April 24 2015
After five days staying at the friendly Candlewood Suites hotel in Bluffton, South Carolina, waiting for our car to be repaired, we were beginning to feel quite at home. Our forced stay in this lovely part of the U.S. east coast - know as `The Low Country` because of the many inlets. marshes and creeks that spread like tentacles across the low-lying countryside. - had given us a perfect opportunity to become tourists in a part of the country we would normally just drive through. However, all good things must come to an end.
At 1 p.m. on Thursday 23 April we picked up the car and set off for our trek north to colder climes. The drive went well, and we spent one night in Mooresfield, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. The drive through the mountains was lovely as the roadsides were ablaze with red bud trees and magnolias. But the further north we came, the more sparse the leaves and blossoms became. Our border crossing at the Peace Bridge had no hold-ups, and we were encouraged when we saw gardens filled with daffodils, blue grape-hyacinths and crocuses as we drove into Niagara-on-the-Lake. The temperature was 5C!
Each day has been filled with sunshine since we arrived back, but cold. On Sunday we drove into Toronto to see Louisa, Steve and the boys. Now we shall be busy getting northern Vectis ship-shape for launch time.
Our plans for next winter are already laid, with maybe a small variation from this year. But you can be sure that the Abacos, lovely Hope Town, and all the great boating friends we have met over the years, will be the main feature!
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Our Adventures continue both on land and sea!
April 19, 2015
This part of the blog is being written on land. We are in what is called the 'Low Country' of South Carolina, and will probably be here for a few more days. But I will continue with the watery part of the blog before getting to the reason for our sojourn here just north of Savannah.
After spending a very nice Easter in West Palm Beach, we motored up the ICW to spend a night anchored at Peck Lake, just south of Stuart. The next morning we made our way up the St. Lucie River to pick up a mooring at 'Sunset Bay Marina'.
We've stayed here before and love the riverwalk into the old town, which is filled with quaint shops and cozy restaurants. We met up with Craig and Carol, who were docked at Manatee Pocket on 'Whisper'. We had a delicious dinner with them at the marina's 'Sailor's Return' restaurant. The following day Deke and Chris and Deb and Fred picked us up to go for lunch, and to see where they live and keep there boats. This is also in the Manatee Pocket area of Stuart. We had a good time re-living our adventures in the Bahamas.
We arrived back at Harbortown Marina on Friday 10 April and enjoyed a few days of beach weather and a few busy days of getting the boat ready to be hauled out on the 17th April. It was extremely hot, so we worked in the mornings and spent the afternoon swimming at the Inlet Beach Park.
Haul-out day came, and our plan was to set off directly after we had seen 'Southern Vectis' safely sitting on her 'jack stands', and drive for six hours to get a start on our return trip to Ontario.
We almost made it too! However, just north of Savannah our car broke down. Luckily, when all the warning lights started flashing, we were just coming up to an exit off the extremely busy I95 highway. We took it and found ourselves in a quiet country road with not a house in sight. After that it was plain sailing...or rather waiting and towing. An AAA tow truck eventually found us and dropped the car at a repair shop and us at a very nice hotel. And here we stay until the electrical problem on the car can be fixed. We are just outside Hilton Head, in a town called Bluffton. Today we rented a car and explored the historic area of Bluffton and tomorrow we will explore Beaufort, of which we have heard such a lot from fellow sailors.We expect to be back in Niagara-on-the-Lake some time later in the week - car permitting!
This part of the blog is being written on land. We are in what is called the 'Low Country' of South Carolina, and will probably be here for a few more days. But I will continue with the watery part of the blog before getting to the reason for our sojourn here just north of Savannah.
After spending a very nice Easter in West Palm Beach, we motored up the ICW to spend a night anchored at Peck Lake, just south of Stuart. The next morning we made our way up the St. Lucie River to pick up a mooring at 'Sunset Bay Marina'.
We've stayed here before and love the riverwalk into the old town, which is filled with quaint shops and cozy restaurants. We met up with Craig and Carol, who were docked at Manatee Pocket on 'Whisper'. We had a delicious dinner with them at the marina's 'Sailor's Return' restaurant. The following day Deke and Chris and Deb and Fred picked us up to go for lunch, and to see where they live and keep there boats. This is also in the Manatee Pocket area of Stuart. We had a good time re-living our adventures in the Bahamas.
