Mermaid Reef - Bahamas Charter Day 4 | Return to SeasonsReturn to Seasons

Waking up in a peaceful, quiet harbor in the Bahamas does not get old. Day four of our trip began, for me, with a leisurely morning filled with reading in bed, a cup of tea on the deck, and warm winds suggesting it was going to be a beautiful day in paradise. Jeff, Sasha, and David had their own special morning with a turtle sighting, so we were all feeling pretty excited to start our day. After listening to the Cruiser’s Net, Sasha and David took the dingy over to Dive Abaco, while Jeff and I made corn and egg tacos for breakfast. Upon their return we pulled up the anchor and headed over to Mermaid Reef, just around and outside Marsh Harbour. As it was only a short distance, we motored over and dropped the hook about an 1/8 of a mile from a small crowd of snorkelers.

Leaving Marsh Harbour

Sasha and David going snorkeling

Joy bath!

While Sasha and David took a peek at the reef, we tidied up the boat a bit in anticipation of a visit from Mark, who was coming to check on the outlets that were still non-operational. I should mention that Mark and Patty’s idea of customer service is outstanding. They seemed to be available to all of their charter customers, both day and night via VHF, regardless of how trivial or simple the question. We enjoyed listening in on some of their interactions and had a few laughs at some of the ridiculous requests!

Here I will take the opportunity to give you an abbreviated boat tour, since I took some images of the boat as we were cleaning up:

Galley

Salon

Nav station

The luxury suite – our cabin looking aft

The luxury suite – midship storage and “office” space

The luxury suite – head with large shower stall and bowl sink

After Mark dropped by and gave us a portable inverter as a temporary fix to our electrical issue, we headed back to the protection of Marsh Harbour for the night. Once we got the anchor set we pulled out the guide books and looked for a place to get drinks and wifi. I had a wild hankering for Irish Creme, so we planned to case the area for a liquor store as well.

Heading back to Marsh Harbour

13.4 knots blowing

Ladies at the helm

Sasha and David on the foredeck for the anchoring routine

Electric windless – this device drops and lowers the anchor at the push of a button. Helpful for those with less upper body strength. Remember, it doesn’t tell you where to put it, just helps you get it there.

While we did not find much open in the immediate vicinity (Sunday mid-afternoon) we did go on a nice tour of the area shops.

Dive Abaco – At The Conch Inn

Iggy Biggy’s shopping center – a handful of shops directly across from The Conch Inn – including a clothing store and real estate agent

R&R convenient store – Not very well stocked and not cheap, but very convenient to the harbor – and wifi if you are willing to lurk out front and look creepy/desperate

Next door to The Conch Inn is the Mangoes Marina and Restaurant – this is a one-stop-shop for great food, boat rentals, souvenirs, and clothing

Hanging out with the Iggy Biggy Ladies – photo by David Barber

Jeff pointing to where our boat is anchored on Part II of the Marsh Harbour maps – photo by David Barber

St. Margaret was also present to witness the birth of baby Jesus

We ended up at Curly Tails for cocktails after our short walking tour. Located above the upscale restaurant of the same name, this place has some of the best views of the Harbour and a gigantic lizard above the bar. The bartender, who made a great cocktail, was a bit brusque, but it didn’t matter because the wifi was fast and free!