Wednesday 12/6
It started raining while we were eating our raisin bran. We postponed leaving until the rain stopped. It was 6:30 a.m. when we pulled the anchor. There were two boats that came in and anchored near us before sunset last night. The one in front of us had already left when we got up. The one to our starboard side was pulling his anchor right after us. The tide was just past slack and starting to come in again. Leaving the inlet the waves were 2-4 ft. and the winds 5-10 from the east , on our nose. After an hour or so, the waves started coming down to 1-2 feet with a 6-8 second interval, The wind clocked a little more to the south and then died down to less than five, "benign" as Chris predicted. The three boats leaving the inlet the same time we did all spread out. and before long were not visible. We've lost sight of land too. Our depth gauge stopped recording at 399 feet under the keel, but the charts showed the true depth at 2500 feet. We enjoyed listening to the stereo as we motored along. No sailing on this crossing. We spotted schools of flying fish about 10 miles out from the banks. They skim across the water and then disappear into the waves. The water is somewhere between royal and navy. A stricking blue against the white foam from our wake. The water temperature is 87°. It is 3:00 p.m. when we reach Memory Rock on the Little Bahama Bank. We have bypassed West End on Grand Bahama Island. The bottom quickly comes up from 1700 feet to 103 feet when we noticed the depth gauge measuring again. Then in a matter of minutes we are in fifteen feet of water. The water is so clear we can see the bottom. The water is completely flat now on the bank. I am mesmerized looking at the bottom. It is like being on a tour in a glass bottom boat. I don't see the turtle that I am looking for, but I do see some conchs and lots of huge Bahamian starfish. I pulled myself away to go below to make a light dinner of mac n cheese with tomatoes. When I return to the cockpit with our dinner, the sky looks like it has melted into the water. They are both a pale blue and it is hard to tell where the water stops and the sky begins. The sun is setting behind us. Even with the clouds hanging back over the gulf stream, it is beautiful. It is dark at 6:15. I have been looking forward to having the waning super moon to guide us on this leg but it is nowhere to be seen yet. The sky is filled with stars. The auto pilot is set on a course to Great Sale Cay. Carl and I take turns watching the radar. At 9:00 p.m.the moon makes its appearance. It is bright orange as it rises out of the low clouds. We approach our anchorage at Great Sale Cay just after 11:00p.m.. This is a popular anchorage between Florida and the Abacos. It is a large anchorage next to an uninhabited island. There are only two anchor lights visible. Our radar tells us that they are indeed the only boats there. There is a boat following in behind us. We pick a spot and drop the anchor at 11:20 p.m. It has been a long day, but we made it to the Bahamas!