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By Bernie Blum

For1Syears,wefamily-cruised

the Bahamas fromour base in Miami,relying on twosturdy pilot housemotorsailers-aFisher 34 and aBob Perry-designedCheoy Lee 43. Wewere successful inroutinely conquer-ing the biggestchallenge: crossingthe Gulf Stream.Our current boat,InBox, a container-shippable FH 39,has the pilot house,

and at 13,000 pounds displacementand with a S.S-foot bulbed keel, of-fers the same seagoing capability ina much smaller package.

InBox has sailed the East Coastfrom north to south, and thanksto the convenience of containershipping, has toured the Caribbeanfrom Trinidad to St. Martin. In 2007,

we completed a zooo-nautical milecircuit of Northern Europe startingin Holland, then traversing Germany,

The OtherBahamas

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Denmark and Sweden. That tripwas characterized by canals: acrossHolland, from the North Sea to theBaltic via the Kiel Canal, and thenthe Gota Kanal across Sweden fromthe Skagerrak back to the Baltic.

With our time available for cruis-ing limited, our decision was toreturn to the great cruising in theBahamas. Rather than repeat visitsto the standard spots-the Aba-cas, the Exumas and the islands inbetween-we agreed to concentrateon the further out islands-Andros,Cat and Long Island. Subject totime and weather, we would includethe Jumentos/Ragged Island witha return to Miami via the BahamaChannel along the coast of Cuba.

CHUB CAYOur cruising has always empha-

sized the destination, not the jour-ney. Our boats, induding InBox, havesufficient fuel capacity to provide a

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A cloud bank near the Middle Bight of Andros Island,with a bone fisherman's pole in the foreground

range in excess of 700 nm. Simplyput, that means that except for rareoccasions, our engine runs. Notonly does that speed passages, but italso simplifies power management.When there is wind, the sails give usa speed boost, reduce fuel consump-tion and stabilize. Our log showsdaylight-only passages of between 70

and 90 nm.After delaying a day for our

weather window, the first leg tookus across the Gulf Stream, pass-ing Bimini to starboard at NorthRock, across the Bahama Banks to amidnight anchorage six miles westof Northwest Channel, the beginningof the Tongue of the Ocean. The nextmorning's brisk wind from the southmade a weather hold at Chub Cay aneasy decision.

While Chub Cay is a bit pricey, thenearby anchorages are not comfort-able. The scene at Chub Cay is areplay of a common Bahamas story,

with the beginnings of an elaborateresort, houses, condos and an elegantinfinity pool. But the money ranout before the buyers moved in. Wecleared customs, ate a meal ashoreand were well positioned for thenext day's pleasant light air passageto Andros.

ANDROSAndros is not your average

cruiser's Bahamas. Stretching for100 nm, walled on the east by abarrier reef and thinly populatedwith 6,000 people, it is not a cruis-ing destination. Years ago, I chattedwith a Norwegian tugboat captainwho ran a freshwater shuttle bargebetween Nassau and north Andros.He reported that his Nassau-basedcrew was afraid to go ashore.

Andros is home of the mythicalChickcharnies, little people with redeyes and swivel heads. Its redeemingvirtues include excellent snorkel-

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At anchor in Lisbon Creek, top. A local nanny taking her son and aguest's child for a walk at Hawk's Nest Resort on Cat Island, bottom

ing and the potential for deep waterscuba diving in the Tongue of theOcean, which borders the barrierreef. In the last few years, it has alsobecome a destination for seriousbonefish seekers.

The island is split into three bigislands and many smaller ones bythe North, Middle and South Bights.Our Andros stop was at FreshCreek, where there is a government-sponsored hotel with adjacent docks.Time has not been kind to the hoteland we were ready to move on thenext day.

LISBON CREEKLisbon Creek, at the east end of

South Bight and on the South Shoreof Mangrove Cay,was a relief. Therewas a scenic anchorage, enoughbreeze to keep the mosquitoes away,good holding and protection fromthe sea. We had always wanted toexplore the Bights, but our two-horsepower inflatable was not theanswer.

A few calls on the VHF later, wewere able to arrange a trip with oneof the bonefish guides. One of ouranchorage neighbors, a delivery

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captain who also maintained a prop-erty for a Scandinavian ship owner,stopped by to say hello, and afterdiscovering that I had worked inshipping, invited us to join him, hisboss and the boss's wife for dinner.The invitation was a conflict withour Bight tour, so we selected thetour. The Bights are a special place-miles and miles of wooded islandswith mangrove and sandy shores,no structures and no people. Truly aprimeval world.

Back at Lisbon Creek on our boat,we had ringside seats for the Sundayafternoon revival/street festival.

