By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 14, 2024 — I absolutely had to share this wonderful collection of photos posted on The Bahamas, Land and Sea Facebook page with readers of my Washington, D.C. –based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among Bahamians in the diaspora across the United Ststes, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Although the Florida couple in this aesthetically magnificent collection of photos is not identified by their names, here is the narrative that accompanied the photos:
“Now that we have been back home in Florida for a few days, I looked back on our trip to The Bahamas. So much planning, preparation and anxiety I had since being a newbie that had not done a boat trip like this before. It was a fantastic trip that we hope to do again (although a bit differently based on the learnings we now have). I will describe some things that I learned or at least appreciate more; things that worked and didn’t. Maybe other newbies will appreciate and I won’t bore those of you who are more experienced.
Getting there was a huge part of the trip. Coming from St Petersburg on Florida’s west coast, we chose the south version of the crossing via the Florida Keys. But due to the persistent high winds from the east it took 19 days before being able to cross form Islamorada to Bimini, and even then, it was one of the roughest days on the water for us. In retrospect we should have gone via the canal route and crossed from the east coast of Florida.
Speaking of rough water, our boat is a 34’ Powercat. She does pretty well but not when there are over 5’ waves on the bow. We weren’t experienced enough for that. We knew there would be more crossings after Bimini to the other islands. In total we did five 90-plus mile days (about 6-8hrs) going from Bimini to the Berrys and onto the Abacos. The worst day was the Berrys to the Abacos; waves and wind on the bow for the first half then large rolling swells on the beam. Stuff breaks on the boat when the weather is rough-so be prepared to fix things.
We had planned to spend more nights on the hook but due to weather we only managed 6 nights of the 20. Anchoring out was great and enabled us to see the most pristine parts of the Bahamas. But time in the marinas was good too; meeting many new friends and fellow travelers. Great Harbor in the Berrys was one of our favorites.
Having enough water was a concern. Our boat holds 75g and we took and extra 15g in jugs. But since the weather wasn’t cooperative we never ran out before getting to the next marina. We can easily make 4 or more days with 75g on board. I guess a water maker would be nice to have if you are able to stay out longer but didn’t make sense for us.
The other concern about being on the hook was need for electricity since we didnt plan to bring the generator. Instead I installed a 400w solar system that served us very well. It power’s everything except AC (which we never needed). We never woke up with less than 35% reserve in the Li batteries.
Having enough food was also a concern so I bought a cheap freezer on Amazon. It was perfect size and enabled us to always have plenty of provisions. I had planned to try fishing as well as spear fishing. Even a poor fisherman like me was able catch lots of fish. Not so much spear fishing since it was too rough to get out to the reefs most days.
We got home safely, but not after an issue with clogged fuel filters, which started once we had crossed back into Florida. We always refueled at the more frequented marinas in the Bahamas but still managed to get stung. Fortunately, I brought many fuel filter spares which saved us.
Probably the thing that bothered us most during the trip was access to the internet and weather info. I was given some wrong info from T Mobile before we left that said we would have service in Bahamas. Wasn’t true. Needed the international pass. For $50 it was worth it and cell service was excellent in almost all places in the Bahamas. I agonized over what we should have before leaving (Starlink, MiFI, etc etc). But the international plan was more than adequate for us.
Sorry for the long story. It was a super big trip for us that we will remember for ages. Hopefully we get to do it again a little differently and get to spend more time enjoying the beautiful Bahamas.”