We arrived back at Harbortown Marina on Friday 10 April and enjoyed a few days of beach weather and a few busy days of getting the boat ready to be hauled out on the 17th April. It was extremely hot, so we worked in the mornings and spent the afternoon swimming at the Inlet Beach Park.
Haul-out day came, and our plan was to set off directly after we had seen 'Southern Vectis' safely sitting on her 'jack stands', and drive for six hours to get a start on our return trip to Ontario.
We almost made it too! However, just north of Savannah our car broke down. Luckily, when all the warning lights started flashing, we were just coming up to an exit off the extremely busy I95 highway. We took it and found ourselves in a quiet country road with not a house in sight. After that it was plain sailing...or rather waiting and towing. An AAA tow truck eventually found us and dropped the car at a repair shop and us at a very nice hotel. And here we stay until the electrical problem on the car can be fixed. We are just outside Hilton Head, in a town called Bluffton. Today we rented a car and explored the historic area of Bluffton and tomorrow we will explore Beaufort, of which we have heard such a lot from fellow sailors.We expect to be back in Niagara-on-the-Lake some time later in the week - car permitting!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Back in Florida.
Easter Sunday - April 5, 2015
Our last days in Hope Town seemed to fly by and then, suddenly, it was time to cast off. On the afternoon of Monday 30th March we waved a fond farewell to Ben & Margaret on 'Diva', and other friends at the Hope Town Marina, and made our way cautiously out of the harbour with 'Camp David' following close behind. Ron & Jane waved as we passed them entering the harbour on their new Albury run-about.. They would be staying for another three weeks. Lucky things! We will miss them and all the fun we've had this year.
Our trip back went smoothly, but the days seemed, and were, long. We had decided to cross through 'The Whale' that first afternoon and anchor off Green Turtle. The Whale crossing was a little bumpy, with four foot swells, but it went well, and we had a very peaceful night at anchor. Our trip across the Little Bahama Banks, with depths of 12 foot or less, was smooth motoring with no wind on the first leg to Great Sale Cay, but a little rougher on the second leg as an 18 knot wind got up during the night. Of course the wind was on the nose, so no sailing for us! Our group of three boats - Southern Vectis, Camp David and Whisper - slowed down to ensure the tide was high enough to pass through the shallow short cut of Indian Rock Passage.
Luckily we had made a reservation at 'Old Bahama Bay Marina' at West End as it was packed. We have never seen it so busy. We were given the last docks! By 7:30 a.m. the next morning most of the docks had emptied as boats set off on their long passages either west across the 'Stream', or east to Great Sale and Green Turtle Cay. All the weather gurus were right that day as there was hardly a ripple to be seen for the 54 miles of our Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth. Once anchored we even beat our earliest record for 'Boaters Bedtime' and were fast asleep before 7:30 p.m.! The days had been very long and very hot, and it was a relief to look forward to some quieter days to come.
Now we are anchored at the north Lake Worth anchorage. We have met up with Martin and Sigita on 'Jumasi'. They spent the winter in the Keys this year. Last night we had an Easter drinks party on board 'Southern Vectis', and today we went for a delicious and decadent Easter Brunch at 'Sarah's Kitchen'. The weather is lovely, and the forecast is good for the week, so we are planning to head north up the ICW tomorrow and try to get a mooring at 'Sunset Bay' in Stuart for a few days. We are due back at our dock at Harbortown Marina, Fort Pierce, on April 10th.
Our last days in Hope Town seemed to fly by and then, suddenly, it was time to cast off. On the afternoon of Monday 30th March we waved a fond farewell to Ben & Margaret on 'Diva', and other friends at the Hope Town Marina, and made our way cautiously out of the harbour with 'Camp David' following close behind. Ron & Jane waved as we passed them entering the harbour on their new Albury run-about.. They would be staying for another three weeks. Lucky things! We will miss them and all the fun we've had this year.
Our trip back went smoothly, but the days seemed, and were, long. We had decided to cross through 'The Whale' that first afternoon and anchor off Green Turtle. The Whale crossing was a little bumpy, with four foot swells, but it went well, and we had a very peaceful night at anchor. Our trip across the Little Bahama Banks, with depths of 12 foot or less, was smooth motoring with no wind on the first leg to Great Sale Cay, but a little rougher on the second leg as an 18 knot wind got up during the night. Of course the wind was on the nose, so no sailing for us! Our group of three boats - Southern Vectis, Camp David and Whisper - slowed down to ensure the tide was high enough to pass through the shallow short cut of Indian Rock Passage.
