Saturday, January 24 to Sunday, February 1, 2015

The weather has been a bit crazy here. Very blustery. Very windy. As a result we haven’t been moving along as far or as quickly as we would like, being forced to wait for things to settle down on the water. Regardless, the trip is going great. Being forced to stop and relax while you wait for better weather isn’t such a bad thing. Temperatures have been a bit cooler than usual also — 70s rather 80s, but we are doing our best to stay warm. Ha! Ha!

After waiting out weather in Spanish Wells for a couple of days, we move to Hatchet Bay (on Eleuthra) on January 25th and then get stuck there also for a few days waiting out more blustery weather. We make the most of it by catching up on boat-chores, going into town for a walk, movie time on Emerald Lady, and dinner at the local restaurant, The Front Porch.

When the winds settle down, we move on to Cape Eleuthra Marina, where we will start our next ocean crossing to the Bahamian Exuma Islands. Thankfully, the next day we have a pretty good day to get across so we head out. Its wavy and windy, but still a nice sail. Upon arrival, we settle into the anchorage at Norman’s Cay with our friends, Sharon and Pete (Emerald Lady). We made it!

Norman’s Cay was a former drug running center in the 1970s, but now is a quiet island with a restaurant and beach.  Unfortunately, we are anchored in an area with a pretty strong tidal flow, so the boat gets spun around by the tide and the wind. After hearing a loud bang as we finish dinner, we realize we have a problem. The anchor chain has wrapped itself around the keel while the boat was spinning. We are now sideways to the current and by midnight the anchor is dragging and we are dangerously close to other boats and the sand bar. Out in the dark, we move the boat and put out a second anchor. This takes pressure off the wrapped chain and it drops off the keel. Whew! Its a long night with not much sleep. Needless to say, first thing the next day we are up and out of there heading to the Exuma Land and Sea Park.

In the Park, we take a mooring ball in the Emerald Rock area. Gorgeous! The water is so clear and clean. We jump in for a swim before dinner. The next morning we move to Compass Cay in anticipation of more windy, blustery weather moving in. And it does. Its windy, but we are well protected at the marina. We get out on a hike around the island and take in the views from the cliffs.

Sounds like tomorrow the weather is calmer, so we plan to move to Big Major Spot near Staniel Cay. After that, we will probably start heading back north.