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The World Cruise of Veleda IV |
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Nassau, Bahamas. February 1999  [Click
image to visit Bahamas.com]We had arrived at East Bay Yacht Basin at 1510, February 4, on a clear sunny day after a 7 hour sail from Chub Cay in the Berry Islands chain. The rates at this marina were the most economical in Nassau, and it is centrally located at the foot of the old bridge coming from Paradise Island, beside Potters Cay where many conch and fishmongers are located, as well as fruit and vegetable stands. The rates were $.60 a foot per night for two or more nights, plus $3.00 for water (whether used or not), and $7.00 for electricity per day. The other marinas were $.75 to $1.50 per foot plus water and electricity per day. There were no shore heads, but good showers and a laundromat were on the dock. Reverse Osmosis (R/O) water was available at $.50 a gallon. The tap fresh water was not potable. We could also fill our propane tanks, and ice was available too. The people were friendly and the security was good. (Bahamas entry fees) We had many contacts to make for outboard motor, sail, and self steering repairs, and we got on the telephone shortly after arriving to check them out. We contacted Sun Marine, a Johnson dealer who was able to accept and get our outboard started for the first time since that heavy crossing from Cuba a week earlier. However, we had to row our dinghy the half mile down to the dealership to have the motor removed and row back to Veleda, as they could not work on it until next day. Rather than rowing straight back we went over to the BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association) dinghy dock and met the BASRA man we heard on the VHF as we were coming across and listening to the Mayday from the "burning" boat. We took out a BASRA membership for a donation of $30.00 just to support this voluntary rescue service in the Bahamas. We discussed with him the Mayday call we heard, and the other sailboats that diverted to help the vessel in trouble However, no one was on board it and they had taken their runabout back to shore and not informed anyone since making the initial Mayday call. The suspicion was that it was an insurance scam to replace an aging fishing boat. We are glad we didn't divert to help as there was nothing to be done when the other boats arrived on the scene, as we were told by these boaters when they came into East Bay Yacht Basin Marina much later that afternoon. When we left BASRA to row Sprite back to Veleda, we were towed back by some other Canadian boaters who were going up there to visit some friends at the marina. We called California to inquire about repairs to our Benmar Cetec self steering system only to be told to ship all of the system out to them, or possibly we could try to replace the transistors in the power unit first. That was our project for next day: taking out the power unit which is located below deck in the cockpit. This was our major project on day two in Nassau. Meanwhile back at the marina the sailboats that diverted to help the vessel on fire came in and confirmed what the BASRA people said. It looked like an insurance scam. We then met several of these boaters, and enjoyed a "happy hour" at Natives, a local bar across the road from the marina. Nice people! Day two alongside East Bay Yacht Basin marina found us very busy again. We took our genoa up to a sail repair loft just a few blocks up from the marina at the Shirley Street Mall. We needed the UV protective cloth replaced and a few other repairs made, to be ready for the next week. We found a collapsible suitcase dolly handy for carting the sail up to the loft. Next we got another tow back down to Sun Marine with Sprite to pick up our repaired 9.9 hp motor. Several things had to be done to it, but it is fully operational and according to the manager, worth the added expense of several hundred dollars to replace the motor mounts which are very shaky. We couldn't afford it now, but in a few months when it absolutely has to be done, we will do so. In the meantime we have tied a line around it and to the motor clamps and the dinghy in case it comes totally loose so that it will not fall into the drink. If it goes, Murphy's Law says it will go at the worst time. I hope it can hold out for another six weeks. It took quite a pounding in the sail up from Cuba, as we have it permanently mounted on the dinghy, even when we are under way. This makes launching and operating the dinghy a very rapid operation. We also tie in the gas tank, a spare tank of fuel, the bailer, a grapnel anchor, two life jackets, insect repellant and suntan lotion, so that it is fully operational as soon as we launch it. We also arranged for a fuel company to come the next day to pump out our fuel tank, in order to suck out the sediment in the bottom of our tank so we would not have problems with contamination after heavy seas. There were two other boats who, on hearing of our arrangements, asked if they could get him to do their boats as well. One chap had cloudy fuel, and had his tanks cleaned too. I think that the cloudy fuel was not sediment contamination, but that he had just put too much biocide treatment in his tank and this was the reaction. Biocide is used down here as the heat causes bacterial growth in the tank and fuel lines. Various biocide treatments can stop such growth. We are using Technol 403, a diesel fuel conditioner recommended to us by a Yanmar dealership in Marathon. It seems to be working well so far. However, we have to remember when working with many local contractors that they seem to operate on "island time", and expect delays. Next day turned out to be two days later when we were anxious to get going and to get out of the marina before being charged for an additional day. Our original purpose in coming to Nassau was to rendezvous with a friend who was going to sail with us for a couple of weeks. We didn't do the tourist trips other than walking all the way downtown with our power unit trying to find an electronics store that had and could install the transistors. Finally after three hours, a lot of shoe leather, and a taxi ride, we found a TV repair store that said they could get the transistors and install them for us. We then took a Jitney back down town to the main tourist area where all the cruise ships tie up. There were six large ships in at the time and the streets were crowded with tourists. We liked it much better where we were out by Potters Cay, away from the tourist trail. So we caught another jitney back out Bay Street to Potters Cay.  