THE WORLD IS A SMALL PLACE

March 31, 2012  Dateline: North Palm Beach, FL USA

After starting to begin the marina checkout process at 8:AM, Rich finally got cleared to leave at 8:30 and I, along with MY WAY ,was on our way at about 8:45.  As I pulled out into the Caribbean Sea it was flat with waves less than ½ foot.  I was traveling at nearly 20 mph and was hardly bouncing.

The Bahamians purchased a bark from Germany to use as a tourist attraction.  On my way past Freeport Harbor, Carol got this picture of it.

When I was 7 miles from the Lake Worth inlet I heard PASSPORT, SOMETHING SPECIAL and BROWN EYED GIRL on the radio.  They had left West End on Grand Bahama Island at 6:30 that morning and were moving across the water a lot slower than me.  They were heading to the same marina as I was. Later in the day the owners including Rich and Carol all got together on the dock for docktails.

On the way to the marina I past Peanut Island, there is some collection of tents and vessels there.

Rich and Carol picked up a rental car and went to immigration to check back into the US.  When they arrived they were told that they needed a customs clearance number. They called an 800 number and were given a number about 15 digits long.  The man in the immigration booth then recorded this number and at 3:56 they were check in. The office closed at 4 PM and would not re-open until Monday morning. Boy, were they lucky!

At the marina there were two of my friends from Cape May; LIZANNE, and HEY JUDE, both spend their summers at Canyon Club.

SOMETHING SPECIAL TOO was also at the marina.  It turns out that SOMETHING SPECIAL, who is doing the loop with us, had been previously owned by the people who currently own SOMETHING SPECIAL TOO.

 A 60"Viking sport fishing boat at this marina has the name “MY WAY” painted on its stern. Francine and Wayne on their “MY WAY” turned south after entering the Lake Worth inlet and headed to a marina at Lantana. They needed to return to their home there for a short stay before heading north again with Rich and Carol.

A VISIT FROM SANDRA AND PAT

March 29, 2012  Dateline: Port Lucaya Grand Bahamas, Bahamas

It has been nearly a week since I last posted to the blog.  I have an excuse, Rich and Carol’s youngest daughter, Sandra, came to Port Lucaya along with her significant other, Pat.  They kept everyone busy doing not much.  There were several visits to the casino.  Pat and Wayne of MY WAY played a few rounds of golf.  Carol, Sandra and Francine shopped at the Port Lucaya Market Place and the International Bazaar near Freeport.  When they were finished shopping they went shopping again.  The Market Place was adjacent to the marina and they had to walk through it every time they left the boat, even to go to a restaurant or the pool or the ocean. And of course, Skipper always kept everyone amused.

On Tuesday, Rich, Carol, Sandra and Pat rented motor scooters and drove around the Freeport/Port Lucaya area.  Rich lead the way, and Pat did a terrific job of following, especially when Rich had no idea where he was going (they went around a rotary twice).  The trip highlighted the continued financial pressure on the island as there was a large number of empty buildings and ones that were started and then stopped before completion.  The cruise ships that stop at Freeport bring an estimated 1.3 million to the port each year.  While that number of people should provide a good solid tourism base, less than 200,000 actually get off the ship, which does not bring a lot of spending money to the area.  Unlike Nassau, Freeport has nothing around the port to attract tourists to leave the ship. They must take a bus or taxi to get to Port Lucaya to get to where all the action is.

Restaurants in Port Lucaya are surprisingly good.  There were several of them visited by Rich, Carol, Sandra and Pat.  The presentation was good and the food very good except at one restaurant where Rich had lunch and got sick—oh well sometimes it happens.

Yesterday, my swim platform would not go up.  At 7:15 this morning Rich was on the phone with the owner of the manufacturer.  After following the instructions which included the switching of the up and down valves the swim platform was finally raised to the normal up position.  A new valve is in the mail on the way to the Boonton address.

Today, Rich met the owner of HAREM.  HAREM had been in the marina for the last week but no one noticed the Looper flag on her bow.  They will be here for

another 2 weeks and commented on the economic depression that the island is suffering.

Tomorrow I am on my way to Palm Beach, an 83 mile trip.  On Saturday Rich and Carol are going to drive to New Jersey and leave me to enjoy the Florida sun.

SIGHTS OF PORT LUCAYA

March 22, 2012  Dateline: Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island Bahamas

I continue to wait for the arrival of Sandra and Patrick, they will get here tomorrow and be here for the week. 

