Our sail to George Town from Black Point and back was uneventful, which included the sad news that we got no fish! We had no problems renewing our visa while at George Town. Once we returned to Black Point we were in a let's-go-home mode. Several fronts were coming through which we hid from with several other boats, several other motor yachts. Sometimes it is better to anchor way out from all these boats because shallow draft and deep draft boats do not play well together in the anchorage when current is a factor. While at Staniel Cay we made our reservations for our return home. We have a long list of things to do. This year has been one of replacing parts it seems! Still more to do.
So, once we arrived at Staniel we found that our friends on Southern Belle were headed north towards home! We were happy for them.
The Crown of Thorns is an infamous spot at Thunderball Grotto and while we were there a 65 foot motor yacht ran aground there, taking on water and needing to be salvaged. A grim reminder to also look out ahead as you are going through skinny areas and don't just follow the track on your chart plotter.
It is a long way back to the states from the Exumas, so it is nice to take it a day at a time. Sometimes you may get a weather window which meets your needs and sometimes not. But it is always a good idea to be prepared for whatever window you get!
We headed up to Highborne Cay on 3-19 and the next day to West Bay, New Providence (Nassau). Some good sailing for part of the day and then motor-sailing the rest of the day. On 3-21 we upped anchor before light and headed for the states. Light winds at first and then motor-sailing, with winds and seas picking up as we crossed. By morning we had squalls and high winds which made the crossing a bit uncomfortable, but doable. We arrived at Lake Worth inlet with more squalls, lots of rain and winds coming out of the south. Not a nice welcome back to the good-old US of A, but we'll take it! We arrived on 3-22 around 2:30 PM, after 165.6 nautical miles and 30.5 hours later, anchoring at Lake Worth inlet near Peanut Island. We checked into the US Customs and Border Patrol by phone and took a long nap! The next day we headed to North Lake Worth anchorage where we stayed for a few days. We ran into Southern Belle who had arrived a few days earlier and all was well with them. So happy they made it safely. Glad we got here when we did because another front was expected. Now the long list begins! We are here in Stuart, FL and will head to Ft. Pierce in a couple weeks and then heading home on April 30. See you next season!