We are on the move

Day 10: March 5, 2015

We were finally able to get the sails up and so some fine sailing today.  It all started at the usual time with a pancake and bacon breakfast.  Interestingly, we had a little problem with our pancake mix.  Several months before we departed on this venture, we measured out the amount of Bisquick needed for two servings of pancakes and added the right quantity of powdered milk and vacuum sealed it in a plastic bag.  This has worked well for us in the past but this time, about ½ of the mix was rock hard and when we added egg and water, we ended up with batter with flour rocks infused throughout.  The final product though most tasty was also quit crunchy in spots.

Finally the sails flying east of West End

We realized that we had not taken pictures of this most interesting marina so I took the dinghy for one more trip into the harbor where I wandered around snapping away.  The ride in was quite a challenge for the little 2.5 hp motor.  The ocean swells had built up over the night and were rolling into our anchorage and that along with a strong tidal flow made for a slow trip.  This new dinghy is much more stable the “Damn Dink” of old and I had no fears in the rough waters.   

The next challenge was getting the boat anchor released from the bottom.   The strong winds and currents had sunk it deeply into the sandy bottom.  The wind and currents at the time of our departure was also so strong that I was unable to pull the boat forward over the anchor so Janine used the motor to get me there.  Once over the top of the anchor, I can usually pull it straight up but this time, I finally had to wrap the anchor rode around a cleat and have Janine increase the power until the anchor finally came free. 

We look forward to peaceful secluded Bahamian coves with calm waters in which to anchor and spend restful unrocking and rolling nights. 

We motored out into the rolling surf and passed through the 5 mile long Indian Channel.  The waters in this area are very shallow and studded with coral heads waiting to do a number on the bottom of the boat so close accurate navigation is required to motivate through these waters.  During the entire day, we saw waters no deeper than 15 feet and most commonly 6 to 9 feet. 

Once through the channel, we raised the sails and spent the rest of the day

First Mate Janine Taking a watch

enjoying the type of motivation that we came here to pursue.  When we first raised the sails, the wind was quite strong (we don’t know how strong because our wind indicator had quit functioning) so I reefed the main and only unfurled about ½ the way out. The sailing was great.  The wind was just forward of the beam making for an easy and relatively smooth point of sail.  As the day progressed, the wind moderated so I shook out the reef and finally completely unfurled the jib. 

Our destination was a very small uninhabited Mangrove Cay.  This is a convenient stopover anchorage for cruisers transiting between West End and the main islands of the Abaco.  We pulled in at 2:45 and found a relatively calm spot downwind from the Cay and dropped the anchor.  The breeze had moderrisingated to light and comfortable.  We opened and consumed a beer and proceeded to take naps.  We awoke to note a shift in the wind direction and rain showers all around.  I quickly put the sail cover on the main and we prepared to have the boat and our bodies rinsed off.  But it wasn’t to be.  We did get a few sprinkles but nothing at the level of a rinse.

Full moon off of Mangrove Cay anchorage

For dinner, we warmed up one of our jars of canned turkey noodle soup.  The canning process made mush out of the noodles.  But, it was really good.  The lettuce that we had bought in Stuart had been reduced to a brown slime and since the manatees had eaten my cabbage, I did without a salad.

After dinner, we sat on the deck and enjoyed the full moon that rose and climbed high in the clear sky .We could see many stars and identified a few. Bed arrived at about our typical 9::00.