| Natalie MacLees | http://www.nataliemac.com |
| natalie@nataliemac.com | © 1997, 2002 |
Written March 7-16, 1997, abridged in January 2002
The ride so far has been hellacious. Five girls and 10 days worth of luggage crammed into a Volvo. The unfortunate thing is that we can only eat at Subway, since Elizabeth is a vegan. (Note: Elizabeth would be verbally attacked by Allison later in the week for eating a chocolate chip cookie that contained eggs and butter.)
About 9pm, we were on I-95 in mid-Florida, when we spotted a huge orange ball glowing on the horizon to our left. Cars were pulling over on the side of the freeway. None of us knew what was happening. Then the orange ball starting moving skyward, and all at once we yelled, "It's the Space Shuttle!" Within seconds, we too, were stopped and out of the car watching. It was so bright that it felt like watching a sunrise on fast forward. The entire freeway was still and hushed as we watched the Shuttle arc up into the sky.
We got to Miami early this afternoon and headed to the docks to find our sailboat (The Shark XIV) and Captain Joe. Captain Joe assigned us numbers and chores. We had to count off our numbers every time we pulled anchor to be sure everyone was aboard. We would be sharing chores like cleaning, cooking, and washing dishes. Captain Joe reminded us that we would be unreachable until we returned to Miami, and asked us to think the consequences over fully before it was time to sail.
That said, we headed to the nearest grocery store, where we divided up into ten teams, each with their own list. Luckily, the boat had a huge refrigerator, as well as a stove and microwave. Then it was time to go out for dinner. One group took a water taxi to a Hard Rock Cafe across the bay and the rest of us headed to a little local Cuban restaurant to try some new foods.
We were planning on leaving tonight, but based on the weather report, Captain Joe has decided to hold off until early tomorrow morning. There are over 700 islands in the Bahamas, but we will be visiting only Bimini (bim-ah-nee) and the Berry Islands. The Berry Islands are a couple dozen tiny islands, mostly privately owned (but open to visitors) and uninhabited.
I was awakened at 4am by the sound of the motor starting. I was too excited to sleep, so I went up on deck to see the Hale-Bop comet. The water seemed pretty smooth, but we were soon to find out how rough crossing the Gulf Stream can be.
Our sailing lessons were learn as you go. Captain Joe had divided us into 10 teams and assigned us "watches" which were an hour long. During a watch, we were responsible for steering the boat, which is nothing at all like steering a car, but by the end of our shifts, we all had it down. My shift was 11am-noon, and it wasn't until then that I finally got seasick. The sea was so rough, girls were stumbling around the boat moaning and clutching saltines and ginger ale. As soon as my watch was over, I went below deck to take several Dramamine and get some sleep (a real trick, considering the violent tossing of the boat).
Some time later I woke up to feel the boat gently rocking. I could hear girls shouting and splashing water. Slowly I made my way up to the deck. The water was bright turquoise with darker blue patches where there were rocks or deeper water. We were anchored near an island, complete with white sand and palm trees. Captain Joe told us we couldn't go ashore since we hadn't been cleared by customs yet. He radioed customs and they brought their boat out to clear us. Then we were free to do some exploring. Mostly, we just spent time relaxing and recovering from the crossing.
As I'm writing, we're drifting in the Bahama Flats. The water is so clear, you can see all the way to the bottom. I'm watching a large crab make his way across the sea floor. Today we visited Great Harbor Cay, which is inhabited, though small. No one owns a car. People are so friendly, that it's completely normal to strike up a conversation with a total stranger. We met a graduate student who is studying endangered century plants, and he gave us a tour of the island to show us the plants in various stages of their life cycle.
We also found an exquisite bay and went swimming. We were so busy watching our feet in the sand, that we didn't even notice a barracuda watching us. In the late afternoon, we went back to the boat and Captain Joe took us to a shipwreck for some snorkeling practice. We saw schools of colorful tropical fish. It's so beautiful. I could stay here forever.