The Port Lucaya Marina is located next to the Port Lucaya Market Place.  The Market Place is an area where there are a large number of shops, restaurants and 2 straw markets. Cruise boat passengers are bused here daily.  Guess what, there is a fair number of jewelry stores and liquor stores selling “duty free” merchandise.  Each day when the cruise ships arrive in Freeport (Freeport is next to Port Lucaya.) there are musicians at Count Basie Square in the Market Place.  The music played is of course local Bahamian music and the musicians are very good.  The Square is named for the jazz musician who lived on Grand Bahama Island.  Tonight the Port Lucaya Junkanoo festival will be held at the Market Place and it should be fun.  The Port Lucaya Marina is crowded and nearly full.  This picture shows the main part of the marina along with the boats in it.

Rich and Carol took my tender out for a ride around the Port Lucaya area.  The area is a series of canal that were developed for houses needing a deep water access to the Caribbean Sea.  They went with Wayne, Francine and Skipper who were riding in their tender.

Along the way they came across this “Ghost” ship (its name is GHOST) tied up at one of the houses.  The ship looks like it is in really sad condition, but the lines appear to be in good condition. However, it is not possible to tell whether they are strong enough to handle the load.

The Port Lucaya Yacht Club is close by the Port Lucaya Marina.  (The Yacht Club recently purchased the Port Lucaya Marina.)  The Yacht Club was built when the economy was strong and it was a large project.  The marina today stands mostly empty.  Perhaps my visit to the islands is early and the large crowds have yet to come but it seems that there is a large investment that is not producing a return.

Upon returning to me Carol took this picture of ME and a 60 foot Sea Ray Sundancer.  The Sundancer is sure a pretty boat

IT’S SAD, SO SAD

March 20, 2012  Dateline: Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama, Bahamas

The purpose of this posting is not to knock the Bahamas or any place we visited.   It is a statement on how the US ecomony effects the rest of the world, in particular those countries that are dependent on the US for Tourism.  The Bahamas are not to be missed.  Port Lucaya, Nassau, Chub Cay, Great Harbor, and Bimini are great places to visit.

I am giving Rich the opportunity to write today’s posting as not much happened in my world.

For the past several years, The United States has suffered through some tough times with high un and underemployment.  One forgets the impact that those tough times have on the rest of the world.  When Carol and I were here on Election Day in 2008, there was great enthusiasm for The United States new president and what he was going to do for his country and therefore the positive impact those actions would have on the Bahamas.

Fast forward almost four years later and the Bahamas are feeling a worse impact than the States.  Each island that we visited has many property developments that were started but have not been finished.  There are empty buildings, closed and abandoned hotels, half complete marinas, never completed casinos as well as private dwellings that were stopped as some stage of completion.

The only area that seemed to be impacted to a small degree was Nassau.  The Atlantis was full---but that marina does not want boats under 50 feet.  The marina at Atlantis is the place to back your mega yacht into its slip, have dinner on the aft deck and be seen by all the people walking by.  On the other hand the hotels there were not very full and this was during Spring Break.

Port Lucaya seems to have been very adversely impacted by the slowdown.  One major hotel closed down, completely.  Another has stripped a number of rooms so that they are now see-through.  The marina is in a state of disrepair.  Shops are shuttered all around the area.  Even the casino is lacking customers.

On Great Harbour Cay abandoned buildings were burned so squatters would not occupy them.  The marina had few boats in it and the staff was hoping that the rest of the season would pick up.  The 9 hole golf course was in a state of neglect and the club house was not open.

At Bimini Bay Marina and Resort 90% of the slips were empty.  Real Estate development has stopped other than contracted homes.  The Casino is not going to be completed, the resort restaurants were barely open, and of course the business was limited.  Again the shops at the marina village were closed.

All in all it is sad very sad. But nevertheless, we’re having great time!

TO THE BERRY ISLANDS

March 17, 2012  Dateline: Great Harbour Cay, Berry Island Bahamas

After Rich said goodbye to Wayne and Francine’s youngest son, he and his family were on their way back to Canada after a week in Atlantis, I got on my way to Great Harbour Cay Marina in Great Harbour Cay.  The trip was about 73 miles and the seas were nearly cooperative.   The wind was pushing the waves against my starboard bow.  Periodically, I would break a wave and the sea would fly up into the open panels my bridge.  By the time I got to Great Harbor I was covered with salt inside and out.  While the waves were breaking on my bow, I was still able to travel at nearly 20 miles per hour so the trip was short, time wise.

