Goodbye, Bahamas! Hello, Charleston!

And we're off! Well...not so fast! First I had to untangle the anchor chain from a submerged casuarina tree. Then we had to adjust some settings on the autopilot and run a calibration (a.k.a. drive in a bunch of circles) since we were having autopilot issues on our way into this anchorage. But once that was done we were on our way around 1700 on May 1st! I provided a killer dinner of teriyaki wings and fried rice and we went right into the watch rotation (Frank 00-04, 08-12, 16-20; Jo 04-08, 12-16, 20-00; Trent wherever he can help out during daylight), sailing into the sunset!

Calibration worked and we have autopilot! And dinner! And a beautiful sunset!

The next morning we came off the bank and turned north into the Gulf Stream. We had great sailing and were making 8-9 knots over ground with the help of the stream. 

Sunrise and sunset at sea.

On May 3rd we had another great day of sailing, caught and lost a mahi, and had a tight flyover from a USMC Harrier jet.

Everyone stood some watch today! Too bad we lost this fish (out that little hole in the step!), but the evening was magical.

We finally had to motor a little bit during the night, but on the 04-08 watch the sails came back out so we could slow down to enter Charleston after sunrise. I managed to sail all the way up the channel and it was great! I also got to see the T/S State of Maine, the training ship from my alma mater Maine Maritime Academy, as we came up the river. We checked in with the CBP ROAM app, got some fuel and water at the city marina, and anchored off of Fort Johnson to wait out a stormy afternoon and night. 

Final sunrise of the transit and celebrating a successful homecoming.

This roughly 60-hour transit was really pretty nice. It's great to have made so much progress up the coast in such a short time, and to have done so much of it under sail. My emotions are all over the place. I know that our whole lifestyle as a family is about to change and I want to savor every last minute on the water, but at the same time I want to get to Maryland and get moving on the "next." But for now, we are here.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Northern Abacos

Our days spent in the northern Abacos were pretty spectacular! We had to balance a desire to check it all out with our desire to take advantage of a weather window back to the U.S. that seemed to be opening up in about a week. 

With those constraints we anchored at Man-O-War Cay for a few hours of exploring and lunch. This is a community that is still rebuilding, but we loved the shipbuilding history and small-town feel. There was a great grocery store and we snagged a fantastic lunch at the convenience store with fellow cruisers on S/V Samba. That was a real treat as we had met them many months prior at the free docks in Great Bridge, VA and it was great catching up with them and discussing future plans.

A nice walk around town with a visit to Albury Boatbuilders and a nice send-off from Samba!

That same day we hit Great Guana Cay to check out the famous Nipper's and Grabber's bars. On it's own, that whole experience was just ok (and holding was sketchy where we were), but since we got to hang out with our friends off of S/V Yemaya for the afternoon it was pretty fun! We probably need to give Great Guana some more time on a future visit, but we just anchored for the night, had our Nipper's/Grabber's experience, and saw the crew of S/V La Vagabonde (THAT La Vagabonde for all you YouTube fans) have a VERY close call with a cargo barge while they were anchored before continuing on.

Nice beaches and bars...I can see how this would be fun with a crowd!

We had a lazy, easy sail west through the Whale Cay Passage and anchored off of Green Turtle Cay at Joyless Point. I don't get the name as it was a wonderful anchorage! We dropped the hook and headed into Black Sound look around and walk around Plymouth Settlement. We stumbled upon fresh baguettes, loyalist history, and tons of places to eat in this cute, colorful village. We returned via dinghy to try out happy hour at Pineapple's (and dip our feet in the pool) before heading to the really nice dinghy dock in New Plymouth to tie up for some dinner. We once again got to hang out with the crew of S/V Yemaya before spending the evening at the local park, playing basketball and swinging with the local kids. It was much fun! And there is a bar serving up great Goombay Smashes right next to the park so the Skipper was happy, too! The kids we super talkative and nice and we had a really great time. This whole place just felt "right" and I think this is the vibe we were hoping for in the Abacos...I may have even looked at properties for sale there! The next day the adults returned to town for a morning walk, breakfast sandwiches, and coconut bread before we all went to the Green Turtle Club to check out of the Bahamas at Customs and Immigration. We would still have a few days to explore, but it was a little tough checking out knowing that it will likely be years before we return and even then it will likely be without the kids. This is a tough pill to swallow!

