Wind was much stronger today, around SE 20-25 kts. Went ashore in the dinghy and hiked across island to a beautiful pink sand beach. After the hike, we left for Rock Sound under a reefed main and about ½ of the genoa. Made 5-7 kts in very choppy 2-3’seas. Got to Rock sound around 3PM and anchored off town.
Century Club: Wally Parolari
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Pink sand beach on east side of Eluethera
Monday, February 17, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Governors Harbor
Left anchorage at 8:30 and went thru Current Cut eastbound against a 4 kt current! After clearing cut motor-sailed into 15kt SE wind all the way to Governors Harbor and anchored at 2:30. Went ashore in the dinghy to scout things out.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Makaira at anchor - Current Settlement, Eulethera
Current Settlement sunset
Left Meeks Patch around noon and sailed down to Current Settlement under genoa at 6 kts. Anchored off beach north of the cut at 1:30 and went for a dinghy ride to try and find a landing for Patti to run. Rocky shoreline and we were unsuccessful. Still a nice anchorage.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Moved Makaira a short distance over to just west of entrance to Spanish Wells harbor to shorten the dinghy ride. Went into town and dropped Patti off to run. While I waited, bought 4 cans (20 gals) of diesel for $98. After shuttling fuel back to Makaira, went back in, picked up Patti and went to the Shipyard for lunch. Picked up some fresh veggies at Penders, went back to Makaira and moved back to Meeks Patch for the evening. Went ashore to the new “swim with the pigs” site and were truely repulsed by the filth.
Friday, February 14, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Got up at 4 AM, checked the weather with Chris Parker and left for Spanish Wells at 6:30 AM. Wind was still SE@12kts with light chop and 2-3’ long period swell out of the East. Wind stayed SE all day under 10kts. Motorsailed at 6kts and fished unsuccessfully. Came thru Egg Island Cut at 5:15 PM and anchored on west side of Meeks Patch at 6:15PM in gin clear water!
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Picked up anchor and moved N to near Rat Cay to visit a blue hole. Very thick grass throughout the area and couldn’t get a secure anchor set in the strong S wind and seas. Aborted the trip and went back to original location and re-anchored. After lunch, pulled anchor and sailed out and around Little Stirrup to Great Harbor in SSE wind 20G25 and anchored in 7’ of water to stage for early departure for Eleuthera. Very clear water and incredible stars after dark.
Sunday, February 9, 2020 to Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Number of days:
4 days
Bullocks Harbor Sunrise
Anchored waiting for the strong SE wind to lay down. Went on daily dinghy rides to go into marina, explore the island, etc. Walked across to the east side of the island to a really neat litte beach bar called The Beach Club.
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
2/8/20 – Left Grand Bahama Yacht Club at 6:15 AM in the dark and immediately had the chart plotter go out. Made it out of Bell Channel in the dark with the IPad. Set full main and genoa in flat seas in the lee of Grand Bahama and sailed toward the Berry Islands at 7 kts in 10-15 kts NE wind. Wind built steadily throughout the day and was 15-18G21 by 11AM. Decided to put a reef in the main and roll up the genoa a bit mid day and the boat was much more manageable and still managed 8.5 - 9 .2 kts SOG! Arrived at the NW corner of Little Stirrup Cay at 2PM and seas dropped from 4’ to 1’ as we got in the lee of the cay and moved into shallow water. Sailed up to shore near entrance to Great Harbor Cay Marina and anchored in Bullocks Harbor.
Monday, February 3, 2020 to Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Number of days:
2 days
After getting a reasonable forecast for a Gulf Stream crossing, we departed Lake Worth at 11:15 in light and variable winds to motor south along the coast for a few hours to let leftover gulf stream swells to subside and get a better angle for the crossing. At about 3:30 PM we were off Boca Raton and turned East to start the crossing! Almost immediately, we were in light current flowing north and a 2’ swell. By the time we were 5 miles from the coast, we were motoring in strong GS current and our COG went from 120o to 75o and N swell increased to 4’. Mid-stream, I kept seeing green lights that appeared to be approaching on our starboard side. At first, I thought they were a couple of boats headed back to FL but with time, there were so many that it became a pretty confusing situation. None of them had stern lights and none of them showed up on radar! After about 30 minutes or so, I saw a white strobe on one of the closer ones and figured out that they were some kind of bouys, perhaps marking fishing gear. Got out of the Gulf Stream at around 3 AM and wind began picking up to E@10kts then clocked S as predicted by the time we were approaching Lucaya. Slowed down to wait for a little light before we crossed the reef into Lucaya at dead low tide. On the way in, saw a minimum depth of 7.5’. Pulled in to Grand Bahama Yacht Club at 10:30 AM, cleared customs and got a slip.
Saturday, January 4, 2020 to Sunday, February 2, 2020
Number of days:
20 days
Spent a month at anchor in Lake Worth while I waited on Patti's leave of absence to start. Occupied myself with working on Makaira and the dinghy engine. Went to shore almost daily in the dinghy for showers, WIFI, trips to Boat Owners Warehouse, Peanut Island, etc. After Patti arrived on the 25th, we did some provisioning, toured West Palm Beach and generally got ready to depart for the Bahamas. Before leaving, went to Peanut Island again and saw a bunch of manatees in the lagoon.