Fish Fry

Conch Fritters in Nassau

Since our last post we haven’t had much internet since Nassau and when we have had it, it has been very spotty, hence the delay in posting. So this might be a very short post with little to no photos!

We left the Berry Islands two and half weeks ago and had planned to sail to New Providence Island in order to make it onto the Exuma Bank. This was the sail where I was going to do it start to finish: rig all the sails, pick and plot our exact course and choose where we anchored for the night. It was all going great until we reach the cut to get onto the bank. We had read lots about the Rose Island cut and apparently it was a well protected easy to navigate cut perfect to get onto the Bank. On our approach we both were watching it and there wasn’t a wave breaking in sight. As SOON as we neared the cut massive rolling waves started breaking to the right of us and I turned around and said “uhhhh James, we’re surfing right now”. The wind had picked up and we were sitting on top of an 18ft wave - fortunately they were very slow waves and James took over to maneuver to boat back out to sea and the waves didn’t have time or space to lift us and drop us on the shallow bank. All the other cuts had turned into the same state so it was a last minute diversion backwards and into Nassau - the only inlet with a breakwater and a deep enough channel not to create breaking waves. We had not planned on going to Nassau because the docking fees are incredibly pricey and the anchorage is tiny with poor holding and lots of reports of theft, however we didn’t have any other option. The sea had turned quite rough at this point so it took us a while to make it to Nassau and it was dark when we arrived. Our chart book said it was a “well lit channel” - they must have forgotten to turn most of the lights on the night we arrived ;) As we approached we called Nassau Harbour Control for permission to enter the channel and were instructed to wait for the Disney Cruise Ship and then make our entrance. The Disney Cruise ship was already out of the channel and well past us so we started to make our way towards the channel. I think Harbour Control meant wait for the massive container ship since that was headed right for us! We turned back into the sea and once that had passed traversed the very dark inlet with a heck of a lot of current pushing us. There is an enormous bank of concrete slips, barely outside of the channel, for the cruise ships to dock and they were barely visible - maybe throw a light on there - just a thought. The boats in the channel also didn’t have any running lights on and most the boats at anchor didn’t have an anchor light on. We arrived to a very full anchorage in high winds with opposing current - that wasn’t in my original game plan for the day! Usually when we anchor James drops the anchor and I drive the boat since the anchor is so heavy. However, this anchorage was so full and there was so much wind and current he suggested he drove since I’m less comfortable (read absolutely, utterly uncomfortable/terrified) driving in tight spaces - especially when the wind and current are opposing each other. So I dropped the anchor for the fist time and I nearly went over the bow! That thing is HEAVY, which I thought I was prepared for, but not quite!!!! The very thick and heavy chain is wrapped around the windlass (which brings it up thank god) so I had to pull the chain off the windlass and lower the 50lb anchor down into almost 30 feet of water and with each foot of chain I dropped it got heavier and heavier since I was now holding the anchor and the chain. The BEST part is we had to do it FIVE times since I was soon slow at it we were drifting so much we were too close to other boats. I physically could not have done it one more time my poor little shoulders were trembling. I used to give poor James a hard time about how muddy he got when he put the anchor down (since I do all the hand laundry) but after that I was like “I’m sorry, please get as dirty as you like - it is hard damn work”! So we spent a few days in Nassau waiting for the winds to die and despite the anxiety-inducing situation to get there I’m glad we went - it’s a really cool city. This pit stop also allowed us to provision at a huge grocery store that is much cheaper than elsewhere in the Bahamas. 

Conch Fritters

Lots of people (especially you Mo) have been asking about food so here you go! We got boarded by BASRA (the Bahamian Coast Guard) and we got the impression that they basically want to make sure you have paid your entry fee! So once that was established we chatted while they filled out their paper work and naturally we asked where to eat! They recommended Arawak Cay which an area in Nassau filled with 38 fishing shack-type buildings on the beach and they all serve Fish Fry. They recommended a place called “Oh Andros” so we headed there and finally got to try a Fish Fry!! Fish Fry is what the locals called their “native food” - there are lots of different options for white fish, lobster and conch and the sides are: fried plantains, coleslaw, rice and peas (which is rice and beans), macaroni and cheese, potato salad and various other starchy carby side dishes. It’s essentially a grease carb high and it’s delicious, but Natasha you were so right - it’s really only something you need to do once, there is lot of grease involved! We got conch fritters to start - chopped up pieces of conch (sea snail) in balls of spiced dough and deep fried. Then we shared a portion of spicy pan fried grouper, with coleslaw, mac and cheese and rice and peas.