We loved walking around New Plymouth!

This town has plenty of places to hang out, but our favorite may be the town park!

With check-out complete we pulled the hook and hopped over to Manjack (a.k.a. Nunjack) Cay. This was a sweet little spot and while it was too rough for our taste for snorkeling on the outer reefs, we did have a great cruise among the mangroves and harvested a few conch for dinner.

Easy conching on Manjack Cay.

Next stop was Powell Cay, where we planned to stay for a strong front that was forecast to come through. We got there with plenty of time to walk the trails and beach and we collected a big haul of plastic. I love that Fishing for Plastic has a collection point here! We had a great day of service and made it back to the boat before the weather turned. This is another spot where we could probably spend a bit more time...

Lots of trails and beautiful beaches, and a great place for dropping off collected plastics!

After two nights at Powell we had a brisk sail to Great Sale Cay. Winds were 5-10kts above forecast and we definitely did not need the motor! The anchorage was even sporty once we got there and we almost ran over a sunk casuarina tree! But we got settled and started making preps to cross back to the U.S. After that first night at anchor there conditions calmed down and I was able to give the hull, prop, and rudder once last scrape in clear water. We DESPERATELY need a bottom job, but my efforts should be enough to get us home. I also did a little sewing (with Trent's help!), prepped some food, we rigged jack lines, and we decided to put the dinghy engine on the rail for this transit. Honestly, we are hoping to ride the Gulf Stream all the way up to Charleston and we don't really want to have all that heavy load on the arch for it, so we are trying something new!

A FAST sail got us set up to cross and we had a nice morning for chores.

Annnnddd...change of plans! We were going to leave Monday morning but we just got a weather update and have decided to leave this evening so that we can have more time to just sail and make Charleston ahead of a front later this week. Bon voyage!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Marsh Harbour and Elbow Cay...and a reunion (or two)!

With a few days of strong winds in the forecast, we had a decision to make! We had friends coming to Lubbers Quarters, friends in Hope Town on Elbow Cay, and several anchoring options. Hope Town would require us to time entry/exit on high tide and we didn't want to be trapped. But then a fellow cruising family offered us a mooring at Man-O-War Cay so we decided to try that very skinny, shallow entry out! The ball ended up not working out so we decided to head for Marsh Harbour--we trust our ground tackle and anchoring there would allow us to get some provisions even in bad weather. We were pleased to find plenty of room and ample depth there! 

Along the water in Marsh Harbour. The anchorage was clear though.

Marsh Harbour definitely still showed scars from Dorian. Several beached boats and piles of rubble line the coast, but many businesses are back up and running, too. Maxwell's Grocery Store was a shock to the senses with it's American-sized building and large selection! Some marinas are back in business, as are some old restaurants (and a few new ones!). We didn't need to stray far from the public dock to find what we needed--great conch salad at Fatty's and great happy hour specials at Colors! We made water, did laundry, provisioned...and then we got a little adventurous!

So much selection at the grocer! And boy, did we east well!

With our anchor holding well went ashore in 20+ knot winds, double-tied the dinghy to the dock, walked 25 minutes to the ferry port, and had a surprisingly comfortable ride on the local ferry over to Hope Town! The ferry dropped us right at the lighthouse upon request--this was on my "list" for while we were here and I'm glad we got to walk up to the top and enjoy the view and the classic construction of this historic lighthouse! Learn all about it at Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society. Our friend Ian from back in my Navy days generously ferried us from the lighthouse to town so we could explore a bit before joining him and his wife, Caroline, for lunch at Cap'n Jack's. We really enjoyed wandering around this quaint village and seeing our friends! It was a great "side trip" from our anchorage and the ferry service was great!

A wonderful day full of history and good friends!

