Today's bonus picture illustrates how clear the water is. I shot this with my I phone early in the morning, the water is 9 feet deep. As you can see there's no wind, the anchor chain is at 90 degrees to the boat and you can only see the top of the anchor. Zoom in a bit and you can see a baby starfish on the bottom.

Our planned 2 day pit stop in George Town morphed into a 4 day event as we waited for the weather to settle down. Fortunately, the cold weather that folks further north were experiencing never made it this far south; however, the unpredictable windy weather delayed our departure. Our first 2 days were spent doing the usual chores, laundry, groceries, lugging fuel out to the boat and doing some boat maintenance. At least the water maker saves me from having to haul 80 or 90 gallons of water from town. We had anchored on the east side of the harbour for wind protection but this left us with a very wet one mile dinghy ride across the rough harbour waters. By the end of day two our provisioning was complete and it was time to relax.

One thing about George Town is there are always lots of organized events for anyone who wants to get involved. We would be parting company for a while with our friends on White Bird (they had family coming into town) so we spent the last couple of days hiking and kayaking with them. Sandbox was in town as well and we all celebrated Robert's recent retirement in style with champagne and pizza, what a combo! George Town has a well known fish fry twice a week that is very popular with cruisers and locals alike. It's like a miniature food fair with 7 or 8 food vender kiosks selling various fish dishes as well as a couple of small bars for the party goers. After a fantastic dinner of grilled grouper we wandered over to the karaoke bar to check out the show. One of the cruisers is a professional musician who is always a fan favourite however, I think he met his equal that night The crowd was mesmerized by a girl who sang Bobby McGee. If you closed your eyes you would've thought it was Janice Joplin then she followed it up with a rousing rendition of Shania Twain's Man! I feel like a woman!

Finally after 4 days the winds abated and we set off for Cat Island, 52 miles away across Exumas Sound. The start was promising as we set the sails in a beautiful 12 knot breeze in flat seas, however, the forecasters were correct and by mid afternoon the breeze faded away forcing us To motor the last 20 miles to Old Bight. Our hopes were high as we dragged two fishing lines eagerly looking forward to a fish dinner. But alas luck was not on our side and we were forced to pull something out of the freezer for dinner. We had spent a few fun filled days anchored off Rollezz Resort a couple of years ago and we were looking forward to another visit to this little slice of heaven.
There were only 4 boats in the anchorage, a far cry from 180, and as we dropped the hook we both took a moment to savour the tranquility of the place.

Today's picture is of the intrepid hikers on top of Monument Hill in George Town

Following a relaxing few days at Lee Stocking we decided to move a few miles down the coast and check out Black Cay. We were looking forward to have a chance to fish since this trip would once again take us out Aderley Cut for the 8 mile trip down the coast. While we waited for the favourable noon tide we decided to go for a leisurely morning kayak. Not only have we been disappointed in our fishing skills but, our ability to find legal size conch was nothing to write home about either. However, as we drifted along in the glassy water we quickly discovered that kayaking was an ideal way to hunt for conch. We happened to drift over an area where we had the pick of the litter. We took our time picking out a couple that would make a great conch salad and once White Bird had made their selections we headed back to the boats.

We have had great luck sailing this trip but today the wind gods weren't on our side. We hoisted anchor in a feeble 3 knot breeze that would eventually die out to nothing. However, this made timing the cut a little less crucial, although we encountered a strong adverse current the seas were calm. As soon as we crossed the 100 foot depth line the fishing lines were run out as we enjoyed a leisurely cruise to Black Cay. Suddenly Bev jumped up and said the rod moved; close inspection showed that something was on but there wasn't much pull on the line. Once in a while as the line was being retrieved there would be a strong tug then we saw a silver and blue flash. Bingo, Bev had caught her first tuna, not as big as we expected but it was a great start. Not only was it our lucky day but just as White Bird was pulling in their lines they caught a nice Wahoo. You guessed it, fish was definitely on the menu for the evening.

We have never stopped in this area before; there a few cays in a row where the wide cuts lead to deep anchorages and easily accessible beaches. However, the down side is the ocean swells from north east winds will roll through the anchorage. The first day here was great as we hiked and did some dinghy exploring, but as the wind shifted and increased the anchorage became quite uncomfortable after two days. The silver lining was it was a great wind for sailing south so as slack tide arrived we headed off for George Town. The forecasted 12-15 knot breeze was really 15-20 as we motored out the wide cut in building seas. We used most of our 55 horses while powering into the short steep waves, although we never buried the bow like WhiteBird we certainly gave the deck a good wash on the way out. As we cleared the cut and set sail for George Town the seas relaxed a bit resulting in a fast sporty sail to Conch Cut and the entrance to the Elizabeth Harbour.

