By Kevin
Grocery Shopping is a Family Affair
Author Archives: Kevin Taylor
Christmas in Nassau
By Kevin
It may be a white Christmas in Wheaton but in Nassau, the only white powder is found on the beaches.
That doesn’t dampen the Christmas spirit here. We had a wonderful time Christmas shopping with the locals at the Mall at Marathon, including taking pictures of the giant decorated tree and Santa.
We also managed to do a bit of window shopping at the Atlantis resort, just a short walk from where our boat is docked. But, the prices there are a bit chichi for us–and we weren’t really in the market for a Rolex or a pair of Jimmy Choo.
For Christmas Eve, we invited a fellow cruiser to dinner on our boat. Charley is a solo skipper aboard a Freedom 32 called SV Sparrow. The boat we keep on Lake Michigan is also a Freedom 32, so when we saw Sparrow sitting at the dock back in Bimini, we had to go met the captain and compare notes. Since meeting Charley way back then, we keep running into him.
Finally, no Nassau Christmas would be complete without Mrs. Snyder Christmas cookies. Thank you, Jackie!
Haircut Day
By Kevin
Zach and I had gone too long without a haircut. But, on a boat in the the middle of paradise, haircuts just don’t seem all that important. Our last were probably in New Smyrna Beach, Florida way back in August.
Jennifer gave Zach a “boat cut” while tied to the docks here in Nassau.
I wasn’t so brave so decided to walk down to one of the local Bahamian salons to get mine done (though I’ll probably go with a boat cut next time too.)
Dockside Pastries
By Kevin
One of the small pleasures of being tied to a dock here in Nassau has been the pastry boy.
He walks the docks several times a week, stopping by each boat with his delights. Presumably, he is selling off the leftover product from one of the local bakeries. The banana bread, pound cake, coconut pastry and pineapple pastry have been delicious for breakfasts or lunches. And, they’ve made a nice dinner dessert.
Mahi-Mahi
By Kevin
After months of searching and several near misses, Zach caught his first mahi-mahi outside Nassau.
Mahi-Mahi are known as the best eating sport fish in the Bahamas. But, many sailors go seasons without catching one. They tend to be 5-20 pounds and spirited fighters. They may jump out of the air when on the line and “tailwalk” across the water. It was a treat for us to watch Zach catch one just as we were pulling into Nassau after our full day sail.
(Warning: The last half of the video is a bit graphic, so sensitive viewers be careful.)
Junkanoo!
By Jennifer
It was 4:45 a.m. on Boxing Day, Dec. 26. The marina was quiet and still. But two miles down the road a party was in full swing.
We rolled out of bed and into a cab hoping not to miss the unrivaled Bahamian parade of Junkanoo. As we stepped out into the deep dark night with kids in tow, the glow and hum of Bay Street came into focus. Within minutes we saw glittery dancers gyrating, trumpets heralding, cow bells clanging and hand-drums pounding. The pulse worked its way from chanting revelers’ feet to their very core.
To call this festival energizing is an understatement. As the parade winds its way through the streets of Nassau, the music and the rhythm take over and leave your body unknowingly, momentarily possessed by a tribal stride.
Definitely the highlight of Nassau. Unforgettable.
Junkanoo occurs on Dec. 26 and Jan. 1 — beginning in the early hours of the morning (2:00 a.m.) and ending at dawn.
The festival is reminiscent of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, but it is distinctly Bahamian and exists nowhere else. Parade participants — arranged in groups of up to 1,000 — are organised around a particular theme. Their costumes, dance and music reflect this theme. At the end of the Junkanoo procession, judges award cash prizes. The three main categories for the awards are: best music, best costume and best overall group presentation.
Arrival in Nassau
Route: Fort Lauderdale — Miami — North Bimini — Cat Cay — Chub Cay — Frazer’s Hog Cay — Nassau.
By Jennifer
We were so excited to leave Frazer’s Hog because we knew that Nassau was within a six-hour sail. We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and we were off within the half hour along with every other boat that was in the harbor. We, like the rest of the boaters, listen to the popular “Chris Parker” weather forecasts broadcasted over the SSB. Parker will go into great detail about the wind and swells throughout the Bahamas. All the boaters listen and wait for Parker’s ideal sailing conditions. This day was what I have come to call the “perfect Chris Parker day.” Light winds, 2-3 foot swells. We all left like a fleet out of the harbor and followed one right after the other into Nassau.
Notice in the photos that this crossing marked Zach’s first catching of the elusive mahi-mahi. Upon entering the harbor, Zach reeled in a 4-5 pound mahi-mahi. We ate it for dinner on our first night here in Nassau. (Gerry, note that this fish was caught with a rather mundane looking wooden lure sold to us by a West Marine young gun.)
Also notice as we enter Nassau, the immense and posh Atlantis resort. It’s the first structure you see upon land sighting.
Arrival at Frazer’s Hog Cay, Berry Islands
By Jennifer
Route: Fort Lauderdale — Miami — North Bimini — Cat Cay — Chub Cay — Frazer’s Hog Cay. We sailed another two hours east from Chub Cay to Frazer’s Hog Cay in the Berry Island chain, where we waited about three days before our next weather window to Nassau. This spot was very enjoyable. This is a popular cruising stop and when we arrived, there were several sail and motor vessels anchored. We actually caught up with many boaters we met in North Bimini and met a few new people — all of us heading in the same direction. You’ll notice the photo of the house where, Howard, is a one-man show. He runs the moorings, the fuel dock and the tavern. One of the reasons we stopped here was because the charts show there are fuel docks. When we arrived we saw the large steel drums. But, when we told Howard we needed to refuel he said he didn’t have fuel. Just like the sign in the window saying he takes VISA/MC (but not really). This becomes a common occurrence as we make our way through the Bahamas — signage promoting what once was. Howard, trying to accomodate us, called around the island and trucked in a barrel full of fuel (took a few hours). Getting the fuel from the barrel into the tiny fuel tank opening was another story.
Arrival at Chub Cay
By Jennifer and hosted by Kevin
Route: Fort Lauderdale — Miami — North Bimini — Cat Cay — Chub Cay. In this video clip we have just arrived in Chub Cay. It was about 4 p.m. and we had been sailing since 3:30 a.m. We left Cat Cay early because it was rolly and Kevin kept waking up to check the anchor every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, when we got there, the little bay we anchored in was very rolly. As soon as it got dark I went straight to bed and woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning ready to get the heck out of there. Kevin describes how he tied lines to the anchor chain to ease some of the rolling. It made a big difference, but was still a little uncomfortable.
Beautiful Chub Cay:
Yachting for Tokens
By Kevin
“Yachting for Tokens” is a little video game that Zach and I created over the past few days. In it, you helm an oldtime schooner looking for the mythical and elusive Arcade Tokens. Watch the white wind indicator and watch out for the islands!
(Design notes: The game was written using MIT’s Scratch programming language. It is designed to demonstrate how the wind angle affects a sailing ship. Remember, yachts cannot sail directly into the wind. So, if you want to go in the direction from which the wind is blowing, you must tack back and forth to make progress. Also, for this particular pixel yacht a beam reach–a 90 degree angle to the wind–is the fastest point of sail. All other points are slower in the game.)
S/V Real Life 