Mission Abandoned (but only for now!) - written yesterday, as no internet connection to post

We spent yesterday anchored in Hall’s Pond Bay – at the entry to the Land and Sea Park. We were the only boat for the first night, but then were joined by another Canadian boat, whose captain and crew we met, and a Catamaran. It was a lovely, well-protected spot, and our intention was to leave from there the next morning to make our crossing to Spanish Wells.

While there, we intended to go snorkeling at the site of a downed airplane, not far from our boat. But when we arrived, we realized that the current was so strong that it would be easy to be swept away – so I didn’t go into the water at all, and Jeff went in briefly, holding onto the dinghy the whole time. Luckily, Jeff had made a Plexiglas-bottom bucket for us to look through, so we could see everything below clearly from the dinghy - the whole body of the plane, the propeller buried in the sand and the wings – all intact (pics below). 

Then we went over to a beautiful little bay called “the aquarium” – but again full of tidal rips, making it dangerous to swim. Our “lookee bucket” from the dinghy revealed amazing numbers of fish and lovely coral of all kinds.

Back at the boat, we prepared for the long sail on open ocean the next day – including hoisting the dinghy onto the davits and packing a “ditch bag” containing all manner of safety and personal equipment, should we need to abandon ship (just a precaution 😊).

A 9:30 a.m. departure this morning saw us safely making it through the cut to the ocean side. But what we found there were roiling 4-foot waves, crazy winds with gusts to 25 knots, and generally unpleasant sailing conditions. We worked like demons adjusting the whipping sails and managing the helm (we’re a good team!) – but 5 hours like that? Not.

We sailed for an hour up to the next cut, and with much relief crossed back onto the gentle, shallow bank, and into Wardrick Wells – the heart of the Land and Sea Park. We took a mooring there for the night, and dinghed over to the park office to check in. There we met some friends from George Town who informed us that another cold front was expected in the next couple of days, and things wouldn’t calm down until Tuesday – sheesh! Resigned to relaxing, we walked over to the beach, where Jeff read his book, while I climbed the path to Boo Boo Hill. The story here is that a ship smashed on the rocks just below the hill, and the ghosts of the lost crew inhabit the area. To ward off evil spirits, sailors climb the hill and leave something with their boat name on it – a piece of driftwood, an old boat fender, or in my case, a loop of spliced rope we happened to have aboard. A nice afternoon, in the end, completed by a great dinner of leftovers, a gorgeous sunset, and some amazing phosphorescent fish swimming by the boat in the darkness.

So it looks like our crossing is deferred for now, at least until Tuesday. Tomorrow we’ll head further North to Highbourne Cay, where we can replenish our groceries (still no fridge), fill up with water, do laundry and relax for a while. Well make Spanish Wells eventually, but not just yet. Sailing is a lesson in “going with the flow”, so to speak.