We plan on spending a couple of days in George Town doing the usual, laundry, groceries, and preparing the boat for our next destination. The stop over here will also give us a chance to catch up with a few friends in the anchorage. Although there is always a lot to do in George Town being anchored amongst 180 plus boats is not our scene. Once the weather settles we'll be on our way again.

Today's picture is of yet another sunset with Dagny and WhiteBird resting peacefully.

It's been a week since we arrived in Williams Bay and we have eased right into life at anchor Bahamian style. Although most days have been breezy we've had great protection from the predominantly north east to east winds. Occasionally the wind has gone around the clock however, the times of limited protection have been short lived so we have never felt the need to relocate.

Although the breezy weather has limited our snorkeling time the kayaks are getting a workout as we venture further and further from the anchorage. One excursion took us a couple of miles south of Williams Bay and across the opening to Pucker Pass, an extremely narrow and treacherous small boat cut that is not for the faint of heart. We wisely gave the entrance a wide berth but as we watched the ocean waves crash against the out going tide, it was easy to see how the pass got it's name. While paddling through a very shallow area we had the most amazing experience with a group of rays. As we were drifting along I suddenly realized we were in the middle of at least a dozen large southern rays hiding in the sand. We had to be careful padding in the 2 foot deep water because our paddles would hit them. Our skeg must have brushed over one because there was quite a splash behind us as an irate ray swam away while images of Steve Irwin flashed in my head. By the end of our excursion we had easily seen 3 dozen rays and a couple of turtles.

One of the main attractions of Lee Stocking Island has been the abundance of hiking trails that criss-cross the island. Unfortunately, the island has been sold again and the new owner plans on building an Eco Resort and re-opening the research Center. Sadly, with the exception of one short trail and 2 small beaches, the rest of the island is off limits to visitors. There is a lot of renovation work being done on the buildings at the research Center and if the rumours are true, re opening the Center would certainly be a positive for the area. The rumours of a new resort are being greeted with skepticism. We have seen a few construction projects scattered around the islands that promised great things but were never completed for one reason or another. The sad part is coral landscape never recovers from failed construction sites which leave behind ugly scars and rusting construction equipment.

We'll be leaving here in a couple of days as the weather patterns seem to be improving. It is time to move on and checkout a few more places before heading to Georgetown for supplies. After that who knows.

Today picture is of a happy hour sunset from the beach at Williams Bay. Dagny is on the far left of the picture

Today’s bonus picture was taken during our hike along Lee Stocking Island

As 2024 wound down we were looking at our options of where to spend New Year's Eve. Since we were already in the Big Majors anchorage, Staniel Cay Yacht Club was an option, they always throw a great party however, the $175 pp price was a little over the top for us. Fortunately, we had discovered that the Blue grocery store had received a shipment of fresh food via airfreight on Monday evening, so plans were made for an onboard New Years celebration if all else failed. Armed with our shopping list we hit the beach at 8 a.m. for the store opening and were delighted at the freshness and variety of the fruit and vegetables.

Once our shopping was done the anchor was pulled and we set off for a leisurely sail to Blackpoint and the famous Rockside laundry. After all, nothing says New Years Eve like an afternoon in the laundry mat. Peter and I checked out the various establishments in town and a decision was reached that happy hour at Scorpio's and a light dinner on the deck would be a great way to toast the New Year. As we headed back to the boats at cruiser's midnight (9.p.m.) we had a great view of Staniel Cay's fireworks 7 miles away. As we hit the bed at 10 we were happy to have had shared a relaxing evening with good friends. Although sleep came fast we were abruptly awoken at midnight by Blackpoint's fireworks that were launched a mere 300 yards from the anchorage. All in all a great way to end 2024.

The weather forecasters have been predicting windy conditions the next couple of weeks from various directions so we have been carefully studying our options. It was decided that Lee Stocking Island was one of our best options, although not perfect it would give us the highest percentage of good coverage without having to move very much. The trip would take us out Galliot Cut and in at Adderly so timing the tides would be crucial in the 12-16 knot north east breeze. Our day started at 6:30 with a great 14 mile sail on the bank in flat water. Pretty hard to top sailing at 7.5 knots as Otto steered us on a nice beam reach allowing the crew to enjoy coffee and breakfast prior to heading offshore. As expected we hit a stiff current heading out the cut but with wind and current in the same direction the ride was good and we nailed slack tide at Adderly for a smooth ride. The only disappointment of the day was when we lost a fish. During our last trip we never had a bite in 4 months, at least this time we had a strike as Bev returned to her favourite lure.

For now we have staked our claim with WhiteBird in Williams Bay and expect to be here for 10 days or so. It's a great place to hike, snorkel and kayak and so far there is only a handful of boats. During our morning kayak trip we saw 6 big Southern string rays and yesterday morning a pair of dolphins entertained us as they played under the boat. Certainly is a great way to start 2025.

Today's picture is of a fuel tanker weaving his way through the anchorage at Big Majors.