20100106 Weather Changing – Moving North to Grand Bahama Tomorrow

20100106 Weather Changing – Moving North to Grand Bahama Tomorrow Well, Cathy and I have hunkered down over the last few days. North Winds continue to roll and yaw Angel in her slip at the Nassau Harbor Club. Additional dock lines and spring lines attached the second night after we arrived have been sharing the load as we bob and weave. It is not uncomfortable, but noticeable, especially just after we rise in the morning, when we are enjoying coffee and tea with breakfast. Cathy has been reading and just finished her 4th book. I continue to work through my boat maintenance list. Our typical day schedule in Nassau consists of rising around 7am, heating water for tea and coffee, while the computer boots to check the weather forecast. We check the official Bahamian Department of Meteorology site (often not updated or offline), NOAA (3 sites), Weather Underground (Wunderground), Ocean Weather, Inc. and Sailflow.com. I compile the results and resolve conflicts, then decide on if it is a good day to proceed. It looks now that a window will open tomorrow, that will allow us to get to West End, Grand Bahama Island, 110 miles north from Nassau. We will then reassess our weather options. After playing weatherman, Cathy settles into the setee with a book, and I begin to tinker with electrical systems, ropes, bilge items, tools, lazarette storage, etc. I am now focused on making a list of improvements for Angel, after we get back to Charleston. I want to repair the rub rail in a couple of places, add a shortwave radio, install new wiring for the AC electrical system (from inlet plug, through the circuit breakers, and on to AC outlets/appliances), and design new rope storage for spring/dock lines. In addition, I need a better seat on the edge of the cockpit, which will allow me to sit for long periods comfortably steering Angel, with my head and shoulders outside the bimini in the wind & sun. My current system of fenders topped with a type IV throwable cushion is OK, but can be improved. When both Cathy and I need a break, we gather clean clothes, toilet articles and towels and take the short walk to the showers. Nassau Harbor Club has fairly good showers, at least with warm water and good flow. Late morning is the time to go to avoid the morning rush and noon cleaning. Feeling human again, we store our belongings, spread our towels on the cockpit lifelines and head out for some adventure. Whether we take a cab into Nassau for shopping, go across the street for groceries, walk up Bay Street to poke around in the marine stores or take a cab over to Paradise Island to watch football in the sports book, we wander around and find an interesting restaurant for lunch. We try to avoid Burger King, Subway and KFC in favor of local Bahamian establishments. We have been often VERY pleased with the results. A local bakery offered 4 tables with freshly prepared Caesar salads. Greek restaurants are prolific and also have great food, well prepared. Last night we went to the Double Dragon, Chinese Restaurant. Here we got good food and poor service due to island time. Cathy will use our last token to wash a final load of clothes today. I will check and recheck the weather and secure all for the trip tomorrow. Cathy is starting a new book. I will continue to work on my novel. All is well. Take Care, Cathy and Jim