BahamasCaribbeanCruising

Don’t tell my mom…

By December 11, 2011 No Comments

Because she might worry about Monday when I left Abacos and headed south.  The forecast called for 15-20 knots of wind, so I got up, put a reef in the sails (that means lower the sail area) and left around 7am.  Once I got through the cut it became apparent the winds were 20-25 knots with gust to 28 instead.  That is still fine for one reef, but after half an hour I decided to be more cautious and put in a second reef.  I did not lose any speed, but gained more control on the boat which was great.  The Beaufort scale of wind indicates I was in a force 6 and the average wave height is 10 feet with a maximum of 13 feet.  I have to say that I cannot argue with the scale based on my observation!!!  I was averaging around 8.5 knots and made it across the Northeast Providence Channel quicker than planned.  I was planning to anchor at Royal Island, but I had so much daylight left and the currents were perfect for me to slip through the Current Cut (you can read about my time here in the 5/8/11 blog).

The next day was a perfect day to sail with 10-15 knots of wind and in the lee (protected from the ocean waves) of Eleuthera Island.  The two days after this I had to motor sail because the wind lightened and moved more on my bow, but I ended up in Rum Cay on Thursday late afternoon.  After looking at the weather report I got on Rum Cay, I decided to stay put for several days and let the wind become more favorable for sailing.

The next evening another boat, Living The Dream, pulled in and I hung out with them chatting, spear fishing on the reef, and attending a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and dinner afterwards which the locals invited us to.

The only problem with the Rum Cay anchorage is the surge whips around the point and makes it a bit bouncy, but it looks like I am leaving today or tomorrow to continue heading south.

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