A long chapter comes to a close

It was bound to happen someday, but I'm somehow still surprised that the day has come! We have moved off the boat! But let me back up a little...

Last week we took the boat out for one last sail as a family of four (For now or forever? I have no clue.) on the Patuxent River and realized the prop could use a scraping to make the trek to Deltaville smoother and faster. So I donned head-to-toe gear to try to avoid getting stung by jellyfish and did a little free diving to knock off the hard growth. We actually found out that the windlass was broken when we went to anchor for the prop cleaning so add that to the "fix sometime" list! Thankfully it works in the "up" direction so it's not super critical. Anyway, it was a great day on the water! We sailed and shared some of our favorite boat memories.

Light winds but still a great day on the water!

The next day, after determining that there wasn't much wind at all for the journey to Deltaville, we took the sails down since we need to do that anyway before she sits on the hard. And then we said goodbye to neighbors, had one last "Trent's famous pasta" night on the boat, and Sunday morning 3/4 of the crew departed by boat and 1/4 departed via car. NAS Patuxent River's marina has been a great home for the past two summers, but it was time to go!

Wonderful farewell gifts from S/V Cuckoo and Trent's famous pasta before the crew got her underway from West Basin Marina for one final time. 

After a night on the hook in Little Bay, VA, the crew arrived in Deltaville at high tide and we were hauled at 1300. We got settled in a nearby hotel and enjoyed air conditioning while the boat was getting power-washed and blocked, then we went over in the evening to move out and to move the dinghy from the davits to the foredeck. It was SO hot and we decided that they only way this was going to work was to get up at sunrise the next day to do some of the major jobs like winterizing the engine and water systems. So Tuesday started very early, but we made some great progress on winterizing everything, wiping down every surface with vinegar (which was hell because it was so humid, but it had to be done), and topping off the diesel. We took a break during the hot afternoon to rest and to wash all the linens at a not-so-nearby laundromat (literally my only complaint about Deltaville!). And by late afternoon, we were done.

It was a smooth haul-out.

Sweaty work, but she's winterized, emptied, and the dinghy is on the bow.

Done. 

Finished. 

Moved out. 

All smiles because we are finished with the nasty work, but crying a little on the inside.

When we moved off the boat in 2015 I wasn't emotional. I knew our time on land was finite. I knew we'd be back as soon as my command tour was over. This time is different. This time I can't definitively say when or where we are returning and that really is affecting me. But we are making sure the boat is "ready" for whatever "next" is by getting the hull sandblasted/painted and that gives me some comfort. 

~Jo, former 1st Mate/nomadic momma

Hurry up and wait...and get home!

As military veterans, "hurry up and wait" is something we have known all too well over the years! It transfers well to boat life as we are always at the mercy of Mother Nature and boy does she make us hurry up and wait sometimes!

We hurried out of Charleston after one night with the intent to do an overnight passage to Beaufort, NC. In the middle of the night, thunderstorms offshore and lumpy, short-period seas drove us to head for Wrightsville Beach, NC instead. We arrived just after sunrise and grabbed a prime spot to wait out the clocking winds over the next few days. Shore access is super easy here so we went right in for a big Mexican lunch and some errands!

Passing by the T/S State of Maine at anchor in Charleston; a little bird hopped a ride with us; and we finally had a meal and margaritas ashore!

Winds were pretty strong out of the north for days. We kept looking for a chance to creep along close to shore to Beaufort but seas were still forecast to be uncomfortable (and this is supposed to be fun!). The ICW was an option, but we aren’t huge fans of this section so we waited. We booked some travel (woo hoo!), relaxed, and eventually…I got stir-crazy. We have sooooo much to do this summer and once I was rested, I became restless! So I pitched a plan…a 24-hour run to Florida and back. See, we have some things in storage that we need for travel and school next year, and some things that would be better to have on the boat this summer. With a 1-day rental I could make it there, get stuff out of storage, get our mail, sleep a bit, and get back! I left at 1730 one day and was back 24 hours later with our stuff and a bag of Bojangles biscuits for the boys. Success!

The life of a road warrior. Outside of the boat and our car, this little bit of stuff in storage is all we own.

