MIDORI ADVENTURES

We departed Nassau this morning at 10:15 with our destination being Highborne Cay which is the most northerly "inhabited" island in the Exuma chain. We left ahead of the three other boats in our company - FLEUR DE LYS, OVERDRAUGHT, and CYNTHIA GALE because we anticipated being the slowest. We are bypassing S.W. Allens Cay this season, as we anticipate getting better protection from the predicted north and east winds.

The wind and seas are light, out of the north today. We are motor sailing with both sails up - engines at 3400 RPM's - with an average speed of 6.0 knots.

Crossing the Yellow Bank is unnerving! Depths can drop to 12 and 9 feet in the area sprinkled with coral heads, and the colour of the water becomes yellowish. The heads are easy to see as the sun is overhead, and there is plenty of room to pass between them. Depths could be as shallow as 3 feet atop the coral heads in some areas.

We arrived at the anchorage at 3:40 p.m. and found ten other boats already anchored, but there is lots of space. We decided to host "Happy Hour" when the other three buddy boats are settled. Eight people just fit in the cockpit!

There is a phone tower on the island, so Brian is able to pick up signal on his IPAD with his Bahamas telecommunications data card - especially the Grib weather files.

On Saturday the four couples take the dinghies into the marina, but Paul and Lucie discover that their dinghy is missing it's plug when water starts to seep up over the floor boards! After lifting their dinghy up and draining it, they hop in with Stewart and Heather and come in to the marina in the hopes of finding a plug. Brian and I need gasoline, drinking water and ICE!!

The marina area has a dredged inner basin and is protected by a boulder breakwater system with excellent all-around protection. The grounds are pleasantly landscaped and there is a lovely (pricey) restaurant and restrooms, (pricey) grocery store and gift shop, but because the island is privately owned, the walking paths and beaches of the island are off limits. On the way back to our anchorage, we are heading into the waves and get soaked. Of course, the dinghy with four people in it gets the worst drenching.

Although Paul was not able to find a plug at the marina, Brian rummages through his supply and finds a threaded plumbing plug that fits perfectly!

Later on in the afternoon, Pat & Gayle, Brian, Paul and I, dinghy over to S.W. Allen's Cay to visit the iguanas. We do not stay long as the tide is changing and we don't want to get caught in the tidal surge in the cut.

There is a storm raging off of the Carolina's and reports are that the Atlantic Ocean has swells of up to 20 feet and that the effects will be felt in the Bahamas. We believe that is exactly what occurred that night. Although the wind was coming from the north/northeast, there was a swell on our beam (from the northwest) that rocked MIDORI like we were in a washing machine.

On Sunday, March 10th, we were eager to pull up the anchor and travel further south and pick up a mooring ball at either Shroud Cay or Hawksbill Cay.


Stay tuned,

Co-captain Lynn