As I neared the northern most point of the Berry Islands, I passed Stirrup Cay and Little Stirrup Cay.  Both of these islands are leased by cruise lines.  The cruise ships anchor off the island and ferry the passengers ashore to experience “the real Bahamas”.  There are also water sports, such as parasailing, offered at the islands.  There were two cruise ships anchored off the island, the Majesty of the Sea and the Norwegian Sky.  They were both anchored near my route; I came close to them but far enough away to meet the legal requirements.

Great Harbor Cay Marina is an interesting out of the way place.  This marina was once a much visited place, but those times have passed it by.  The island had a Jack Nicholson Golf Course, condos and club houses.  Some of the condos were burned when the market sank.  This action was taken to avoid the homeless from moving into them.  The marina and its bar have been allowed to decline as maintenance money became scarcer and scarcer.  The entrance to the marina is unique.  It is a channel that has been blasted out of rock so that there is access from the sea to the marina.  The rock walls are 10-12 feet high vertical from sea level.  Having said all of that Rich and Carol agreed that they would like to stay here an additional day, however travel must take place when the travel window permits.  The window is open for tomorrow to go the 62 miles to Port Lucaya and it closes on Monday for several days as the wind continues to increase.  That means we leave in the morning for Port Lucaya and await the arrival of my sister Sandra and Patrick on Friday.

MORE LAND BASED ADVENTURES

March 13, 2012  Dateline: Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Yesterday I posted a picture of SERQUÉ and MARY JEAN II comparing the size of the two yachts.  Last night another yacht named BOARDWALK docked next to SERQUÉ.  BOARDWALK is only 165 feet long, 30 feet longer than SERQUÉ.  BOARDWALK also has a helipad and a helicopter on its stern.  The point of the picture is that even 135 foot yachts can look small when docked next to much larger boats.

Rich and Carol had an interesting day walking around Atlantis today.  Atlantis has an extensive aquarium as well as shallow pools where they keep many kinds of fish.  In one pool they keep mako sharks and sting rays.  Some of the sting rays are really large as this picture shows.

Every year on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, there is a Junkanoo parade in many areas throughout the Bahamas.  The event originally started by the slaves as a way for them to celebrate some freedom.  The participants in the parade dress in very fancy costumes.  The parade is becoming commercial and most large resorts now put on Junkanoo Parades for their guest.  The costume pictured below won the first prize in last year’s big parade, it is quite elaborate.

It is difficult to describe the beauty of the Atlantis property.  This picture taken from the hotel looking toward the beach gives you some idea just how pretty the property is.

When walking out of the hotel yesterday Aaron, one of the doormen, started talking with Carol and said that it was almost 20 years since he last saw her.  Carol played along with him and Rich took this picture.  To enter certain parts of the hotel you need either a bracelet or your room card.  When Rich and Carol walked back in the door, Aaron told her she did not need either and just gave her another big hug.

Perhaps Aaron was good karma from the other night.  When returning from dinner a few days ago, a man on the street asked Rich and Carol if they could help him get some food.  They walked on by, but Carol said let’s give him my leftover dinner; after all, it was almost half a meal.  Rich walked back and offered it to the man.  He smiled and showed off his mouth full of gold teeth and said he could not take our food.  Rich insisted and he took it, one more beggar forced to accept food and not get any cash.

THE CLOISTERS AND SIZE MATTERS

March 12, 2012  Dateline: Atlantis Paradise Island Nassau

Today Carol and Rich went exploring the Paradise Island.  They went to a place called the Cloisters.  It is a tranquil garden at the east end of Paradise Island.  The structure was originally built in the XI and XII centuries by Augustine monks in a place called Montrejau, France.  The Cloisters were purchased by William Randolph Hearst (of newspaper fame).  They were disassembled and moved to his estate on the California coast.  In 1962, the Cloisters were purchased by Huntington Hartford (one of the builders of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company) disassembled again and moved to Hog Island (a/k/a Paradise Island).  The location is beautiful and they are being maintained in first class condition.

These pictures show the Cloisters looking away from the Ocean Club, part of Atlantis, as well as looking back toward it.  The last picture is looking across Nassau Harbor from the Cloisters. These pictures cannot do any of the views justice, but remember you can increase  their size by clicking on them.

I have learned that my size varies in direct portion to the other boats around me.  In some marinas, I can be huge and overpowering.  Of course, this is a double edge sword.  Atlantis advertises that it will not accept boats under 50 feet; I just made it because I am 55 feet.  Here is a picture of a boat named SERQUÉ along with her tender.  The tender has three 250 hp. engines on it and is 47 feet long.    SERQUÉ is 135 feet long and can accommodate 13 guests, but only six in its hot tub.