When the wind started to subside we headed back to Tilloo Cay for a few nights so that we could visit our friends Ladleah and Shane at Lubbers Quarters. We have enjoyed their hospitality in Maine and passed a great afternoon here in the Bahamas with them and their friends Keryn and Mike. I'm so glad the weather and our schedules lined up!

I love these peeps! Can't wait until our next "MMA reunion!"

We are starting to see a window to slip back to the U.S. on the horizon. We don't want to rush out of here, but we don't want to be rushed this summer, either. It's a balance!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Hello, Abacos!

After two seasons of trying to get to the Abacos but having to wave off due to COVID, we have FINALLY made it! We departed Spanish Wells via Ridley Channel and had a full day of somewhat rolly sailing through Little Harbour Cut in the Abacos. Frank reeled in a mahi mahi along the way (and another got away with one of our favorite lures) and we settled in for a peaceful evening off of Lynyard Cay. We had arrived in the Abacos! Lynyard Cay provided a nice spot to wait out some really stormy weather and we enjoyed a little beach right near where we were anchored. 

Good (albeit rolly) sailing and GREAT fishing! We ate well!

Once the lightning and storms cleared, we had this sweet beach to ourselves.

Once the weather chilled out we took a little day trip down to Little Harbour. While you can get moorings in the harbour, we didn't want to be slaves to the tide and weren't planning to stay too long. I really wanted to check out Pete's Pub and Gallery, the local art gallery and foundry that used the lost wax process to cast bronze sculptures. As we entered the harbour we were utterly shocked at how busy it was! It was about a week before Easter and a weekend so we guess that we might have hit a spring break crowd, but it was a shock to the system after all of the peace and quiet we've had. So many boats, so many people, and so much music blasting from empty boats. We did manage to get past the chaos and visit the gallery (the work is exquisite!), braved the crowd for a rum drink, and hiked out to the lighthouse ruins. I'm glad we went, but hope to return when it's a little less wild.

Pete's! And we celebrated 13 years aboard Lehe Paine that day!

From there we made our way up the southern Abacos, stopping off of Channel Cay (We Did Not Set the Hook) and the north end of Tilloo Cay. This is where we first really started to see some of the damage that remains from Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Having never visited the Abaocos pre-Dorian it's tough to really say how recovery is going compared to what it was like before, but we see old ruins alongside new construction, visitors zipping around in boats, and even the local floating bar is serving at Tahiti Beach. Recovery seems to be well underway. More to come as we continue north!

First real glimpse of Dorian damage on Tilloo Cay

Hanging at the Thirsty Cuda on Tahiti Beach

~Jo, 1st Mate

We did not set the hook

Here's the deal--we tend to set our anchor pretty darn well, with at least 5:1 all-chain scope (usually more like 7:1 and more in higher winds) and back down on it at 2400+ rpm. When we first drop, we "soft set" the anchor with a little backing to stretch out the chain and get a feel for the bottom before we snub it and really back down. We are picky about where we anchor and we will have lots of "anchor sex" (dropping and raising the anchor) to get a good set if we need to. But just this once, we didn't do this. 

Three days ago we decided to try an anchorage with known poor holding to see if we could get a set. Why? It was near a place we wanted to go snorkeling the next day, it looked kind of peaceful, and it would have us settled way before sundowner time. Well, we tried all of our usual techniques in a few different spots and still couldn't get a set--the bottom was just too scoured where we could get to with our draft. Our options were to move along to another anchorage or...stay and just not set the hook. What?!?!?!?!  Not set the hook?!?!? 

We were trying to anchor northwest of Channel Cay.

Well, as crazy as it sounds, that is exactly what we did. We realized that we were staying put at low rpm's sometimes and with winds only forecast to be around 10kts all night and plenty of drag room behind us, I suggested we just dump all of our chain out and let the weight of the anchor and chain keep us in place. I was absolutely shocked that the Skipper agreed to try it! I let all of our chain out, snubbed it, and had a cocktail. We monitored our position for a few hours and it looked totally normal, like when we normally set the hook. We set an anchor alarm, went to sleep, and woke up the next morning well-rested, completely alone, and right where we had been when we went to sleep! Would we resort to this frequently? No, but it worked for this calm evening and this set of variables.

