It's getting warmer
02/24/2010, Hopetown Harbour

With a soft north wind blowing 10 knots (18kph) we sailed south to Snake Cay where we anchored overnight.... a lovely sail with another boat.

In the morning, with the help of a high tide we dinghy into the inside passage which involves 2 feet of water and hundreds of small islands/rocks completely protected from the sea of Abaco.... lots of fish and turtles...easy to get lost in the maze of waterways...

We then motored in dead calm water down to Lynyard Cay where we spent another two days exploring the Old Bight of Robinson in the dinghies, and I was fortunate to catch two enormous (8lbs) lobsters which we shared with two other boats for a wonderful dinner.

Another great sail north with a southern wind at 20-25 knots and we're back in Hopetown hoping to refill the propane tank and purchase another prop for the dinghy.... they don't like hitting the bottom!

Another lobster caught north of Elbow Cay was dinner last night....

Lot's of fun!

Keep well!

glen

Comments [0]

Cool and windy
02/18/2010, Hopetown Harbour

Another couple of days spent walking the beaches collecting washed up pieces of pottery, some dated in 1810 and earlier.

While it is windy and cool (I'm wearing long pants) the sun is shining and we're planning another expedition south to explore the blue holes 10 miles south for a couple of days with some friends, once the weather settles down a bit. There are some wonderful inside passages that can be explored in a dinghy at high tide weaving in and out of the hundreds of islands.

If the wind drops we'll head out this morning, if not we'll wait for tomorrow..... there is no sense of urgency!

I hope all is well in Ottawa and realize that we're only seven weeks away from our exciting ride north via Nassau.

Keep well!

glen

Comments [0]

Cool (60F) with rain and completely overcast
02/16/2010, Hopetown Harbour

It seems that the month is February has been a continuous series of northern fronts blasting down from Canada. The cold air arrives, is slowly heated by the normal warm weather, the warm air rises, and more cold air rushes down to fill the low pressure spot.

We awoke yesterday to cool weather but little if any wind. Another cold front is expected today with 25-30 knots of wind, so we decided to stay put, and explore the local area.

With the calm winds, we jumped into our dinghy, as did our immediate neighbours from Montreal, and the two dinghies headed out to a wonderful reef about 2 miles off-shore. Rather impressive motoring into the rollers in a small inflatable boat heading out towards crashing waves braking over the reef. We anchored on the lee of the reef in 8' of water and spent an hour exploring one of the most beautiful reefs in the world. The colours, fish, topology was breathtaking. The fact that both Louise and I have shorty wetsuits and prescription lenses in our masks really made it very comfortable, and the presence of a second dinghy was also comforting in the event of any mechanical problems.

Back on board I completed the task of scraping ALL of the varnish off of the exterior of the boat and coating the teak wood with tung oil. The wood looks fantastic, and I'll never have to sand and varnish another piece of wood.... wonderful news!

Cool, windy weather is expected for the remainder of the week, so it's a perfect excuse to relax, enjoy the fresh lobster and prawns, do some more reading, and enjoy the deserted beaches..... a great way to spend February.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics.... I only get the updates on CBC via Sirius satellite radio, but it sounds like things are unfolding as they should...... quite the spectacle!

Have fun!

glen

Comments [1]