The brisk southeast winds were still with us on Tuesday morning as we hoisted anchor and set sail for Calabash Bay. Once again we roared up the coast of Long Island on a beam each in 15-25 knots of breeze as we enjoyed our morning coffee. We decided to bypass the anchorage at Hog Cay and went right to Calabash Bay and dropped the hook in front of a beautiful little resort. We had planned on snorkeling but the water was rough over the reef plus it was getting late in the day. As they say " 10 - 3 shark free" and since it was close to 4 we decided to hit the beach for a walk. Duchess had arrived, so along with Matt, Joyce and Loki the dog we set off to explore the area. After a good walk to stretch our legs we got together with Matt and Joyce for a sundowner on Dagny.

Chris Parker's 6:30 Wednesday morning forecast called for 10-15 knot south winds for the day and gradually dropping by late afternoon, with the chance of a stray squall. Perfect for our 45 mile trip to Cat Island. We were on the move by 7:45 running wing and wing headed for Cat Island. I had worked on a new mainboom preventer this year and with main sail secured forward and the genny out on the whisker pole we sailed passed the cliffs of Cape Santa Maria. Supposedly this is where Christopher Columbus first landed when he discovered North America and for those who remember their history the names of his ships were the Nina, Pinta and the S.... M....

We made great time and had ideal conditions for the first half of the day then the weather went downhill a bit. The stray squalls that were forecasted all seemed to stray over us and as the skies darkened and the winds increased we rolled in the genny. As the peak gusts hit 25 knots we were smoking along at 7+ knots under main alone riding 5 foot swells. When we rounded the south west corner of the island the water went from 4,000 feet to 15 feet in a quarter of a mile and as we sailed up on the bank the seas dissipated and we had a fabulous reach the last 10 miles to New Bight.

It"s a good thing the conditions had calmed down for the last leg because it gave me time to clean the deck and cockpit after Bev's handiwork. You guessed, she caught ANOTHER fish, so we celebrated our first supper on Cat Island with a fresh Mahi dinner.
The weather should be calm the next few days giving us a chance to explore the area before we move on.

Today's picture is of Cape Santa Maria.