Luckily we had made a reservation at 'Old Bahama Bay Marina' at West End as it was packed. We have never seen it so busy. We were given the last docks! By 7:30 a.m. the next morning most of the docks had emptied as boats set off on their long passages either west across the 'Stream', or east to Great Sale and Green Turtle Cay. All the weather gurus were right that day as there was hardly a ripple to be seen for the 54 miles of our Gulf Stream crossing to Lake Worth. Once anchored we even beat our earliest record for 'Boaters Bedtime' and were fast asleep before 7:30 p.m.! The days had been very long and very hot, and it was a relief to look forward to some quieter days to come.
Now we are anchored at the north Lake Worth anchorage. We have met up with Martin and Sigita on 'Jumasi'. They spent the winter in the Keys this year. Last night we had an Easter drinks party on board 'Southern Vectis', and today we went for a delicious and decadent Easter Brunch at 'Sarah's Kitchen'. The weather is lovely, and the forecast is good for the week, so we are planning to head north up the ICW tomorrow and try to get a mooring at 'Sunset Bay' in Stuart for a few days. We are due back at our dock at Harbortown Marina, Fort Pierce, on April 10th.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Goodbye to Hope Town
March 29, 2015
We have come to the end of our time in Hope Town. We had planned to stay a little longer, but, as always happens, a 'weather window' has come up - a long one which should last for five days - so it can't be ignored! We will head out on the afternoon tide tomorrow (Monday 31st) and sail over to spend the night anchored at Guana Cay. On Tuesday we'll cross the Whale and head to Powell Cay - a lovely sandy atol - and then on to Great Sale Cay and West End, Grand Bahama island. We hope to make our Gulf Stream crossing on Friday 3 April if the weather holds! We shan't be alone - apart from David & Linda on Camp David, there will be a small flotilla of like-minded boaters taking advantage of the good weather forecast.
Tonight a group of us will meet for drinks and dinner at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge for our farewell gathering and promises of "same time next year".
We have come to the end of our time in Hope Town. We had planned to stay a little longer, but, as always happens, a 'weather window' has come up - a long one which should last for five days - so it can't be ignored! We will head out on the afternoon tide tomorrow (Monday 31st) and sail over to spend the night anchored at Guana Cay. On Tuesday we'll cross the Whale and head to Powell Cay - a lovely sandy atol - and then on to Great Sale Cay and West End, Grand Bahama island. We hope to make our Gulf Stream crossing on Friday 3 April if the weather holds! We shan't be alone - apart from David & Linda on Camp David, there will be a small flotilla of like-minded boaters taking advantage of the good weather forecast.
Tonight a group of us will meet for drinks and dinner at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge for our farewell gathering and promises of "same time next year".
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Barefoot Man and all that!
March 17, 2015
Friday 13th March dawned clear and blue....as all our days are now! It was the day of the long-awaited Barefoot Man concert on Guana Cay. This year we took 'Froggy's' ferry there along with half the boaters in Hope Town harbour. As usual it was a wonderful day - so much fun ...in fact so much of everything! Some people were a little worse for wear by the time the ferry docked back in Hope Town...not us, of course!
The next day the partying continued with a lovely garden party at Ron and Jane's beachfront house. More dancing to Barefoot Man music, swimming and generally enjoying such a perfectly lovely, perfect place...... with perfect company, of course!
Friday 13th March dawned clear and blue....as all our days are now! It was the day of the long-awaited Barefoot Man concert on Guana Cay. This year we took 'Froggy's' ferry there along with half the boaters in Hope Town harbour. As usual it was a wonderful day - so much fun ...in fact so much of everything! Some people were a little worse for wear by the time the ferry docked back in Hope Town...not us, of course!
The next day the partying continued with a lovely garden party at Ron and Jane's beachfront house. More dancing to Barefoot Man music, swimming and generally enjoying such a perfectly lovely, perfect place...... with perfect company, of course!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
A day out on the Sea of Abaco
March 12, 2015
Travelling around the Sea of Abaco on a sailboat is a lovely, leisurely pursuit, but travelling around it on a power boat is exhilarating and .....fast and fun! Yesterday Ron and Jane took the crew of Southern Vectis and Camp David on a wonderful day out visiting beaches, bars and an exquisite little resort. It was a perfect day. We swam at a 'secret' beach area, had lunch at 'Cracker P's Bar, drank Margeritas at 'Lubber's Landing' restaurant and resort, and collected shells on Tahiti Beach.