By the time I got back Frank had also decided that we might as well take the ICW. With just a few long days in the ditch, we could be back to our marina in Maryland. After six nights in Wrightsville Beach we set off on a long, cold, windy transit to Morehead City. It honestly went fine and we had a pretty good rest despite thunderstorms in the area.

I was NOT ready for this wardrobe!

Wind, fog, and thunderstorms would continue to factor into our travels as we went from Morehead City to just south of Dowry Creek Marina. Our transit of the Alligator-Pungo Canal and Albemarle Sound the next day was one of the calmest we’ve ever had, and we had a very peaceful night on the hook in the North River, just south of Coinjock. We were up at sunrise Sunday to make the run to Norfolk, but opted to continue on until sunset and settle into a nice creek up the Poquoson River near York Point, VA to wait out some severe storms the following day.

Scenes along the NC/VA Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

We were up at sunrise again today and now here we are, heading north in Chesapeake Bay, just north of the Potomac River. Tonight we will tie up to a dock for the night for the first time since mid-December. 

I really do love sunrise on the water!

This will be our home base for the summer. In two weeks we will begin some travel that will end with our daughter returning to the U.S. after 10 months in France. We won’t spend much time on the water this summer and will instead spend our time visiting friends and family and preparing for the next chapter as this one closes. Lots of changes coming, but it’s good to be home.

~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

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

Anchor Anxiety

Cruising the Bahamas this time of year means sitting through a few nasty fronts, which can lead to stressful anchoring decisions. We have been anchored in a very well-protected spot off of Stocking Island near George Town, Exuma for a few weeks now--so protected that our boat tends to spin in little wind eddies but never really feels the full brunt of the wind. It's a deep spot...28' so we set our hook with 145' of chain (28' of depth plus 5' of freeboard is 33'...5:1 scope would be 165', but we kept it "short" due to the protection we had). Sweet for a big blow, right? Well...

As other boats moved into the area ahead of this weekend's blow we had one monohull sailboat settle in about a boat length from our port side when we were both pointed/stretched out in the east wind. (Note--one's tolerance for "close" neighbors has to go up in some popular anchorages in Bahamas!) They were just to the north of us and we routinely shifted in the wind eddy so we were on their bow at about a boat length. While we wouldn't have dropped where they did, they were behind us for the forecast winds and we let it go. Well...the blow started and we continued our little spin, sometimes near that boat, sometimes near another. While the winds were blowing near 30 knots we were seeing less than 10 knots on our boat, but occasionally a gust would make it to us and stretch the chain out. While the wind was forecast to be ENE, we were seeing ESE wrapping around the point we were anchored at. The result? At 0400 our bow was pointed ESE, as was the nearby monohull, and as we both stretched out on our chains we got VERY close to them. At one point, their bow was less than 6' from our dinghy in the davits. After we verified that we had not drug, we had to assume that they had way less scope out than we did. We made the decision to shorten scope to 125' and monitor from deck until sunrise. 

The view from the cockpit after we shortened scope.

In the morning, we were still "talking distance" to the other boat. We waived at them, hailed them on deck, hailed them on the radio...no joy...and finally got in our dinghy to go chat. We found out they had anchored in 28' as well, but only had 50' of chain out. That was a surprise! Kind of wonder if the boats behind them knew that! We let them know about the events of the night (they didn't know we'd gotten so close to them) and it quickly became clear that they thought we had drug towards them. When we explained that no, we had not drug (verified via our instruments), but that we had more scope out than they did and that caused the closeness when we shifted, they didn't really seem to agree or understand (English wasn't their first language, but we were communicating well). They didn't want to drop more chain because they were, admittedly, pretty close to some other boats, too, but eventually dropped maybe 10 more feet. 

After watching the boats move about for another hour we decided to just clear out all together. We pulled our 125' of chain and had to work a little to get the well-set anchor out! We moved to a less protected space near friends that has gobs of room between boats. We were in such a protected area, but we just weren't comfortable with our motion compared to that nearest boat anymore. 

WHAT WE DID WRONG: We should have discussed scope length right when they anchored so that we all had an idea of the geometry problem. And even though it's generally up to the newest arrival to ask the scope question of the boats around them, we should have thrown that custom out and pushed the issue with the new arrival. 

