Captains Log 02/21/07

Located in Mangrove Cay, Little Bahama Bank

Finally, patience paid off. We are off and running. Where, I didn't know until we got out into the gulf stream. Maybe Miami, maybe West end Grand Bahama island, maybe Little Bahama Bank and Abacos. I was ready to go wherever she let me. The sea that is. Well the forecast was completely wrong. It called for 5-10 kts of S winds and I was looking forward to sailing, but instead, we got 5 kts out of NW. So despite wanting to preserve gas, we motored all the way across to Little Bahama Bank. I wanted to maintain 5 knots of speed across the Gulf Stream, so I ended up motoring. At least we got to Bahamas. The ride was great. Seas were as flat as Narragansset bay back at home. Now we are in Mangrove Cay on the banks. It was a long ride. We left at 4AM and motored till 1PM to make it to the Banks. There the water color turned to bimini blue and the bottom was visible in 30 feet of water! How nice is that. We knew the night would set before getting anywhere meaningful but all the guides I read mentioned that you can anchor almost anywhere on the banks, so that didn't wary me. The rolling and waves of the open ocean completely subsided on the banks and pretty soon we were sailing at sunset in near calm water and some 10 knots of SW winds. The banks, and endless body of sandy bottom water less than 20 feet deep. Its like a 100 squared mile giant swimming pool. But we did see dozens of Portuguese man-o-war jelly fish which can be deadly if they sting you. Anyway the ride was so great, that we kept on going another 30 miles to where bunch of other boats were anchored. We overheard other cruisers on the radio about were they were going, so we decided to anchor near by. I am not quite ready to be anchored in pitch black and far away from any living soul. But pitch black it was. Other than anchor lights on 8-9 other boats, there is nothing in sight. Just stars. We were so tired that Crystal just make quick soup and salad for dinner and we passed out. The next day I got up pretty early to flush the watermaker with fresh water, and check up on some other items. The sunrise was magnificent. Morning dew was drying off my solar panels and the air was heating up. I sensed it was gonna be a hot day. I enjoyed the view over the side, where every little rock, fish coral, and sea plant was clearly visible. I can't wait to check in and go snorkeling!

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