Mountains and Seashore: Something in the Night Sky, and the Exuma Banks

We thoroughly enjoyed the two days crossing the Banks. While I was making dinner the second evening the guys called me out on deck to take a look at something in the sky. At first glance it looked like the plume of a jet, then I realized that you could see the object and that it definitely wasn’t a jet. Once I had a chance to look on the internet it appears to have been the SpaceX Falcon Rocket launching a 7,000 pound satellite from Cape Canaveral. The small lights coming off the back end of it is the booster rockets.You have to love the internet sometimes.

Later that evening we made our way into Nassau Harbour. Clearing customs is always a bit of a hassle no matter where you are, (it ESPECIALLY is when you’re new to the area, each Customs office in each country, and even each island within a country, is a little bit different). Generally you can clear the next morning when you come into port but since Nassau’s Harbour is busy with cruise ships and transport vessels, there is always someone on duty to clear you through Customs (and happily take your $300 for the cruising permit!). After our long day we were happy to clear Customs and Immigration and anchor that night to get a good night’s rest.

Well, we at least enjoyed most of our night's sleep, at about 5:30 the next morning, while dreaming of our glorious “wing and wing” day we were awakened by flashing blue lights and someone with a megaphone telling us to come on deck. Talk about scare you to death. It was the Bahama Defense, which is basically like the US Coast Guard. Probably not recognizing our boat from earlier in the day (having come in late) they decided to board us and check all of our paperwork. We were thankful we had cleared just a few hours before. It was a bit unnerving for the first few minutes. Nothing like getting woke up from a dead sleep by 5 Bahamian men, in camo, with an AK-47 and other guns, boarding your boat. Actually I exaggerate, only two boarded our boat with one having an AK-47, while the other 3 stayed on their boat with their sidearms. The Bahamian in charge was extremely courteous and professional in his demeanor. He looked at our documents and had Terry watch while he did a search of the boat. The entire process only took about 30 minutes, but at that point the sun was rising and we were ready to be done with Nassau Harbor. We pulled anchor, got some fuel, water and ice at a nearby marina and headed out. Good-bye Nassau and onto the quiet, isolated Exumas.

This chain in the Bahama’s is made up of numerous small islands, some inhabited, but many desolate, rocky crags of limestone. If time would have been on our side I could have explored each individual island (as it was the weather actually allowed us to explore three).