M/V MAERIN

We made stopovers in Warderick Wells and Norman’s Cay on our way north to New Providence Island, where we’ll stop and spend a night or two in the Nassau Harbor Club marina, a favorite spot frequented by cruisers, reasonably priced, and perfect in that it’s just across the street from one of the larger supermarkets in Nassau. Internet is sparse, the only reliable connection is at the Starbucks in the small shopping center. There are access points that show up near the harbor, but none are usable, a frequent complaint of cruisers. So I’ll join the daily migration to the Starbucks and set up at a table and catch up on news, the blog, and email.

During our time at Warderick we met up with Mike and Carrie aboard Carrie Anne again, and enjoyed a tour of their boat, a boat they built, or more precisely, finished out. They bought the completed bare hull and deck, and finished out the rest. More work than I think I’d want to attempt, but it is a beautiful boat and they are justifiably proud of their home. Their daughter is aboard for a time, and they’re enjoying their time in the Exumas. We said our farewells as we headed north to Staniel, and futher. At this point we plan to take a swing up through the Abacos as we make the inevitable migration back north to murkier waters. Ugh.

Our run from Staniel to NP was uneventful, quartering seas with a bit more wind than the past week or so, up in the teens out of the ENE, so a bit sloppier ride, but thanks to the stabilizers, not uncomfortable. We were briefly reminded of their contribution when we had to shut the stabilizers down for a time to address a recurring cooling water problem, seems there was some shell growth in the intake, and despite having cleared it a day or two ago when we were at Warderick, the problem recurred, evidently some of the debris had lodged in the intake and after a bit of backflushing, cleared and full flow was restored along with stabilizer function.

The Exumas would probably rate higher on our preferred list of destinations, but we also enjoyed the Abacos, so we’ll revisit some of the places we saw the last trip, and add some others we haven’t. There are so many wonderful places in the Bahamas, we’ve only scratched the surface, and are still exploring, not having spent more than four or five days in one spot. Easy to understand how folks cruise the waters of the Bahamas for 15 years and still keep coming back!