We left Bond’s Cay and motored-sailed towards Chub Cay to take shelters at a marina 15 NM out. The wind storm is forecasted to start late today and blow hard for the next 3 days. Entering the marina was a bit chaotic since many boats had the same idea, and we all seemed to have arrived at the same time, but one by one, Donovan, the dock master, took his time and berthed each vessel in an efficient and orderly manner. After securing our berth, we realize this is one of the most exotic marinas we’d ever been to. It’s a world-class resort marina with a most impressive collection of amenities and activities which made a perfect place for us to hunker down for a few days from the storm.

Later that day, other cruisers from sailboats TAO (Buck & Debbie from Oriental NC) and Phase-2 (Mike & Debbie from Delaware) invited us to the “Nauti Rooster”, a place that served authentic Bahamian food and a pub where the locals hang out. Once we were there, we followed the tradition by signing our boat name on the wall. We had great food and fun mingling with the locals and getting to know our fellow cruisers. Claudia even danced with a local gentleman.

The next day while walking the beach, we notice a young man trying to build a kite for a couple of 4 & 6 years old kids. We asked them to come by our boat and offered to give them a brand new kite that we still have when our kids were young. We gave them the kite and a few more toys and the kids left with the biggest smiles. Turns out the kids are from “Calypso “, a 200 ft charter yacht from Fort Lauderdale, and the young man was a member of the crew. Later that evening, the father and the kids came by our little tiny sailboat and thanked us for our generosity by giving us a gourmet meal made by the chef – filet mignon, glazed salmon, mushroom risotto, asparagus, and homemade velvet cake. Never in a million years, we could see it coming.

So we’re stuck here a few more days but let’s take a look around. We are surrounded by tropical beauty and crystal clear waters of every hue of blue. There’s an excellent camaraderie among the cruisers here.  And there are plenty of ways we can explore and learn about local culture, food, and history.  We are determined to enjoy our time here while waiting for the weather to improve. Claudia and I found a tiny section of the island where the marina & resort staff lived. They were out and about and happy to see us. They welcomed us to their social events; I was invited to play basketball with them and was able to get to know some of them personally. Claudia hung out with women who worked in the kitchen and listened to their stories. Most of them are from different parts of Bahama. They have various aspirations and have come to this resort island to save money to fund their future – owning businesses or go onto higher education. They are just like us. They like to eat, they like to socialize, they want to start a family, and they have birthday parties; the women enjoyed pedicures, and the men enjoyed fishing and working out. They even love to watch the Superbowl and NBA games. They are no doubt the loveliest people we have ever met.

Tomorrow we head for the Exumas but we need to make a pit stop on the west side of Nassau for one night to make the trip more manageable. We will miss Chub Cay as it’ll be a place that Claudia and I will remember for a long time.