In the words of the 'Barefoot Man' song, "It don't get better than this".
Travelling around the Sea of Abaco on a sailboat is a lovely, leisurely pursuit, but travelling around it on a power boat is exhilarating and .....fast and fun! Yesterday Ron and Jane took the crew of Southern Vectis and Camp David on a wonderful day out visiting beaches, bars and an exquisite little resort. It was a perfect day. We swam at a 'secret' beach area, had lunch at 'Cracker P's Bar, drank Margeritas at 'Lubber's Landing' restaurant and resort, and collected shells on Tahiti Beach.
In the words of the 'Barefoot Man' song, "It don't get better than this".
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Ups and downs and finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - Hope Town.
March 4, 2015
It's been a week since I last wrote and a lot has happened.
We left the Green Turtle Club on Monday 23 February to cross through the Whale passage. We'd waited ten days for the weather to settle down, and our wait paid off - the Whale looked very benign that sparkling morning, with just a few white caps nibbling at its' tail.
Once through the passage, we found moorings in Fisher's Bay on Guana Cay and then dinghied into the beach beside Grabber's bar. We were looking forward to introducing David & Linda to the Cay - home of the world-famous Nipper's Bar and the Barefoot Man concerts. We wandered along the harbour, checked out the Orchid Bay Marina, and then climbed the hill to Nipper's. After a few kalik beers, and a walk along the lovely beach, we returned to Grabbers for a delicious pizza dinner and watched the crimson sun setting into the turquoise Sea of Abaco.
Our route the next day was to take us to Treasure Cay, but this was not to be! Camp David let go their mooring in readiness, but couldn't get into forward gear. Their transmission had failed! After quickly re-tying Camp David to the mooring ball, David soon got his rescue and repair underway. Troy from Dive Guana, would tow them to Marsh Harbour, a company in the States would send a new transmission, and David would install it himself. And it all worked like clockwork - except that it took six days for the transmission to arrive.
In the meantime, we too had made it to Marsh Harbour - our very best sail of the season, flying along at 6.8 knots, only beaten by Camp David under tow at 7.2 knots! Camp David was brought into Mangoes Marina with many helping hands helping them tie up successfully. We stayed at Mangoes for one night, and then headed off to Hope Town. We left David and Linda in good hands and good spirits, and with an opportunity to explore Marsh Harbour for a few days. Our dock in Hope Town had been kindly arranged for us by Benoit and Margaret on 'Diva'. It had become free five days early, so we needed to be there to secure it. Getting any type of mooring or docking in Hope Town at this time of year is a fiercely competitive game!
Since we've been here we've met up with many friends from our previous trips: Glen and Louise on Gray North are at their usual mooring, as are David and Jill, after a year away. We caught up with 'Krisdeke' and 'Whisper', and, of course, we are very happy to be in our great dock beside Benoit and Margaret on 'Diva'. We spent a lovely evening at the beautiful 'Firefly' restaurant celebrating Craig from 'Whisper's', birthday. We've wandered the beaches and lanes, and sampled the delicious coffee and cakes at the Coffee Shop. We've even joined in a 'Hope Town Clean-up', roaming the beach and filling our garbage bags with all kinds of flotsam and jetsom, including a pink fishing float which is proudly on display on Southern Vectis.
Yesterday (March 3) was a very exciting day as Camp David eventually hove into view around the lighthouse, just squeaking into the harbour on the falling tide. She was given quite a welcome - Deke dinghied out to help guide them in, and a welcoming committee awaited them at their dock. A celebratory lunch was enjoyed by all. Welcome to the end of the rainbow, David and Linda. We hope you enjoy Hope Town as much as we do.
.
It's been a week since I last wrote and a lot has happened.
We left the Green Turtle Club on Monday 23 February to cross through the Whale passage. We'd waited ten days for the weather to settle down, and our wait paid off - the Whale looked very benign that sparkling morning, with just a few white caps nibbling at its' tail.
