January 13, 2008. I slept like a dead man with narcolepsy. The alarm went off at 0600 and it felt like I had just lain down.

We wanted to get an early start on the trip across the Tongue of the Ocean. For such a large body of water it’s fairly tidal and can be very rough in the wrong winds. We wanted to get as far as possible before the winds started to build.

While I’m getting ready to take the dogs to shore I hear the islands water boat checking in with the pump house which is near our anchorage. He said he would be arriving at 0715; we had planned on hauling anchor at 0700. This would mean we would probably encounter him on his way into the channel as we were leaving through the same channel.

Andros Island is one of the few islands in the Bahamas with natural fresh water. This huge tanker comes several times a week and fills up with water and delivers it to the other islands.

So I stopped at Freedom on my way back with the dogs and asked Jim to pull anchors early so we could be clear of the channel in time. We left 15 minutes early and still ended up turning a blind corner and were met with the sight of the tanker heading towards the first set of channel markers. His boat is as wide as the channel and after a quick radio conversation it was decided that we would travel just outside the channel markers and not be crushed like bugs. It went well enough but was an unnerving way to start the day.

After this start, the day went very nicely and we had a beautiful day for the 40 mile trip to Nassau. Before entering the channel that leads into Nassau harbor you have to contact Nassau Port Control on the VHF. They ask where you’re coming from, what your documentation number is and where you’re headed.

If you’re checking into the country they won’t let you into the harbor without knowing which marina you’re planning to stay at. They find out where you’re headed and they send Customs and Immigration down to the marina to meet you. It’s a great setup except that it costs at least a hundred dollars a night at the cheapest marina just so you can be checked into the country. Since we had already checked into the country in Morgan’s Bluff we were allowed to pick a spot to anchor in the harbor.




We’re expecting 20 knots from the north on Monday night so we find a spot all the way at the east end of the anchorage to drop the hook which will give us great protection from the north. The harbor is very tidal so we have to drop 2 anchors, 180 degrees apart so we can alternate hanging from either one as the tide shifts. It will also allow us to hang from both anchors when the wind comes out of the north.