When we left Nassau with Chub Cay on our minds, we thought of the little isle as a slight mass of land where we could safely toss an anchor and remove ourselves from the roll of the Tongue of the Ocean (compelling, no?). We provisioned in Nassau by way of taking a taxi out of Paradise Island (what more could you want?!) and into the city, the heart and soul. The ride through the streets seemed promising. Buildings, squares, industries, a moving/shifting population…and then cruise ships.Dropped at the wharf, we were told of an old local restaurant overlooking the water. Lukka Kairi looked promising but examining the menu we thought there is nothing but chicken tenders for the kids to eat (common issue). All were hungry and Quinn had developed a bit of ‘screw you’ attitude as of late. “Quinn, come on.” “Screw You.” Charming. So when we saw Senor Frogs, we thought “Perfect”. And it was perfect if your definition of perfect is taking your kids to a frat party. Hazing Ohio secretaries at noon? Greats from Billy Ocean, Michael Jackson shifted to a conga line dance with the willing “dancers” moving into a line for shots out of a common bottle. Not judging…it is just the when the signs read “When a girl says no, she means maybe” and your kids can read, it is best to finish the nachos and head over to Lukka Kairi.
Lunch was a nice long one with calls to boat yards and brokers to determine our next steps. Who would have thought the only accommodating yard in the Bahamas was Spanish Wells? Alas where we can fit and be lifted (a sea cock is stuck open thus the need to be hauled out), the finer touch work and maintenance required (transom bushing needs repair) is not exactly the fishing village’s expertise. A call to Miami provided a great resource. He directed us to Just Catamarans (guess what…it isn’t ONLY catamarans) in Fort Lauderdale. So a plan is made. We will stop at Chub Cay, Bimini and head to Miami while we wait on the yard to be ready for us.If you have never deprived your children of a grocery store for a month and then let them loose in the produce isle, you are missing out. Christmas morning is often wrought with the crashing of excitement, but not this. A produce isle is not only stimulating during the buildup,and the walk through but also for days to come. As we like to raise them with a bit of disappointment, I declined the $10 watermelon. Stocked up, we grabbed another cab and headed back to Atlantis for our last night. Cost of all that transportation in and out of Atlantis: $80. It ain’t cheap to live like vagabonds.
so long Bahamas !
So Chub Cay…remember a nice anchoring at the Tongue of the Ocean? With a deep draft and shallow waters at the edge of a bit of land, there aren’t many options. We COULD have anchored and we would not have slept all night and been on edge for the twelve hour transit the next day or we could grab a slip at Chub Cay. We choose the slip. Not exactly knowing what to expect, we were surprised upon entering the marina of a few things. It was large, very large. It was empty, mostly empty. And it was oddly familiar. The houses could have been in Sullivan’s Island. It was a development, arrested and resurrected. Passing what seemed like barracks and docking in a construction zone, Madame Geneva was greeted by a friendly and able hand. We walked through recently laid paths along terraces around circles with no landscaping one minute and seriously planted and perfected shortly after. The dust remained perpetually stirred as tractors and workers continued to scurry about.
The large white house at the top of the even larger infinity pool upon the netted and private beach was not open. The underwater bar provided ample stools with no one in them. The bar was unserviced. It was ours and it was eerie. There were others there. A few people here and there that stumbled (or had been coming for years watching even stranger sights start and stop and start again) unto Chub Cay. One couple was particularly friendly with their knowledge and oddly appropriate people to meet. Their daughters either just graduated or were in the throws of our alma maters: Wake Forest University and College of Charleston. They were beginning a month on the water with their parrot (guess who loved that??!). The grand opening of Chub Cay (number tw0-phase one was apparently cancelled with the real estate crash in 2009 when the owner walked away) was imminent. There were not exactly roses being tossed at our feet, but more like planted in our path.
We stayed an extra day because we could (our haul out could not be scheduled until July 18th) and because we had work to do. Wifi running, computers out, kids fishing, reading and playing with legos and of course some pool time. Gherty rescued a tern. She is thrilled (as she should be) and very much asserted in her desire to be a veterinarian. We all stayed up late to watch Lord of the Rings. Night, night, children…time for bed. Luckily tired trumped scary dreams!
Now awake at dawn and motorsailing through what Justin calls the Epiglottis of the Ocean, with SAILBOATS on the horizon and fishing boats anchored here and there, we are heading west back to the states before continuing our journey back into the Caribbean. As the season progresses and our desire to pound into the weather and the current with kids decreases, we are exploring options of having Madame Geneva delivered to Puerto Rico after her haul out. We are ready for our continued journey, but one more in tune with our exploratory nature and seeking and understanding of other cultures. We are bidding the Bahamas a fare thee well with just one more stop until Miami.
Much love and stay tuned.