We still ended up with enough for dinner! At first I said “I’m never doing that again” since it didn’t sit so well on the old belly but that was almost three weeks ago and I’m craving it again! There are two main beer companies here: Kalik and Sands - both are tasty light lagers - perfect for the heat. Then there is the rum - delicious and at $8 a bottle in Nassau you really can't go wrong. There is also English chocolate and Irish butter here - basically a dream come true!

James enjoying a Sands Beer

First Boat Pizza

On the boat we have made our first pizza and it was great! Mexican night is also quite popular. We eat a lot of bean salads since most of our food is tinned but so far have been able to get eggs and milk and yogurt fairly regularly. Since we have lots of carrots and have been able to get cabbage and onions I’ve been making military-size portions of coleslaw - if anyone has a good recipe that has more of a vinegar dressing instead of mayo we would sure appreciate it! We are still making bread, pitas and tortillas. We have been able to get coconut bread and it is sinfully addictive and makes the most incredible French toast. It might be the extra time on our hands or maybe it's the need to not waste any food at all but we're getting quite creative with our cooking and loving the results! We’re still stocked from our many shopping trips in the states which is good because food has to come a long way to get to these Islands and understandably it is quite expensive - US$30 for a small bag of coffee, US$17 for a tiny banana bread, US$5 for a small tin of tomatoes, US $4 for a box of pasta, US$6 for a box of crackers - just to give you an idea. 

Mexican Night

Vats of Coleslaw 

Some nights you just want a Mr. Noodle out of the pot! 

More on the beautiful, friendly Exumas in the next post when there's more internet!  

Chillin' (literally) in the Berry's

It's hard to believe that we have been in the Bahamas for two weeks!! Granted three days were a hard slog of travel, but still the time has flown. Our boat cleared customs in Great Harbour Cay Marina, in the Berry Islands, on Jan.27. It's quite an interesting process - I have only ever cleared customs at airports or bus terminals, and once on foot in Poland from Slovakia but never on a boat. Customs in Great Harbour Cay has to be cleared from the marina since the customs officer drives over from the airport. Once we radioed the marina that we were close they called customs to inform them a vessel was arriving and was flying the "Quarantine Flag". This is the yellow flag a ship must fly when it enters a country's waters but has not yet been cleared into customs.

Our Quarantine Flag

Apparently historically the yellow flag was signified a ship had cholera, but now means the ship is free from any diseases for which it should be quanatined and is requesting clearance from customs.  As Captain of the ship, only James was allowed to leave the vessel and I stayed on board filling out the customs forms he gave me while he got our passports stamped and obtained our joint cruising and fishing permit. The customs officer never even laid eyes on me or the boat yet James returned with a stamped passport for me! The paperwork I filled out was very interesting and I suspect has not been updated in a very long time. My favourite questions were:

I'm not entirely sure what is considered usual or unusual rat mortality but I took no rats onboard as a very happy sign. Also apparently if people "accidentally" died aboard on the way to the Bahamas - meh no big deal - as long as it was an accident you don't have to declare it! And don't worry - in case you're not sure what plague, cholera, yellow fever or small pox look like - this helpful "Note" is attached (FYI James is considered "the Master"- HA):

Since we had no prostrating fevers nor diarrhea leading to collapse we passed our customs inspection! We then took down our quarantine flag and hoisted our Bahamas Courtesy Flag (which has since ripped in all the wind we have been having).

The Berry Islands are a chain of islands in the northwest of the Bahamas. The entire population of all 30 islands is only about 700 - most islands are uninhabited and very small. They were settled in the mid 1800s by freed slaves. They are beautiful, rustic, remote and rugged. There is hardly anyone here and in two weeks we have only seen a handful of people. It's a pretty cool experience.

