While we weren’t planning to cross back to Florida this soon, the windy cold fronts won. It cost us $400 to Bahamian Immigration just to extend our stay for (what ended up as) only 1 1/2 days. Leaving Spanish Wells we had hoped to head south to spend a week in the Exumas. Pass – several windy days forecasted including some with strong west winds (not much west protection available). Rock Sound for a week, then Exumas – worth it? In the end, we decided to head west to the Berry Islands as we haven’t explored there recently & it was at least in the direction of our eventual return to Florida. A bonus was that the Great Harbour Cay Marina offers nice protection & is reasonably priced so we could hide at during the cold front. Rather than zoom right to the marina, we (I) wanted to first spend a day or two exploring. As the forecast became more severe, we decided we’d better make marina reservation, but too late – now full with a waiting list 😦

On the way to the Berry Islands – look at that blue water! It’s been a while since I’ve caught a mahi, unfortunately I didn’t this time either – he escaped off the hook as I was attempting to net him – too bad as about 2 1/2′.

Fortunately his distant cousin did make it onto my grill (grouper fillet bought in Spanish Wells). Very calm seas before the cold front.

The Berry Islands are certainly geologically unique. The area surrounding them (white) is several thousands of feet deep. The interior areas (blues) are 2′ – 6′. The greenish areas are nearly awash at low tides

Not a fun 4 days (or nights trying to sleep) as the winds gusted over 35 knots with clocking around from NE, E, SE, S, SW, to W. We moved several times (at high tides as nearly everywhere is shallow) ending up anchoring off Cockroach Cay(!) which was just a little sliver of protection.

We considered next going to the marina (boats would probably be leaving) or perhaps spending a few days at a marina in Bimini as another cold front was arriving with gusts to 40 knots. But, why? Two perfect weather days were coming up, so we decided just to cross back. Day 1 anchored off Bimini, day 2 crossing to Stuart (first time using St. Lucie inlet and oh so much fun on a Saturday with locals zooming past). It didn’t seem the seas could calm down so quickly, but both days were perfect with the light winds directly behind us (always a plus). Later we were extra glad we had crossed, as reports from other cruisers throughout the Bahamas related that the cold front was particularly nasty of clocking winds with gusts to not 40, but 50 knots!

A Tornado Warning + was our welcome back to Florida! Fortunately, we were at a very protected slip in Fort Pierce where the wind was only really bad for a couple of hours. Couldn’t complain too much as we scored a few complimentary days of dockage & diesel at a discounted $3.06/gallon with our Safe Harbor Marina membership. A Publix grocery store within walking distance was a plus as well.

Crossing a week or two early means we don’t have to rush at all going north (don’t want any cold temps!). We’ll next be in Vero Beach for a (short) week with a rental car so we can exchange some things between our boat & our storage unit, get pizza, visit Publix more and ABC too!  Will perform engine maintenance & our usual northbound routine prep.

Our 6 weeks here in Spanish Wells is sadly coming to a close. Spending quality time here has been one of our best cruising decisions ever & we hope to return next year!

Our nephew Matt visited from CT. He had a blast with perfect weather for his entire week.

Golf carts are the best way to get around but remember to drive on the LEFT (like the U.K.).

Matt’s favorite hangout – just a mile kayak ride away, with beautiful views, warm swimming & partial shade from the Casuarina trees.

We even arranged for this SpaceX rocket launch. This was the 1st ever SpaceX launch with a trajectory directly over the Bahamas with its booster landing within Bahamian waters (usually lands 50 miles east of the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean). The booster landing on the SpaceX Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship named Just Read the Instructions was somewhat near the center of the Bahamas, about 1/2 way between Eleuthera & the Exumas. Many lucky people were only 20+ miles away from the landing ship so could see the dramatic booster landing – slowly & perfectly descending onto the ship’s deck. While we could only view the landing on-line, we sure heard the accompanying sonic boom.

Our unusual dock neighbor one night – this landing craft vessel is used as a workboat for a private island.

On the left, this sailboat is being blocked underwater by a diver as the lift platform is raised an inch at a time. The next day with the platform fully raised, the sailboat receiving its full glam job.

This is our resident manatee who we often see cruising by. This time kayaking, I saw him working a mussel or oyster shell off the concrete wall, then sucking on it, turning it around in his mouth with his front flippers.

With only a month before the lobstering season closes for the summer, these boats were constantly arriving & departing.

A visit to the small Spanish Wells Museum was a great refresh from our visit 12 years ago. English Puritans known as “Eleutherian Adventurers” arrived in 1649 (unfortunately, the original Lucayans had previously been decimated by the Spanish due to disease & otherwise taken as slaves to various Caribbean islands). Their landing, however, began with a crash as their ship was lost on the reef approaching the shore. They barely survived their first year living in a nearby cave. As they began their slow recovery & growth, religious faith & cooperative ideals sustained them then & over the last 375 years. The utilities, the harbor, the lobstering boats, along with many businesses are co-operatives. Thru the 1800’s, much of their building materials came from the ships which would wreck on the offshore reefs. After rescuing survivors, men would spend months diving down to the wrecks recovering all they could – even un-nailing & removing the copper sheathing from the hulls (used back then to prevent wood worms from boring into the hull) to re-use on their house roofs.  Most of town including roads were built by hand, by the residents. Large equipment didn’t arrive here until the 1960’s & no central electricity until the 1970’s.

Lobstering is now their largest endeavor with young men being scouted right out of school as young as 14-years old. Oh no, what about High School? Well, consider this trade school. The very few passing the stiff requirements, work ethic & being voted “in” by the crew, are now a voting member & part owner of a million-dollar lobstering boat with a potentially very large yearly paycheck – most years that is… Boats break down, poor lobstering years and … oh, hurricanes. Unfortunately, every 5 – 20 years, a devastating hurricane will hit Spanish Wells, flooding the town, ripping off roofs & tossing the ships into the mangroves. Little pay for a year or two while you work long days to repair your ship & the entire town so you can get back out there.

Time for us to “shove off” from Spanish Wells, but first a trip to the Immigration Office to apply for an extension. While we had often been able to obtain a length of stay of 4 months upon arrival, the Bahamas is now only issuing initial stays of 3 months, thus many cruisers need to apply for additional few weeks. When needed, obtaining an extension was a hassle (timing, location & logistics) but at least there was no additional fee – now charging $200 per person. We will only be a week or two over our 3 months, but their country – their rules – which they take very seriously.

Total customs & immigration fees used to total $150 for our 4 months – now they total $1,000! Paradise is getting pricey! I guess that goes along with a dozen eggs for $12.50 + 10% VAT & lucky to get them at all as this week’s ship “lost” a large refrigerated tractor trailer arriving from the U.S. full of the island’s perishables for the week.