The Fantastic Women's Crew
29 May 2023 | Sea of Abaco
Gail Gordon | calm
On May nineteenth with a ten a.m. departure Captain Ted navigates through Snake Creek Bridge with an all woman crew. With seven onboard we headed out in to the Gulf Stream with our destination being the Sea of Abaco. After a star filled sky we reached West End, the western tip of Grand Bahama, eight hours later. Barely any air was captured by our sails. This time of year flat windless seas are very welcomed. As we entered the Bahamas Banks the shallow waters was a smooth ride.
Our passengers on board are all from the Florida Keys. Mary our friend from Islamorada, Tiffany my Blue Water Surrender buddy, with her friend Cynthia from Amora Dive, and our youngest members at fifteen years old are Finley and Clair from Marathon. What a great loving and supportive group, all are a sheer pleasure to sail with.
We had our first challenge this week with a forgotten passport. Thanks to grace , a loving husband and a good team Bahama side, all went well. A small reprimand from the customs agent and we were on our way.
As you look out across the water the Bahama color's are breathtaking. At mid day we approached Man Jack Cay where the rays gather near the shore. Due to people feeding wildlife they have become very friendly. As they swim by their touch is soft as silk. Just watch out for the backbone which runs down to their defensive barb. Enjoying the day we took an adventure trail which lead to the windy side of the Island. The waves were fun to play in.
Anchoring off of Fox Town we settled into the night, happy to have a rest. There was no shortage of food on board, with all pitching in we had beautiful dinners every night. Our evenings and morning were filled with deep meaningful conversations, pondering the presence of God is our lives which was being reflected by all the beauty around us.
Sailing through Whale Cut the next day was one of many highlights. The wind filled our sails as we rolled on towards Marsh Harbor. We took the time to explore diving for conch. I saw a fish racing by next was the shark who was chasing him, who decided to circle around and check me out. My heart raised a bit!
Snorkeling the outer reef of Great Guana was a 5 star event. Our reef explorers found numerous tunnels to dive through. They would dive into a cave and look for the light and follow it coming out the other side with grand smiles. When we were off of Man-O-War Cay looking for the canons of the USS Adirondack wreck a storm blew in. The already surging sea became that much more exciting to make it back to our vessel and pull the anchor before the skies broke loose. The storm passed and we finished up at Fowl Cay. The edge of the reef line had waves breaking as we bobbed up and down wondering about the precious sea turtle who was nervously hiding in the rocks below.
Our last night out before heading into the harbor, of Marsh Harbor, was out by Matt Lowe Cay. Usually this is a calm anchorage. However we rocked and rolled through out the night from another passing storm. The Sea of Abaco can have some very exciting lightening storms that you are blessed if you miss.
All ends well aboard Viento Azul as our crew flies home on American Airlines. Captain Ted and I remain aboard prepare our vessel while we wonder who will come aboard next.