Nassau – 6 kilometres walked, 4 miles in dinghy
For our final day in Nassau before setting off for the Family Islands we needed to top up everything – water, gas, diesel, food – and dispose of all trash and unneeded packaging. The Family Islands (also called Out Islands) is the term for the collective set of Bahamian islands outside of the capital, New Providence and Grand Bahama, and has far less services and facilities; in some areas, none. We needed to be prepared.
The girls left to explore downtown while Ana and I walked to the laundromat and nearby Super Value grocery store. The laundry was cheap, at $2.75 per load, and we were surprised to find the grocery store prices were less than what we paid in south Florida; for some items it was even cheaper than what we would pay in Canada. This was a surprise. The online cruising chatter is often focused on the astronomical costs in the Bahamas. We have not seen this. For example, we paid $5 for two Kaliks at the Fish Fry, but typically beers seemed to be typically $5 each. Lunch for four at Potter’s Cay was $60. The prices in the marine store were slightly more than what we saw in Florida, but not by much. We were also surprised with the selection at the grocery store as they had a wider variety of fruits and vegetables that we saw in the Florida stores. I expect prices will be much higher the further away from Nassau we travel.
Grocery stores are fun as they give you the best representation of the population of the local area you are in. Today, there were people of all colours, ages, sizes, and shapes doing their shopping. A grizzled, sun-cured white Bahamian man with cracked lips and stringy hair browsed a shelf with grits and oatmeal. A ball-shaped black Bahamian lady with a happy face took up most of an aisle as she shuffled along behind her cart, tossing in tinned soup, crackers, and Vita-Malt. A sailor couple with sun hats and backpacks held a paper list and calculator, punching buttons as they scanned items on the shelves. I overheard a conversation between a church-dressed, coiffed, decorated, and particularly stern-looking mom and her fidgety son.
“Mom, I need cherries!” said the boy, as he vibrated and squirmed, pointing at a shelf.
She looked at him sourly, crossed her arms and said, “You do not need cherries. That is a desire. Need and desire are not the same thing.”
“Mom, I desire cherries!”
“No.”
The new mobile shopping cart we had picked up in Walmart in Fort Lauderdale worked perfectly, and we had also taken the original one out of retirement to help carry all the groceries and laundry. They were both packed full as we walked back to the marina on cracked sidewalks with tossed garbage lying everywhere it could gather – empty lots, vacant yards, boulevards. We were in the residential areas of Nassau, real life, away from the glossy and staged tourist areas.
Back at the boat Ana packed away all the food while I horsed around with a few boat jobs. I checked the status of my sandal repair and the 5200 adhesive seemed to have cured well. The other day the girls noticed I kept tripping so Ana made me show her the bottom of my sandal. The sole had let loose and was flopping around like a grounded flounder. I knew I was in trouble and did not want a repeat of the last time this happened in the Azores when a slightly damaged shoe turned into an all-day shopping expedition. I quickly shrugged off the problem, said I already had a plan to fix it, and walked with a slight right foot raise for the rest of the day to avoid tripping. Once back at the boat I applied super strength adhesive, secured the sole securely with plastic clothespins, and put it up on deck to cure. Two days later, it was ready for deployment.
After a quick lunch (fresh coconut buns from the grocery store and half the remains of Stella’s incredible Fish Fry conch salad – finely crafted with the addition of small chunks of mango and pineapple, possibly the best I’ve ever had) Ana gave me a long overdue haircut in the cabin before going on a cleaning rampage while I returned to shore to fill up gas cans and water jugs and pick up the girls, who were ready to return.
I did some detailed route planning for tomorrow’s trip, which was only 35 miles but would take us through the Great Bahama Bank which had some shallow areas with coral heads we’d need to avoid. I also had a look at the tracking on the anchor alarm which had been set on my phone since we’d arrived here and found some beautiful patterns made by the swinging of the boat through the alternating currents and wandering winds.
As the girls had stopped at Burger King on the way back (cheaper than in Canada), we did not have to make dinner, which was a nice break, so everybody found a space on the boat, snacked as required, and entertained themselves with phones, computers, and books until lights out.
Very interesting about the pricing vs Florida. Best of luck on the sail and navigation!! Wonderful trip…
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