Trip Summary:
• Hoffman’s Cay, Berry Islands to New Providence Island
• Trip Distance of 41.3 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 2,674.2NM
• Departed at 08h00, arrived at 15h45
It is easy to get used to warm, sunny days with little to no rain, so when it does rain it seems unusual. Since we arrived here, a little more than a week ago, we have had very little precipitation , although it rained consistently throughout the night. Right on cue, the skies cleared and the sun was out as we lifted the anchor to start our 40 plus nautical mile sail to the western end of New Providence Island.
An estimated two-thirds of the 400,000 Bahamians live on the island of New Providence, which makes it the most populated island in the Bahamas. The largest city, Nassau, is the center of government and is the hub for the more than 4 million tourists who visit the Bahamas each year. It also serves as the main commercial hub. And, New Providence Island has had a long and colorful history with pirates, given it was a popular base of operations. At one point there were more pirates on the island than law abiding citizens.
Our course today, was to make our way down the east side of the Berry Islands and then turn further south towards Clifton Bay, which was on the west end of New Providence Island. The Bay is very exposed and reports were, it was very rolly, so we had only planned to spend the night, before moving on to the Exumas. The wind was right on our nose for the first couple of hours, but as we altered course towards our anchorage the wind gradually swung around to the southwest and we enjoyed a nice sail towards New Providence.
Energized by our success at catching a fish a couple of days earlier, we tossed the line out in 40 – 50 feet of water, as we made our way past the Berries. It wasn’t long before we heard the whirl of the line leaving the spool. We had another fish on! We slowed the boat and as we started to reel it in we realized that we had caught a massive barracuda.
Barracuda are large predatory fish characterized by a fierce set of teeth and a menacing snake like body. Some locals do eat them but given that they are near the top of the food chain for reef fish, consuming them exposes you to a real risk of ciguatera food poisoning.
We were shocked to see just how big this fish was, easily 5 feet in length and very thick through body. It was too heavy for us to get on the boat so we brought it along side to try and remove the lure. As we grabbed the lure with the pliers, the fish would swing it’s head violently and snap at our hands. I managed to drop the pliers in the water after it startled me. As I was rummaging through our toolbox looking for another set of pliers, the weight of the fish snapped the 30 pound test line and he was gone. we weren't sorry to see him go, but we weren't happy about losing a lure.
The Mahi Mahi we caught was in a deeper water of the Northwest Providence Channel where reef predators like barracuda don’t tend to live. Recovering from the trauma of our most recent catch, we decided to stow the line, at least until we entered the deeper water.
As we sailed along Judy noticed a huge squall starting to form behind us and a short while later a massive water spout started to form. It was well to the north of us so we were optimistic it would miss us. It was amazing to watch and terrifying at the same time. We could see several other squalls forming in the distance, but fortunately for us, they were far enough away that we escaped with little more than a few drops of rain on the deck.
At one point we were sailing along peacefully in about 80 feet of water and it seemed like we could almost see the bottom the water was that clear and brilliant blue. It was really easy to see when we transitioned into the deeper water by looking at colors. Time to throw out the fishing line.
It wasn’t long before we heard the now familiar whirl of the line leaving the spool and we again slowed the boat and started reeling it in. This time we saw that beautiful greenish blue flash and knew we and caught another Mahi Mahi. Judy’s log notes suggest it was bigger than the first one, but I think it was her more experienced fileting skills that yielded more fish. In either case, we had lots of fish, enough for 3 meals. Now that we had a restocked fridge, I went about baking a loaf of bread to go along with it.
Willow had radioed us to say they were having issues and may need to divert course to the Lyford Cay Marina. Bruce was down below working on the engine and Kay said she would report back once she had an update. A little while later Willow radioed us to say all was well so we adjusted our course and headed towards Clifton Bay.
Bruce and Kay dropped by the boat after giving Greta a romp on the beach. We asked about the repairs they were working on. They had noticed some engine oil leaking around the head gasket from a previous repair. It turned out, Bruce had to remove the head and replaced the head gasket, while they were under sail, rather than risking more oil loss. We were suitably impressed to say the least. This was also Kay and Bruce’s anniversary so we gave them a couple of Mahi filets to help them celebrate.
Happy Anniversary Guys and Best Wishes for many more!
The reports of this being a rolly anchorage were no exaggeration. I have no idea how people could stay here any longer than they needed. That said, it was an easy in and easy out, and conveniently situated halfway between the Berries and the Exumas. It was also better than paying for an expensive slip in Lyford Cay or Nassau. However, one night was enough for us. We were off to the Exumas!
But more about that, next time.
Additional Photos:
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