Once through the passage, we found moorings in Fisher's Bay on Guana Cay and then dinghied into the beach beside Grabber's bar. We were looking forward to introducing David & Linda to the Cay - home of the world-famous Nipper's Bar and the Barefoot Man concerts. We wandered along the harbour, checked out the Orchid Bay Marina, and then climbed the hill to Nipper's. After a few kalik beers, and a walk along the lovely beach, we returned to Grabbers for a delicious pizza dinner and watched the crimson sun setting into the turquoise Sea of Abaco.
Our route the next day was to take us to Treasure Cay, but this was not to be! Camp David let go their mooring in readiness, but couldn't get into forward gear. Their transmission had failed! After quickly re-tying Camp David to the mooring ball, David soon got his rescue and repair underway. Troy from Dive Guana, would tow them to Marsh Harbour, a company in the States would send a new transmission, and David would install it himself. And it all worked like clockwork - except that it took six days for the transmission to arrive.
In the meantime, we too had made it to Marsh Harbour - our very best sail of the season, flying along at 6.8 knots, only beaten by Camp David under tow at 7.2 knots! Camp David was brought into Mangoes Marina with many helping hands helping them tie up successfully. We stayed at Mangoes for one night, and then headed off to Hope Town. We left David and Linda in good hands and good spirits, and with an opportunity to explore Marsh Harbour for a few days. Our dock in Hope Town had been kindly arranged for us by Benoit and Margaret on 'Diva'. It had become free five days early, so we needed to be there to secure it. Getting any type of mooring or docking in Hope Town at this time of year is a fiercely competitive game!
Since we've been here we've met up with many friends from our previous trips: Glen and Louise on Gray North are at their usual mooring, as are David and Jill, after a year away. We caught up with 'Krisdeke' and 'Whisper', and, of course, we are very happy to be in our great dock beside Benoit and Margaret on 'Diva'. We spent a lovely evening at the beautiful 'Firefly' restaurant celebrating Craig from 'Whisper's', birthday. We've wandered the beaches and lanes, and sampled the delicious coffee and cakes at the Coffee Shop. We've even joined in a 'Hope Town Clean-up', roaming the beach and filling our garbage bags with all kinds of flotsam and jetsom, including a pink fishing float which is proudly on display on Southern Vectis.
Yesterday (March 3) was a very exciting day as Camp David eventually hove into view around the lighthouse, just squeaking into the harbour on the falling tide. She was given quite a welcome - Deke dinghied out to help guide them in, and a welcoming committee awaited them at their dock. A celebratory lunch was enjoyed by all. Welcome to the end of the rainbow, David and Linda. We hope you enjoy Hope Town as much as we do.
.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Leaving Green Turtle Cay to cross the Whale
Monday 23 February 2015
We'll be leaving Green Turtle Cay to cross the Whale into the Sea of Abaco in a few hours. We've waited a long time for this as the weather has not been calm enough to cross any earlier. We've had a good time here - lots of exploration and beach walks - but it has been very cool and extremely windy. For a couple of days the day time highs hovered around 58F, with a wind chill!!! Brrrr. Hard to believe in the sunny Bahamas.
Our next stop will be at Great Guana Cay - home of the famous (infamous) 'Nipper's Bar', and the Barefoot Man concerts. We'll anchor for the night in Fisher's Bay and then sail to Treasure Cay for two nights. Then we'll head to Marsh Harbour for a few days, and, finally, we'll end up at the end of the rainbow - beautiful Hope Town. We have booked a dock at the Hope Town Marina for the month of March.
We'll be leaving Green Turtle Cay to cross the Whale into the Sea of Abaco in a few hours. We've waited a long time for this as the weather has not been calm enough to cross any earlier. We've had a good time here - lots of exploration and beach walks - but it has been very cool and extremely windy. For a couple of days the day time highs hovered around 58F, with a wind chill!!! Brrrr. Hard to believe in the sunny Bahamas.
Our next stop will be at Great Guana Cay - home of the famous (infamous) 'Nipper's Bar', and the Barefoot Man concerts. We'll anchor for the night in Fisher's Bay and then sail to Treasure Cay for two nights. Then we'll head to Marsh Harbour for a few days, and, finally, we'll end up at the end of the rainbow - beautiful Hope Town. We have booked a dock at the Hope Town Marina for the month of March.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Drama on the Banks - our buddy boats save the day.
