Scott here….

We are still here and still traveling!! Well, sort of. We have been at the Marina at Emerald Bay for a total of 18 days. Eight of those days we had kids and grandkids not too far away in an Airbnb. That was sooooo wonderful! We didn’t get nearly everything in that we would have liked, but that may just mean another family trip to the Bahamas in the future!?!

We did rent a car for 2 weeks. It was very weird driving on the left and having the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Everything in the car was on the opposite side. I would have liked to have kept the car for a few extra days, but the rentals were not available. The busy season here is picking up!

The last issue I need to take care of is emptying our black tank. A new mooring field has been established by the Bahamas National Trust in Elizabeth Harbor. As part of that project there will be a pump out boat, but that boat will not be up and running until at least January 15, 24. I don’t want to be in the marina for another two weeks and we will still need to figure out something as the next pump-out location is Nassau, I think. We have only been using the marina bathrooms since we have been here, the walk to the bathrooms at 2:00 am is not very exciting!

I finally found the right search terms and found Blackwater Bazooka by Sixo Design LLC. It should do what we need done. It will lift the black water 5′ (I need it to lift 4.5′) and send the blackwater 100′ (I need it to send about 3′.)

Alrighty, found what I need, now how do I get it? I have heard nothing but horror stories about getting stuff shipped here. I asked the owner of the business, and he had horror stories as well. Stuck in customs for 4 months and only getting it by bribing the customs officials. CRAP! Alright, I emailed Randy, our boat neighbor, he was willing to bring it with him when he comes back, but that won’t be until Jan. 15.

A day or two later as I am trying to figure out how to get this done, we are at Chat & Chill. A beach bar/restaurant/play area that is very popular in the cruiser community. I talk a walk and try and clear my mind. As I am walking down the beach, I meet some other previous boat neighbors that are in Last Call. We met the captain and his crew at Staniel Cay and again at this marina. The boat owners were at the marina for a few days, and we met them as well and struck up some conversation. Very nice people.

They said they were flying their captain to George Town on Jan. 1, 24 and they will be heading to Nassau. They offered to have me ship the part to them and Captain Dan will bring it over. AWESOME!! Of course, this is Christmas Eve! I emailed the owner of Blackwater Bazooka a couple of questions, he offered to send me his updated device that isn’t on his website yet and I had it UPS’d overnight to Captain Dan on Dec. 26. Captain Dan received it and will be bringing it over with him.

Now, we need to coordinate Captain Dan getting me the equipment. Thus, our move day. I want to spend some time in Elizabeth Harbor, preferably on the new moorings, but there is still an anchorage not in the National Park a little farther north that will work as well. Last Call is at a marina close to Chat & Chill, so I plan to simply meet Dan and Alec, the owner of Last Call, at their marina, St. Francis Resort & Marina on Stocking Island, across the bay from George Town.

WOW! I hope all that made sense!! I better have Rita edit this just to make sure. So here are our travel plans for the day. we will be leaving on a rising tide with 11 mph wind from the NE. Not ideal, but the light wind a low waves should be helpful.

Initial Plan
Date: December 31, 2023
Nebo Link: Click here
Crew: Captain Scott, 1st Mate Rita, & K9 Jazzy
Start at: 8:00 am (will fuel up around 7:30 am)
End at: 10:00 am
Total Time: 2 hours (1:35 hours travel time plus no wake speed and hopefully finding a mooring ball and hooking up to it)
Distance: 14.4 miles

Hazards for the day
No hazards.