Luther sends greetings from his Native Land; he's glad to be back. The North was just too cold, and traveling from Mystic to Ebay and back is too long a journey.
It was a 48-mile perfect trip from Nassau to Shroud Cay. With a light breeze just enough to fill the mainsail, and gentle swells, we chose the longer route to avoid the shallow coral heads of the Yellow Banks. Along the way, Bob caught his first fish, a barracuda which he let loose; we watched dolphin jumping, and Rosie enjoyed a peaceful trip, at last.
Shroud is at the northern end of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, so is protected from development. This island has fresh water wells, creeks that go from west to east sides of the island, all lined with mangroves. Bob was happy to be back in the clear water as he dove on the anchor to check our holding - pure sand and we were dug deep.
Then it was time to play; Maggie got a new toy for Christmas. (Thanks, Suzanne, for helping Bob pick it out.)
The weather is far better than last year's strong northern fronts. The last few weeks the wind has been out of the east or southeast; perfect direction for sailing down the Exuma chain, provided it is not too southeast. This year we are taking advantage of the weather to see and stay longer at some of the islands in the Exuma chain. We really are in no rush! We are now in cruiser's mode, where time stands still and we have time to smell the roses.
We stayed in Shroud Cay for three nights, enjoying the beauty and peace. We had the island almost all to ourselves with only an occasional boat stopping by for a brief visit. We could have stayed forever, but we had heard that the next island down was even better. We climbed to Camp Driftwood, which was the location for a DEA operation to watch the planes in and out of Norman's Cay during their drug smuggling days. From this high peak, we got a good view of the island's creeks.
We meandered through creeks, which must be done at high tide to avoid very shallow spots. We are still in awe at how sparkling clear the water is; it makes you just want to jump in. Which Bob does often.
After Bob's boat chores and Maggie's laundry, this is one of the few places we lazed in the cockpit, read and napped. As we were enjoying the relaxation, Bob noticed clouds to the southwest and no sooner said "we're going to have rain," we felt the drops and SeaTryst got a fresh-water washdown. Fortunately, the rain stopped in time to catch the sunset.
On Friday, we weighed anchor at about noon, to go 5 miles south to Hawksbill Cay, which some say is the prettiest in the Exuma Park, or even the whole Bahamas. We think they're right. We set anchor at 1:10 at the bluff; when Bob dove he said "it didn't even drag," which is a very good sign that we'll hold!
M/V Kaos was the only other boat there, and Al and Susann stopped by for a visit while exploring the island. We enjoyed happy hour on their boat, but Luther had a little too much. Maggie snapped this action shot of Luther on the way down.
Hawksbill is idyllic. We followed the trail to the ruins of Loyalists homes, which were occupied from 1780-1900. It's hard to imagine how they survived on these remote islands. Along the way, we met up with the current occupant, quickly snapped the picture and ran the other way.
Then we took the trail over to the east side of the island to see the beach on the Sound side. Since there are many trails, and it's good to have markers left by other travelers. There are lots of lost soles on these islands.
Back in the dinghy, we went along the coast so Bob could check out a cave, and then back to the southern end of the island, where we were anchored; SeaTryst was alone now since Kaos had left. Great, now we can get rid of those pesty tan lines. Just across from our boat, we found the most perfect beach we have ever seen - pure white sand, not a shell or rock to be found. You would almost think you were walking in virgin snow, as your feet sink into the sand, except it's warm and wonderful.
We climbed the peak of this island, where the landmark stone monument used to be a home for osprey. On this uphill path, there is a mailbox where visitors can sign in. The view is totally gorgeous.
Hawksbill is a great place to relax.
During our 6 days in Shroud and Hawksbill, there were many times that we were the only ones on the beach. We wanted it to go on forever.
Not wanting to leave, but knowing the weather will be changing, we need to head for protection from the predicted northeast winds. On Sunday, January 7, the forecast was for 15-20 winds from 100 degrees. Our heading was about 135, so we thought we'd have a good close-hauled sail. The forecast was wrong - we pounded through 20+ and sometimes 7' seas for 3 hours, with waves crashing over the bow and into the cockpit, soaking everything. Since we had just showered, Bob did not want to swim, fearing he would get all salty again. Well, everything got salty on this run, even Bob's hair while standing at the helm. The good news is we have enough sea salt to last us the next four months. Now we're hoping for rain for a much-needed fresh-water washdown.
We anchored at 4:00p at Pipe Cay, the only boat here. We are just 5 miles from Big Majors Spot (remember Pig Beach?), where we will go for the front coming mid-week. We'll be able to empty more than a week's worth of trash! Trash is something you landlubbers never think about, but it is always on our mind, and we are always happy when we have safely deposited it at a trash dump. We are also hoping to find fresh fruit and vegetables at one of the three supermarkets on the island (for those of you who are following us for the first time, a supermarket in the Exumas means small closet with two or three empty shelves).
We'll be watching the weather and waiting for the wind to blow us to the next wi-fi spot.