SAMPSON CAY ANDCAT ISLAND

Instead of following the usualroute south from Nassau, a study ofthe charts and our cruising guideindicated that we could head dueeast across the Tongue of the Oceanand then the Banks to Sampson Cayin the Exumas.

There are a string of abandonedtowers that confirm the course. Astrong norther was predicted and wewere looking forward to holing upin Sampson Cay's protected innerharbor. No luck, as we watched astring of roo-foot yachts sailing in toclaim their reservations. Fortunately,we were able to find a secure anchor-age in the lee of Big Majors Spot, justnorth and east of Staniel Cay.Wedanced at our mooring for one extraday, waiting out the norther.

From there, it was again a passagedue east to Hawk's Nest Creek atthe South End of Cat Island. Hawk'sNest is an easy entrance, well buoyedand with ample water. It has a ma-rina and a small, hospitable resort.Tuesday night, the neighbors bringhors d'oeuvres to be shared at thebar. We got the benefit of delicioussushi made from just caught fish.

The next morning, with a rental

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SUMM~_R SAILIN.G GUIDE--- ---

car and one of our dock mates, we were off to theHermitage. The Hermitage straddles the ridge top ofMt. Alvernia, which at 200 feet is the highest point inthe Bahamas. Designed and built of stone in the middleof the zo'" century by a hermit priest, it is a miniaturechapel with bell tower and living quarters. We were thereon Good Friday, the perfect time for a climb up the steeprocky path past the stations of the cross.

LONG ISLANDIt was a fairly short sail south to the Stella Maris at the

north end of Long Island. Stella Maris is a resort on theocean side and a marina on the Banks side. We were toldwe could carry six feet at high tide through the three-mile channel from the Banks to the Marina. Our experi-ence was that the trip could be described as a bump andplow with our 5.5-foot draft. Fortunately, Bob Perry'sdesign and Schooner Creek's build of our keel were upto the strain. Other than removing the anti-fouling, therewas no damage.

The night in the marina was not fun; hot, no breezeand voracious mosquitoes. To reward ourselves and tomaintain marital harmony, we moved to the resort fortwo nights. Stella Maris-in contrast to our Chub Cayexperience-is well-managed with German ownership,has a long history and offers spectacular scuba diving.Our mealtime entertainment was listening to a groupof colorful European and "Down Under" movie makingexpats planning their daily dive shoots.

NASSAURested and refreshed from our Stella Maris stay, we

had to decide on our next stop. A careful reading ofthe charts and cruising guide made a strong case thatcontinuing south to the Jumentos would involve longwaits for marginal tidal windows and that there wereonly a few widely spaced harbors. Our bad experiencegoing into Stella Maris, coupled with predictions of badweather, suggested that an up-island return to Miami wasa better option.

So back to Nassau with a stop at a sheltered scenicanchorage at the north end of Big Farmers Cay. In myfamily, as a fan of Nassau, I am in the minority. Nassauhas a history of being a pirate capitol, but the nature ofthe piracy has changed in the last few hundred years. Forthose of you who remember Nassau from 20 years ago,I can tell you that there has been a successful "be nice totourists" campaign.

We deliberately selected a marina on the south sideof the channel and at the west end of the harbor, which

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put us within walkingdistance of the citycenter in one directionand Potters Cay and thePoop Deck the otherway. Our walk took usto a pretty little histori-cal museum sited at theend of a tall, palm-lined

esplanade and a cooling drink inthe grandeur of the British Colo-nial Hilton. For dinner, we hikedthe other way to the Poop Deck fora breezy veranda dinner among thetourists and locals having a nightout.

The next day we explored Pot-ters Cay,home port for the FamilyIsland ferries and the local fisher-men. The road to the docks is linedwith shoulder-to-shoulder shacksoffering conch breaded, fried, or ina salad, and local fish prepared toorder, all served with blaring reggae.We opted for the salad and watchedthe preparation ceremony, whichwould bring tears to the eyes ofJapanese steakbouse patrons.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELEDAll of the standard routes to and

from the Bahamas either bypassthe Banks completely or cross thenorthern marked deeper channels.There is an alternate, seldom-usedroute that leaves the Banks for theGulf Stream well to the south at Rid-ing Rock. This route to Miami takesadvantage of the Gulf Stream, ratherthan bucking it. The distance islonger, but the push from the streambalances the extra miles.

We made the 180 nm trip nonstopin 28 hours. Our intention was toanchor at Riding Rock, but a risingeast wind and uncertainty aboutthe charting indicated that anchor-ing would be risky behavior, so wepushed on.

Our 700-mile cruise confirmedour suspicions. The transparentturquoise waters, ready access fromFlorida (mind the Gulf Stream!),lifetime's worth of islands to explore,and variety of cultures all make theBahamas one of the world's out-standing cruising areas. Z

BLUE WATER SAILING • March 2010