This is the start of our month long trip to the Bahamas aboard Zendo! We
plan to spend most of our time cruising the Abacos. We delayed our trip by a
day awaiting a good weather window to cross the gulf stream. On May 30, we left
our dock at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove to spend the night at the Pines
Canal anchorage in Key Biscayne so we could get the earliest possible start.
And so we left at 4 a.m. on relatively calm seas headed for Lacaya in the
Bahamas. Early on we felt the swells, but the sea settled down after a bit and
we witnessed the most spectacular sunrise!
We anticipated a 10 - 12 hour crossing thinking that once we hit the gulf
stream, we would get a significant lift and pick up speed. The weather was
sunny and clear and there was very little boat traffic. However, the trip took
longer than expected and we didn’t arrive in Lacaya until 6 p.m. Needless to
say, it was a very long day!
We stayed at the Grand Lacayan Resort on the advice of Active Captain. Upon
arriving, a dockhand ferried Jonny over to customs where he “signed us in.”
According to the rules, only the captain can leave the boat until we go through
customs so Lynn got to stay aboard for the moment.
Although we were very tired, we accepted the advice of the dockhand and got a
complementary ferry ride to a local restaurant, Zorba’s, in the little town of
Lacaya. The town was much cuter than we imagined it to be with the typical
colorful Bahamian cottages and hand painted signs. There was a charming square
in the middle of town that on this night was very quiet. Jonny ate his first
conch of the journey while Lynn stuck to the basics of that Greek restaurant.
By this time, we were staggering with fatigue and we took the next ferry back
to Zendo and fell fast asleep!