Our little private anchorage was amazing! It's a private island, but no one seemed to be staying there and the weather was perfect for outdoor showers!

Contrast that to today...we are expecting 20+kt winds to begin this evening. When we arrived at this anchorage and set the hook winds were out of the south. This morning they were out of the north (and forecast to blow strong from the northeast tonight) so we backed down on the anchor in this new direction just to make sure the anchor was set well. Though we were set well, we ended up pulling the anchor and adjusting our spot just to space better with our neighbors. We are not "set it and forget it" boaters. Even with ground tackle that we trust we take extra measures to make sure our little home stays safe. And now we are really ready for the next blow!

We are anchored in Marsh Harbour with easy shore access for the next few days!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Eleuthera...with a few new twists!

Our time in Eleuthera has admittedly been a bit more subdued this year. While we love so much about the island, we are excited to visit new places still before our cruising season is over so we sort of marched on up the island, stopping in Rock Sound and Governor's Harbour before shooting through Current Cut to the northern end of the island. 

Rock Sounds was perfect for a mix of chores and treats--there is a new ice cream spot! This is also where we spent our 105th consecutive day away from a dock (and still going)!

We had good southerly protection and easy access to town at Governor's Harbour.

We spent a few days bouncing around Meeks Patch and Russel Island anchorages as the winds went from westerly to northerly to easterly. We were surprised to be all alone as we anchored off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill for a few nights (and a few good meals), then equally surprised to be one of only a few boats to enjoy the protection of Meeks Patch in easterlies. Honestly the main anchorage off of Spanish Wells looked like a washing machine when we transited it the other day! Meeks is only 15 mins away...I don't really get it. And throw in Current and Royal Island and this area has all-around protection all within easy reach. 

"X" marks the three anchorages we hit before heading into Spanish Wells for a mooring. We actually never anchored in the "main" anchorage while we were there.

Our "solo" spot on Russel Island was right off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill. This place has a beach you can dink to, amazing cocktails, a little happy hour action, good eats, and BRUNCH! Ah, so nice for the northerly winds!

Our sweet spot on the west side of Meeks Patch had a cute little beach for sundowners and even some piggy neighbors (not our thing, but they looked well-cared for!).

NEW THINGS! We switched up our roles a bit while bouncing around anchorages, with the Skipper taking a turn on the bow and Swab and the 1st Mate covering helm duties once each! It's good practice every now and then (but I like my spot on the bow!).

Anyway, we headed into Spanish Wells proper and took one of Bandit's mooring balls for a few days so that we could have easy access to town and an easy northbound departure. At $25/day it's really a steal for easy access to town in any conditions (just be ready for close neighbors and maybe even closer commercial traffic!). 

The moorings are close together which can make snagging them a little challenging depending on the wind/current. We had an early wake-up when the East Wind freight boat had to turn around pretty darn close to us!

The mission for Spanish Wells was easy--drop a bag of trash, get two gallons of gas, get some fresh food, goof off in a golf cart, and eat and drink WAY too much at Budda's. We accomplished it all easily in a day and a half! We even had a fun dinghy cruise and chatted with fellow cruisers, too! It's a cute, fun little area and I'm happy we got a few days here before moving on.

We love some Budda's! Also love the ease of provisioning here and the fact that the "big" grocery store has this whole "locally made" bread/hot sauce/jam/pickles section.

By far this was the main attraction for the boy!

~Jo, 1st Mate

The Cat is out of the Bag--We head to Cat Island!

 Is it seriously April already? Anyway...

We left the Jumentos and hit Long Island for a few days on our way to Cat Island. We love Hillside Grocery and Tiny's Hurricane Hole in Thompson Bay/Salt Pond and had a few nights there before heading north. 

Tiny's--great good and fun! As weird as it sounds, I crave the brussel sprouts from here.

We were expecting strong winds from the east and lucked out with a VERY private, peaceful anchorage off the private Hog Cay (a different Hog Cay than the one we were at in the Raggeds!) for a night. We had some great snorkeling on the reefs (no dinner!) and enough solitude to properly shower on deck! The only downside was the discovery that a fish spike (likely from my hogfish) had pierced the starboard tube of our less-than-a-year-old dinghy! Gorilla tape and frequent pumping works for now, but a good patch is in our future.

