Introduction to Nassau

The "lost city" of Atlantis from our boat

We arrived in Nassau at 5:15 in the evening – just enough time to set the anchors (we have to use two here instead of our customary one due to the current), put the sails away, tidy the boat, and cook dinner to eat while we watched sunset.  After an easy nine and a half hour motor/sail (there was almost NO wind), we were happy to have reached our destination and thankful that there was absolutely nothing noteworthy about the day’s sail.  And, now, we were drinking our cocktails as we watched the sunset to our west and saw the lights of Atlantis beginning to twinkle through the windows to the east of us. 

Easter in the Bahamas

As an anthropologist, I am a little frustrated this Easter morning, I have to admit.  In the States, today is the day when people can be seen hiding eggs and sending their kids to look for those eggs, died in pastel colors with all the people dressed in those same colors.  While every Easter tradition (colorful eggs and the hunt for them, bunnies, the idea of “rebirth”) has to do with the ancient beliefs of Ostara more than it has to with the resurrection of anybody, it is a day when people are happy and laughing – especially the kids after tearing into their Easter baskets full of chocolate and marshmallow candies. 

Getting used to it... Well, working on getting used to it.

Some of you may wonder what it's like to live on a boat, the day-to-day part of actually living while on a boat.  In order to answer that, I thought I might run you through a few "typical" days we are having here in the harbor, then give you a few things that are essential for us to think about.  These - as you will see - are parts of life we definitely took for granted while on land and make me both love and hate living on a boat.

What's in a name?...

WELL, there are so many things in a name when you get to name your very own 35-year-old-but-still-unnamed boat that will take you on a dream come true!  As a build-up (I'd make a great fiction writer, huh?!), there is something here in the harbor called The Cruiser's Net (or just "The Net" around here) which happens at 9:00 every morning through our VHF radio.  We turn our radio on along with any number of the 200+ boaters in the area - not just people here in the harbor, but any boats within ~1 mile who want to listen in and be a part of the boating community.  We weren't even in the harbor yet when we started listening in, gaining access to helpful information, and acquiring random things for the boat - including the safety net for the cats and any small humans that come aboard (which we got for free)!

So, let me explain what happens: At 9:00 a.m. on the dot(!), one of seven people (one for each day of the week) comes over channel 68 stating that they are The Net Controller of the morning and explains that it is a "controlled net".  What this means is that every person has to state their boat name, be given permission to speak by the controller, then they can proceed with whatever they want to share with everyone.  During the next 15-30 minutes, local boaters: share the names of boats which have just gotten here or are on their way out; share announcements about both the boating community and the city that surrounds us; have a chance to ask other boaters for help (advice, phone numbers, physical help with a project, borrowing of tools, etc.); can buy/sell/trade random stuff on their boat; and participate in random trivia.  This is a wonderful way to keep the boating community fairly tight-knit because there is the opportunity to verbally communicate every day.

On the hook

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who sent/bought us so many needed items for the holidays - we actually don't know how to thank you enough!  We realize how blessed we are because we have everything we need and then so much more!!!  We know that we would not be able to be where we are if we did not have all of our loved ones helping us out, either through the items we need or through the encouragement and support you send.  Both are blessings to us and we give thanks to you and the Universe for you being in our lives!

In previous blogs, I have mentioned our Dock Lord, the man who was renting the house we were tied up behind.  Now, as much as we appreciated that he had experience as a live aboard boater, we did not appreciate his pessimism or some of the hostilities we felt from within the house.  Furthermore, a week before Christmas, the Dock Lord informed Rob that he knew we are on a really tight budget but that his electricity bill was $50 higher than he had thought it would be, so he was going to double our $225 monthly rent.  Rob promptly told him that we would be out by the end of the month and got to work making sure that would happen.

Living aboard - first impressions

So, there are a couple of new situations and characters to add to this fun adventure, a situation I see happening so much in the future!  However, one thing that will hopefully remain somewhat stable throughout our upcoming year will be our boat, barring the changes we know we need to make on her.  I thought I would write a short blog just outlining the general description of what the layout of life is like right now.

O.K., let's begin with the boat's current situation:  Our boat, which is unnamed as yet, is 32' long, 10.5' wide, and has a center cockpit, which we found is a fairly rare layout for a boat (especially one this length).  "And what  does a center cockpit have to do with anything?" you may find yourself asking.  Glad you asked!  With most boats, when you step onto the stern (the back) of it, you are stepping into the cockpit; with our's, the back end of the boat is an aft (rear) cabin and our "stateroom" (what any bedroom on a boat is called).  This means that our bed, one closet, and a sink/porta potti area with bathroom cabinets are separate from the rest of the boat, giving it a true "bedroom" feeling as opposed to sleeping in the same area where we cook and "live".

The center cockpit

The back end (or "stern") or our boat