Wednesday, January 5th we left Black Point in the morning and had a leisurely trip up to Staniel Cay. There was virtually no wind so it was a charge the batteries day. We dropped anchor in front of the yacht club so we could dinghy to the store for groceries. Unfortunately the mail boat had mechanical problems and did not come in meaning there was not much in the way of food available, or propane. We dropped the spare propane tank to be filled they next time propane was available then headed over to Big Majors Spot to wait out the next cold front. We had dinner on LAST TANGO with RHAPSODY, BLUE JACKET, and ITS ABOUT TIME. The next night we had dinner on RHAPSODY, then went home to another night of very little sleep as squalls and thunderstorms came through. We took turns all night checking to be sure the anchor was still holding. When Bill got up just before the sun came up he noticed that a boat was dragging so he had to get in the dinghy and wake them up. Luckily their anchor had caught about 15 feet before they hit another boat so all was well. Mid-morning Skip and Carol came over for coffee and apple turnovers. At some point the conversation turned to charts and the GPS chip that we bought that has all the east coast and the Bahamas does not fit our GPS. Skip only had Florida and Bahamas charts and the chip would fit into his machine, so that worked out well for everyone.
Saturday the weather had calmed down, and the mail boat had made a delivery to Staniel Cay so we were able to pick up our propane and a few groceries before heading further south. This turned out to be one of the best sailing days we have had, perhaps ever. We were sailing fast on a very comfortable beam reach in almost flat seas. The boat felt very solid, steady, and was perfectly balanced. In the afternoon I baked two loaves of bread and a batch of cinnamon buns. It was a treat to bake underway with the boat so stable. Our plan was to pick up a mooring at Lee Stocking Island, but when we got there the moorings were gone. We called RHAPSODY who had been sailing down just behind us and decided to try the anchorage by Leaf Cay which turned out to be a good choice. Skip dinghied over to say hello just as I was taking bread out of the oven. He was very excited about the surprise of fresh, hot bread.
The next day we went for a walk on the beach on Normans Pond Cay, then went for a long dinghy ride looking for good snorkeling reefs. Halfway down the west side of the Cay we found the canal into the old salt flats. We had to paddle the dinghy into the canal as it was too shallow for the outboard and too narrow to row. The mangroves along the canal and in the old salt ponds are the nursery grounds for a wide variety of fish. As we were paddling along schools of fish would swim ahead of us then dart into the safety of the mangrove roots. On the way out the tide was rushing in so it was a vigorous paddle to get back out. As we came out of the canal we saw a large ray swimming by the entrance. We then continued our circumnavigation of Norman’s Pond Cay and returned to the boat just in time to go snorkeling with Skip and Carol. We spent about two hours snorkeling on several different reefs. I had found a clear dry bag for my camera and tried taking underwater photos but they mostly came out blurry, which was too bad as there were lots of fish.
Monday we moved the three miles to Lee Stocking Island for the tour of the Marine Research Center. The researcher leading the tour is studying corals and showed us the tanks where he is doing experiments. At the end of the tour as everyone was getting in their dinghies to head back to their boats one of the two Jack Russell terriers that live on the island jumped off the dock to chase the first boat. The man in the dinghy fished him out of the water and handed him up to Bill who was still on the dock who carried the dripping wet unhappy dog back to the researcher who had forgotten to put him inside before people started leaving. This dog is obsessed with dinghies and if he is out chases them as they leave the dock.
Tuesday morning (1/1/11) we decided to head for Georgetown even though the wind was right on the nose since we were getting short on food. We had enough on board that we would not go hungry, but the selection was getting very limited. Even though we had to motor it was a beautiful day and there were about 15 other boats headed in the same direction. Our GPS charts end just before Georgetown so we have to use old fashioned paper technology. We followed our own course in, but I have to admit it is reassuring that the boats with the electronics were right ahead and behind us, so I guess we did okay. In the afternoon we went to the grocery store and filled up 4 jerry cans of fresh water, a noteworthy and exciting event in the life of a cruiser.
No comments:
Post a Comment