WHAT WE DID RIGHT: We set the anchor well initially, then backed down on it again before the blow just to be sure we were set. We kept our radio on. We had lights on the bow and stern in addition to our anchor lights. We made adjustments when we saw they were necessary and then stayed on deck to ensure the boats stayed safe. And when we just couldn't come to agreement with our neighbor, we moved. 

Bottom line--we cruisers may not always agree, but it's up to each Skipper to make the decisions that are right for their own boat. The other boat probably has their own tale of their perspective, that a boat drug onto them, but it is what it is and we have to act on our perspective.

Captivating Conception Island

We left the hustle and bustle of George Town for the peace (and good hunting!) of Calabash Bay on Long Island. While the anchorage can be a little rolly, it was fine while we were there. Highlights: two spider crabs*, three lobsters*, and happy hour with friends at Cape Santa Maria Resort.

Happy Hour with S/V Makae. Sunsets here are amazing!

Calabash is also a natural departure point for those heading to Conception Island and we lucked into weather that would support a visit to one of our favorite, pristine stops! It didn’t hurt that we also picked up two mahi mahi* on the way. We were too early for the tropic birds on this visit, but we did have a great time exploring the island on foot and snorkeling the crystal clear waters. As the island is a national park and therefore a no-take zone, the sea life is abundant and not shy!

Such beauty on land...

...and in the sea!

This was also a great stop to say goodbye to our friends on S/V Makae as they continue their trip south. It’s been great connecting with someone from my little hometown in Illinois, meeting his beautiful wife, and talking all about boats and travel with them! 

We will miss you, Shanty and Kurt! Fair winds and following seas, S/V Makae!

We were super surprised by just how busy is was out there! We’ve never seen more than a dozen boats at Conception, but there were 20 our first night and 30 our second! Having debated heading to San Salvador, weather uncertainty had us heading back to Calabash. It was odd to be more “alone” when we returned to Long Island, sharing the southern anchorage with just one other boat (another Beneteau 393!). Hoping we will be able to visit Conception again this season when we start our northbound journey, but if we don’t I’m glad we at least made it out there once! (And San Salvador…I’ve still got my eye on you!)

* No awesome pics of our catches so that we don't confuse anyone about Conception Island--it is a NO TAKE ZONE. All of our catches were on Long Island...we'll share those details shortly!

Hatch green chilis from S/V Makae...what a great parting gift!

~Jo, 1st Mate

George Town (again!)

I was about to say that you can't cruise the Exumas without a visit to George Town, but as our friends Kurt and Shanty managed to avoid it I guess I need to change that statement! But if you've got kids on board, it is pretty much a must-stop. The large harbor can easily handle 300 anchored vessels and with two grocery stores, tons of restaurants, trash drop-off, free RO water, fuel, daily kid and adult events, and some of the most helpful, friendly fellow boaters you may ever find, it's a stop that meets many needs. I detailed most of it during out first year here--check it out at George Town--A Cruiser Mecca.

In the interest of doing "new" things this year, we did more hiking on Stocking Island, Frank went to more beach yoga classes, we tried a few new local eats, and we tried out the Masters Harbour anchorage for a frontal passage. I managed to do some sewing and "boat crafts" and Trent did, well, whatever a bunch of teenage boys do when they take off to an island together! 

We hiked the monument and saw our boat name in the pond below, and explored the windward side of Stocking Island several times. And I found more stromatolites!

Yoga at Chat & Chill and water aerobics right next to the boat at South Monument Beach kept us active Mon-Sat!

We discovered Chef Keva and her delicious baked goods! A call to 242-524-8016 was all it took to put in an order for pick-up the following day.

Anchoring at Masters Harbour for a front brought us to the abandoned development of Crab Cay Resort and Marina and some great local eats (via a "new" dinghy landing) at Fanny's.

During the front passage I made a cover for the fuel can and a cell phone sleeve for the dinghy seat thanks to a fabric-scrap-for-beer swap with another cruiser! On another windy day I made a mat from one of our old lines. Boaty crafty!

We FINALLY made it over to the Fish Fry Shacks! Such a great atmosphere and great food...can't wait to return!

Having filled up on fuel, food, and crowds for a bit, we departed for Long Island. Will we be back this season? Maybe!

