26 21.97 'N:76 59.12'W
We said goodbye to Georgetown mid morning on March 14. The wind was blowing out of the southwest at 15 to 20 knots. We had our fishing lines in the water and were having a great sail. We were doing about 7 to 8 knots in the direction we wanted to go so we decided to keep going all the way to Blackpoint Settlement instead of the original plan to stop at Lee Stocking Island. We arrived at Blackpoint shortly before sunset and while we knew the anchorage was going to be a bit lumpy that night we were very surprised to see so many boats anchored there. It was uncomfortable that night and all the next day but finally on March 16 the wind shifted to the northeast and made the anchorage so much more comfortable. We finally launched the dinghy and headed for shore to get some of Mom’s coconut bread. We also met many of the other cruisers at Scorpios for happy hour. Everyone was happy to be off the boats for a bit! We joined everyone again the next evening at Lorraine’s cafe for her St. Patrick’s Day buffet dinner.
The next day the winds were still brisk out of the northeast at 15 to 20 knots. We made the 44 nautical mile run to Highborne Cay.
The anchorage was full of mega yachts including the motor yacht Northstar who entertained us that evening with a spectacular fireworks display! Wow!
The winds completely died down overnight and we had a great rest before setting out early the next morning to motor the 56 nautical miles to Spanish Wells. We did manage to sail the last 10 miles or so when the winds picked up. We anchored on the south side of Russell Island just outside the channel into the Spanish Wells harbour. The anchorage was a bit rough when we first arrived however the wind was forecasted to shift around to the northeast and we knew it would be better in a few hours. We found Oopsea and On Y Va in the anchorage! Tom and Cindy were at happy hour at Wrecked but Tom immediately volunteered to come pick us up so we wouldn’t have to launch our dinghy that night.
We spent the next day walking around Spanish Wells with Gislaine and Elise from On Y Va. The town is very pretty with lots of well maintained cottage properties, most for rent, and most displaying beautiful gardens. Spanish Wells is primarily a fishing village. There is a packing plant here for crab and lobster exports. We thought about renting a golf cart to tour around but managed to accomplish the tour in about 3 or 4 hours on foot instead.
We joined Oopsea and On Y Va for another happy hour at Wrecked then back to Oopsea for dinner before saying a sad farewell to Tom and Cindy who departed at sunrise the next morning and headed west for the Berry Islands with plans to head back stateside when the weather permits.
We departed shortly after sunrise on that same morning but headed through the Spanish Wells harbour channel then around Gunpoint and Ridley head and out the North Eleuthera Channel to the Atlantic Ocean. The departure via the North Eleuthera Channel was interesting complete with about 10 to 12 foot swells coming in from the ocean which were breaking on the reefs on either side of the narrow channel. We came very close to burying the bow a couple of times. Once we reached the deeper water the ride was much more comfortable but the wind was almost directly on our nose. We had to motor-sail the 61 nautical miles. We decided to do this because if we didn’t go on this day it would be another week or so before it would be safe to make the crossing.
We arrived in the Abacos at 17:30 via the North Bar Channel. Again there was lots of surf in the cut but a piece of cake compared to the North Eleuthera Channel! Estrella Del Sur was waiting for us in the anchorage at Lynyard Cay! Brad and Julie had planned cocktails and dinner for us which was really appreciated after our long day of travel! It was great to see them and hear about their winter in the Abacos.