The boat next to SERQUÉ is known as Mary Jean II she was built in 2010 and is 202 feet long.  She can be chartered for a week for €310,000 plus expenses.  She has a crew of 15 and can accommodate 12 guests. She, of course,  has all of the prerequisite toys.  You can only imagine what I would look like next to her, I suspect I would look like one of her tenders.

What is a speed bump when you are not in a car?  They become trip bumps.  The Atlantis property is full of speed bumps to control the speed of the cars and trucks.  Carol has learned that when you are walking and not looking down you will catch a foot on a speed bump, thus making it a trip bump.

Carol has been very successful at the casino here. So far, she spent $40 in a nickel machine and left with $175.  She lost $20 on a penny machine. She’s not sure what she should do next, maybe a quarter or a $1 machine.

I AM AT ATLANTIS, PARADISE ISLAND

March 11, 2012  Dateline: Atlantis, Paradise Island Bahamas

Yesterday I received a call about noontime that Atlantis had dock space for me.  In 30 minutes Rich and Carol had me packed up and on my way.  The trip was not very long, it fact it was only a mile long.  My slip is located on the channel into the inner harbor.  The inner harbor is where the big boats go to see and be seen, they all back into their slip so that those walking around the marina can see the owners sitting on the cockpit enjoying their yachts.  On their way into the inner harbor all mega yachts pass in front of me –almost all are very large.  Rich told me that watching them turn around in the inner harbor is a real treat.  Yachts can turn in their own length, you can see a 165 foot yacht turn in 165 feet of space, it's so amazing to watch.

Here is my “room key” for Atlantis; it has my name on it, well almost.  The error is a common one, so I took it in stride.

Rich has been walking around with tee shirts that have my name on them.  Suddenly he and Carol realized that the people who wear these kinds of shirts here in Atlantis are mega yacht crew members.  Oh well, I guess he will have to find other shirts to wear.

Zebra Shark

Atlantis has a huge aquarium Carol and Rich went through it and here are some of the pictures that they took.

Nassau Grouper

Conch Foot



Manta Ray



I will be here until March 16^th unless the weather is bad and then I will stay put. Associated with the marina is an area called Marina Village.  The Village consists of high end shops, restaurants, jewelry stores, snack food places as well as a promenade where you can walk behind the mega yachts and see the owners and/or their guests having dinner and generally enjoying themselves.



SPRING BREAK 2012

March 9, 2012  Dateline: Nassau, Bahamas

Today there were 6 cruise ships in port; that would mean that there were likely more than 12,000 individuals disembarked into the streets of Nassau.  Most of the people on the boats are college students who are on spring break.   The students are certainly enjoying themselves.  One of the biggest parties is on a catamaran named Booze and Cruise.  It is quite apparent that everyone on the party is drunk out of their mind.  The second large party occurs at Junkanoo Beach which is located just to the west of downtown Nassau.  Water, sand, girls, guys, music and alcohol mixed together produce one great party.

While walking the docks today, Rich and Carol noticed this fisherman preparing conch salad on his boat.  He was taking the conch right out of its shell, chopping it into small bits, and then mixing it with lemon, lime and orange. The empty conch shells were also for sale.

Yesterday Rich and Carol walked to Atlantis.  The Atlantis Hotel and Resort is just one part of Paradise Island.  There are many pretty homes there and even an old Club Med.  The story goes that the Atlantis organization purchased the Club Med and simply shut it down, so today it sits in an abandoned state. 

The bridge that connects the two Atlantis buildings is actually a 10 room suite.  The suite rents for $25,000 per night, the only catch is that it must be rented for a minimum of 4 nights.  So next time you consider a family vacation put this place on the top of your list.

Rich told me that I had a reservation at Atlantis for a week starting today that he made last October.  While Rich and Carol were at Atlantis, Rich checked with the marina office---they had no such reservation.  Efforts to get the reservation changed proved fruitless as they had no vacant space. 

CAUGHT BY THE MOON

March 8, 2012  Dateline: Nassau Bahamas

The wind has continued last night and today.  My bow faces into the wind and the waves; I ride up the waves and slap down on the other side of them.  To make matters worse there is a very large yacht docked behind me. The beam of the large yacht is to the waves so as they hit her they bounce back in the direction of my stern.  As a result I am getting hit with waves from two directions.

