Bahamas Adventure, Week One.

 It is looking like a rainy day here in the Abacos and a good time to update the Blog. The following is a recap of the first week of the adventure.

 As I mentioned in the last post we crossed from West Palm to West End on April 27th in about as nice of conditions as one could hope for. Once we were just a few miles from Florida we began to feel the effects of the Gulf Stream trying to push us north as we headed east. We had to adjust course to the south to compensate and lost a bit of speed but not too bad overall. Once in the deep waters of the Atlantic the water turned a beautiful Indigo Blue.

 If you go to the "Locate Us" link the track is shown and you can see speed and course information on each dot. There is a wiggle later in the day and, no, we weren't drinking! As we got closer to West End we had to cross a major shipping lane and there were several large freighters crossing our path. I had to adjust course and speed to be sure we passed well clear of them. Kinda like playing Frogger in a boat.

 As I said in the last post we got into West End and cleared Customs and Immigration very easily. The first order of business after that was to take down the yellow Quarantine flag and hoist the Bahamas Courtesy flag we will be flying while here...and maybe hoist a beer.

 We were soon greeted by the local Conch Man and ordered our first Conch Salad which was made right next to the boat. We really are in the Bahamas!!

 The next morning we left West End and headed to Great Sail Cay. There is nothing on this island but it's a very protected anchorage and about half way to Green Turtle Cay which would be our first marina stop in the Abacos. The trip this day was not nearly as nice with 2-3 foot swells on our beam which caused us to rock n roll all day. The protected anchorage was very smooth and relaxing. As we approached we were greeted by 2 boats we had met while on the Great Loop. What a small world and great to see Crazy Love and Rowe Boat again!! This is shaping up to be a fun trip!!!

Our New Royal Marsh Harbour YC Burgee

  We left early the next morning for the 60 mile run to Green Turtle Cay. As we got into what is called the Sea of Abaco the water really began to take on that familiar Bahamas color you see in all the ads.

 We got in to the Leeward Yacht Club mid afternoon and took some time to enjoy the pool and congratulate each other on making it to the Abacos on our own boat! Jill and I have been to the Abacos several times but never to Green Turtle Cay. There is a shallow bar that crosses the Sea of Abaco just south of Green Turtle which causes you to go out to the Atlantic before re-entering the Sea. We were never allowed to use this pass in rental boats. It can build up a dangerous roll if waves are out of the east. In fact that was the forecast for the next several days so we settled in to the marina for a week.

 With the winds out of the east the leeward side of the island was calm and we were able to enjoy dinghy rides to visit other boaters and do some snorkeling. Our friend Gabi on Crazy Love joined us for a ride to snorkel in a quite bay. There are turtles that swim right up to you looking for a handout...they move along pretty quickly if you don't have food for them.

 Being "stuck" in Green Turtle Cay  for a week turned out to be a good thing. They were having their annual Island Roots Festival the following weekend. It was a nice event with food vendors and bands. We were treated to a performance by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band which was fun. I took a nice video however found out later the microphone was turned off...it kinda looses something without the sound. Here's a still pic instead.

 We also got to catch up with our Looper friends as well as meet new boater friends.

 We really enjoyed our week in Green Turtle and will, most likely, stop again on our way home. The day before we left the winds switched from east to west which would make our passage around Whale Cay much more pleasant. Unfortunately the winds had us pinned to the face dock with boats close in front of and behind us. The dock-master quickly suggested the pontoon boat and, for the first time ever, we had a "tug" assist us off the dock! I will say it went rather smoothly considering. Once out it was an easy 2 hour day to Great Guana Cay. This is where we'll pick up in the next installment.

 If you ever have the chance to visit Green Turtle Cay (and I hope you do) be very careful if you rent a golf cart to get around. The "roads" are not what we're used to in the states!!