My Experience sailing the Bahamas with Liberty Fleet

26/7/2022 0 Comments

My Experience sailing the Bahamas with Liberty Fleet

In October 2021, I decided that I couldn't spend one more full winter in Quebec City and had to take a vacation somewhere warm. At the time, Covid was under control in Canada and everything was starting to open up with promises of Christmas parties on the horizon. I wanted to go to a country I had never visited before, but at the same time, I wanted to feel safe and to make sure I would be able to find decent accommodation to quarantine if I did end up catching Covid on vacation. So I decided to visit the Bahamas in January of 2022!

The Bahamas are only a short flight from Quebec, I speak the language and they seamed to have Covid rules that would be safe, but still allow me to visit and actually have something to do and places to eat. The only thing that was problematic was that you needed to take a rapid test before getting on a national flight and on your 3rd day on any Island. So if I wanted to visit multiple Islands, it would mean an extraordinary amount of tests. And then I found Liberty Fleet Tall Ships, a company from Boston that offers week long sailing cruises from Nassau, and it seemed like an answer to all of my prayers.

I ended up arriving in Nassau a week early to spend some time relaxing at the beach and to have the time to do my mandatory 3rd day rapid test, and got onboard the Liberty Clipper on Sunday night, returning to Nassau on Saturday morning.

I was lucky to have my own room as the cruise wasn't fully booked and there were only 11 of us for a boat that can accommodate 20 passengers plus the crew. There was also one other solo traveller, Louise, who was about my age so we got to hang out together. That was great as I wouldn't have minded being on my own or with the whole group, but it was fun to have a friend!

Day 1

The first night, we met the other passengers and crew members, learned the few rules to follow to live on a tall ship and how everything works (when I say everything, I mean everything that we as passengers would be using : the shower, the toilet, the doors, etc). Dinner was not included, so I went with other passengers to the marina's restaurant, which was very good although expensive like every restaurant in the Bahamas. We would be sleeping on board the ship that night, and would sail off only in the morning.

Day 2

Day 2 was an all day sailing day! We left the marina at sunrise to go all the way around Paradise Island, by Rose Island and to Eleuthera.

So the Liberty Clipper goes to two destinations : the Exumas and Eleuthera (the only two that you would be able to reach and return within a week), and the choice on where to go depends mostly on the weather. On the week we were there, a storm was on the radar for the end of the week and coming back from the Exumas would have been too complicated which meant we would be sailing to Eleuthera. Honestly, I don't think you could be disappointed by either destination as the captain and crew know where to go to give you the best experience according to your interests and the weather. Both have their advantages and even though I had never heard of the Island of Eleuthera, I loved every single moment I spent there.

Like I said, day 2 was a sailing day which meant spending all day on a pretty small boat considering how many passengers it can handle at once. The captain explained what was happening every time they would make a maneuver so we could learn as much as possible about sailing and most of us spent the day on deck and participated when it was time to raise or lower the sails. Some spent their time reading or getting to know the crew and other passengers, some took a nap or enjoyed the sun.

That day, the views that surrounded us just took my breath away! As we went between Paradise and Rose Island, we could see all the way to the bottom of the sea. The water was exactly the color of the electric blue Crayola marker that always ran out of ink by the end of the school year, and so clear we could make out the rocks, sea grass and sand on the ocean floor. As the wind pushed us further away from Nassau, we could still make out the cruise ships and the gigantic resorts that seemed to be competing in size and it made me grateful that I was about to experience the life at see on a sail boat with only 20 other people and the ability to reach tiny bays and secluded beaches that a cruise ship couldn't.

The wind was definitely on our side that day and we made good times on our way to Eleuthera and arrived at Glass Window before dinner. We lowered the sail and dropped the anchor and made our way to the lounge area for our first dinner.

Food

I think it's time to interrupt this summary of my week on the Liberty Clipper to talk about food. First, the Liberty Clipper has two cooks and a tiny galley (kitchen) where they spent almost their whole days cooking the meals for the passengers and crew. Honestly, I have no idea how they were able to create such delicious and nutritious feasts in this minuscule kitchen that was so hot you would sweat just walking by. Every morning, there would be a different breakfast of eggs or waffle, or granola, with bread and bagels, yogurt and fruits. Lunch would be served on the beach or on the boat depending where we were for the day and was always fresh with lots of veggies. There were always snacks like fruits, cookies and chips if we were hungry during the day. And for dinner every night, there would be a different meal. We had hamburgers, taco Tuesday, spaghetti with a salad and garlic bread, salmon... and then came the best part! A different dessert every night! On our first night, it was one of the passengers' birthday, so we had cake that had cooked in the oven, but since the wind was making the boat lean on one side, the cake was thicker on one end and thinner on the other, but still cooked throughout without burning! Let's just say, I was so impressed by their work and might have gained a few pounds during the week. No regrets whatsoever!

