Wow - that was a dramatic way to end our trip! After struggling to reinstate our data plan on Tuesday night so we could check the weather, we determined that Wednesday morning was the time to head back. The wind was right, the weather was decent, and Thursday was predicted to be much more turbulent. Besides, we had run out of food, drinking and wash water and propane - so it was definitely time to go.
We left at 8:00 a.m. in what looked to be a heavyish wind from the Northeast ("small craft warning" on our weather data). What they didn't tell us is that, once we crossed Adderley Cut into the open water, we would be surfing on 15-foot waves (no kidding), in 25-30 knot winds - whew!! Fortunately the wind and waves were mostly behind us, or on the beam, so it turned out to be a lovely, exciting 4-hour sail, right up to the dock in George Town.
The rest of the day was spent in washing the salt off the boat, filling with water and provisioning. Now we're happily at anchor in our favourite spot at Monument Beach, off Stocking Island, anticipating help from a fellow cruiser who has offered to climb our mast to deal with the few remaining issues up top (anchor light, etc.). So it looks like we'll leave with pretty much everything working - awaiting our next visit. We had a pasta dinner last night with our new friends on Anju - Christine and Phil, who helped us fix the solar panels, and that was our "good-bye to the Bahamas for this year" party :(. Now back to closing up the boat - the good news is, we'll see some of you very soon! So long for now ...
We left at 8:00 a.m. in what looked to be a heavyish wind from the Northeast ("small craft warning" on our weather data). What they didn't tell us is that, once we crossed Adderley Cut into the open water, we would be surfing on 15-foot waves (no kidding), in 25-30 knot winds - whew!! Fortunately the wind and waves were mostly behind us, or on the beam, so it turned out to be a lovely, exciting 4-hour sail, right up to the dock in George Town.
The rest of the day was spent in washing the salt off the boat, filling with water and provisioning. Now we're happily at anchor in our favourite spot at Monument Beach, off Stocking Island, anticipating help from a fellow cruiser who has offered to climb our mast to deal with the few remaining issues up top (anchor light, etc.). So it looks like we'll leave with pretty much everything working - awaiting our next visit. We had a pasta dinner last night with our new friends on Anju - Christine and Phil, who helped us fix the solar panels, and that was our "good-bye to the Bahamas for this year" party :(. Now back to closing up the boat - the good news is, we'll see some of you very soon! So long for now ...
What a completely remarkable set of adventures! Truly, I applaud you both for your skills and abilities to face and overcome the challenges of the past month. Thank you for sharing your chronicles.
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