Melbourne, Fl to Marsh Harbor, Bahamas

Total Miles Traveled 5886 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY

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Happy New Year from Abaco Bahamas!

We had been watching the extended weather forecasts and it appeared that a crossing to the Bahamas was a possibility in the next few days, so we stocked up on provisions while at Melbourne, just in case we had an opportunity to cross. We departed Melbourne, Florida December 4^th and traveled 66 miles to an anchorage at Jensen Beach, Fl.

The next day on the 5^th, we traveled 38 miles, stopping to top off our fuel tanks, and continuing to an anchorage at Lake Worth, near West Palm Beach, Fl.  Lake Worth provides a huge anchorage area next to an inlet to the Atlantic Ocean.  The water this close to the inlet is clear, it was cool to watch our anchor travel to the bottom in 12 feet of water and watch it rest on the sea floor with our chain laying across the sand as be backed up to set the hook.  Way different from the brackish, coffee-colored waters we have been traveling through.

Although the sea conditions were borderline for our comfort level, we decided to give it a try, and if it was too rough, we would return to Lake Worth and continue south toward the Key’s.   We weighed anchor at 5 a.m. on December 6^th in a crowded anchorage.  It was not fun meandering around anchored boats and shallow sections of the bay, to reach the channel in the dark, and then to the Lake Worth Inlet.    As it turned out, we had a good crossing with rolling seas hitting us favorably on our boat.  We traveled 67 miles to West End, on Grand Bahama Island.  It was quite a contrast from cruising the shallow waters of South Carolina and Georgia to depths of over 2000 feet deep crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Our route and depth in feet

Sunrise toward West End

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AekyX8QaW9GWCQFGIZfk5n_YadjAftI1/view?usp=sharing

Old Bahama Bay

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12CA5s5nyFwABcbJJZFbWezZL1LrN9t5c/view?usp=sharing

It is international law that you fly a yellow “Q” (Quarantine) flag upon entering the territorial waters of another country.  This also applies to the U.S., regardless of your nationality and registration.  You remove the “Q” flag and fly the Bahamian courtesy flag after checking into customs and immigration. The visiting boats national flag is flown from the stern of the vessel and the courtesy flag is flown high on the starboard side of the vessel.

Q Flag

Courtesy Flag

After checking into customs and immigration at the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina, we met several other boaters that took advantage of the sea conditions to cross.  We joined the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club when we visited here in 2017 and have continued to be members since then.  There were 7 member boats at the marina by days end, so it was fun meeting a few of them for the first time.  We remained at the marina on the 7^th, as the wind picked up overnight and into following day and explored the island walking the beach, and the surrounding area.

On December 8^th, we traveled 55 miles to an anchorage at Great Sale Cay (Cay is pronounced Key in the Bahamas).  There were 8 of us that departed the marina after waiting for a rising tide, due to the shallow water when entering an area known as Church Bank.  We were the last boat to leave the marina as the other boats traveled faster than we cruise.  Two of us anchored at Great Sale Cay, while the others continued to another anchorage about 10 miles farther.

No luck fishing to Great Sale Cay

We departed our anchorage at daybreak on December 9th and traveled 66 miles, entering the Sea of Abaco to Green Turtle Cay, and secured a slip at the Bluff House Marina.  The winds had picked up during the day and we wanted to see what the conditions would be the following day before crossing the “Whale”.  To continue south to the lower part of the Sea of Abaco deep draft boats must leave the Sea of Abaco via one pass to the Atlantic Ocean and returning on the other side of Whale Cay via another pass.  The passage can be hazardous during northerly swells, creating breaking waves.  Over the years, several shipwrecks have occurred there. 

On December 10^th the wind had laid down overnight with a more southerly wind direction making conditions favorable for our passage.  We experienced 3–4-foot waves, but on our port bow, making the crossing uneventful.  We continued 31 miles to the Abaco Beach Resort and Marina to secure a slip on a dock with other members of the yacht club.

