After a leisurely morning at Fisher's Bay, we motored a couple of miles up the way to Baker's Bay, still on Great Guana Cay. We didn't go ashore there, although despite the private club that is present now and the new development that continues to go on, visitors are still welcome on the beaches. Instead, we dinghied over to Spoil Cay, the little island created from the dredging of the channel cruise ships once used to enter Baker's Bay. They no longer visit because, the way we heard it, coming in the Whale Cut is so weather dependent that they couldn't count on a regular schedule.

Spoil Cay, being straight in line with the cut, is a repository for all sorts of pretty little shells that sweep in on the tides.
After a perfectly wonderful afternoon of strolling along the wide swaths of sand ringed with the usual multihued ribbons of water, with sun on our bodies and wind brushing our cheeks, Mike and Cathy (Sapphire) joined us for some sipping and dining. I tried a new recipe for spicy coconut chicken and it was a hit. The combination of chicken cooked with red peppers and pineapple in coconut milk with ginger, garlic and lime, and a dollop of green curry paste is guaranteed to please.

When we got up on Thursday morning, the Whale looked to be navigable so we packed up everything loose, hoisted the dinghy on the davits and headed out. Solitaire had gone the day before and found the trip relatively smooth. The wind was scheduled to stay NE at 15-18 knots so we thought it was worth trying.

We motor sailed through rollers of 6-8 feet and a little bit of wind chop but it was perfectly do-able. The tide was ebbing and gave us a boost on the way out; we angled across the waves as we passed east of Whale Cay so that we were never broadside to them, and headed back in on the north side with a following sea that didn't seem bothered by the gentle ebb flow.

There are about 18 boats anchored off Settlement Point in New Plymouth - more than we ever saw here in December. Ashore, we met up with the crews of Solitaire, Sapphire and Werplayin' as we stood on the steps of Sid's Grocery Store and scooped up spoonfuls of ice cream. We visited the environmental centre at Captain Roberts house, purchased red snapper at B&M Seafoods and raisin bread at Sid's. Cathy and I bought Festival T-Shirts so we'll be fittingly attired for the Island Roots Heritage Festival this weekend. We'll head over to Pineapples for Happy Hour and internet time, and then will attend the welcome reception back at Captain Roberts.

The next couple of days will be spent here as we enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the Festival, and then we'll gradually work our way along the cays to the north - Manjack, Moraine, Double Breasted.