We have enjoyed our time in the Bahamas. We will miss the warm weather, the friendly people, and the solitude of isolated places. I will miss the daily swimming!
A weather window has opened up and we are taking advantage of it to cross back to the US tomorrow, Thursday March 14th. This is earlier than we anticipated, but it is too perfect to miss. After several passages that were bouncy or rolly or both, we had agreed that we would wait for the calm crossing. Little did we know that it was sooner than we expected!
From Harbour Island we moved north to anchor in an area known as Meek's Patch before heading up into the Bight of Abaco. This is the inside waters between Great Abaco Island and Grand Bahama Island. It is seldom traveled by cruisers - partly because it is shallow and has very few settlements, and partly because the holding is generally poor. Our best anchorage was on Friday night March 8, off Sandy Point. We ran into Steve and Julie on Erben Renewal whom we'd met in Rock Sound eight years ago, when they'd owned a Kadey Krogan and we had the Willard motor sailor. They moved around the point to anchor in anticipation of the coming front with storms and SE wind, we moved on to anchor in Basin Harbour on Big Cay on Saturday.
The reviews were spot on - though the chart made it look like a perfectly protected harbor, the wrap around current and the marly/cement-like bottom made it a poor choice for the night. Dan got in the water to hand set two anchors (bow and stern) in holes, and he tied a line around the bow chain to a coral outcropping. We would have moved, but the sun was setting and traveling in the dark in the Bahamas is just not a good idea. It was a bouncy night and neither of us slept well.
Dan had to dive to unset the anchors and remove that line in the morning so we could move. The strong wind and current made anchor raising a bit of an adventure, but we got it done and moved across the Bight to a slightly better anchorage with more wind protection for Sunday the 10th. The wind shifted in the night to W, and had another bouncy night.
Monday we moved to Mangrove Cay, seeking protection from the NW - N wind. Again, the holding was poor, but there was no current here, and we didn't worry as much about dragging. We got in some snorkeling though there wasn't a lot to see, and Dan found a life jacket and a fender in the beach. (Most of our lifejackets and fenders are rescues.)
Tuesday we solidified our plans to cross back to the US on Thursday and moved out of the Bight of Abaco into the bank north of Grand Bahama Island and joined a florilla of Bahama entrants at Grand Sale. They are all beginning their Bahamian adventure as we are finishing. I got one last swim in while Dan changed the oil.
Today, Weds March 13, we had a beautiful, calm cruise over to West End. The water was crystal clear. We stopped to watch a green turtle swim by. We tried anchoring off the beach at West End, but again, the holding was poor, so for peace of mind on our last night here we decided to take a slip at the Old Bahama Bay Marina. This is a beautiful marina, with all the amenities one needs and wants. We enjoyed a dip in the pool, a hot shower, and an excellent dinner at the marina restaurant. It was a great last night here.
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