The resort is the current home of the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club.  The club was formed about 30 years ago by a former Canadian Resident who opened the Conch Crawl Bar.  The Crawl became the favorite watering hole for cruisers escaping from the wintery weather back home, so it was decided to formally band together as a club.  By the mid 90’s, Abaco had become the number two tourist destination in the Bahamas and the membership had outgrown its original location, so the club began holding its monthly events under a tent at the Abaco Beach Resort.  Today the club boasts of having over 800 boat owner members hailing from the U.S., Canada, and some from as far away as the U.K. and Switzerland.  Although we have been members since 2017, this is the first time we have stayed at this marina, as we spent our time in the Abaco’s then, exploring the chain of islands throughout the Sea of Abaco.

On our first full day at the marina, we participated in erecting the yacht club tent, located in front of pier 5.  The tent is where the club members have docktails every day at 5, Monday night is movie night, and for potluck or special events.  Yacht club members also have access to the Abaco Beach Resort pool, beach, and two restaurants.

Movie night

Christmas Eve dinner

Christmas dinner on the boat

This is a very active yacht club, with pickle ball two days a week, bocce ball two days a week, daily pool aerobics, and when the weather is settled, cruises to great anchorages and points of interest throughout the Sea of Abaco.

 Bocce Ball on the beach....quite different than the hard surface we played on at Marathon last winter.

Moni and I rode the dinghy out to Mermaid Reef for a little snorkeling.

https://gopro.com/v/3adVpO5gdrmZL

We also rode the scooters in town and had Fat Daddy’s conch salad, fresh from the shell.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0SANbJyGsFLdz9pNC0ojIuAejQYq5qT/view?usp=sharing

Really???????  The temperatures since our arrival to the Bahamas has been mid to upper 70's during the day, and upper 60's at night.....perfect boating weather.

Cruise to Bucaroon Bay overnight anchorage, weenie roast on the beach, and a dingy ride exploring the chain of islands around the bay.

We saw several turtles and a huge stingray during our ride.

On New Years Eve we had dinner at the restaurant, watched a great fireworks display, and experienced our first Junkanoo rush out.  Junkanoo festivals originated in British American colonies and is practiced in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Belize.  The locals dress up in bizarre costumes with traditional music and dance. 

Junkanoo rush out

We don’t have a definite plan on our length of stay at this marina.  We would like to go farther south to the Exuma’s if weather and time permits.

Chesapeake, VA to Melbourne, FL

Total Miles Traveled 5544 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY

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Our stay at the Atlantic Yacht Basin took longer than we had planned, and we wanted to be at Cocoa, Florida for Thanksgiving to visit with family, so we kept moving as the weather permitted this month.

We departed Chesapeake Virginia on November 4^th and traveled 38 miles to Coinjock, North Carolina. This is our first time cruising this section of the Intracoastal Waterway and the restaurant at Coinjock is a must stop, featured in almost all of the cruising publications and boating forums for it’s famous 32 oz prime rib. I must admit, I was impressed, I ordered the 16 oz Mates Cut, almost 2 inches thick and melt in your mouth tender.

On November 5^th, we traveled 53 miles to an anchorage on the Pungo River, then traveled 55 miles to the RE Mayo seafood docks on the 6th. We purchased fresh shrimp for the freezer, and had shrimp scampi for dinner….awesome.

We traveled 70 miles on November 7^th to an anchorage at Swansboro, North Carolina. The Onslow swing bridge is under construction south of Swansboro with restricted hours for passage. The bridge delays have caused a congestion for the southbound migration of boaters heading south for warmer weather. Our first option for anchorage was full of boats, and only room for us at our second anchorage option.

