Chub Cay on The Berry Islands was not a great part of our journey – we were having engine issues, we were pretty tired and stressed out and we were stuck paying $100/night for facilities that were far from ideal (more on that later), but the locals we met there were so kind and basically saved our butts. We had problems to solve and without their help, we couldn’t have solved them. It’s as simple as that.

First there was the guy who pulled us into the marina. For a beer. Thank you sir. We offered him money but he wouldn’t take it, saying, “Hey, I’m a sailor, mon.”

Then there was the dockmaster who went out of his way to find a mechanic for us when the mechanic on site was too busy. He also let us stay on the fuel dock for that first afternoon until we got the engine running – he was going to let us do that free of charge. We ended up staying so we had to pay but it was nice of him to offer.

The mechanic came after his day job and only charged us $30.

An older local fellow Lawson chatted with offered to clean the bottom of our boat. It really needed it and he only charged $70. This was needed to help get better gas mileage.

Another thing that we needed to ensure we didn’t get too low on fuel again: a gas can and diesel to keep on board. We asked the dockmaster but he didn’t think we could get one on the island. But then Lawson asked the other dockhand and he said he could try to find one. Later, another guy delivered it to our boat filled with diesel. This was not marked up in price at all, even though they went to all the trouble to find it, fill it and deliver it.

While I was trying to finish a load of laundry, Brent, another cruiser doing laundry, had discovered that the one dryer wasn’t working. I checked back a little later and they had finally just got it working and his laundry was in there. Brent was on a golf cart with DJ, one of the locals. DJ said, “Let me help you out. Hop on.” So I hopped on the back of his golf cart with my bag of wet laundry and he brought me to the free laundry shack for the locals who work there. Then he drove me back over to the dock.

The marina there was really strange because it was almost as if it was half-finished. And one side was brand new cottages – that all appeared empty – and the huge clubhouse and pool that was still under construction, and the office and restaurant, and there was lots of other construction going on. Then the other side was basically older houses where all the local workers lived, the ship store and a shack that housed two old washing machines and two dryers (one was out of order), and the bathroom/showers. The bathroom/showers were a complete joke. The men’s shower didn’t even work. So I guess everyone just used the women’s. I braved a shower and in the middle of it the water just stopped. I was furious. I guess one of the construction tractors hit the water line or something and it took them a while to fix it. I had to finish my shower on the boat. I was ready to get on a plane about then but I cooled off later and actually, it is kind of funny. But still. $100/night? Come on. (Their “Ship Store” also had this strange dichotomy: Guy Harvey clothing and $50 t-shirts on one side and basic provisions on the other. Another footnote: Lawson says that the people who use the marina have fancy showers and laundry on their boat, so they don’t even use the facilities. There were some pretty big fancy boats in the marina.)

And the dryer fiasco did give me a little adventure. I had to walk over there later to retrieve it and of course I got turned around. A few locals hanging at their bar, The Hilltop Bar, were nice enough to show me where it was. One guy was laughing at me, calling me, “laundry lady.” It was pretty funny. I wish I could have hung out at their bar. From what I could see from the outside it looked pretty cool, with graffiti, a dart board and a pirate flag on the walls. But I just got my laundry and high-tailed it back to the boat because it was getting dark.

Earlier, while I was doing my laundry, I chatted with Brent, who was a really nice guy about my age or a little younger. He said he had been cruising for three years. I really enjoyed talking to him and wished I could have chatted with him longer. It was the same feeling I got when I chatted with another female cruiser, funnily enough, also in the laundry room at the lux marina. She had said that she hadn’t been at a marina for like six months – on the hook for six months! Of course, you dinghy in and what not, but still. Both of these conversations were so interesting and I wished I could have talked to them both more – they probably had so many interesting stories and I could have probably learned a lot from them – but the load is in and back to the family. I’ve realized what a different experience travel is with a child – basically because of T’s age – it is a constant job. Especially since we are surrounded by water everywhere we are so he requires constant watch. It has been wonderful to spend time with him but it has been hard to not have any break and you don’t have the opportunity to socialize as much or check out the local bars. Ah well, I have my laundry adventures to get me through – ha!

Okay, I will end this long, rambling post. We made it to Bimini today. Was a long slog – 13 hours – we left at 4am. But the weather cooperated and we had a smooth ride. We’re back at Brown’s Marina, where we stayed when we first crossed over. One of the guys who was here then came over and said hello: “Weren’t you guys here a couple weeks ago?” It was more like six weeks but you lose track of time in these parts. I guess he stays here for months on end. Said he was going to Fort Lauderdale next weather window. Looking at the weather, it appears that we will either go tomorrow morning – Sat. – or Monday.