So Moon and Seahawk made their way to the Abacos, clearing the reef and pushing north on a nice beam reach in light winds. We made a good 6 kts for the first few hours, but as we cleared Hole in the Wall, we set too by a current and we dropped to ~ 4 kts.
Weather was great and we trolled for most of the day, but no bites. As we drew in the line we did come across a small pod of pilot whales which really added to the passage. Shortly after we entered Little Harbour Cut and anchored behind Leonard Cay.
Initially we were planning on spending a few days here, but the weather forecast was not great so we pulled the hook and headed up into Marsh Harbour. It was pretty crowded but we found a spot about 10 m from last year's mark and settled in for a couple of nasty days.
Marsh Harbour had gotten busier over the past year, or at least that what it felt like to us. More cars, construction and a faster pace of life. We spent a few days here, meeting other cruisers, laundry and topping up our provisions.
Once the weather broke we headed north to Treasure Cay while Moon headed over to experiance Guana Cay (and nippers!). Treasure Cay was nice for a few days, a much more relaxed pace than Marsh. After a couple of days we pushed off and headed around the Whale up to Green Turtle.
Intially wanted to grab a mooring there, but the only intact ones these days are private, and anchoring is tight so we decided to stay put outside the harbour. Had a great day in New Plymouth walking around. Very quaint town with friendly folks. Streets are very quiet and some great shops and nice watering holes.
Moon joined us here and we bumped into our sister ship, Moorsan, as well. This resulted in a nice evening of drinks and conversation.
After a couple of days we felt is was time to take advantage of good weather and start the run back to Florida. We left Moon at this point as they were waiting for a good window to push offshore to the Carolinas, vice heading west into Florida.
First day a slow start so we only went as far as Cooperstown, a place well entrenched in election fever. Next day early start and we headed to Great Sale, but found we were making much better time and decided to push further into Mangrove Cay. Anchorage is normally on the south side, but a nasty breeze from the south made us anchor north of the Cay, which worked out well. Early next morning we pushed off to West End, arriving mid afternoon.
West End was a great treat last year, but this year we were a bit disappointed as maintenance seemed a bit lacking and the fine dining restaurant was closed. We met up with another Canadian couple who were also looking for a buddy boat for the crossing to West Palm. Weather window looked good, but morning squalls meant delaying our departure so we decided to wait until late afternoon and do a slow night crossing. So around 1800 we threw off the lines and headed west.