It was now clear that the winter weather patterns were already hampering our plans to cross over to the Bahamas, but in the meantime it was great to have old friend, David Green and Lindsey visit the boat. I had worked with David in Brazil in the early nineties and had been 24 years since we last met. After Brazil I moved back to the UK and David had moved to the USA. Then we took a taxi down to Ocean Drive at Miami Beach which is a nice way to start our 2020 travel plans.
Eventually we motored down through Miami to Key Biscayne where we found a space to anchor in No Name Harbor which was a great place for early morning runs and to get my new paddle board out to go manatee hunting and to hire bikes to cycle into downtown Miami. The timescales for crossing the Gulf Stream to Bimini were forever extending and Caroline decided to return to the UK.
I cleared out of the USA six months after sailing into New York, and then crossed the Florida Straits to Bimini in the Bahamas. It was a great crossing but the entry into Bimini wasn’t helped by the position of a rogue buoy that hadn’t been moved to cover shifting shallows! A fellow sailor called on the radio to explain the best entry through the shallows and I found my way to Browns Marina in Alice Town, Bimini, BAHAMAS!
I loved the laid-back island style in Bimini and soon made good friends using Bimini as the shortest crossing point to & from Miami….one of whom was French Canadian, Louis on Yacht Sono who I had met in No Name Harbor. I had developed a slow water leak from the raw water pump and ordered a replacement seal which arrived the following week on the twice-weekly mail boat from Nassau….island style! Water leak resolved and more waiting for the right weather I left Bimini and headed east across the Great Bahama Bank where I was able to anchor overnight with nothing in sight except the sunset and my anchor in the shallow water! The following day I arrived in Chub Cay in the Berry Islands to anchor overnight in front of the beach in the “anchorage from hell” so I booked into the marina for two nights while the wind and swell calmed down….and Louis was in the marina too! I had my best sail of 2020 as we both made the passage to Nassau, where there were SIX cruise ships in dock!
The headline photograph is Atlantis marina on Paradise Island, Nassau where I would probably have to sell my house to pay for a mooring!
I’m staying longer in Nassau to do some errands and especially update my website which is now with a new web host and complete up to 9 December 2019…which is why I’m now sat in Starbucks Nassau using their WiFi and drinking their coffee!
I decided to have a pirate day!….I’m reading The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard, I visited the Pirate Museum in Nassau and I went to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville on Paradise Island in the evening…my favourite song of his is “A Pirate Looks at Forty”.

I’m all ready to leave Nassau, and spent an hour or two in the Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation above….. colourful on the outside and sombre on the inside.
About twelve yachts were escaping Nassau Harbour sails aloft eagerly waiting for the forecast northerly of 11 knots…which didn’t materialise, so we all dropped our sails and motored to our destinations! I arrived in the Exumas at Norman’s Cay late afternoon and dropped anchor. This is the island that was the centre of a drug smuggling operation that eventually ended with the longest drug trial in US history, and a double lifetime sentence for Jack Reed, the main character of the book Buccaneer by MayCay Beeler. I only stayed overnight and had a beautiful sail down to Big Majors Spot, and dropped my anchor in the bay in front of Pig Beach. Later I was joined by my Québécois friend, Louis…the fifth time we had met since Key Biscayne!…and he arrived on his dinghy with cold beer! Louis was in the next bay at Staniel Cay.
The swimming pigs were just fabulous, and another beach in the bay became the “sundowner beach” to watch the sunset and say goodbye to friends Joe & Jocelyn, and Ruby the dog on Godspeed, and Louis who were heading back to Nassau and then onwards back to the USA. Bill & Nicole on Resolute were staying a while longer in Majors Spot, and I was heading down to Georgetown. I motored a short passage to anchor at Galliot Bay, and then got up before sunrise to pass through Galliot Cut into Exuma Sound to have a fabulous sail down to George Town. I anchored off Monument Beach on Stocking Island and prepared myself for at least three days of very strong winds!
The weather is back to normal, but there is a chill in the sailing community following the death of a yacht skipper whose dinghy was involved in a late night collision with a local water taxi!
News regarding the affect of the spreading Coronavirus is now affecting the transient cruising yacht community in many parts of the world and many Caribbean ports are now denying entry to transient cruising yachts. The best advice now is to…”stay where you are for the time being”. My Bahamas Cruising Licence expires at the end of April and can be extended if necessary. So I will stay here in the Bahamas rather than sail to Turks & Caicos. Although the Bahamas has already denied entry to a cruise ship with infected passengers, its first case of Coronavirus was announced yesterday. The woman in Nassau has no recent travel history and so the authorities are frantically trying to establish her recent contacts. Turks & Caicos are already denying entry to transient cruising yachts which have recently travelled from St Martin as it allowed an infected cruise ship to dock. The situation is now changing daily!