The jitneys are local buses run by a variety of independent companies. A ride costs only $.75. and is an interesting experience, as they are small buses, seating about 25 people. When crowded, which is most of the time, there are aisle seats that fold down, starting from the back. Invariably the next person getting off is seated in the back, and all the aisle seats have to be folded back up so the person can climb his or her way to the front to get off. Signs all ask to pay when boarding, but no one pays until leaving. The driver has no uniform and has his own ghetto blaster tuned to his favourite station of Bahamian music or a religious revival station. However, everyone is good natured and will talk easily with you or give you directions as to where you may want to go. Another humorous thing we noticed was the number of people drinking out of brown paper bags! We thought at first it was just the local drunks, but no! We saw people boarding jitneys drinking beer out of bags, but also saw others drinking pop out of paper bags as well. I chuckled when I saw a couple of tourists, pale white skin, standing on a corner drinking cokes out of brown paper bags. Maybe there is a law about drinking any beverage in public? We didn't do any other tourist things other than walk over to Paradise Island across the old Potters Cay bridge. We found that we could not use the CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) automatic tellers to get cash, with our CIBC Visa Gold card, but it would work on the Royal Bank machines. On this island we walked around the luxurious yachts of the millionaires. Fantastic immense ships with professional full time uniformed crews, from 60 to over 200 feet in length occupied the births in front of the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. We wandered through the Casino and were awed by the size, the architecture with an Atlantis theme, and by the fabulous fountains and chandeliers with leaping dolphins and marlins, cut glass sparkling through opaque glass platters and waterfalls strategically illuminated with white lights reflecting off the the sparkling waters and glass prisms. We paid $25.00 per person to go through the aquarium. It was worth it!  The theme was Atlantis under water, but the stars were the sea life artistically displayed in a series of aquariums with full plate glass windows looking into thirty foot deep acres of clear salt water. These windows were full corridor lengths as well as cave-like
apertures, and glass tunnels with shark, barracuda, grouper and needle fish swimming overhead as well as schools of hundreds of other colourful fish swimming around and lobsters obediently playing "follow the leader". There was a beautiful tank
backlit by purple light featuring dozens of jelly fish undulating in opaque ballets. There was a tank that delighted both children and adults allowing us to see, touch and if courageous enough, pick up a variety of star fish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, conchs and snails. The underwater background of this marine display had wreckage of the lost continent of Atlantis, around and through which colourful schools of fish swam in a slow motion harmony. There were several sharks, including one that was quite pregnant, and another which was constantly accompanied by smaller ramoras swimming beneath the shadow of its streamlined host. The sharks in this setting were more natural and beautiful rather than threatening and fearsome. As we walked through the long maze of the aquarium, we emerged out into the light of patios lining the tanks and ponds holding this multitude of sea life. Beside the shore of one of the ponds a half dozen stingrays wafted up and down in elegant rhythms in one to three feet of water, rippling the surface and lifting threads of sparkling sand from the bottom with their undulating cape-like wings. Something that made this display of sea life even more meaningful was that we have already seen, and will see even more of this sea life in its natural habitat from the boat, while
snorkeling, strolling on docks and while dinghying around anchorages in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas.The next day, after four days alongside, we finally got our tanks pumped out, but when we tried to fill our tanks with diesel at the marina before leaving, no go as their tanks were low and they did not expect to have them filled until the next day. Fortunately we had a couple more jerry cans of diesel that we put into our tank, enough to get us off and into the next marina under the bridges for fuel. So, off we went with requirements to return in ten days to drop Linda off to catch her return flight to the cold and snowy reaches of Oakville, Ontario (just outside of Toronto), but also to pick up our refurbished genoa and the power unit for our self steering system. Our next logs will deal with our fantastic voyage through the Eleuthra and Exuma Islands. Cruising at its island hopping best, most beautiful, and exotic. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come! Next Log Aubrey and Judy |
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