Day 3 was beautiful, 4 was good, 5, not so much.

Day 5  April 5, 2012
So I am sitting in a gas station in Nassau in an attempt to get caught up....also in attempt to settle my nerves and mood.  Sparing all the gory details, let's just say today was a real learning curve.  We left at 7:30am today, supposedly bound for the Exumas. Soon after leaving the channel in Nassau, we were beating into a snotty mess, spray flying back into the cockpit.  Time to divert plans, this wasn't going to cut it.  So, we turned for a run toward Rose Island...

I should have known better.  I hate roses.  I'm allergic to them- besides they have thorns.  No LESS than 15 attempts trying to anchor- running aground, losing the anchor, and a lot of frustration, aggravation, tears and bad words.  After two hours of trying, it was time to cry "uncle". The wind seemed to ease as one front passed through, but another was on its way.  We left Rose Island (good riddance), and went back out into the slop, in an attempt to make headway.  After another hour's assessment, and another front slamming down on us, we got the message...turn tail and head back to Nassau. 

So I am sitting in a gas station call On The Run, while Donnie and Matt our changing out the anchor. I had to buy chicken here that I don't want, to use the only available free WiFi.  Did you get all of that?!   On the plus side, I am looking across the harbor at Atlantis. I will post from the last few days, until the mean lady runs me out of the store.

Rewind.  Two days ago we left South Bimini, bound for somewhere in the middle of the Grand Bahama Bank.

Before long, we passed the lighthouse at Gun Cat Cay and entered the
shallow waters of the Grand Bahama Bank.  This was the morning of day 3.



The water was crystal clear, and a gorgeous color of blue.  It was flat calm
all day- like sailing over a swimming pool, for miles and miles and miles.

STARFISH!!! This was 11 feet down.  I said, "Aw, I want to hold him."
Do you know that sweet husband of mine turned the boat around,
grabbed his mask and snorkel, and dove in :)

Does my honey love me or what?

Isn't he pretty?  I think he was a 'he''.

So I held him...

and kissed him...

...and gave him back to the ocean, and we sailed away.  Where does
the blue water end and the sky begin?  I could sit and stare at the water for
hours.  My grandma could do just that. She would have loved today.
It was so flat, and sandy, and shallow all day, that if something passed
by, like a starfish, or a sea cucumber, or the occasional fish, it really
caught your eye.  Unbelieveable- to be in the middle of the ocean. 

After awhile, I did some mending on a pair of Donnie's swim trunks,
and a button on my shorts.  Donnie cleaned some rusty tools, and polished
all of the stainless in the cockpit. Agnes did all of the work. We just messed around.

Late in the day, it was very hot and humid, and not much wind, so the
pantsless bezerker had to jump in! It was a good thing he did, too. He
found a loose nut down below that needed tightening. 
It's not what you're thinking...

At about 6pm, I started jonesin' for a pizza, and Donnie wanted to break
into the Yeti for an ice cold Coke over ice.  Pepperoni, sliced tomatoes,
onions, green peppers, banana peppers, fresh oregano, basil and garlic chives.

One happy Cap'n!  Frannie, Donnie says he found the best pizza...it was at
Cafe Marquesa all the time...who knew?!  lol  It was delicious, not
gonna lie.  Perhaps it was all the better, in the early setting sun,
with Agnes toiling away on a flat calm ocean.

We got the dinghy off the bow, just in time to set the anchor in
the setting sun.  The wind was beginning to pick up...

Happy couple at the end of a beautiful day.  Unhappy both of us at 4am,
after no sleep, and me feeling sick.  Time to weigh anchor, in the dark,
and keep moving toward Nassau.  We needed to get off the bank, it
was rockin' and rollin' and nobody was sleepin' :(

Day 4, we continued across the bank, then entered the deep waters
 of the tongue of the ocean. You could tell that we were heading
 toward Nassau, as there was alot more boat traffic...

And we passed LOTS of mega yachts...150 feet +.  Oh, the money.

Passing the lighthouse into Nassau Harbor, PTL!  It was a long, hard
day of sailing,  the jib sail tore, I was eating Bonine to keep from getting
sick and we were all on little to no sleep.  We were just looking for a place
 to tie up and crash for the night.  Please not another night at anchor!

This lovely rust bucket was coming out the channl as we were going in.
But, look!  There's Atlantis in the background :)

Sailing past these lovely ladies... To think my Emily was here just a
few weeks ago :)

As we were making our way to Nassau Yacht Haven (don't let the
name fool you!) this is the view across the harbor.

Even though we were beyond being dog tired, we hoofed it the three
 miles across the bridge to go have a look-see at Atlantis.

We made it!!!

The sign the diver is holding says, "Alyssa, will you marry me?!"
What a happy moment!!! And we got to witness it :)

This was Cap'n in front of the Atlantis Marina...
you should have seen the mega yachts there, OMG!
No wonder they wouldn't accept us there- we're too small.

After a late dinner with Karie and Matt at the Poop Deck, we drug our tired sorry butts back to the dock and straight to bed.  Nine hours of much needed sleep later, brought us to today, Day 5, and the miserable mess this morning and afternoon.  Now, you are all caught up.  I have settled myself down, so I guess I better get back to the boat to figure out dinner, discuss the weather, and decide our next best move.  It looks like there is a narrow window on Saturday, that we might get out,  but stay tuned...it all could change in the next hour.  Sorry if there's typos, but I need to post in a hurry as the chicken lady is getting upset again.... G'nite y'all!