It is now 23 March, and both Turks & Caicos and Ile à Vache (Haiti), my original next destinations, are now denying entry to transient cruising yachts. Here in the Bahamas non-essential businesses are closing and rules about group activities, social-distancing and inter-island movement have been introduced. There are now four infected cases, all in Nassau and all from the same family…two of whom had recently travelled overseas. I must say that the Bahamas government seem to be managing this crisis in a calm manner, and the locals here in George Town continue life as usual without panic buying and abiding by the new rules. Is this an aspect of island life?
It is now 24 March, and last night Dr Hubert Minnis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas announced a stronger package of actions to restrict the transfer of the Coronavirus, including a ban on the entry of foreigners into the country and further restrictions on inter-island movement. I am essentially restricted to remain on my boat 24/7 with an allowance to dinghy into town for essential services like, supermarket and laundry, and only when absolutely necessary. These measures will remain in place until 31 March and then reviewed.
It is now 2 April and the Bahamas now has 21 cases and its first death…a 57 year old woman in Bimini who had recently travelled to Miami. National and local restrictions remain in place and have been extended until 8 April. I plan to stay here until at least the end of April. Longer term I hope to sail to Guatemala to spend the hurricane season in the Rio Dulce, although right now Guatemala is closed to visiting yachts.
The George Town yacht community is fabulous. The early morning radio net is both informative and helpful, and there’s great contact with local authorities and businesses. The Trivia Evening, Book Review and Sunday Beach Church have all been conducted over VHF radio to comply with the restrictions on group activities. The VHF radio Murder Mystery, Dastardly Deeds on the Dinghy Dock, was absolutely fabulous and it was Ms Scarlet who dunnit! A VHF radio channel remains open 24 hours for inter-boat contact.
It is now Tuesday 7 April and we had our first complete lockdown over the past weekend, and a pattern of restrictions is now emerging. The curfew restrictions will continue during the week until 30 April, and complete shutdowns will occur every weekend. The coming weekend is Easter and there will be a five day shutdown…all stores and community services will be closed, and only hospitals and emergency services will remain open. During curfew restrictions I can take my dinghy into town for essential services such as supermarket, laundry, bank etc but during shutdowns I must remain on the boat.
It is now Thursday 16 April and the restrictions for all visiting boats have just become tighter. Boats that want to leave, mainly US boats returning to the US, have to proceed directly and have specific marinas where they can stop for fuel. All boats that want to remain have to email their identity and location to the authorities together with their plans for approval. I still want to remain in the Bahamas until my next destinations reopen their borders. BUT all boaters must remain permanently on their boats! The Island Administrator here in George Town is keen to apply the national restrictions AND support the boat community. So food, water, fuel and propane can be ordered and delivered to the boat. A water taxi came around the harbour today to take away waste bags…for $5. I think I’ll remain here until the end of May when I hope that the situation is much clearer.
It is now Sunday 26 April, and the situation remains the same for the boat community in George Town, but for me I’m a year older! I cannot remember what I did on my 26th birthday, nor my 36th, 46th and 56th, but I’ll never forget my 66th birthday in lockdown in the Bahamas! I also realised today that I left school 50 years ago and my 16th birthday was also on a Sunday. The previous week I had bought a Lambretta scooter with money I’d saved from my paper round, and my dad came out with me to ride from Nottingham to Derby and back. Such was his influence I have fabulous memories of my dad.
It is now 4 May, and there are less than 50 boats in Elizabeth Harbour. Many countries around the world are beginning to relax their restrictions, and there is talk of ports opening up to transient yachts in the Caribbean. I have started to think about where I want to be during the hurricane season, which countries may have opened their borders and what is the Coronavirus status in those countries. I have several options, and as this month progresses I believe that my final choice will become obvious.
It is now 17 May, and there’s positivity in the air! I have booked a place in Santa Marta marina in Colombia for the hurricane season, and I will set sail once the 1 June reopening of the Colombian borders is successful. There are now just 34 boats in the harbour and many are also making plans to head south to Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands and Grenada. Although a depression just north of the Bahamas developed into sub-tropical storm, Arthur as the first named storm of the season, it immediately moved north along the east coast of the USA. The Prime Minister of the Bahamas today announced that cruisers may now leave their yachts to go onshore while complying with social distancing rules…..Hallelujah!
It is now 29 May, and I have talked with the boys on WhatsApp video to celebrate Alec’s 30th birthday. I’m also rethinking my plans for the hurricane season because the President of Colombia recently announced that borders will remain closed until September! I now see my options as remaining in the Bahamas or sailing back to the USA or sailing down to Panama…although sailing down to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala may also be a remote possibility, but there seems to be a struggle with the Coronavirus and developing a protocol to allow cruising yachts to enter its borders.
