We hauled anchor and were treated to another perfect early morning sail – our last in the Bahamas – and it was truly bittersweet. Conditions were perfect, something we’ve become accustomed to in our time sailing the Sea of Abaco. Silent Sky was just flying downwind and she felt great. But it was hard to completely enjoy the sail with the knowledge that this was the beginning of the end.
This coming week wasn’t going to be a fun one – it was all about chores and making sure we were ready for departure. After almost four months in the Bahamas where Silent Sky only got a superficial cleaning, it was time to go all out. Things got vacuumed, vacuum packed, dusted, and deep cleaned, and even though laundry is relatively expensive in the Bahamas, I wanted to make sure everything got washed (which meant four loads!). The week went by in a blur, and between work being insanely busy for both of us and getting ourselves ready to go, we barely had any down time. I suppose it was good in a way – I didn’t have time to focus on the undercurrent of emotion I was feeling as our time drew to a close.
Friday was a gray, rainy day and I wasn’t sad to have to spend it doing chores. Unfortunately it was also Good Friday, and everything was closed. That meant we couldn’t refill our propane, and we were beginning to wonder if we’d be able to get any provisions. We didn’t have enough food aboard, and if we couldn’t get more, we couldn’t leave. Chris asked around, and the dockmaster was able to point him to a couple of places that were open. While they weren’t traditional grocery stores, they were good enough for us to stock up, and Chris got things that could be cooked on the grill in case we ran out of propane for the stove.
Our friend Blaine was coming to crew for us, so we needed to re-home everything we’d been storing in the v-berth so he’d have a place to sleep. I was worried about where we’d end up putting it all, but somehow we managed to find ways to fit everything.
Blaine was supposed to land around 3:30, but thunderstorms rolled in mid-afternoon and just wouldn’t let up. We had to go to the airport to check out anyway, so we planned to meet him there. We headed over around 3, and at that point his flight was only delayed by about a half hour. By the time we were done with Customs his flight was delayed until 6, so we went back to the marina to finish laundry and cleaning, and I was secretly glad for the extra time.
The ladies at Customs were wonderful and patient as we collectively tried to figure out the ins and outs of Click2Clear – we’d created our outbound trip online as you’re supposed to, and eventually they could see it (after some searching), but it took a call to Nassau for them to be able to actually DO anything with it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Click2Clear, let me say that in no way is that a negative reflection on the Customs agents. As I understand, there was a time when there was a fair amount of corruption within Customs (bribes were common practice), so Click2Clear was created as a way to stop that since you pay your entry fees online. However, the site is about as confusing as it gets, and even the port agents who use it every day occasionally find a glitch that stumps them. But we eventually got it sorted and Silent Sky was officially cleared out of the Bahamas.
It continued to storm (I ended up having to shower in the middle of a thunderstorm in the semi-outdoor shower, all the while thinking “Woman electrocuted while showering in thunderstorm – more at 5!”), and I was really beginning to think we were going to have to scrap the idea of departing as soon as Blaine arrived. But right at sunset, the storms moved off and the Bahamas gifted us one final, parting rainbow as the sun broke through the cloud bank.
We were just finishing up stowing Squall on the foredeck when Blaine arrived, and once he was settled, we headed over to Colors for a last Bahamian meal. We tested out the Iridium GO! that we rented (we tried to buy one but couldn’t find one in stock anywhere), and then it was time. I can’t express how sad I am to be leaving, and I already look forward to coming back.