Happy New Year!!
07 January 2008 | Lynard Cay,Abacos, Bahamas.
Jim Lea
Our Christmas trip home was fun but we were also glad to be back. For the holidays we had our grand-son, Ben (and his parents) and Sarah at home, and lots of visits to and from friends, so we were busy. But we were glad to leave the weather... 4 storms in 10 days at home, leaving the snow waist-deep everywhere. We got back to the Bahamas on Friday and spent 2 nights at the marina. On Saturday, we spent the day cleaning up the boat, doing laundry and re-stocking with food. Then yesterday (Sunday) we headed out in light easterlies and a nice mid-70's and sunny weather. As we sailed down the Sea of Abacos, we passed North Bar Channel where the open ocean swell came straight through and sent us rolling merrily. But 1/2 mile past, the swell had nearly disappeared. Coasting down, we anchored in the lee of Lynard Cay in company with five other boats. After a short walk across the cay to the beach and looking at the swells breaking on the shore, we headed back to the boat and watched the sun set as we sat in the cockpit. After dark, we star-gazed in the clear sky and darkness of our isolated anchorage. We saw stars we have never before seen, including the Little Dipper! Down below, we had Crack Conch with a great cole slaw. For dessert, we were too full for our bread pudding, so had a bit of fruit and cheese. We also dug deep into our stores to locate a Greg Norman Chardonnay! This morning, we got up planning to run 60 miles across North Providence Channel, one of the deepest bodies of water in the world! Waters in the Bahamas are either really shallow or really deep, no in-between! But the wind was both higher than forecast and more southerly, meaning we would be beating into 20 knots of wind with 8'-10' swells, so we decided to stay put. Chris says tomorrow will have winds aft of the beam and smaller seas, so we'll wait. We watched two boats exit the cut, pitching in the swell coming through the cut with their bows disappearing into white water, and that confirmed our decision. So we'll have a walk on the beach, take the dinghy across to Little Harbour and see Pete's Pub, and read! Another tough day! And tomorrow, weather permitting, off to Eleuthera!