It's blowing 20+ knots, but our anchorage is calm! But, ugh...the dinghy! Boo!

The next day we went "around the corner" for protection from SE winds in the south corner of Calabash Bay. The adults went for a little snorkeling/exercise and found even more corals we hadn't explored before here and a team spearing/wrestling match resulted in a very nice lobster! It was a nice way to close out our time on Long Island!

Frank's monster lobster that I helped secure. It was a sunrise departure from Calabash.

As we departed for Cat Island with winds and big swells on our stern, the forecast showed two days of NW and N winds. We decided to take a gamble and anchor at Port Howe on the south shore of Cat Island. A new place! It is an anchorage lined with a large reef that is notoriously reviewed as "rolly," but we thought we might luck out with the forecast. We entered the cut in the reef and anchored easily, but with winds and swell out of the SE on the first day we had a dreadfully rolly, sleepless night. It got better as the days went by, but surge definitely makes it in there. But it was also definitely protected from the north wind. The real treat? Super reefs to snorkel! And Frank brought in a beast of a lobster that we decided would be the last of the season for us. It's been a great run!

The entrance went really well considering we had waves and wind pushing us in. Great job, Skipper!

Frank's end-of-season mega lobster and a stunning sunset!

As winds shifted to the NE, we left Port Howe for the familiar waters of "the bight." We hit New Bight to visit the Hermitage, do laundry at Gilly's (SUPER nice laundromat!), get baked goodies and fresh eggs and tomatoes at Olive's Bakery, and find good food and cruiser camaraderie down at the Fish Fry. By the way, if you've never tried the island favorite "Chicken in da Bag," Gippy's is a great place to try it and they have ice cream, too! Next we shifted to Old Bight to wait out some strong SE winds before continuing our journey north, first to Bennett's Harbor then onward to Eleuthea. 

We had a nice walk up to the Hermitage.

The "parking lot" at New Bight gave us easy access to Gilly's Laundry, Gippy's for "Chicken in da Bag," and Olive's Bakery for those delicious Cat Island flour cakes. Some water is more green here, but some anchorages are this stunning blue!

Cat Island is really great and we are happy to see that more cruisers are making it a stop on their journey through the Bahamas. It's the home of Rake & Scrape and some really sweet folks. And while there is pretty much no where to hide from westerlies (unless you try Port Howe), you can anchor almost all up and down the west coast. Even with it's increasing popularity there was still plenty of room to spread out and skinny dip respectfully! And while we could happily spend more time with the lovely people here, more adventure awaits us to the north!

~Jo, 1st Mate

A quick trip up the Raggeds and Jumentos Cays

Before we left Ragged Island and Hog Cay we looked at weather and saw that we had a few solid good days before the next big blow out of the NE. While we could have weathered the blow in the Raggeds, we decided to spend the next few days exploring, then take advantage of a well-timed high tide and head back to Long Island before the blow. While we don't have a "schedule," we do have some other new-to-us places that we'd like to see this year and heading that way gives us more time and flexibility.

So from Hog Cay we went to Raccoon Cay, a short hop that gave us plenty of time to snorkel and hunt. I got my first hogfish and it was a beauty (not to mention, really delicious!). And we also grabbed a few conch for a fresh conch salad. 

Another epic day of sailing to a beautiful anchorage, and I got this awesome fish!

The next day we went just a little further to Buena Vista Cay. Trent wanted a "down" day so Frank and I went off to hunt/snorkel and came back with four lobsters (F-2, J-2) and a big snapper (F). We enjoyed some really beautiful reefs in the area and since it was St. Patrick's Day, we had lots of Guinness and some beer-battered fish  and potatoes to celebrate my Irish guys!

Sunrise at Racoon Cay before a great day in the water.

