Still waiting on the weather
28 January 2007 | Red Shanks Cay
Sunny, 80F, wind S-W 15-20
Yesterday (Saturday) we went over to Georgetown to re-stock, do a laundry and do some internet stuff. Some how it took us all day, but that's OK as we have all day. Laundry, the most time consuming project was first, and done by noon. We had a late lunch at the Peace and Plenty Hotel, where we ran into friends we have made (Frank & Eve on S/V True Love, an Aloha 34 from Montreal) who were having lunch also. So we joined them.
We had been planning to call them as they have been down to Long Island where we are planing to go this week. They are thinking of returning, so they may go with us. And we will also have another boat (Debi-Doll with Cav & Debbie Cavenaugh). So we had lunch and as the hotel has a wireless connection, we did our internet stuff at the same time. Then some shopping, not too much as we stocked up pretty well last week, and we returned to the boat and motored back across to Sand Dollar Beach where we anchored for the night.
This morning we are waiting for another front to come through, and, after a nice long (hot) walk on the beach, we moved about five miles down to an area called Red Shanks. It is another, more protected, anchorage in Georgetown Harbour. But getting in requires a lot of eyeball navigation as there are quite a few coral reefs on the route, and not charted. So I stood on the bow with Jeannie on the helm, and I directed us through them. (Did you notice that it was me that got us through. If we had hit one I would have written that Jeannie hit one.)
On the charts there is a point called Red Shanks Yacht and Tennis Club. I had read about it, but Jeannie hadn't. So when she saw it on the chart, she was expecting a real club. But all it is is a tiny landing on the tip of an isolated cay. No one knows where the name came from, but its on the charts! There is absolutely nothing there, and never has been! So we'll wait out the front that is coming through as I write.
This morning when we got up, there was no wind at all. By 11 o'clock, it had sprung up lightly from the south, and as we motored into Red Shanks, it was south-west and now blowing 15-20 knots. It will slowly clock through the west to the north-west later this evening, then tomorrow it will continue through the north to north-east where it will stay for a bit until it settles down again into the south-east, the prevailing direction.
Our trip tomorrow, in a south-east direction will depend on the speed with which the front moves, because on the west side of Long Island (our destination) there is absolutely no protection from the west. So until the wind gets some north in it, we will stay put. But Red Shanks is new to us, and there is lots to explore, maybe even some snorkeling for lobster!