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George Town to Cape Canaveral
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| Slocum 43 Pilothouse Cutter |
Updated May, 2003 |
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Hotel Atlantis Aquarium
Man-o-War at Atlantis
Hotel Atlantis
Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture
Rolling Cigars in Nassau
20 Minutes, 20 Dollars
Party at the Flip Flop Shack More of Our Snorkeling Photos From Exuma Park, Staniel Cay
Bob in Nassau
Hotel Atlantis
Abandoned Airport on Great Stirrup Cay
Debbie Sings the Blues
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Snorkeling at Exuma Land and Sea Park, Warderick Wells Back Up the Bahamas to Florida Five weeks in George Town and it was time to head north and back to the Florida coast to stage our Atlantic crossing for Bermuda. We said goodbye to new friends, took last walks along the ridges of Stocking Island, swam in the clear, warm waters of Elizabeth Harbor and listened for a last time to the haunting sounds of conch-shell horns blown by boaters in the ritual evening salute to the setting sun. It was such an easy, lazy way of life and yet it seemed to pass quickly. From our accidental discovery of the Flip Flop Shack where we sat with its two nude organizers, Dan and John and had a beer, to their fantastic St. Patrick's Day party, to painting with the art group, to sharing
Clothes Optional at the Flip Flop Shack stories and wine aboard each others' boats in the evenings and the spectacular snorkeling along the reefs, memories of a lifetime piled up. Dan and Debbie on Compass Rose; Becky and Ken from Portland on the other Polaris; talented English artist Michael and his beautiful wife Bridget who sail a 27-ft. sloop called Bump with their two-year-old baby Amy; and so many others too numerous to name. And, of course, our cruising buddies, Bill Lacey and Ruth Kruysman on Tautaug, and Pam and Bruce Kemper on Gato del Sol. Friends for life. And we won't forget "Mom" and her van full of baked pies and cakes who parked every Wednesday and Friday under
Bob Buys Coconut Bread from "Mom", Then Gets a Hug And Two Turtles hamburgers, the Towne Cafe and Bakery that ran out of food early most days and baked on no particular schedule and February Point will be our memories of dining out in George Town. Transportation, of course, was always by dinghy or foot and being wet from the waist down every day was not only the norm, but we cruisers identified each other by our soaked bottoms. Before leaving George Town we motored across Elizabeth Harbor to the Chat 'n Chill cafe where a faucet on the beach provided RO (reverse osmosis) water. We earlier made the mistake of filling our tanks with water from the main marina in town only to discover it was saline and not fit to drink. The only method of filling our tanks was to "beach" Polaris, run the hose from the faucet to our
tanks It was a new and interesting experience, taking a 43-ft boat with a draft of 6 feet right up to the beach and tying her off on a couple of stakes nearby while we filled Topping the Water Tanks at the Beach the tanks. Captain Bob stood on the deck, NEVER GETTING HIS FEET WET, while I climbed down into the dinghy, pulled myself along Polaris's side until I could touch bottom, went overboard into the water and hauled the dinghy to shore, tied Polaris onto a stake, then onto a nearby barge (all done under close supervision by the Captain), then brought the hose through deep water and handed it to Bob to fill the tanks. Once tanks were full, I paid for the water, untied all the lines, waded out, dragged myself back into the dinghy, climbed the ladder to Polaris and collapsed. Oh, and may I mention that I was also the photographer for the event. "Good job", said the dry and chipper Captain.
Fresh Lobster Right Off the Boat Good friends Al and Janis Davis from Champagne, IL, flew in at the end of our stay to sail with us back to Nassau by way of Staniel Cay and Warderick Wells national water Al and Janis Davis After treating us to a wonderful dinner in Nassau, where we reunited with the Kempers, we put Al and Janis on a plane back to Illinois and talked of another get together somewhere and sometime when Polaris makes Europe later this year. Four nights at the dock in Nassau gave us a chance to find out how the war in Iraq was going, enjoy air conditioning, fill up our water and fuel tanks and see Nassau at a leisurely pace. Walking the back streets of the old section of town, we came upon the cigar factory housed in the old Graycliff Hotel and watched skilled workers roll cigars in the way it has been done for centuries. We had a special view of the
fish market from the bridge spanning the harbor A Stand at the Fish Market Bob wouldn't gamble and after losing my $20 to a one-armed bandit in less than 20 minutes, I wished I hadn't either. We sailed out of the harbor of Nassau with all sails up, catching a good wind. Feelings were mixed as we watched Gato del Sol follow us out, then angle off in a different direction toward Chub Cay as they began their journey up to Savannah, Georgia, before heading back to St. Petersburg. We knew it would be along time before we saw our friends again. Lagoon at Hotel Atlantis
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Nurse Sharks and Rays, Our Fellow Swimmers at Staniel
Bob and I made for White Cay and set the anchor before sunset. Time for skinny-dipping in the warm water under an Making for Great Harbor the next morning, we dropped our line in the water again and caught a huge, vicious-looking fish While Bob held him just outside the freeboard, I ran for our fish book to determine whether or not he would be dinner that night. Oops! We had a Great Barracuda whose reputation for The Windscoop Is Our AC at White Cay meanness is backed up by his toxicity when eaten. Thanks to the gaff hook Bruce had given us, we were able to release him to resume his evil ways.