Our next move was to Flamingo Cay. We spent our first afternoon exploring via dinghy and foot. We dinghied into the cave at low tide and Trent "rescued" a sun shirt that was on the ocean floor. It fits me, but I'm reaching out to see if any friends claim it! We also hiked ashore, but that experience got its own write-up (see Tragedy in Paradise). The next day we found some nice reefs and came home with two lobsters (T-1, J-1) and a grouper (T). We got a weather update via satellite with our inReach (weather and chats with Katreina were about all we missed in the land of "no service") and saw that the forecast we had seen a few days earlier was still holding so we continued north that day.

For a while we were all alone at Flamingo Cay! We explored a cave and a wreck before heading ashore,

It was just a short hop from there to Water Cay, our staging point for the return to civilization. The short sail up had actually been quite squally and may have prompted one crew member to declare "I hate living on a boat!" so we had a pretty chill afternoon. I gave the Skipper a haircut, we made water, and we all read and relaxed before a nice lobster dinner and movie night. We were planning to depart before sunrise, so it was an early night for all hands!

Our "barber shop" has some nice views!

We definitely liked our first trip to this area and look forward to returning in future cruising seasons. I think we would shoot for a little later in the season to reduce the threat of fronts and we would DEFINITELY stay longer. As there is no cell service until you reach Hog Cay (non-boosted) and there aren't services like fuel and water, this maybe isn't the place to go if you need to work and need services, but for us it was just right!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Tragedy in Paradise

Beyond the reach of cell phone towers in the most beautiful anchorage in a secluded chain of islands in one of my favorite places in the world, we were reminded of the harsh reality that is our current world.

Upon settling in at Flamingo Cay we took a short hike from our beautiful anchorage in Coconut Bay to the beach in North Bay. The trail was the usual sharp, perforated rocks of the Bahamas, edged in poison wood and cactus and marked with pieces of plastic flotsam and sun-bleached conch shells. We passed by little pools of water with bright red shrimp and tiny crabs along the way, and were looking forward to checking out a plane wreck that was reported to be on the beach. 

The trail opened to a stunning scene of layers of blue and powdery white sand. It was beautiful! There was also a bunch of plastic trash at and above the high water line. This sadly is not a surprise on a windward shore around here. But we also noticed clothing, some of it in pretty good shape, some in tatters and sun-faded. As we walked east on the beach towards the airplane, we noticed large pieces of brightly-painted wood scattered about. And still more clothing...a lot more than we normally see on a windward beach. And we saw a few bags.

The stunning North Bay beach and the plane wreck we had sought out.

I cautiously walked up the beach towards a nice looking gym bag that seemed to have a nice blouse hanging out of it. And for some reason, I decided to open the bag. Inside were packages of sanitary napkins, a few nice shirts, a pair of earrings, a phone charger cable, and a card. As I reached in for the card a scorpion crawled out about an inch from my hand and I tossed the bag. But the card was in my hand, and when I flipped it over the state of the beach became horrifyingly clear. It was a Haitian ID card. 

We looked around the beach with new eyes. We looked more closely at the scattered wood pieces—they were painted on one side, charred on the other. Some of the clothes were in distinct piles. There was a child’s blanket…stylish jeans…a KFC shirt…men’s cologne and even a pack of condoms (we like to think there was an optimistic man out there). We found several burn piles that looked like little camps along some of the trails. And I wept.

Charred remains of a boat and piles of personal belongings scattered along the beach and in the brush.

There is no telling exactly what we found on the beach today, but it’s hard for me to imagine that we didn’t find the wreckage of a burned-up refugee boat. We talked…told Trent about the geopolitical situation in Haiti and noted how many boats, many overloaded and unseaworthy, are intercepted by the RBDF and USCG in these very waters. 

And we bluntly pointed out that no matter how f’ed up things seemed in the U.S. right now, no one is jumping into unsafe, overcrowded vessels and risking their lives to flee our country. And maybe we just all need to take a second to appreciate that fact.

Trying to focus on the beautiful things.

Epilogue: When we returned to the land of cell service we searched for recent reports of refugee boats in the Raggeds and connected the scene on Flamingo Island to a mass migrant event last fall. Read more at Unprecedented Illegal Migrant Surge in the Southern Bahamas.

~Jo, 1st Mate (with a good bit of help from the Skipper)

Our first trip to the Raggeds!