Of course we hit the old favorite of all cruisers...Chat & Chill!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Galliot Cay--A Little Gem!

New stop! Weather was in our favor this year, allowing us to make a stop at Galliot Cay. Even though it's right by a cut, there is a little anchorage here that is mostly out of the current. We shared this cute spot with one other boat for the night and it was lovely!

We decided the water was a little too cool for the crew's snorkeling comfort, so instead we took a nice dinghy ride around the cays at that cut, hiked up the hill on Galliot Cay (it's uninhabited), and ran out to the Ribbon Sandbar at low tide. It was a really sweet spot with a very nice beach on Galliot Cay!

Dinghy ride around the anchorage.

Lots of fun at the beautiful Ribbon Sandbar!

Hiking around Galliot Cay and a nice sunset from the boat!

This stop also gave us a chance to really monitor the tides. There aren't a bunch of tide stations so you have to use a blend of offset from Nassau and the next nearest tide station. This gets important for two reasons here...1--going through a cut when the wind and tide are running in opposite directions leads to a dangerous "rage" of steep, short-period waves, and 2--we have a deep draft for parts of the Bahamas and sometimes need high tide to get past certain points. We decided to try to go "bankside" from Galliot to Rudder Cut, using a full-moon tide to get us past skinny points on Musha Cay, but as we passed the inlet it looked ok out in the sound (wind and tide were both coming onto the bank) so we exited for the 4nm run. It was lumpy with 3-5' seas at 4sec period, but we had plenty of water under the keel! Maybe next time, Musha...maybe next time.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Black Point 3.0

We're back! Third time here, third version of the Black Point experience! You can relive our first two experiences at Black Point Settlement--A Perfect Mix of Quiet and Activity and Black Point 2.0.

This time weather kept us here for over a week, bouncing between the main anchorage and Little Bay to the south of the point a few times. There were very few boats for most of our time there, but we did manage to enjoy the usual treats--easy laundry with a view, easy trash, Scorpio's rum punch, Lorraine's good eats, Lorraine's mom's delicious bread, Dashamon's good eats, Aderly's grocery (fresh romaine and eggs!!!), and smiling faces. But we had a few standout experiences!

$36 in groceries, drinks at Scorpio's, and the best laundry view I've found as a cruiser.

While enjoying a few rum punches at Scorpio's a local noted that we had the same handheld VHF radio he had and asked if we could charge his. We took his radio, gave him a boat card, and a few days later (after a big blow) Jason swung by the boat to retrieve his radio and thanked us. It's so easy to just help each other down here!

Happy to help a neighbor!

We also had a nice walk/trash pick-up at the blow hole on a windy day, got to see lots of rainbows as rain squalls came through, collected a few nice conch, met up with friends for some successful lobster hunting, and hunkered down for a strong front passage with three of our friend boats. We only had one day where Trent got to hang out with other kids, but he had fun and it was nice to reconnect with the parents, too! 

A walk, a blow hole, collecting trash, and...rainbows!

Frank and Trent found conch!

I did well on our snorkeling/spearing outing with S/V Traveler and S/V Tangent!

Navigation note: we knew that we would have strong west winds as the front passed and there are very few places that actually have westerly protection in the Exuma Cays. Rather than crowd into one of those few places with several other boats, we opted to stay somewhere with very good holding and plenty of room to spread out. Black Point also allowed us to easily go "around the corner" to Little Bay for some more protection as winds went north of west. We had a few hours of strong winds and waves rolling in, but we held well and had plenty of sea room.

Lehe Paine, Tangent, Traveler, and Makae before the storm.

We also celebrated a big birthday for our Captain! Because a front came through on the night before/early morning of his birthday he got to stretch his festivities over two days as spoiled him with food and relaxation as much as we could!

HBD, Skipper!

Surf & Turf! We also made him a NC breakfast and lobster rolls on homemade buns.

Trent made the rum cake!

We are southbound again! If you are keeping track and are familiar with this area you may be wondering, "Did they stop in Staniel Cay?" Not this year! We decided that Black Point had what we needed and was what we were all feeling like right now. 

I took a long walk on the east side of Great Guana Cay to watch waves.

~Jo, 1st Mate