Crew Change in Nassau

Log: 3735

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Location: Nassau, Bahamas

Distance Traveled Yesterday: 41 Nautical Miles

Total Trip Distance:  1096 Nautical Miles

The cold front that brought snow to Birmingham this week passed through Nassau just as we arrived yesterday. In front of it, we had 20–knot winds from the south all day yesterday. Fortunately, we were on the Bahama Bank so seas were not too unpleasant. Just as we got ready to tie up in Nassau, a weak thunderstorm passed over quickly so we waited outside the marina for the winds to die down and the rain to quit. Shortly thereafter, the wind clocked around to north and we had a lovely cool clear evening last night.

As always in the parallel universe of the Bahamas, things did not go as planned at Nassau Yacht Haven. I had made a reservation at the marina a week ahead and had an email from the marina manager confirming it. However, he failed to put it in “the book” so there was not a space for us when we arrived. After temporarily docking at a spot with no power available, we were moved to the “commercial dock” where all the party boats are kept when they are not in use. It’s kind of a filthy mess but we do have power and the water was turned on this morning in time to wash the boat. It’s a good thing the manager was off for the weekend because I might have killed him had he been here.

Laura headed home this morning. She will be missed. She mastered the art of handling dock lines and power cords and helped prepare a few great meals. She’s even thinking about applying for a job cooking on a yacht down the road. I was glad to have her and I’ll miss her. She’ll be replaced by Perfect Deckhand Jaaaames Abele who will arrive tomorrow morning.

Just after we docked yesterday, I was using the bow thruster to move the boat slightly to put out fenders. Suddenly, the bow thruster quit working. The motor operates but the props do not turn. There’s all kinds of trash in the water here so I believe something got caught in it and sheared the drive pins which connect the props to the shaft. I had a diver check it out briefly today and the props are still there. They turn freely so I’ll just have to do without the thruster until I can get the pins and have them installed. It will not be pretty docking this single-screw boat without the thruster.

I have a long list of housekeeping chores to keep me busy today. That’s why I’m writing on the blog. Tomorrow, we’ll get groceries and a few other supplies and head out for Chub Cay in the Berry Islands Tuesday. With perfect weather, we could actually be in Florida by Thursday, but we’ll do our best to stretch it out and have a little fun along the way.