Sailing on the Ocean Blue

We slipped lines and departed Bimini at 7:30. We rounded South Bimini and then headed east towards the Great Bahama Bank. There was very little wind and we had a great ride. The water depth held pretty constant at around 12-15 feet with the water color a brilliant aqua green. We could easily see the bottom as we cruised along. At first we tried to avoid the dark spots as we were afraid they might be reefs or coral heads, but soon determined they were just grass and cruised along mostly on autopilot unless we saw something out of the ordinary.

We started out the day in a caravan of several other trawlers and many sailboats, but within an hour or two we were all spaced out and we cruised along with Second Star and nothing but wide open seas as far as the eye could see. At around 5:00 p.m. we pulled a mile or two off the channel and dropped anchor. It was amazing to be able to see the anchor all the way on the bottom. In the middle of nowhere we expected the stars to be very bright, but with a full moon the stars were a bit washed out – but still beautiful.

The next morning we pulled anchor and headed out again at 7:30. No wind at all today. However, once we left the Great Bahama Bank and hit the Tongue of the Ocean our depths went from 15 feet to well over 8,000 feet. With that depth we soon had 4 foot ocean swells with an occasional 6 or 7 footer. However, it was comfortable ride. As a matter of fact, Gerry loves ocean swells. They are nothing like choppy waves.

Our entrance into Nassau was pretty entertaining. Inasmuch as the harbor is so busy, you must call the Nassau Harbor Patrol to ask permission to enter. There were 5 huge cruise ships in the harbor, along with taxis, barges and many, many private vessels. We were glad to finally reach our marina, the Nassau Harbour Club, and get settled in.