As we've mentioned numerous times the weather forecast dictates when and where we will go. Once we had cleared customs in Morgan's Bluff and secured our phone cards we had intended on moving south to the town of Fresh Creek for a day or so. Andros is unique in the Bahamas in that it has fresh ground water and numerous market gardens that supply much of the country's fresh produce. It would have been great to do some exploring but it will have to wait for another time.

Andros is a big island but unfortunately there are very few secure harbours for cruising boats to ride out any kind of weather. When we checked the weather Tuesday morning we discovered that there was a big cold front due to arrive overnight Thursday into Friday with possible gusts to 45 knots. We could have stayed on Andros for another day but then it would have been a race to find protection from the strong west winds. After some discussion Tuesday morning we decided to head over to the Exumas right away and find a nice spot before the crowd arrived. We motored sailed across the tongue of the ocean, which is deep water between Andros and New Providence Island and crossed on the bank early in the afternoon.

We were all a little tired from an uncomfortable night at anchor on Monday night and thought we would travel until dark and drop the hook on the bank for the night. However, Mother Nature treated us to a spectacular sunset and a bright 3/4 moon that lit our way so we continued on to Elbow Cay on the east side of the bank. It's an unbelievable sensation to be travelling under such a bright night sky at 7 knots and while being able to see the sand bottom in 15 feet of water. Anchors were dropped at 8 p.m. after having travelled 80 miles and thanks to calm waters we all enjoyed a great sleep.

When Bev and I were here two years ago one of our favourite spots was Cambridge Cay which is located in the Exuma Marine Park. They have a great mooring field that offers good wind protection for the kind of weather that is on the way. It was only 20 miles from Elbow Cay and we decided hold up there for a couple of days. The highlight of the trip today was the approach to the anchorage, the route had us circle around Bell Island which is owned by the Agha Khan. Most of the time we were within a hundred yards from shore allowing us to marvel at the size of his estate. Although,as hard as we looked with the binoculars we couldn't see Justin.

Today's picture is of last night's sunset.