Resurfacing in the Bahamas April 2, 2026
My apologies for the lapse in updates but our primary contributor slipped into an unannounced bout of depression, which took me by surprise given all the sunshine, water, and general lack of responsibilities. Anyhow, I am back at it and will try and keep this ramble updated.
After all the delays we found ourselves back on the hook near the Lake Worth channel at the tail end of spring break week and yards from some of the most expensive real estate in the US. Singer Island hosts the mega wealthy and they have the boats to prove it. Mara Lago is somewhere in the vicinity. The college students and locals were all enjoying nearby Peanut Island which offers a bit of snorkeling, volleyball, and some beaches in the heart of a bustling harbor. Mega Yachts rolled by almost hourly, and commercial tugs and cargo ships serviced the industrial mainland near the power plant and oil tanks. Yes, some of the most expensive real estate in the country is situated about a mile across the water from and industrial port! And, if the wind blows just right they get a whiff of something akin to a coal burning power plant. Go figure?
We took a dinghy ride into the mainland to pick up some last minute supplies and walked a couple of miles through what is a very weird mix of abandoned buildings, high end yacht sales, and public park. Florida is weird.
A weather window for crossing the gulf stream materialized and we pulled anchor on Monday March 22nd just after midnight. The Lake Worth channel is well marked, deep and wide so no worries there, but the Gulf Stream is felt almost immediately after clearing the channel and is a force to be reckoned with. Every start to a passage raises feelings of trepidation, but as it turned out the crossing was largely uneventful and we motor sailed until the wind gave out completely making the passage without issue, and arriving in the Grand Bahamas West End Marina around 11 am.
We were exhausted and experienced another minor electrical issue during the passage, so we took another day at the marina to catch up on sleep and fix the corroded cable to our engine instruments. We did a bit of snorkeling and spotted several sea turtles, a ray, and an assortment of small reef fish hanging round the stone jetty of the marina entrance. Sadly the Bahamas coral and sea life are not fairing that well.
Bita Bay
Little Bahamas Bank
We anchored in a small bay along Alan Cay one of the most Northerly cays in the Bahamas which roughly marks the northern end of the Sea of Abaco. There was another Hallberg Rassy anchored nearby which provided us with a sense of comradery out there on the edge of some sandbars and coral. We took our ceremonial splash after the days journey to refresh ourselves and ensure that the anchor had set properly. The Rocna ancor dug in well despite the turtle grass.
The upcoming forecast was for gale force wind in the lower forties, so we pulled our anchor after breakfast and high tailed it for Green Turtle Cay and called ahead for a slip at the Bluff House Marina. Green Turtle Cay is a popular spot for cruisers with a few marinas and the quaint village of New Plymouth. Our slip was on the Western edge of the harbor where we caught some fetch from the blow and endured some drumming on our hull through the night with the small wavelets hitting our stern but all in all we were happy to be tied to a dock. We also made some more friends aboard Alboe and Three Sheets. Both boats hail from Philadelphia and were headed in opposite directions, but we quickly found common ground as sailors, being the minority amongst large power cruisers at the marina. Alboe is headed home after spending the early half of the season in the Bahamas but Waldo and his sister Wilma on Three Sheets to the Wind are now buddy boating with us and we are thankful to have the expertise of an aeronautical engineer nearby.
Jessica and I rented a gasoline powered golf cart for the day and picked up some provisions before hitting the beach at Bita Bay for a snorkel. We did not have time to make the museum in town but when the weather settles again we will dinghy over and meet the caretaker who is legendary in her own right. Planters Rum is cheap and the Cruzan Rum was not much more so we picked up the essentials and a delicious soft serve ice cream.
The weather is preventing any progress southward because we can only pass through the Whale Cut or over the shoals at Don't Rock Channel at high tide, and the ocean swells have been high and winds from the east quite sporty. We made a run down the Sea of Abaco today with Waldo tailing us in Three Sheets but turned around after sufficient bashing into a headwind and a chop. The Whale Cut is dangerous in the wrong conditions and we are in no rush. We will wait out yet another cold front on the hook here on the Western Shore of Green Turtle Cay and work on our daytime napping.
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