around exploring our home. I think I scared him more than he scared me as he immediately took flight and crashed head first into the hatch. Not wanting him to injure himself, I ran upstairs to tell the Captain what had just transpired when I caught a glimpse of his companion, Sally, sitting on the tire of my bike on the bow. Three, as we named him, rode for a while on top of the solar panels, but took flight and left us midway into the trip. We prayed he found another boat to rest his wings as there was no land for fifty miles in any direction.
We decided to drop a line in the water and see if we could get a bite. No sooner had I let the reel out, I snagged something big which bolted. Duane slowed the engine down so I could secure myself with the rod, but to no avail. Whatever it was, snapped the line and took my favorite lure with him. Bradley eyed the whole event very conspicuously from under the barbecue. When the excitement was over, he perched himself right back on the window enjoying the sea breeze.
It was around 6pm when we made our turn toward the channel into North Bimini and, without so much as a flyby, Bradley made a beeline for the closest palm tree. We were sad to see him go. We dropped anchor just beyond the Hilton Resort World marina after a brief run-in with the shallow sandy bottom. I am sure we amused some locals on shore if they happened to catch a glimpse of us running from side to side across the back of the boat trying to build up some momentum to rock us free. Which actually did work…I have to give the Captain’s ideas some credit sometimes. Two customs officers called us ashore to check our documents and advised us on the protocols of the island under lockdown. It was definitely a long 15 hours and we looked forward to decompressing the rest of the evening with a cold refreshing rum cocktail.
Later the next morning we had planned to take the dinghy over to Fisherman’s Village under the bridge beyond the resort for some take-out. We had scoped out a nice place we could float around, eat and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. As we turned down the canal toward the bridge, we caught sight of a spectacular 65ft Viking named The Fine Experience docked at the marina. The hailing port was Block Island, RI. Being from our neck of the woods, we turned around to say Hello. This is where one chance encounter turned into two exceptionally FINE days that became the icing on the cake of an already once in a lifetime experience.
Upon meeting Matt, who owned the boat, and Cassie, we were floored after speaking with them for only a few minutes, when they offered us a drink, tied up our dinghy and drove us to town to get some beer and groceries. When we returned, Matt insisted we stay for drinks which stretched into an amazing night of laughs and conversation as well as a huge dinner spread of burgers, chicken, salads and I even tried barracuda. We were introduced to Jay and Stephan who worked at the resort as well as a lovely French couple on the catamaran, Jeredam, not anchored far from us. Matt showered us with T-shirts and bandanas, which doubled as face masks so they were perfect during the times we are living in at the moment, and I even scored a visor. Definitely an unexpected turn of events from when we set out that morning to head under the bridge for take-out (which coincidentally we never did make it to)…But this was FINE by us. Guided by our flashlight, we stumbled home planning to return the next afternoon to participate in the FINE Conch Experience.
I was excited the next day as I had never gone conching before. We were soon out on the dinghy pulling Matt and Cassie on the paddle board through the shallow waters outside the channel. Wading in knee deep water, occasionally falling in fish holes as we moved along, we scanned the area for the adult shells which had a flared lip which meant they were sufficient for gathering. It was the perfect setting as the sun glistened off the water and each one of us excitedly held up our catch as we dropped them one after the other into the buckets. We had soon gathered 22 conch as well as a starfish which Cassie had found searching from the paddle board. Back at the boat, the conch were unloaded onto the dock and the boys got busy with the hammers to extract the meat from the shells. Cassie made me a pina colada and we relaxed as they did all the hard work. That evening we were again treated like royalty as we were fed a delicious meal and endless cocktails and I was afforded the opportunity to take a luxurious shower. We would have loved to stay another day or two, but a tropical storm was developing and we figured it was safest to leave in the morning and not tempt fate. Wishing them well and safe travels, we thanked them profusely for taking us under their wing the last two days and we sincerely hope to cross paths in the future. If not sooner, we will surely be on the lookout in Block Island for their welcoming faces on The Fine Experience!
Matt’s motto was “keep living and pointing.” As he said many times, YODO…You Only Die Once. People need to live their lives to the fullest potential everyday no matter what. It is surely a FINE way to go through life. And we most certainly had a FINE Experience!
We ended the trip on a definite high note as we settled in for the night and reflected on how truly fortunate we are.
We were sincerely humbled by our experience in the Bahamas and learned more than ever not to take anything for granted. Grateful for the hospitality, thankful for the opportunity and hopeful for a better world, we set out of the harbor in the dark retracing our steps as to safely travel around the sandbars and pushed forward to the Gulf Stream. Next stop —Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