After we rested up and filled our water at the marina we spent 2 nights at anchor nearby. While at anchor we were able to dingy to the marina and then go ashore for those two days. We had an amazing time exploring the island! It's quite small and we biked around it in a day. The first day we borrowed the marina bikes, let me tell you - a hilly island on a fixed gear bike with beach tires is quite the work-out! We went to the Bahamas Telecom Company and got a SIM card so we could have internet then we checked out the "settlement" which is what they call the towns here. Friendlier, more down to earth people you could not hope to meet. When people talk to you they shake your hand, put a hand on your shoulder, give you eye contact and genuinely smile. As we biked along EVERYONE we passed waved or honked and several drivers pulled alongside us and chatted as they drove along! The settlement had a school, a church, a "beauty store",  and several small convenience shops. We stopped in one and bought a "Goombay Punch" which we were informed "has the real taste of the Bahamas".

It tasted a little like cream soda and we learned there is a drink called the "Goombay Smash" which is an adult alcoholic version which we are both excited to try!

Throughout the day spent biking around, we stopped at several beaches to cool down and swim. At each beach we were the only people there. We also hiked up to the top of the island for a rather spectacular view of the water. Before we arrived in the Bahamas, the first thing everyone said when learning we were coming here was "wait until you see the water!" and it's true - it's truly incredible. The photos just don't do it justice. There are so many shades of blue and green and the clarity is like a glass of tap water. It takes some getting used to sailing in such shallow water and being able to see the bottom - I'm just waiting for our keel to hit something! However, the thing no one talked about was the stars! I have never seen so many stars before and they are so clear and close. There is almost no light pollution at all and it's a fairly flat landscape so being out on the water gives the most unreal view of the stars - I understand now why celestial navigation would have been so helpful - you can see everything out here! Sadly, we are still waiting to see those "five visible planets" that apparently can be seen this February.

View from the top of Great Harbour Cay

From Great Harbour Cay we sailed (actually sailed, got to turn the motor off) to Soldier's Cay where we were the only boat so we had the beach entirely to ourselves. We spent a very relaxing beach day reading and snorkelling with stingrays.  A few days later we headed to Hoffman's Cay and again had the place to ourself the first day. The second day a local fishing boat showed up towing six smaller boats. The largest boat acts as the mother ship and stays anchored while the smaller boats scatter and fish throughout the day. We met some really nice fishermen who dropped by the boat with their catch! Hoffman Cay is a great location because from there you can dingy to many small islands and beaches. We did a short hike on one of the islands to one of the Bahamas famous "Blue Holes".

Pondering at the Blue Hole

Each day we visited a different secluded beach, did yoga, read, and swam and snorkelled. We saw the largest starfish I had ever seen - I had no idea they grew so large. Some were at least one and a half feet across! Then we moved to Bondscay where we had a beach fire. We had gone to shore to swim and walk on the beach but on our way back to the boat the predicted cold front moved in much faster than anticipated and brought some very large waves with it. By the time we reached our boat it was bobbing all over the place. We had a very hard time getting out of the dingy and climbing up the ladder since the waves were lifting our boat so far out of the water we were afraid the dingy would slip too far under the transom and get smashed.  We are now at Frazers Hog Cay and are enjoying the second cold front in as many days - the cool weather is one thing, I'm sure the further south we go we'll have days where we long for a respite from the heat - but the high winds and rough seas it brings are getting old.

Now that we have relaxed and enjoyed some time not fixing things it has dawned on us that this is our life! We are out of survival mode when we just dealt with one calamity after another. Tomorrow marks FIVE MONTHS aboard!! It's true what we read on other people's blogs - around the six month mark is where you really settle into the lifestyle. It doesn't feel like a vacation or a crazy adventure so much as our new lifestyle. We pretty much have stuff figured out and are back to doing normal things like baking and cooking real meals.

Our boat version of Irish Soda Bread

Making a Stovetop Cake

Turned out like a Steamed Pudding!