On November 8^th, we timed our departure for the bridge opening and traveled 16 miles to Mile Hammock Bay near Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Mile Hammock Bay is located at the camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. This bay is in a restricted area, but anchoring is permitted without shore access. The occasional helicopter flyover, distant artillery explosions, and automatic gun fire can be experienced throughout the day. This is a protected anchorage from wind and waves and with 15-25 mph winds forecasts for overnight and the 9^th, we decided to stay with 16 other anchored boats. One boat broke loose overnight and was run aground in shallow waters. Luckily it was a couple hundred feet from us as it passed by our boat before running aground.

We traveled 52 miles on November 10^th to Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Our plan was to get a mooring ball for the night, but we’re finding that with the congestion of boats moving south, the anchorages and marina’s were full. The city marina had room for one night, so we were able to grab a few grocery’s, eat at the locals famous burger joint, and visited the beach.

On November 11^th, we traveled 81 miles to an anchorage near Bucksport, South Carolina, then 31 miles on November 12^th, to Georgetown, South Carolina. We stopped at Georgetown on our way north in May, a cool little town next to the marina with restaurants and shops.

On November 13^th we traveled 47 miles to an anchorage near Charleston, South Carolina and continued on the 14^th 55 miles to an anchorage near Green Pond, South Carolina, then on the 15^th 61 miles to an anchorage at Bull Creek, near Hilton Head, South Carolina. It gets interesting timing 8-9 foot tidal swings when planning an anchorage.

Full Moon anchored near Hilton Head, SC

We weighed anchor on November 16^th and traveled 77 miles to and anchorage on the Crescent River, then 53 miles on the 17^th, stopping for fuel at Brunswick Georgia then anchoring at Jekyll Island, Georgia. Jekyll Island was one of our favorite towns to visit along the waterway.

Coastal South Carolina and Georgia are not our favorite cruising areas. Miles of salt marsh, no protection from wind, and 8 foot tidal swings. Oh, and coffee brown water.

On November 18^th we traveled 28 miles, anchoring at Cumberland Island Georgia. We passed Kings Bay, the U.S. Navy’s home port for the Atlantic Fleet’s ballistic missile nuclear submarines, capable of being armed with Trident missile nuclear weapons. Our anchorage location provided a view of any submarines transiting the waterway to the base. We were fortunate enough to see one of them escorted into the facility. The waterway going to the base is closed to all traffic when any warships approach the bay.

Cumberland Island is the largest of the Sea Islands of Georgia. The long-staple Sea Island cotton was first grown here by a local family, the Millers, who helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. With its unusual range of wildlife (Loggerhead sea turtles, several species of birds, feral horses roam freely, Armadillos, and Hogs) the island has been declared a National Seashore. We walked a 3 mile trail when we were here in 2017, a truly amazing island to explore.

We weighed anchor on November 19^th, traveling only 8 miles timing the tidal current to dock at the Fernandina Beach Marina at slack tide. The marina is close to an inlet to the Atlantic Ocean and the current can be strong at the marina during tidal swings. Since there were multi-million dollar mega yachts at the marina, we like to eliminate any chance of control issues with wind or current when docking…...just sayin. 😕

We stayed at Fernandina 3 days due to a cold front passing through with 40 mph wind gust and 25-30 mph winds. This was a great marina and town to visit while waiting on the weather to settle.

We have arrived in Florida.

We departed the marina on November 22^nd and traveled 49 miles to an anchorage at Pine Island, then on the 23^rd traveling 67 miles to an anchorage at the Daytona Beach Memorial Bridge.

On November 24^th, we traveled 48 miles to Titusville, Florida and docked at the city marina. We intended to stay here for a week but the marina only had room for 3 days. We took advantage of the slip available and visited with family at Cocoa, Florida.  We had Manatee's and Dolphins to watch during our stay.

On November 27^th we traveled 42 miles to Melbourne, Florida and docked at the city marina for a week to spend time with family and to celebrate Thanksgiving, and Moni’s mother Delores’s 95^th birthday.

Happy Birthday Delores!

 Our December plan is to continue south to the Key's or Bahamas, all depending on the weather.