Today we visited Money Cay. At low tide, we visited a part of the island that was submerged at high tide. There were acres of shallow pools, mostly thigh-deep or less where sharks, skates, rays and other fishes had been trapped by the low tide. If we stood still, the sharks would swim right by us. They felt rough, like sand paper. Captain Joe told us that if you were quick, you could grab a shark by the tail and pose for a picture before dropping it back into the water. He added that if you weren't so quick you could lose a finger, and we decided against picking up any sharks.
When the tide started to come back in, we explored the higher ground of the island. On one stretch of deserted beach we found a little shack with a sign that read "Margaritaville II." It was "furnished" with battered lawn furniture and other junk that had washed ashore during the various hurricanes. We posed for a group picture and sang a tribute to Jimmy Buffett. Then we headed back to the boat for dinner and sleep.
Today was the most amazing day. Last night I slept outside on the deck of the ship. This morning I woke up with the sunrise and, since it was my day to cook breakfast, I made pancakes. Captain Joe came down to the galley and saw me heating up an ordinary-sized frying pan. He quickly corrected my mistake and pulled out the biggest frying pan I have ever seen. It took up all four burners on the stove, and made pancakes for everyone all at once. By the time I had all the batter poured it was time to start flipping, and by the time I was done flipping, they were ready to eat!
After breakfast, we headed to Holmes Cay. Captain Joe led us on a quarter-mile hike through tropical forest to "Blue Hole," a deep sinkhole surrounded by 20-foot cliffs. The only way in was to jump. This was the scariest thing I've ever done, and after standing on the ledge, crying and shaking, I'm proud to say that I did it! (With a little help. Kathryn held my hand and jumped with me.) We spent hours swimming.
Then we explored the rest of the island. Alison and I found the ruins of an old church and graveyard. We spent time climbing over the ruined walls and trying to read the names on the gravestones then headed back to the boat for Joy baths and dinner.
Today we visited another great snorkeling sight, this one with a cave. Captain Joe announced that he was making dinner tonight, but we had to catch it. He showed us how to hunt conch. You know those seashells where you can "hear the ocean inside?" Those are conch. There is a large, very ugly snail-type thingy that lives in those shells, and it's edible.
We had our doubts, but we brought back almost 30 of them to the ship. Then Captain Joe showed us how to remove them from the shells, cut off their eyes, remove their spinal cord and grind them up. He added eggs and breadcrumbs and a few other ingredients, shaped patties and fried them. Hesitantly, we all tried them and they were actually pretty good. No wonder they're a staple of the Bahamian diet.
Since it's our last day in the Bahamas, we decide to head back to civilization and visit Bimini. We visited art galleries, explored little shops and had lunch at a little diner that served (what else?) conch fritters and coconut milkshakes. We spent some time snorkeling in the afternoon so we could see the Bimini road and temple. Many people believe they are relics of the lost city of Atlantis.
We ate a lobster dinner at one of the island's restaurants; then we headed to the Compleat Angler Hotel. The hotel houses a Hemingway museum, as Hemingway frequently stayed at the hotel while marlin fishing. From the hotel's bar, we heard a Caribbean band playing. We entered the hotel's bar only to discover that we were the only women there. The bar served rum. That was it. Just rum. Late in the night, we all headed back to the boat to sail for Miami. Captain Joe assured us we would have an easier time going back since we would traveling more with the Gulf Stream than against it. We have a good strong breeze and are making good time on our way back.
We sailed into Palm Beach around 9 this morning. After clearing customs, we unpacked the boat and loaded our vehicles. We decided to stay in Miami and explore South Beach for a few hours. We jokingly made plans to find an apartment and stay. Finally, we headed north.
Woke up this morning to an actual shower! Yay for shampoo, conditioner and soap! Feeling very much refreshed, we grabbed a quick breakfast and hit the road. The trip was pretty uneventful (except some contention over another Subway stop) and we made it home safely.