February 17, 2015
The docks at Old Bahama Bay Marina were empty by mid-day on Thursday12th February. That morning twenty-five boats of all shapes and sizes had left for the next leg of their trip over the Little Bahama Banks to Green Turtle Cay, and then onwards to the Sea of Abaco. Many of the sailboats had to wait for the tide to come up so that they could be assured of enough depth in the Indian Rock channel - the short cut which saves the extra three hours it would take to go through the deeper Memory Rock channel. Southern Vectis draws 5 feet, and the lowest water depth we saw was 6 feet 4 inches. We all made it, but held our breath in some places!
Now we felt we could relax. There was no wind to sail, and the weather forecast was good for our eight hour motoring trip to Great Sale Cay. But is was not to be that easy. We had just reached Mangrove Cay - our half-way point - when our engine suddenly stopped dead! We looked at each other, and then looked out at our two buddy boats, `Camp David`and `Kris Deke`. It just took one call on our VHF radio and David and Deke were soon on board ``Southern Vectis` complete with tool boxes and fuel filters. They methodically went through the various scenarios causing the engine to fail, new fuel filters and new fuel appeared, and, after two false starts, we were off again! Phew! Thank you, thank you, David & Deke.
Unfortunately the two hours taken to get the engine going, meant two hours less daylight. Now we would have to enter the Great Sale anchorage in the dark. Not something we relished. It was 8 p.m. when we nervously cruised through into what should have been a sheltered anchorage. We were confused, not only because it was pitch dark, but also because there was a strange person on the VHF radio giving us what seemed to be instructions about the direction we should be steering. (We never discovered who it was, and now think it could have been a modern-day version of a wrecker, luring us onto the rocks!) We ended up anchoring not too far inside the bay, in order to avoid the other boats but unfortunately we were not far enough in, and did not avoid the heavy swells that rocked us awake all night!
The next day - Friday 13th - went more smoothly. We motor-sailed most of the nine hours to Green Turtle Cay, and arrived in broad daylight at our dock at the lovely Green Turtle Club. To move on from here, we will have to wait for the weather to be calm enough for us to cross over the Whale - an inlet from the Atlantic, which can be wild in the wrong conditions. We may have to wait for another week, but it will be no hardship!
The docks at Old Bahama Bay Marina were empty by mid-day on Thursday12th February. That morning twenty-five boats of all shapes and sizes had left for the next leg of their trip over the Little Bahama Banks to Green Turtle Cay, and then onwards to the Sea of Abaco. Many of the sailboats had to wait for the tide to come up so that they could be assured of enough depth in the Indian Rock channel - the short cut which saves the extra three hours it would take to go through the deeper Memory Rock channel. Southern Vectis draws 5 feet, and the lowest water depth we saw was 6 feet 4 inches. We all made it, but held our breath in some places!
Now we felt we could relax. There was no wind to sail, and the weather forecast was good for our eight hour motoring trip to Great Sale Cay. But is was not to be that easy. We had just reached Mangrove Cay - our half-way point - when our engine suddenly stopped dead! We looked at each other, and then looked out at our two buddy boats, `Camp David`and `Kris Deke`. It just took one call on our VHF radio and David and Deke were soon on board ``Southern Vectis` complete with tool boxes and fuel filters. They methodically went through the various scenarios causing the engine to fail, new fuel filters and new fuel appeared, and, after two false starts, we were off again! Phew! Thank you, thank you, David & Deke.
Unfortunately the two hours taken to get the engine going, meant two hours less daylight. Now we would have to enter the Great Sale anchorage in the dark. Not something we relished. It was 8 p.m. when we nervously cruised through into what should have been a sheltered anchorage. We were confused, not only because it was pitch dark, but also because there was a strange person on the VHF radio giving us what seemed to be instructions about the direction we should be steering. (We never discovered who it was, and now think it could have been a modern-day version of a wrecker, luring us onto the rocks!) We ended up anchoring not too far inside the bay, in order to avoid the other boats but unfortunately we were not far enough in, and did not avoid the heavy swells that rocked us awake all night!
The next day - Friday 13th - went more smoothly. We motor-sailed most of the nine hours to Green Turtle Cay, and arrived in broad daylight at our dock at the lovely Green Turtle Club. To move on from here, we will have to wait for the weather to be calm enough for us to cross over the Whale - an inlet from the Atlantic, which can be wild in the wrong conditions. We may have to wait for another week, but it will be no hardship!
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
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