The last two days have been spent crossing the Great Bahama Bank – a wide expanse of very shallow ocean, lying between us and the Berry Islands. It’s been a long sail – 40+ miles reaching yesterday and 51 today under headsail only, with a night spent at anchor. It’s quite odd, just to turn off the main ‘track’ and throw down the anchor in the middle of the sea – but when it never gets deeper than 10 metres, that’s what you do.

Anyway – we haven’t mentioned fishing recently, but we’ve got our license so we are back in action. For the fisher-folk among you, we’re using a Cuban reel with monofilament line and an orange squid (‘Mr Squiddy’) on a double hook. Or at least, we were. The score to date is one common tunny (delicious), one Spanish mackerel (also delicious) and, today, one and a half barracuda. The first barracuda was too big (carries the risk of ciguatera) and went back to sea. Soon after there was another bite and while K was hauling the line in, it went from heavy – to light – to very heavy – to very light – and when the lure reached the boat we discovered that something big had got there before us and taken half our catch (see today’s picture). Put the line out again, and this time something bit Mr Squiddy right off. So that’s rice and beans for supper tonight.