In sailing, paying close attention to the weather is crucial
to safety. We have learned to do that pretty skillfully, and it definitely pays
off! This weekend, we knew that a cold front with very strong winds was
predicted to come in on Sunday. So we planned our trip North to have us arrive
in the protected harbor of Big Major Spot (otherwise known as the home of the
swimming pigs) by Saturday. Tucked into a corner of the harbor, with many other
boats, we were rocking and rolling in the wind and white-capped waves by Sunday
morning. Rough but safe, we contemplated the fate of two other boats whose
captains and crew have become friends.
One was heading back to George Town because a guest needed
to get back to the airport by tomorrow. We’re not sure how they did in the wild
ocean on the Sound – waiting to hear. The other has been held up in Black
Point, about an hour south of here, with a broken steering cable, no emergency
tiller and no autopilot. And that harbor has no protection from a north wind.
We haven’t heard from them recently, but I imagine they’ve had a pretty
uncomfortable stay, though they’re likely safe in that harbor. We’re waiting to
see if there’s any way we can help them get here.
So, we’re just hanging out on the boat, waiting for the
storm to pass. Nice to have a few days to do boat repairs, read, e-mail or
phone friends and family, whom we’re missing, etc. We did dinghy into Staniel
today for lunch at their tiny perfect yacht club, and to commune with the nurse
sharks who gather there to dine on the guts of the daily catch thrown back into
the water by local fishers. And on the way back to the boat, we motored by the
swimming pigs in our bay. As we had nothing to feed them, they didn’t show much
interest in us, and just swam around lazily in the late afternoon sun – but
they were fun to see.
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