Wednesday the 25th we sadly picked up the anchor and headed across the Devil's Backbone back to Spanish Wells and points E-SE. We decided to forego using a pilot ($80) since we had the track on the chart plotter and just had to follow it. Of course, vigilence is still the key to pick out and avoid the coral heads and reefs, but the weather was perfect with the sun high enough and behind us to make the visibility perfect. We passed through Spanish Wells from the opposite direction which provided a wonderful photo op, and then kept motoring to just north of Current Cut (perfect for making water!)where we spent a lovely, relaxed evening watching a clear sunset and enjoying dinner onboard.

The day before we left Harbour Island we were finally able to get off the boat, and head into town for a nice long walk, a little shopping and a stop at the Blu Bungalow for dinner. What a pleasant surprise! A delightfully decorated rooftop patio with a slightly Indian/West Indian flair to the decor and and food. We discovered bhajis which are the ultimate "onion rings" (onions dipped in a lightly curred batter and fried), served with a calypso dipping sauce (mayo, touch of coconut and hot sauce). Wow! Ingo loves his onion rings!

Then, Thursday the 25th, we had an awesome sail from Current Cut, Eleuthera, to Highborne Cay in the Northern Exumas. Averaged about 7.5 knots for 40 miles. Started about 35 minutes before 4 identical 65 ft motoryachts and arrived 10 min after they did at Highborne Cay. They beat us but contacted us on VHF as they were passing us about how awesome Ladyhawke looked and was moving under sail using no fuel, while they burned about 10 gal/hour running in max fuel mileage mode. We were feeling really good about sailing the whole way in great comfort on a beam reach, including dodging a bunch of coral heads along the way. We are getting good at reading the water and using VPR (visual piloting rules).

Highborne Cay Marina has become a much more sophisticated high end marina in the last 12 years. It's stunning but we're out at anchor and just go in for lunch or dinner at the new Xuma restaurant that is superb!

So tonight (April 26) Chris Parker told us to expect a low pressure "Trough" to come up from the South West (Dominican Republic/Cuba/Key West) and hang around for a couple of days....20 - 25 knots of gradient wind, ~35 knots in squalls, and lots of rain in the squalls. We had a great lunch at Xumas before walking all over Highborne Cay and then returned to Ladyhawke. Oh yes, internet is available through the marina so we purchased a 2-day subscription. Apparently, we later learned that it's only for marina guests, but the clerk unknowingly had already set us up so we're lucky in that respect. We are now move into our "hunker down" mode ... reading books, checking off items on the never-ending boat Do List.

The Trough should be gone by Wed, May 2 when we plan to sail to Nassau (about 45 miles), reprovision the boat for the trip home, pick up Pete and Chris who fly in on Friday and then depart to the USA on Sunday, weather permitting. It will probably take us about 7 to 10 days to get back into the Chesapeake Bay.

Yes... Life is better on a boat!