I thought I’d post an uplifting picture after the previous 2 sad ones of the wreck at Governor’s Harbour. A pod of 6 dolphins played around the boat while we were enroute to Spanish Wells the other day. This shot is of a mother and her young as they escorted Dagny.

The remains loaded on a trailer ready to be hauled away.

Finally, after 6 days and 2 cold fronts each with winds from 25- 40 knots, the winds abated and shifted in our favour. We were eager to be on the move and explore a few new anchorages that had been recommended by friends. As Dagny eased out of the harbour in a gentle SE breeze we set sail for Ten Bay, a secluded anchorage laying 20 miles to the north. After having been preoccupied with the ever changing weather the last few days we were looking forward to
a couple of light wind days and calm nights. We spent 2 relaxing days kayaking and playing Bocce ball on a beautiful flat sand beach, the only stress came from having to be sure to put enough side spin on the ball so it wouldn't roll into the water.

Governor's Harbour hosts a very popular Fish Fry every Friday evening, sailors and cottagers come from miles around for the party. There are areas where the holding is poor so we headed there early on Thursday to secure a good anchoring spot in the harbour before the crowd arrived. Our efforts were rewarded as we managed to get a great spot near the beach with good protection from the south winds. Once the usual chores were done it was time to relax and explore this historic town. Fish Fry did not disappoint as a couple of hundred people partied and danced the night away on the street. We had been introduced to a fellow from South Africa who has lived and worked in Governor's for the last 7 years. Patrick was a great source of local knowledge and we would have loved to have spent more time with him but yet and cold front was on it's way so it was time to move on.

Today's picture is evidence of what can happen when your anchor drags on a Lee shore. This 30' boat was anchored here in Governors Harbour on Monday while we were riding out the strong cold front in Rock Sound. Pretty as it is Governor's is completely exposed to NW and N winds and areas of the harbour floor are covered with large grass patches which do not provide good holding. The 30' Hunter dragged it's anchor in the middle of the night and before the skipper could react the boat had been pushed aground. As the 5 foot waves rolled unabated into the harbour the boat was turned sideways and shortly after the keel snapped off. Without any ballast the boat heeled right over and drove the mast into the sand bottom. Kinda like turtling a Laser. In no time the deck was ripped off as the waves kept pounding the boat ashore; fortunately, by now the boat was in only 3' of water so the couple onboard just walked ashore unharmed. The boat was reduced to what you see in the picture in only a matter of hours.

Before people rush to criticize the owner, we met him as he was cleaning up the beach. He's an experienced sailor who admits he made a bad call, but he had allowed someone else's schedule to influence his decision making which led to this disaster. However, I will give credit where credit is due. We have seen dozens and dozens of boats washed ashore and wrecked along the US east coast and a few in the Bahamas where people have simply walked away and left the wreck to be dealt with by someone else. But not this guy, he was making sure the wreck was cleaned up before he left town. He covered the costs himself with plans to deal with his insurance when he got home.

Today’s bonus picture is the public washroom at Cat Island, be sure to read the sign.

As we ghosted into the anchorage at New Bight we noticed a small trimaran with a Canadian flag anchored in the corner of the harbour and realized that it had been at Conception Island with us. We had seen one anchored north of Beaufort NC on our way south and we were wondering if this was the same adventuresome couple. This particular boat is a 27' long Corsair and the outer hulls fold in so the whole thing fits on a trailer. There is a berth in the Center hull but not much else so it really is like camping on a floating tent trailer; and Steve and I thought we were roughing it in my Tanzer 22.

Just as we finished putting Dagny to bed Francois from the trimaran stopped by to introduce himself and say hi. Turns out he's from Montreal and coached sailing at Royal St. Lawrence YC and even attended a few Fruit Bowls at HYC with his team. Over drinks the next day they told us how they trailed the boat from Vancouver to the west coast of Florida and had been in the Bahamas since early December. But this wasn't their first kick at the can, a few years ago they had trailed it to Mexico and sailed the sea of Cortez, a perfect example of never say never.