It is now 10 June, and both South America & Central America are struggling with Coronavirus outbreaks and tighter restrictions. There is not an ideal destination, and in the next few weeks I am most likely to return to the USA which presents some advantages for me. Life in the Bahamas is good and almost back to normal, in readiness for when its borders will reopen to international tourism on 1 July.

I can now explore George Town and after enjoying food, beer and music at the Friday Fish Fry I found St Andrews Church, in the photograph above, on my walk back into town.
It is 21 June and the longest day was yesterday. Last weekend there was a huge thunderstorm over George Town and not only did the boat drag for a quarter mile, the VHF radio and the Chart Plotter sustained some damage. The radio is now on its way back to the UK for repair. A catamaran was hit by lightning and sustained heavy electrical damage. The catamaran is now in Exuma Yacht Club marina awaiting enough repairs to allow Allan & Maria to sail back to the USA to complete the repairs.
It is 2 July, and Bahamas borders are now open to international travel. There is a huge expectation that tourism will increase with hotels and restaurants opening. On Saturday it is American Independence Day, and I’m organising a party on Chat ‘n Chill Beach as the bar reopens tomorrow….I’m hoping for about 12 of us.
The VHF radio has returned from repair in the UK. In the last four weeks the Coronavirus news coming out from the USA is crazy, and I have decided to stay away. There are still no Coronavirus cases here in the southern Bahamas, but there is always a threat of hurricanes so I am renting a mooring ball in one of the hurricane holes on Stocking Island in Elizabeth Harbour. I will also avidly follow the National Hurricane Centre website and Mike’s Weather Page on Facebook for guidance.
There are now only three of the original boats left in Elizabeth Harbour, but as the border is now open there is a steady stream of boats coming and going. Although masks and social distancing is now normal, it is good to see local hotels, bars and restaurants increasing their trade.
It is now August, and the excitement of normal life was sweet and short lived….Coronavirus cases increased rapidly during July, due mainly to Bahamians circumventing the rule for (re)entering the country to go on shopping trips to Florida and bringing the virus back into the Bahamas! Hurricane Isaias also hit the Bahamas and along the way came very close to George Town. The overnight wind and the rain and the noise was insane, and left two boats aground after breaking their moorings. Post hurricane we are now in a two week shutdown as the government grapples with the increase in Coronavirus cases, and the UK is now insisting that visitors from the Bahamas quarantine for 14 days.
It is now September, which is the peak month for hurricane activity in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Last month, and after hurricane Isaias, Tropical Storm Laura was heading towards the Bahamas but diverted south of Cuba which left George Town with just 30kt overnight winds. But just a few days later Laura became a category 4 hurricane which hit the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
It is now 1 October and the Tropics are behaving well…the second half of September was very quiet for the Bahamas, and the early forecasts for October look positive too. I am certainly enjoying being a member of Mike’s Weather Page on Facebook and learning so much about storm watching.

The fabulous yacht above is Sea Chantey owned by Swiss friends Reto and Stefanie. They recently left Sea Chantey to fly back to Switzerland for Stefanie to give birth to their daughter. Early in the New Year they plan to return to the Bahamas as a family of three to continue their sailing. What a wonderful adventure! My boat is in the background at anchor off Chat ‘n Chill beach on Stocking Island.
Most of my next destinations in the Western Caribbean…Turks&Caicos, Ile à Vache, Jamaica, Cayman etc remain closed to transient yachts or have very difficult entry requirements. Turks&Caicos require a negative PCR Swab test result not more than five days old which may be fine for tourists arriving by plane, but is likely impossible for a sailing yacht.
So my Plan B is to return to the USA. I still have a valid US Visa and would just require a Cruising Permit which I can obtain during the Customs and Immigration entry process.

The photograph above is Regatta Point in George Town
It is now 1 November, and I have been in George Town longer than any other place since leaving the UK over six years ago. I requested an extension to my Bahamas Visa until the end of the hurricane season on 30 November and I doubt whether I can remain longer than this. So, at some point during this month I will head towards Fort Lauderdale where I will do some boat jobs, and then in the New Year I will sail the Florida Keys down to Key West. Although I will keep my eye on border openings in the Western Caribbean this is as much as I can plan for now.

In the photograph above the sun rises over Chat ‘n Chill beach, and 1 December brings to an end the official Atlantic hurricane season. I didn’t leave George Town in November as I had planned as 2020 continues to surprise me…I decided to stay where I had good shelter if a hurricane arrived late in the season, and sadly, Honduras and Nicaragua were hit by two major hurricanes during November. I had some UK business that I wanted to complete while having the ability to react immediately to email requests. Finally, the island of Exuma has been placed under special restrictions which include weekend lockdowns and a ban on domestic travel to other islands.
