Tag: mooring balls

Bahamas Favorites

Last Friday we departed from the southeastern end of the beautiful islands of the Bahamas. After Long Island, we sailed to Crooked and Acklins Islands, followed by Mayaguana. From there, we tacked to the upper reaches of Turks and Caicos. We are no longer there but we will always remember our Bahamas favorites.

Bahamas Outer islands
From Long Island to Acklins and Crooked to the Mayaguanas, Bahamas

We spent more time in the Bahamas than expected, and we would have preferred a longer stay. There are still so many islands we didn’t visit. Here’s a look back on our favorite Bahamas memories.

My recommendation to you if you come here: get out of Nassau. If you have more than a weekend to spend, take a prop plane to any of the other small islands: the Berrys, Crooked Island, Compass Key for example. Enjoy the quiet and calm, the wildlife and the people. You will not be disappointed.

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I’ve Made Some Mistakes on the Sailboat

We all knew going into this that I had a huge amount to learn on this boat. Now it’s time for me to fess up and reveal the big mistakes I have made in my first months aboard Sava. I’ve made some mistakes on the sailboat, and I doubt they’ll be the last, but we’re still having fun!

Mooring

The Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park offers mooring ball facilities, which are generally more reliable than anchoring on your own. The mooring ball is attached to an anchor, and you attach your boat to the mooring ball. While Brian drives – slowly – as close as he can to the mooring ball, I am supposed to hook it and tie it up to our boat. Easier said than done.

One time, I caught the mooring but couldn’t hold it as we drove over it and I dropped the hook in the water. I grabbed our net and fished up the hook to try again. Then I caught the mooring and broke off a piece of the hook. By this point, a man in a nearby boat had gotten into his dinghy and picked up the mooring for me. All I had to do was throw him the rope and attach it to our boat. Even that I almost did incorrectly. You have to run the line under all the rails – which Brian had to yell to me – because if you don’t you can rip the rails off the boat.

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