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.

Although the Christmas dinner buffet was the highlight of our 3 day stay at Warderick Wells it wasn't the only attraction. The narrow channel that loops through the horse shoe sharped anchorage has a fairly strong tidal current providing lots for the marine life to feed on. At certain times of the day we felt like we were in an aquarium as we were entertained by all the fish, turtles and rays that cruised by. We took the opportunity to hike some of the well marked trails that crisscrossed the island during the beautiful weather and of course we got our kayak rides in each morning.

However, after 3 days it was time to get moving again and think about where we would celebrate New Years. Everyone's fresh produce was getting low so it was time to work our way closer to Staniel Cay, home of the Pink and Blue grocery stores. After a couple more days of exploring quite out of the way places we arrived at Staniel Cay. Although it was a little surprising to find the store shelves were bare and there wouldn't be a mail boat until January 7th, the biggest surprise was the number of mega yachts. This year they're way over the top, this morning a conservative count showed over 30 mega yachts in the area, by mega I mean 100' plus with several over 250'. And of course don't forget the toys strung off the back of these things, from floating rafts, seadoos, paddle boards and multi engined tenders. As you can imagine once we managed to find some supplies we were gone in search of a quieter anchorage.

One rewarding aspect of cruising life is the willingness of people to help one another in time of need, no matter what it may be. While in Warderick Wells we met a fellow who was having trouble with his outboard. I stopped by to offer a hand as he readily admitted he wasn't that mechanically inclined. Peter, from White Bird and I helped him trouble shoot the issue, and after the carb and filters were cleaned we discovered he had a load of bad gas. Once the tank was flushed and refilled he was off to the races with the hope that he can help the next guy who needs a helping hand. While listening to the VHF one morning I came across another boat offering assistance that caught my attention. It seems one of the mega yachts was out of feta cheese and avocados, poor guys, however his friend was quick to offer him some as they had a plane coming in that day and they could bring some more in. I thought of offering them some Grey Poupon but didn't know if they would see the humour in it. Oh well, it takes all kinds.

Happy New Year Everyone, have a healthy and happy 2025.

Today's picture is of a visitor to Dagny at Warderick Wells.

Today’s bonus picture is of Dagny moored in Warderick Wells.

After having been on the go for 25 hours we really wanted to stay over night at Morgan's Bluff and visit the new beach bar that has been getting rave reviews. However, the anchorage is wide open to the north and as the morning wore on the north wind kept building and pushing the waves in the harbour. We had been caught here in similar conditions a few years ago, it wasn't any fun then and we knew this time it would be the same. Reluctantly we hauled anchor and headed out to seek shelter in the lee of New Providence Island, 25 miles away. The 15 knot northerly that chased us out of Morgan's Bluff gradually faded away and we ended up motor sailing the last few miles to Southwest Bay, our chosen anchorage for the night. Finally after covering 190 miles the anchor was set just as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Tired but happy we looked forward to a quiet dinner followed by a good sleep.

One advantage of pushing on across the Tonque Of The Ocean from Morgan's Bluff was that we were now in the shallow cyrstal clear waters of the Exuma Bank. However, our anchorage left a lot to be desired, although we had ok wind protection the current kept us rolling around all night severely limiting our sleep. The morning dawned bright and sunny and after a quick breakfast we were off again. Shroud Cay lay 40 miles to the southeast and once again the sails were set for a leisurely sail to one of our favourite islands in the Bahamas. Our plan was to go to Warderick Wells for Christmas but we wanted to spend a day kayaking at Shroud beforehand. There are several kayak routes through the mangroves that are always fun to explore and although we only saw 3 turtles it was great to work some tired muscles.

We had never celebrated Christmas at Warderick Wells but had always heard great things about it. The park wardens cook turkey and ham for everyone and the cruisers supply all the side dishes. We celebrated Christmas morning with a kayak tour of the harbour followed by our traditional Xmas breakfast, however someone forgot the Baileys for our coffee. We made our way to the Park headquarters for 2:30 and dinner was served to the 60 or so sailors in attendance by 4 p.m. The spread was impressive to say the least and a good time was had by all. It was a fun afternoon as new friends were made and old acquaintances were renewed.

Today's Picture is of "Sandi" the Christmas Tree from West Palm