We enjoyed fantastic breezes for a 2-day sail from Thompson Bay on Long Island through the Jumentos to Hog Cay in the Raggeds! Gah, it was exhilarating! And also a little surprising to be “out there,” yet be at a cay with a substantial cruisers beach structure and super fast cell service. But, we had arrived in the Raggeds! 

Enjoying a peaceful corner of Hog Cay.

But before I get too excited, the trip here had some excitement, too. As we were motoring from George Town to Thompson Bay (dead into the wind), we felt a shudder. All three of us tensed up and Frank put the boat in neutral. He checked the bilge for water and I grabbed a mask that was hanging in the cockpit and dunked my head in from the sugar scoop to see if there was anything obvious wrapped around the prop/shaft. With the bilge dry and nothing visible around the prop, I dunked my head again to take a better look. All looked well. The prop blades were folded, but I couldn’t see anything amiss. We started forward again, looking, listening, and feeling, but all was fine. A mystery!

Sweet sailing; an unexpected salty hair wash; navigating the skinny, shallow Comer Channel; surrounded by beautiful, clear water.

The wind was nearly perfect on our trip south and we made great speed with just the genoa out. We had to motor into the wind for one 4nm leg (too narrow to comfortably tack up), but otherwise had some of the best sailing we have had all winter. I even got pretty darn comfortable sailing with the wind forward of the beam, which is a huge step for me. The boat handled beautifully!

The happy sailors! I may not like heeling more than 15 degrees, but it really was some sweet sailing.

Hog Cay provided great protection for a NE blow and we were able to hike, spear, meet other cruisers, and visit Duncan Town. 

Surprised by the cruiser's set-up on Hog Cay! Trent started out our Raggeds hunting with a nice lobster haul.

My morning beach walk, complete with animal tracks and goats!

It was all pretty fabulous, but I have to say that Duncan Town was the highlight for me. The island was devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2017 and has slowly been making a comeback since. It is regularly serviced by a mailboat and has an airstrip. Construction on a new clinic is underway and the new school is nearly complete. And while the government has decided to abandon their offices at this far reach of the country, the people are happy and resourceful and pressing on. Getting to town via the dinghy channel cut into the mangroves was also very cool. And the town motto just spoke to me..."Forward, Together, Upward, Onward." 

We were welcomed at the dock by a man who happily tied us up and after asking about the state of things, we headed to town. We walked by the salt pond and the goat pen (which actually doesn’t have a fence) before stopping by Maxine’s to grab some provisions and to check on things in town. We didn’t really need anything, but got some cold drinks, eggs, and a Kalik bottle of tomatoes anyway. 

We had brought a microscope for the school and some games and coloring supplies for the kids, and Maxine was the one to accept it all. She told us that six kids were currently on island, but that it would go up to 12 when the school opened. The roof trusses were due on “the next boat” so that’s exciting! We thanked her and headed on our way. 

Annnnddd…we made it next door…to the bar! They had pints of Bush Crack for $3 and we hadn’t tried it yet, so we had to stop! The a/c was kicking inside, but we joined the guys on the front porch and watched the chickens wander by and the workers build the rebar supports for the clinic. We left smiling…maybe from the Bush Crack but most likely from the great vibe and sweet people we met along the road. We will return!

(Top to bottom, left to right) Trent navigating the dinghy channel into town; the dinghy channel; "Forward, Together, Upward, Onward"; the salt pond; the goat pen; trying some Bush Crack beer; locally bottled tomatoes; the harbor; the public dock.

We tried to get just a little further south and headed to an anchorage on Ragged Island, but it was super rolly so we had lunch and moved back to Hog Cay for some hunting and a peaceful night. I got a snapper and we had it with peas & rice and slaw—so good!

Can't believe how close we were to Cuba! We rounded out the day with some hunting and a visit from the local sharks.

From here we head north…back to civilization, towards the Abacos, and towards our reunion with Katreina! We plan to spend the next few days slowly working our way up the Ragged and Jumentos, enjoying the beauty and solitude of these remote islands.

~Jo, 1st Mate