By Rich

Easterly winds prevailed during our Bahamas cruise, and they were often stout. Cruisers headed east will want to be prepared to wait for a calm day or potentially face spirited, upwind conditions when making the passage to Nassau. We transited this part of the Bahamian seas three times during our cruise and found large, confused seas were a frequent occurrence. During our first passage to the east we had an easterly breeze that built from a low of 15 knots in the morning up to the low 30s by the time we arrived in Nassau.

Nassau is a crowded, busy, urban destination. Choose a marina with good security and don’t travel outside of the marina gates at night unless you’re in a large group and don’t venture too far. We stayed at the Bay Street Marina which has a restaurant & bar, a pool, and very good security. Be prepared for relatively high docking fees staying here, as one would in any urban marina setting.

If time permits, we’ve heard its worth taking a trip out to Paradise Island, but we didn’t take the time. The aquarium, in particular, is supposed to be worth a visit.