There was a full moon last night and as a result the tide was very high, coupled with the wind blowing into the harbor Rich and Carol could not get off me this morning because the step to the dock was too large for even Rich to make.  So the moon captured them on me, at least until the tide goes out.

Rich and Carol continued their exploration of Nassau.  The other day they went to Arawak Cay (key).  The beach is a collection of eateries much like Potter’s Cay, but much more upscale.  They had lunch at a restaurant called Twin Brothers; the food was conch based and was very good.  They learned why conch(conk) shells have holes in them.  There is a particular place where if the shell is pierced the membrane that holds the conch inside its shell can be cut and the animal just slides out.

Across from Arawak Cay is Fort Charlotte.  It is a very large fort that sits on a hill and was built with the stone that the slaves had mined by hand from the canyon at the Queens Stairs.  Its purpose was to protect the western entrance to Nassau harbor from pirates.

Yesterday the wind continued and they spent most of the day on me.  They were hoping that the wind would die down, so was I.  My bow is getting sore from slapping.  They got off for a little while and walked to Fort Montaque a small fort that was also built of limestone.  The fort was situated to protect the eastern entrance to the body of water between Paradise Island and Nassau itself.  At the fort it became evident that the government is expending a significant amount of effort to improve the park.  The nicer they make it the more tourists they will attract.

In terms of dressing up Nassau, the government is moving the commercial port from downtown Nassau to Arawak Cay.  The move will get hundreds of empty containers from downtown to outside the city and open up more areas for retail and tourist development.

The bus drivers on the Jitney buses will typically have a radio station playing.  One of the drivers that Rich and Carol rode with had “talk radio” playing.  The issues that were being discussed were the same as they are in the United States.  There appear to be significant issues with illegal immigrants from Haiti, they come to the Bahamas to get benefits as well as clog the medical system.  Rich commented to one of the other passengers that if the accent were different the host of the station could very well be in the US.  People on the bus cheered and commented as the host took the phone calls.

I will sit still for a few more days until I go to Paradise Island on March 10 or 11, depending on the wind.

WIND, WIND AND MORE WIND

March 5, 2012  Dateline Nassau, Bahamas

The wind continued to blow today and I just rocked and rolled in my slip.  A local in Bimini told Rich that when the wind begins to blow like this, it blows for three days, in Bimini he was correct. I hope that the rule also applies to Nassau.  The 20-25 mile hour winds coming from the north brought with them falling temperatures and it cooled off quite a bit.  While I don’t know for sure why the large mega yacht Golden Odyssey is no longer anchored off of Paradise Island, she has moved to the town dock---I guess the wind forced her to seek the shelter.

This picture is of the stern of the boat, BANDIDO, docked behind me.  You can see the waves breaking on her stern.  These waves are not created by passing boats pushing out wakes, but by the wind.  By the way BANDIDO is about 125 feet long and she is handling the waves quite well.

Rich and Carol went off exploring by bus (jitney) again.  The first day they rode a jitney they went to the expensive side of the island, the second day they went through the inner city and this time they went through the middle class area.  The jitney ride took them to an area called Fox Hill and passed the prison.  The homes were generally well maintained and clean.  They encountered a street named MAJOR SUB ^DIVISION .  They thought this was a very strange and interesting name for a street.  Looking down the street, it did appear to lead to a major sub division.  The jitney ride probably covered the eastern side of the island. 

Carol wanted to go for a horse and carriage ride which they did in the afternoon.  The horse periodically was chased by unleashed free-roaming dogs. On one particular street the horse must have known that there were a number of dogs that would chase him as he automatically sped up hoping to avoid them.  The horse’s plan did not work.  The carriage tour took them though the downtown area, along the edge of the harbor and to a place called Potter’s Cay.  Potter’s Cay is an island full of stalls where the local fishermen “hang out”, sell their fresh fish or serve it cooked at a window in front of their stall.  There must be close to 100 of these stalls.  While Rich was sure the food must be good the stalls didn’t look like an American Board of Health would ever give their approval.  When the carriage ride was over Carol told me that she and Rich asked each other what was better the $60 carriage ride or the $2.50 jitney ride, the jitney ride won out. Tomorrow they’ll probably try another jitney route.   

In yesterday’s posting, I mention that the Golden Odyssey has several shadow boats. One of those shadow boats carries all of the water toys that are “required”.  Here is a picture of GOLDEN SHADOW, the toy carrying boat.  Some of the tenders that she carries are almost as long as me.  