I have no travel targets to complete other than to leave the Bahamas with fabulous memories and return to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and if I can do that during December then all is well.
I have already surpassed my 2019 record of reading 43 books during the year, and I’m almost certain to reach 50 books in the lockdown year 2020. The list of books can be found on the separate page…Books 2020.
Friends Reto & Stefanie on yacht Sea Chantey in the photograph above now have extra crew member and daughter, Gwendoline Sea, born 20 November.
Recently I spent an evening writing down my thoughts and ideas for cruising in what will still be troubled times for foreign travel, and I have decided to remain in the Western Caribbean for another two years. This will give me the opportunity to cruise all the countries I want to visit, starting in 2021 with the countries whose borders are open today. I hope that the remaining countries will have opened their borders in 2022, and that full freedom of movement will have returned to be able to sail the Pacific islands to Australia in 2023. It does seem as though I’m planning my life away, but I do like to have a “vague plan” which will inevitably have its twists and turns along the way.
December 21 was not only the Winter Solstice but also the date of the Great Conjunction…when Jupiter and Saturn appeared very close together in the early night sky, an occurrence that happens every 20 years. I will celebrate Christmas and New Year here in George Town and will leave when I’m ready to go.
5 Comments
Hello Bahamas!
Wow your lockdown season sounds quite fascinating, even though I’m sure for you it didn’t feel like that most of the time. Hopefully you are preparing to sail to Colombia if all goes according to plan so I will wish you luck for that crossing.
Love seeing your photos and reading the blog. I’m going to email you – or maybe put on messenger – some starfish photos from Zanzibar. I was there nearly 4 years ago after climbing Kilimanjaro – gorgeous things to see.
All is summery in London – I have the best suntan I’ve ever had 🙂 well it’s a running, walking, cycling suntan, not a lying on the beach tan. Lockdown has eased of its own accord really although there are still restrictions in place. I have been working at home since 23 March and I quite like it. There are enough zooms, teams, skypes etc to keep everyone topped up with screen chats. I have had enough of quizzes now, certainly don’t need any more Friday nights waiting for the answers, and I’ve taken to having water in a wine glass as I just can’t take any more wine drinking (sure that will sort itself out). I’m up to date with work and my aim is to stay on top of everything in order that as soon as an opportunity arises I shall be able to head to the hills for a few days. I miss that but not so much. I should have done a 60 mile race in April (The Lakes Traverse) but it has been postponed to 2021, and I have now entered the Lakes In A Day race in October, 50 mile race, so I need to get to the hills for some training soon. Richmond Park doesn’t quite cut it in the hill department! Box Hill will have to do for now.
The 60 mile race was to celebrate being 60 this year (yikes!) and I have a party planned for August. Got a venue and band booked but who knows if it will be allowed – I’m hopeful based on the fact that things are changing now so we’ll just see.
I’ve been reading quite a lot too, which is great as I had a whole pile of books just begging to be read. Really love a good book. Also started a jigsaw puzzle about 4 weeks ago but never seem to have much time to spend on it, hey ho that’ll keep me going for a while yet.
So, on that note I shall head out for a run in the sunshine. Been doing housework this morning – it’s got to be done once in a while – and this evening I am having 2 friends over for dinner – one of them has a birthday today – and we’ll be having a take away from Ma Goa, southern Indian restaurant on Upper Richmond Road. We have agreed that it’s ok for them to come to my flat and we’ll social distance.
Safe travels to Colombia and who knows what’s happening with travelling but I would still love to come and join you for a sail one of these days.
Take care David,
Julie xx
Oh my, I’ve just read that the Bahamas is banning all international commercial flights effective Wednesday, July 22 with exemptions for the United Kingdom, European Union and Canada who test negative. What does this mean for the cruising community?
Hello! Cruising boats are still free to come and go, but there are some Americans who were hoping to fly out to their boats. It’s partly because some Bahamians were flying over to the US on shopping trips and coming back Covid positive! So there’s plenty of boats around and there’s still no Covid cases in the southern Bahamas.
I hope you’re well!
David
Uh boy! Glad to know that your little part of the sea remains covid-free.
Hi, David!! I just realized you have been updating this post throughout the pandemic nightmare. Where are you now? How did you fair with Isaias? Resolute is strapped down on the hard in Cape Canaveral FL where it skirted by as a tropical storm. We are in Northern Michigan working a bit and enjoying the outdoors – and trying to not be overwhelmed by the terrible condition of our country. I hope you are safe! Nicole