In years past the restaurants in Black Point have hosted cruisers on Christmas Day, however as mentioned in an earlier post, this year they all decided to have their Cruisers Christmas dinner on the 24th. This really made more sense as it allowed the employees to have the 25th off to be with their families. Our group of ten headed off to Lorraine's Cafe for a 5 o'clock happy hour followed by a delicious buffet dinner which included turkey, fresh fish and ham. The crowd was smaller than in past years but everyone enjoyed the games and a little karaoke as well. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best, the north east winds were playing havoc in the harbor and the dinghies were taking a pounding at the dock. We all decided it best to get back to the boats before there was any damage done so the whole gang decided to leave by 8:30. However, this was easier said then done. The tide was out and as waves swept under the dock and rebounded off the rock wall the dinghies danced like bucking broncos. It was no easy feat climbing 7 feet down a wooden ladder to board a wildly moving dinghy. Fortunately, everyone made it out ok and arrived safely back at their boats, soaking wet but happy.

Black Point sits on the north side of a headland that sticks westward out into the sound for a mile, the north east winds were making the harbor quite bumpy so on Christmas Day we moved about 3 miles to the south side of the point to a well protected anchorage with 2 beautiful sand beaches that were easily accessible by dinghy. The rest of Christmas Day was spent relaxing and catching up with family before our group shared a potluck dinner together. It was a fitting way to end a special day in a special place.

Even though Black Point offers numerous services we really prefer the anchorage in White Bay. Besides easy beach access, the ocean is a 5 minutes walk away, the white sand is beautiful and the town is a 50 minute walk. Everyone took a few days to relax and recharge their batteries after having pushed to get here in various weather conditions. Swimming, beach combing and Bocce ball on the beach were the order of the day between numerous rain showers. Playing bocce ball on the beach during a receding tide was fun as each round could be played in a different area as the waves levelled out the sand. However, it took patience to try and master the mini sand dunes and tidal pools.

After a couple of days it was time for a change of scenery so we decided to move 15 miles south to Rudder Cay while we debate where we'll celebrate New Years. The conditions were perfect for a nice sail on the bank as we set off around 10 in the morning hoping that our tide timing was correct to navigate a couple of shallow banks on route. One of the numerous upgrades we had made to Dagny this year was the addition of an inner forestay so we could fly a small jib in heavy air. Although the wind was only 15 knots, with the flat water on the bank it was a perfect time to try it out. We were very pleased with how all the new equipment worked and the performance of the sail as we cruised along at over 6 knots. Once again our timing was good and we were anchor down by 1:30 and ready to go exploring. We'll figure out what we're doing in the next day or so, in the meantime the kayak is in the water and the snorkel gear is out.

Today's picture is of a rather crabby crab who didn't like his picture being taken.