Since we are on somewhat of a time schedule, we needed to leave for Abaco at the earliest weather opportunity. Winds and seas from the south to southeast would be preferable due to the direction of the current. It would make for a more comfortable ride since it could take 10 hrs., comfort was the goal. Headed out early just as the sun was rising. I am not a morning person but I definitely am getting A LOT of sunrises. Or departure times you have to consider the tide tables through any shallow inlets you might have to enter, exit or both. Little Harbour our intended entry point can have swells along with a narrow entrance and not very much depth at low tide. With this consideration we wanted to enter closer to high tide.

The weather was really good but I don’t know what it is but definitely finding the light winds coming in the wrong direction to even bother putting up the sails. Handline out all day and nothing, not even a nibble.

One of the instruments we have is an AIS which transmits and receives. It allows you to see what other vessels are out there if they have AIS also. Their distance, speed and best of all at which point you might collide with them. S/V such and such with bearing 252 traveling at 7 knots distance 3 miles will come within 1 mile in 20 minutes. Or worse turns red and shows exactly where impending collision will happen if neither changes course. When it’s a big old container ship or cruise ship you want to keep your distance, especially if they are crossing in front you, you get their wake .It can be significant and who wants all that thrashing about, just move over a few degrees. In the regulations there is a pecking order, who has to give way or change their course. The big boys can’t stop as quick and maneuvering takes more time. They are at the top of the order. If you’re not clear on their intentions, hail them on the radio. Somewhere in the middle is sailing vessels with sails up. If no sails up you’re considered just a power boat. It works out really nice so even when you can’t yet see them you can get out the binoculars and watch for them. As we got closer to Little Harbour there was a lot of AIS targets on the chartplotter. Like merging traffic onto the freeway you can see who is going to reach the inlet first and where to fall in line. Which is what happened going into Little Harbour.

We pulled into the first anchorage into Lynyard Cay and here we are back to Abaco. Right beside us pulls in S/V IEMANJANA who we had been watching on the AIS. Another little perk we felt like we already knew each other. Ernie and Betty from Vermont on their way back from the Berries. No the AIS didn’t tell us all that, we went over to say hi.

By early evening it had become quite a full anchorage or as I became to call it “The Trailer Park”. We had some double wides, some single wides and some motor homes coming in. It was more fun to say than another monohull is coming in or a motor vessel just anchored to our stern. Someday maybe I’ll get more with the program and use all the sailor lingo but it just seems SO PROPER and sometimes I feel silly using it. So until then that was just another day down here at the trailer park. Good to be back in Abaco, tomorrow back to Tahiti Beach.