Although we were both pretty tired from forty-eight hours of passage making, we chose rather to make the most of our one day in the Berry Islands than to take naps. In the late morning we walked the mile or so from the marina to a beautiful white-sanded crescent beach on the other side of the island. On the way to the beach we passed the now dilapidated old clubhouse in which Hollywood celebrities partied back in the 60s, including Cary Grant and Brigitte Bardot. Great Harbor Cay began as a getaway for the rich and famous and was even frequented by the Rockefellers.

How pleasant to be back in the islands and in the water! There was not another soul on this gorgeous two-mile long stretch of paradise. Cindy and I, quite warm and sweaty from our walk over in the hot sun, joyfully waded out into the beautiful, clear, 86° waters. How refreshing! After spending a couple of hours on the sand, we walked back to the marina to relax, wash the salt off the boat from our passage, take advantage of the wifi, and visit with our friends, Jay and Karen. After afternoon cocktails, we enjoyed dinner at the poolside grill, where I reacquainted my taste buds with cracked conch. It was,in fact, very good!

By the end of dinner, our sleep deficit was catching up with us, so we said our goodbyes to the Campbells, and retired a little early. Just before 6 am the next morning (Thursday), we pulled from the slip in the absolute calm of this protected harbor and began to work our way around the north end of the Berry Islands, passing the anchored Norwegian Sky just off Great Stirrup Cay, which serves as the private island escape for the passengers of Norwegian Cruise Lines. We motorsailed throughout the day in light winds (5 knots out of the ESE), first skirting the eastern edge of the Berry Island Chain. It was amazing to look over the side of our yacht and see the ripples in the sand on the bottom 40 feet below. Then, for the final 25 miles, we crossed the deep waters of the Northeast Providence Channel.

Another gorgeous day in paradise wound down as we dropped our anchor in 8 feet of wonderfully clear water. The most fun part of the anchoring process in the Bahamas is getting to dive/snorkel on your anchor to make sure it is set properly. I enjoyed my one hundred twenty-foot snorkel from Beatitude’s stern to the spot we dropped our anchor to see that our anchor was buried deeply. The sea floor was littered with pizza pan-sized starfish. As we sat on deck enjoying the waning daylight hours and watching the setting sun, a sea-turtle splashed around Beatitude, welcoming us to Nassau.