The Iguanas of the Allan Cays
Polaris Is Our Home, the Dinghy Is Our Car
Great Stirrup Cay, Atlantic Side We reached Great Harbor later in the day and took the dinghy to nearby Great Stirrup Cay to explore the lighthouse and island. Our boat lay safely at anchor in the quiet little Stirrup Cay Lighthouse Door Our long, lazy day at Great Stirrup Cay was to be our last for exploring the uninhabited islands of the Bahamas chain. Early the next morning, we headed for Port Lucaya with its many shops, restaurants and entertainment for the tourist crowds who come to Freeport to gamble. One night at the marina there and we were on our way to West End where we would stage our passage back across the Gulf Stream. We were
pleasantly surprised by West End. We had heard Bow-Sitting on a Lazy Afternoon Our most dramatic miscalculation during the cruise was our plan for passage across the Stream. Carefully figuring the wind and water, the hours needed to make anchor before sunset, and allowing change of speed in the Gulf Stream and the angle of our way points, we decided to rise at 3 AM, set the mainsail while still in the harbor to avoid the choppy water and wind outside, and cross in about 14 hours to Cape Canaveral instead of heading for closer Ft. Pierce or Lake Worth. In a pitch black, moonless sky, we motored directly into a rocky jetty where the warning light had burned out and the boat could not respond quickly enough with its sail up to avoid hitting the rocks. Luckily, it was only a slight "crunch" and we pushed off the rocks and continued into the ocean. The crossing itself was uneventful with good winds and following seas. The Gulf Stream did not add as much speed as we had
Exhausted, we approached a small anchorage behind the lock, too tired to go on to the marina. I held the floodlight at the bow to spot obstacles. My last, excited warning to Bob was of the green channel marker just feet ahead, directly in our path. It turned out to be a sign over the causeway a half-mile away. The anchor dropped at 10 PM, nineteen hours after hitting the rocks at West End. We drank a lot of rum that night. Bob will do the next leg of our adventure to Bermuda, with friend Mike Beckman from Milwaukee and Mattjis Swets from Holland. I will join them in the Azores where we will cross to Portugal and be in London by September, ahead of nasty weather. We invite you to stay "aboard" and share our adventures. Until then...
Ray in Hotel Atlantis Restaurant Aquarium
Chasing Fish at Warderick Wells
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the tamarind tree in town to sell her delicious goods. Each purchase came with a little something extra (I got two chocolate cupcakes with my order of raisin bread) and a
big hug. 
and fill up. 
park. In their short cruise with us, Janis and Al snorkeled among sharks, fed exotic reef fish in
Thunderball Grotto, ate fresh-caught lobster, weathered two blinding rain squalls, helped Bob navigate through hundreds of coral heads on the Yellow Bank, hiked the trails at Warderick Wells, looked for pigs at Big Major Cay, walked among the iguanas on Allen's Cay, survived the "head" experience without incident and got acquainted firsthand with "dinghy-butt".
between Nassau and Paradise Island where the majestic Hotel Atlantis dominates the panorama with its bright pink color and Disney-like architecture. Inside, the hotel is even more spectacular, boasting five Dale Chihuly glass sculptures, a restaurant surrounded by an aquarium, high-end clothing and jewelry shops and, of course, the casino. 
orange sky, alone in the harbor for the night.
harbor while just a short walk away, over the island's ridge, the Atlantic's waves crashed against a rocky
coastline.
almost nothing about it and found some of the best snorkeling we had experienced anywhere, a couple of good restaurants, wonderful ocean views and an opportunity to bicycle around the island. It was one of the prettiest spots we saw. We unknowingly
had saved the best for last. It was a nice way to say goodbye.
calculated, however, and it was already sunset as we approached the busy, industrial port of Cape Canaveral from the outside. Bright lights of the casinos and commercial businesses competed with channel marker lights, making the hour-long trip
through the port, under the draw bridge and in and out of the lock into the Banana River seem a nerve-wracking lifetime. 
