Last Days at the Marina at Emerald Bay

1/27-1/28 – We spent a little time on Thursday out in the Sound in the dinghy trying our luck at fishing. Linda watched through the “look bucket” letting the guys know when she saw fish. Gerry caught a couple, saved one for bait and let the other one go. After that adventure we walked over to the Grand Isle Resort for a late lunch. The evening was spent doing laundry and working on routes.

On Friday we washed down the boat. It hadn’t had a fresh water bath since Nassau – well, it’s actually seen a little rain in a couple of places, but not combined with a scrub brush. We also did one last load of laundry, some really quick provisioning, one last walk on the beach and nice long showers. We leave tomorrow, so no more long leisurely showers. It will be nice to get underway. We’ve been at the dock for 10 days – about 7 days too many.

Our dock neighbors are a couple on a sailboat from Annapolis,
Larry and Bev.  The wind instrument wasn't working, so Bev
made a trip up the mast to retreive it so Larry could put in a new chip.
This is the start of her trip.

Halfway up

Almost there

At the top!  Back in the days when we were sailboaters,
Gerry always went up the mast while Linda handled the
winching chores to get him there.

Out fishing in the dinghy

Gerry and fish -- will use it for bait

While out in the dinghy we counted around 20 sailboats going by,
presumably on their way to George Town. 

Enjoying lunch at Grand Isle

Pool and gazebo area

We'll miss the beautiful views of the area, but it's time to move on

Michael was either very bored while Jana was gone, or he is
trying to make major "brownie points".  Here he is trying
to decide if the sheets have a right or wrong side.
Why??  See Below

Ironing Man - The Sequel

We left behind our footprints on the beach.  We really enjoyed this place.

Morning Walk

1/27 - Linda was up early this morning and went for a walk before sunrise.  The air was humid and heavy and a thin layer of fog blanketed the ground.  We understand this is unusual for the area - the locals say they seldom see fog.  Linda was glad she got her walk in early, as it appears the day will be hot and humid.

Sailboat masts and palm trees in the early morning fog

The beach (or seaglass beach, as Linda has nicknamed it)

Sunrise -- the fog was lifting

Poor Betty Cay
The water was much more mellow than a couple of days ago

The wind sock hung limp



Glass-like water inside the marina




As the sun broke through, the reflections of the
boats and dock made a peaceful scene



This and That

1/22 -1/25 - We are definitely in relax mode right now. As the heading says, we’ve been doing a little of this and a little of that. We spent another day over at the Grand Isle Resort where we had another fabulous lunch and took advantage of the pool and hot tub. As 5:00 approached they came around and invited us to happy hour and appetizers – all free. We chatted with the manager awhile. He was from Colorado, but has been transplanted here the past 7 years.

On another day, we all went out kayaking. We each have our single inflatable kayaks and Michael and Jana have a double inflatable. We paddled out into the Sound. We’ve never kayaked in the ocean before, so the swells were a new experience for us. Forgot my camera though, so no pictures. Linda has taken to walking the beach each day looking for sea glass and sea beans. She even got Gerry to go with her one morning. We continue to do a few boat chores, read, chat with our neighbors on the dock and just happily pass the time away.

Gerry in his own private world

The view from the hot tub

The beach where Linda got her sea glass

Sea Treasures -- first sea bean and lots of seaglass

This is the seawall/breakwater heading into the marina
Lots of coreloc - date of May 03 scratched on them

Approaching the beach

A shot looking out at the point.  The other day we
kayaked there -- wouldn't catch us doing that today

Poor Betty Cay - we also kayaked around this cay

Gerry on the beach

A set of rollers coming in to shore

Don't fall

We watched a sailboat going out the channel -- it did not look fun

Waves hitting the rocks -- you can see the spray in the picture
(I got wet)

I think this is the same type of bird I
photographed the other day -- but older
(Editor's Note:  Our friend Sterling, the eco expert,
tells us this is a night heron)

A short clip of the sailboat heading into the Sound.  I was narrating, but you can't hear anything because of the wind

Heading Slowly North – First Stop, the Marina at Emerald Bay

1/19 - After a week in George Town we were getting restless and it was time to move on. George Town has a lot to offer, but since this was our first time in the Bahamas, we wanted to see as much as possible. This meant short visits in many places as opposed to long visits in only a few places. Our destination today was based on – of all things – laundry. Why did laundry dictate our choice you ask ?? Well, here is the scenario: In George Town there is one laundromat with very old washers and dryers, we’d have to cart the laundry first by dinghy and then carry it down a few streets, it is quite expensive ($7 for a large load), there are around 200 cruisers in the area plus locals using the facility, and it is in a semi-open air building with little seating room. The Marina at Emerald Bay is a first-class facility and, as part of their accommodations, they have very nice free showers and free state-of-the-art washers and dryers. In addition, with our Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club membership, dockage was only 75 cents a foot. A stop here was a no-brainer.

We departed Elizabeth Harbor in George Town at 10:00 a.m. and took the long way out to the Sound through the Southern Cut. This gave the guys an extra hour or so for fishing once we were out of the “restricted park” area. Gerry got one bite from something big, but it broke his line – so no fish dinner.

We had a very nice cruise on perfectly flat seas to the Marina at Emerald Bay. The staff at the marina were very accommodating, bringing out a welcome mat, getting us registered and telling us about the area. There are two resorts adjacent to the area, one of which is Sandals. You can purchase a day pass, but it is very pricey. The other is Grand Isle Resort. Here you can eat at their bar and grille and use their pool for $15 (we may check this one out later). We walked to the grocery store – which was very well stocked – and to the liquor store. Unfortunately the small restaurant in that complex was no longer open. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry. We had several full bags as we had not done laundry since Nassau. We noticed that many boats come from the anchorage in George Town, do laundry and provision, then return to George Town the next day.

1/20 – This morning Gerry did a few boat chores: fixed yet another hole in the dinghy and tried to repair a leak in one of the sea strainers. After that we just sat on the front porch and gazed out over the palm trees and water. There was a slight breeze blowing and it was very pleasant sitting in the wicker rocking chairs. It was a little cooler today – yesterday it was HOT !!

A little after noon we walked over to the Grand Isle Resort. What a beautiful place. We had lunch and drinks at the bar and then walked the beach for awhile. Later, Gerry worked on our itinerary and routes for heading north.  However, we'll  be staying here for a week as Jana is flying back to Colorado for personal reasons and we'll  stay here during that period to wait for her. It's awful being stuck in PARADISE!!

Second Star raising anchor as we departed Elizabeth Harbor

Goodbye George Town

One of the few aids to navigation we've seen in the Bahamas

Approaching the Marina at Emerald Bay

Second Star following us in

The very-well marked channel into the marina



The marina and club house



Monk's Vineyard (and the Captain) at the dock

The marina really rolls out the carpet for visitors -- maybe not a
Red Carpet, but a very nice mat so you don't track "crud" onto your boat

Life is tough -- cruising is hard work

 

The bar room in the club house.  Unfortunately, not a
stocked bar -- it may have been at one time, but things
are a little slow right now and the place seems to be
struggling a little

The lounge area -- seems no expense was spared when
the place was built.  Everything was top rate.

A shot of Monk's Vineyard and Second Star at the dock

Dockside

A local bird we encountered while on a walk.  Have no idea what kind.

The pool and bar area at the Grand Isle Resort

Some of the folliage on the property -- very lush

The pool (foreground) and the ocean (background)

Gerry on his way to the beach

A hobie taking advantage of the breeze