OF LORDS, PRINCES AND QUEENS

March 4, 2012  Dateline Nassau, Bahamas

Today Rich and Carol wanted to continue their exploration of Nassau.  Nassau has Jitney buses that run routes all over the island.  While waiting for the bus that they usually took to go downtown, another bus came up the side street. The driver called and said he was also going downtown. They got on his bus and took a ride through another side of Nassau. Yesterday’s bus to downtown ran along the coast where the expensive hotels, condos and timeshares are located.  Today they saw the homes of the working Bahamian, in the United States these homes would clearly be labeled the inner city.  They went past a number churches with the worshipers coming out.  They all were wearing their Sunday best. The women were all well-dressed including dresses, fancy hats and high heels.

Rich and Carol were on their way downtown to a place called the Queen’s Stairs.  In the late 1700’s Lord Dunmore was made the governor of the Bahamas.  He decided that he needed to build forts to defend the City of Nassau from pirates.  He had 6,000 slave use chisels and hammers to cut limestone blocks to build the forts.  He did not want to use explosives as that might have given away what he was building forts.  The slaves cut the 102 foot deep canyon shown in this picture.  The width of the canyon is approximately 25 feet wide by several hundred feet long.  Fort Fincastle was located on the top of the hill and was built with some of the limestone while other stones were used at Fort Charlotte.  A tunnel from the fort to the bottom canyon was designed to allow the Governor to escape should there be an attack.  The fort was never attacked.  The day after the 16 year old Victoria became Queen of England she freed all slaves in the Empire.  She reigned for 65 years and when she died the descendants of the Bahamians who dug the canyon built 65 steps up the end of the canyon for what she did for their ancestors and called them the Queen’s steps.

This year is the 60^th Anniversary of Commencement of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.  In honor of that reign Nassau had a celebration today and for the next two days.  Prince Harry, the Queen’s second grandson, is in Nassau for the event.  Rich and Carol just missed him when they got downtown after visiting the Queens Stairs.  The square where a statute of Queen Victoria is located was all set up with displays of the current Queens life.  There was a replica of her crown, which was passed around this group of girls.  The festival included the above individual who was looking for people to take their picture with him.  That picture would cost the person $1.  Prince Harry will not stay in a hotel suite during his visit he will stay on the Golden Odessey, mega yacht pictured above  It certainly is not small, at 265 feet.  The Golden Odessey is accompanied by two other large boats that carry her water toys and provisions.

In Nassau there is a Senór Frog saloon.  Outside the saloon is a giant statute of Senór Frog, Carol agreed to have her picture taken with him.

Just after Rich and Carol got back to me this afternoon a rain and windstorm came through the marina.  The wind was so strong that it pushed me back and forth between the pilings forming the edges of my slip.  Rich put some more lines on and blew up another of my inflatable fenders so I would not bounce around so much.

THE SIGHTS OF NASSAU

March 3, 2012  Dateline: Nassau, Bahamas

Yesterday one of MY WAY’s brothers came to Nassau to spend a week with Wayne and Francine, today they sailed off to Atlantis.  I will stay in place until they return at the end of the week.  I told Rich and Carol to head off and see what the island is like.  I noticed that Nassau is much different from Bimini and Chub Cay.  Nassau’s deep harbor has made the island an ideal place for cruise ships to stop.  It looks like each day there are three or four cruise ships in port.  If each one has at least 1,500 people onboard that means there are 5-6,000 being put into port each day and they all have money to spend.  Bay Street is the main street of Nassau and it is lined with jewelry stores selling expensive gem stones and watches, Tee Shirts, and duty free liquor.  The Straw Market is also located on Bay Street.  The Straw Market is full of small stalls with largely women selling trinkets made of straw and wood.  It appears that the basic item is manufactured and then the women add some thread based designs.  As you walk their stall they say, “come here Honey let me show you what I got.”

On Bay Street there is the Museum of Slavery and Emancipation.  It looks like it has seen hard times and has been burned out.

One of the cruise ships in the harbor today has a water tube slide on the top of it.  The ride down the tube must be fantastic.  Rich wants to put one on me, but it would have to be so small that it would not be any fun.

Rich met the Queen of England in one of the shops; he said she had a nice shoulder to lean on.

These two dive sail boats came into the marina I am staying at.  On each boat there were 21 divers and about 6 crew members.  They go out for a week.  Can you imagine what the boat must smell like after a week with all those people sleeping and eating inside?  

There is an area across from Atlantis called Potter’s Cay.  This area is full of fishing huts and restaurants.  Rich snapped this picture. He and Carol are planning on going there one day this coming week.