With the ever changing weather the past couple of weeks we have certainly been getting our money's worth from our Chris Parker subscription. My morning routine is listening to his forecast while the coffee brews then discussing our options with the Admiral once she arises. The strong easterlies (20-30 knots) kept us pinned at New Bight for a few days but at least we could easily get ashore for exercise and socializing. The big dilemma for us was what to do when the winds quickly rolled around to the west. We had been here earlier in the year and a light westerly breeze made the anchorage uncomfortable until the wind shifted to the NW. However, this time around we would only have one day of moderate south winds before it would blow 15-25 knots from the west for 12-18 hours. The question everyone was agonizing over was, do we have to to get somewhere else before the west winds drive 5' waves into the anchorage or do we try and tough it out. For 24 hours political discussions were on the back burner as numerous scenarios were explored. At the last minute we elected to leave early Wednesday morning for Rock Sound expecting to arrive after dark. The seas were still a little elevated but after 15 miles we set the sails wing and wing and roared northbound in following seas and a 20 knot breeze. Dagny covered the 75 miles in 11 hours from anchor up to anchor down. Unfortunately, the only fish we caught was a barracuda who was lost, normally they reside in shallow water, 100' or less but this guy was in 2000', maybe he's been concussed by all the Space X debris that's been falling in the local waters.

Next on the agenda, a few days in Rock Sound while we wait for 2 fronts to roar through. In the meantime there's lots to do here as we have new and old friends to share our time with.

Today's picture is from the Cathedral Caves at Rock Sound

As mentioned earlier, a visit to Conception Island has been on our wish list for a few years. We hung around the central Exumas looking for a good 3 or 4 day weather window that would allow us time to explore this beautiful island. Our patience finally paid off as we motor sailed in a light southerly breeze across Exumas Sound. The 50 mile trip would put us in position for an overnight stopover at Calabash before continuing on to our destination. Conception Island is a national park, the stunningly beautiful uninhabited island is surrounded by beautiful beaches and several good snorkeling areas. It's imperative to keep a close eye on the weather as there is zero protection from any west component wind and any strong easterly can make for a tough trip to or from the Island. The final 17 mile leg of our trip was a little sportier than expected as we beat into short steep waves. We hoped that the island would be as beautiful as everyone says, making the effort worthwhile.

However, before we even got there things started going in our favour, the wind shifted a little as per the forecast ensuring the anchorage would be well protected and Bev got a fish.
Ever since the tuna we caught early on Lady Luck has not been on our side until now. It's not the biggest Mahi we've caught to date but he did put up a good fight and will provide us with 5 or 6 meals.
We had chosen to motor sail rather then sail because we knew our time at the island would be limited and we wanted to maximize out time there. Shortly before noon we dropped the hook in crystal clear water off a gorgeous mile long crescent beach. Once our fish was cleaned and in the freezer it was time to explore and relax. The next 2 days were spent enjoying all Conception has to offer as the anchorage gradually started to fill up. One highlight was a kayak trip to a small deserted beach where we had a very relaxing lunch of FRESH fish sandwiches. There are numerous reefs around the island so obviously snorkeling was on the agenda. As we drifted over a reef preparing to go over the side Bev was checking the bottom with our lookey bucket for a nice coral head to dive on. As she was describing the various fish a shark swam right under the bucket, needless to say, our trip was aborted and a beach walk seemed like a great idea.
The island is a nesting area for Long Tailed Tropic birds, the birds themselves are white, about the size of a large pigeon but their black Vee shaped tail is longer then their bodies. Each morning they put on an air show over the anchorage with their morning aerobatics.

Sadly after two days we knew we had to get moving before the wind shifted so the decision was made to head to Cat Island. I have to say the only down side to our visit was the number of boats in the anchorage. Usually there's only a handful of boats; however, it was obvious we weren't the only ones waiting for a good window and by the time we left there were 30 boats plus as well as a 220' mega yacht in the anchorage. We set off in a light breeze which filled into a beautiful 12 knot breeze and we had a fantastic sail to Cat Island in virtually flat seas. Only downside, no fish.

The weather this winter has great, steady easterly winds and virtually no rain; however, over the next couple of weeks it will be very unsettled as front after front passes through. For now we'll spend a couple of days in Cat riding out a blow and figure out where to go after that.

Today's picture is of Bev with her latest catch.