Jupiter to the West End, the Bahamas

Dragging ourselves from the lap of luxury, we departed Admiral's Cove, Friday, February 15. Lake Worth, just a few miles south, offers an excellent anchorage and jumping off point for the Bahamas. By late afternoon, we were securely anchored near the Inlet and just north of Palm Beach. A midnight departure would put us off the coast of the Bahamas by midday Saturday. After an early dinner we slept. Weighing anchor around 12:00 am we were passing the RW buoy by 1:00 am and on our way! Moderate east winds forced us to motor but the seas were fairly calm and we moved comfortably along. Pat had taken precaution against seasickness by using the "patch", taking a couple of dramamine and putting acupressure wrist bands on then went sleep in the cockpit. She awoke to find us far offshore and only hours away from landfall. From Lake Worth, West End on Grand Bahama lies only about 60 nm away. With the headwind we made slow but steady progress. We steered a course south of the rhumb line and got a push from the gulf stream as we angled north toward our goal.

Midmorning brought the water tower near Old Bahama Marina into view. By 1:00 pm we entered the harbor. I understood from the guide that we could anchor just outside the entrance to the marina and learned only after getting the anchor set and reporting to customs & immigration that that was not allowed. So, duely chastised, I returned to the boat, filled out all the required forms and called in for a slip assignment.

Old Bahama Marina is a fairly new resort and the only facility at West End. Beautifully landscapted cottages, two restaurants, a bar, a pool, a gift shop and a wide range of water activities make for a relaxing entry into this our first foreign country to visit. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, walking around the marina, making plans for the next leg and accomodating our minds to this new experience.

Sunday, we took the dinghy out to explore and ended up beaching it on a sand cay near the marina entrance. Conch shells, crabs, white sand and tropical waters dazzled us as we ate a picnic lunch in the solitude of this wonderful place.

Tuesday we head to Double Breasted Cay via Sale Cay. Without internet on the boat (Verizon service is not available), we will be updating the blog only when we stop at a marina.