We spent two fun filled relaxing days at Rudder Cay with our group of 4 boats plus a Swiss boat that we picked up along the way. We can't believe our run of good weather we've been having; other then torrential rain showers late on Christmas Day it has been basically dry, sunny and hot. Besides beach combing and snorkelling while at a Rudder Cay we got back in to playing marbles with the crew of Sandbox. As usual it was the guys against the girls and unfortunately for Robert and I the girls were the overall winners and they certainly let us know it. But there's always a next time for us to get our revenge so, until then beware.

As is always the case when travelling in a group it's hard to come to a consensus on a plan. There's a small beautiful anchorage at Prime Cay which was winning the popularity contest, the problem with our draft we can only get in or out at high tide. Also, there is only room for 3 or 4 boats at a time and we didn't feel like getting stuck trying to find a spot. Our group had been together for over a week and we felt it was time to move on anyways so Bev and I elected to continue south to Williams Bay, which is one of our favourite anchorages. The Rudder Cay Cut is fairly deep but the current can rip through it so correct tidal timing is important, and thanks to input from a couple of friends we hit the slack tide perfectly and motor sailed through the cut in virtually zero current. Our trip to Lee Stocking Island was only 8 miles in deep water but Bev had a chance to try her new lures but to no avail. Good thing there's still lots of food in the freezer. The entrance at Aderley Cut was nice and flat as we motor sailed in and dropped the hook at Williams Bay by early afternoon.

There are 3 small beaches in Williams Bay that provide great access to the island and it's numerous hiking trails. Although we've been here a few times before it never gets tiring to walk the trails to the ocean side and enjoy the view of the Atlantic. It is mesmerizing to watch the waves wash ashore and as we sat there you could feel the stress release. Once we returned to the bay we did a kayak tour of the bay looking for turtles and rays. At first we thought we had struck out but all of a sudden Bev noticed an oval outline in the sand and we realized it was a huge ray. Initially they're hard to spot as they bury themselves in the soft sand and all you see is their outline and a small bump with 2 eyes showing. As we drifted along the shore we spotted 8 more in short order, some buried and some swimming along. However, since we were in the inflatable kayak which is very close to the water the big ones can be a bit intimidating; when you see the long tail all I think about is Steve Irwin.
Since we were travelling alone we planned on a quiet New Years Eve aboard Dagny to ring in the New Year. However, Claude Amiot from Oka and his group were here and they invited us to join them for a beach BBQ and bonfire. Some of their group had gone off hunting and came back with lobster, conch and enough fish to feed everyone. We graciously accepted their invitation and headed ashore around 2 pm to join the festivities, and what a time we had. Fresh conch fritters and lobster bites were grilled ashore while the fresh fish was bbq'd to perfection. Rice, Bev's famous coleslaw (my mother's recipe) and homemade breads topped off the meal in style.
Of course dinner was followed by a bonfire and a sing song as the sun set on a picture perfect day, truly a New Years Eve to remember. Nine pm. is commonly referred to as cruisers midnight and a Bev and I were determined to stay up so we enjoyed a nice relaxing night cap on the fore deck star gazing before calling it a year at 10:30..

Todays picture is of a small Oceanside beach at Williams Cay