Day 3

Day 3 started by a beautiful sunrise over Eleuthera and was a day full of adventure and discoveries. The options were: kayaking and paddleboarding, going to the beach, going to Glass Windows, going to the Moon Pools, all of the above or none of the above as we were welcome to stay on the boat and relax if we so chose. Personally, I went for all of the above! Louise and I took the paddleboards to see the Glass Window from the water and reach the beach. We then visited the Moon Pools and hung out on the beach for the day and then I kayaked back to the boat when it was time to leave.

For those who have never been, Eleuthera is one of the longest islands in the Bahamas, but it is very narrow. The Glass Window used to be a natural arch separating the bay from the Atlantic Ocean, but it collapsed a few years ago and was replaced by a two-lane bridge. When the tide is high, the big waves from the Atlantic crash through the window and into the bay. It's also fascinating to observe the different shades of blue between the deep and dark Atlantic and the turquoise and clear lagoon.

The Moon Pools are on the Atlantic side of Eleuthera. They are tide pools made of natural rock formations and located on top of the cliff overlooking the Atlantic. You need proper shoes to visit, but it is so impressive to see what nature can make if given a few thousand years!

We ended day three sailing to Governor's Harbour where we would dock for the night. On the way, we stopped for some snorkeling in a tiny bay. Personally, I am terrified of everything that lives in the water. I would love to be able to go snorkeling and relax and enjoy myself, but I can't. So I laid down on a paddleboard and put on some goggles and could still put my face in the water to see all the tiny fish and a few starfish. I did manage to jump off the boat and I was pretty proud of that!

Day 4

Now, Governor's Harbour is not the prettiest place to dock, but it allowed us to visit some great spots on Eleuthera. We started day 4 visiting the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve. Is it a garden filled with all of the plants that are native to the Bahamas. There is a section of marshland, one of medicinal plants, another with fruit trees. It's not the most impressive garden (I have been to Butchard Gardens and have yet to find better), but it is still very interesting to see the different types of plants that grow in the Bahamas and what they can be used for.

We then went to a pink sand beach next to the preserve. I'm not going to lie, the pink sand beach does not look as pink as it does on Instagram and it's mostly fine white sand, but when you look at the wet sand where the waves crash, it does look coral pink. And when you take some sand in your hand you can see that some of it is pink. The color comes from the conch shells that break on the rocks in the deeper water.

That afternoon/evening, we sailed off the dock of Governor's Harbour and all the way up to Current Island, right next to the northernmost part of Eleuthera to make it back to Nassau quickly the next day as inclement weather was coming our way. While we were sailing, we got the opportunity to climb all the way up the main mast to look at the view. I kind of felt like I was in Pirates of the Caribbean, it was great! The captain also let me drive the boat for almost an hour while we talked with members of the crew.

One of the things that I really hoped I would see while on the Liberty Clipper was dolphins as I had never seen them in the wild and I had been confident all along that we would see them. I just had a feeling. That afternoon, Louise and I were enjoying the sun on the top deck when one of the crew told us like it was nothing at all that there were dolphins jumping in front of the boat. Louise and I jumped up and ran to the front where three dolphins were playing in the waves. I don't think I had ever been as happy as I was in that moment! For about 5 minutes, the dolphins just played in the waves and swam beside us and it went by way too fast! They are so graceful and playful. I don't think they even make a splash jumping in the water. I absolutely love dolphins!

Day 5

The last day was a sailing day back to Nassau and a very sad day. I would have stayed for a whole month if I could! We still managed to play some games, read, learn more about sailing and enjoy the day. In the afternoon, the bad weather was coming in. The sky turned a dark gray and the waves were getting bigger and bigger. Sitting at the front of the boat was basically a roller coaster and splash zone, but we had so much fun. We arrived in Nassau after dark and I was so impressed by the captain and crew who managed to sail most of the way to the dock and then dock the boat in these winds and massive waves.

We had one last dinner and one last night on the boat before saying goodbye in the morning.

As you can understand, I had an amazing time on the Liberty Clipper in the Bahamas. I don't think this type of cruise is for everyone as it's a slow paced ride and you need to be able to climb up and down a ladder to get to your room and on and off the boat when it is not docked. But I personally loved the quiet life on the boat. The food was amazing, the crew was so attentive and friendly, the boat is in amazing condition for an old tall ship, I loved the locations we visited and everyone on board, passengers and crew alike, was really nice and had such an interesting background that we got the chance to share during meals and sailing days. I would definitely recommend the experience and would go back anytime if I had the opportunity!

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