February 11, 2018
Chub Key, Berry Islands
Our anchored boat here in Chub Cay is rocking and rolling from a strong easterly trade wind with only a thin barrier of land between us and 5-7 foot seas rolling in off the Tongue of the Ocean. We were sailing close hauled in 20+ knot wind which slowly moved more onto our nose as the day went on which meant for a more uncomfortable ride toward our destination. We left knowing it would be windy with several options along the way to duck in should we decide to. We set out the day with a reef in our main and our small jib. The winds are forecast to be moderating towards the end of the week and our eventual destination is Eleuthera with a stopover in Nassau for provisions.
The Berries have been a wonderful starting point for our introduction to the Bahamas. The Berries are located in the north-central part of the Bahamas and don’t appear to be heavily traveled which may be because they are not easily accessible. We did see a cruise ship off Little Stirrup Cay and a few small settlements but for the most part these islands are a string of beautiful little jewels that run north and south.
Our first night we stayed at the marina in Great Harbor where we could get showers and do laundry. We didn’t venture far our second night and anchored off the settlement in Bullocks Harbor. The settlement is made up of local descendants and generations of Bahamians who have learned to make a living from the sea and have responded to changing times by care taking, construction, servicing a revolving population of expatriates including the Rat Pack and Brigitte Bardot back in the day. We ate at the only two restaurants we could find and had fresh conch on both occasions…delectable!
Night three we settled off Hoffman Cay. So far it’s one of my favorites. The water is crystal clear and as a result, sea life is so visible we’ve seen shark, sea turtles, sting rays, barracuda other unidentifiable beings The Bahamas are peppered with Blue Holes but we were able to visit one on Hoffman’s Cay that was surrounded by land. This particular Blue Hole is quite deep with a depth of around 500 + feet. There’s a 20 foot cliff for those dare devils who like to jump or you can take a small trail to the waters edge for a swim. The water was warmer farther below the surface as Oakley reported and there were definitely variations in the water temperature closer to the surface.
Having Oakley and Josie aboard has been a great addition to our daily life on the boat. They’ve been working hard getting our boat in tip top shape sanding, scarping and oiling the wood work among other things. Tarwathie certainly has had a face lift since they arrived. Having two more hands on deck during our sporty sailing has been invaluable and we will certainly miss them especially since the two of us are prone to sea sickness.
We go about doing our own thing during the day and come together in the late afternoon, taking turns preparing an evening meal. It’s a lovely way to the end a day, usually with a little prayer; “we give thanks for being, we give thanks for being here, we give thanks for being here together”.
Chub Key, Berry Islands
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| Chub Cay |
The Berries have been a wonderful starting point for our introduction to the Bahamas. The Berries are located in the north-central part of the Bahamas and don’t appear to be heavily traveled which may be because they are not easily accessible. We did see a cruise ship off Little Stirrup Cay and a few small settlements but for the most part these islands are a string of beautiful little jewels that run north and south.
Our first night we stayed at the marina in Great Harbor where we could get showers and do laundry. We didn’t venture far our second night and anchored off the settlement in Bullocks Harbor. The settlement is made up of local descendants and generations of Bahamians who have learned to make a living from the sea and have responded to changing times by care taking, construction, servicing a revolving population of expatriates including the Rat Pack and Brigitte Bardot back in the day. We ate at the only two restaurants we could find and had fresh conch on both occasions…delectable!
Night three we settled off Hoffman Cay. So far it’s one of my favorites. The water is crystal clear and as a result, sea life is so visible we’ve seen shark, sea turtles, sting rays, barracuda other unidentifiable beings The Bahamas are peppered with Blue Holes but we were able to visit one on Hoffman’s Cay that was surrounded by land. This particular Blue Hole is quite deep with a depth of around 500 + feet. There’s a 20 foot cliff for those dare devils who like to jump or you can take a small trail to the waters edge for a swim. The water was warmer farther below the surface as Oakley reported and there were definitely variations in the water temperature closer to the surface.
Having Oakley and Josie aboard has been a great addition to our daily life on the boat. They’ve been working hard getting our boat in tip top shape sanding, scarping and oiling the wood work among other things. Tarwathie certainly has had a face lift since they arrived. Having two more hands on deck during our sporty sailing has been invaluable and we will certainly miss them especially since the two of us are prone to sea sickness.
We go about doing our own thing during the day and come together in the late afternoon, taking turns preparing an evening meal. It’s a lovely way to the end a day, usually with a little prayer; “we give thanks for being, we give thanks for being here, we give thanks for being here together”.
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