We left North Lake Worth at 10 AM on the 8th to take advantage of the favorable conditions that the weather router had predicted for crossing the Gulf Stream. We were a pair of boats crossing as the third one that was hoping to go decided not to go at the last minute. Leaving at such a late hour would have us arriving at Memory Rock at dusk or slightly after but the folks on the other boat had done that a number of times and were comfortable with a late arrival. The crossing was relatively smooth with a wind blown chop for the last few miles which slowed us down some so the we did arrive just after dark as we thought we might. We decided to continue on to Mangrove Cay to anchor for some rest and were safely at anchor by 2AM. The next day it was off to Great Sale Cay, another uninhabited island on the Little BAhama Banks.
It is OK to anchor out without clearing customs as long as one does not go ashore so we could not land to do any exploring. We had planned to go to Green turtle Cay the next day to check in, about 50 miles, but the other boat had some mechanical issues and had sail power only so we stuck with them and anchored short of our goal at Foxtown where they had cell service and were able to call for assistance. We made Green Turtle Cay on the 11th but Customs was closing when we anchored so we waited until today and checked in first thing. The customs officer was very pleasant and after about 20 minutes of filling out forms we were all set. We now moved from the anchorage out by the Government dock into Black Sound a very protected harbor that can only be entered by deep draft boats like ours at high tide. There is only about 3-4 feet of water in the channel at low tide and it only rises bout 4 feet so you have to be careful. We motored in slowly following the narrow channel and are now on mooring in plenty of water for a few days.
Just before lunch we walked into town in what felt like sweltering heat and little shade to be found. A Bahamian asked us why walk when you can rent a golf cart and get around? Sounds reasonable, so tomorrow we will rent a cart and find the swimming hole so to speak.
New Plymouth is an early town that was formed around 1742. The streets are clean and white. The colors are soft and the flowers are brilliant. There is more traffic than I had imagined but very manageable. We had lunch at Harveys Grill that had fans running inside but you could also sit on the beach at tables with umbrellas. We opted for indoors and the gentle moving air. Randy ordered one of their specialities called conch in a bag. It reminded me of a deep fried basket dinner that you might find on the coast of Maine but served in foil. I ordered a blue cheese, cranberry walnut salad with grilled grouper that was delicious. I also saw a conch salad at the local grocery that I must return and buy. It is made locally along with a counter full of homemade baked goods. We were told not to miss the bakery so will find it soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment