Once Again We Have Closed the Circle

We have closed the circle on our Winter 2022-2023 Cruise.

We left North Carolina on November 1st going to South Carolina then onto Florida.  After Florida we made the jump to the Bahamas.  We spent several months in the Abaco's, moving down to Eleuthera in the Outer Islands then to the Exuma's.  From there we made the jump to the remote Jumentos/Raggeds.  Leaving the Raggeds we moved up to Long Island then out to Conception Island for the first time.  We then made a several day passage back up to Eleuthera then back to the Abaco's.  Our final leg was a four day passage from the Abaco's to Beaufort North Carolina arriving May 11th.

During the trip we were able to reconnect with friends we had made in previous years and make many new friends.  Among the highlights were Christmas and New Years at Green Turtle Cay, the Five F's Festival at Little Farmers and once again the Valentines Party in the Raggeds.

We traveled 2291 nautical miles or 2636 statute miles.  This is the approximate distance between Boston and Los Angeles but traveling at about six miles an hour which is about the speed of a bicycle.

We have been spending the last week at a friends dock getting prepared for the Summer 2023 Cruise.  The plan is to sail up to Maine.  From there we plan to take some time off the boat to visit our property in South Dakota and finish some projects there.

Offshore passage to North Carolina, each mark is 12 hours

Our route this season

Back in the Abacos

We are back at Green Turtle Cay again.

We were down at Spanish Wells on Eleuthera Island preparing for the jump to the Abacos. Our plan was to move out to Egg Island, anchor for the night and leave for the 60 mile jump to the Abacos.  It didn't work out that way.  About twenty minutes into the move the engine quit again.  We had enough wind to sail over to Meeks Patch and set the anchor.  Once the engine cooled a bit I started troubleshooting with the help of Jay on Minks.  They anchored nearby and came over to help.  With his having experiencing the same problems we finally found the bad connection that was causing the shut down.  We were ready to leave in the morning.

About 2:00 am Cori was up and restless so she talked me into leaving early.  We pulled anchor, motored around the Egg Island cut and set the sails.  I went back to bed.  We had almost prefect sailing conditions showing speeds of 7-9 knots.  As we got closer to Little Harbor inlet the seas were beginning to build.  Our early start gave a a great trip.  We arrived at Lynyard Cay and dropped anchor near Jera who we had met earlier in the season.  The next morning we pulled anchor and moved up to Hopetown.  While at anchor at Lynyard Chris and CC on Safari sailed past to say hello.  They had rented a mooring in Hopetown for the month and offered it to us for the night.  While in town Cori took care of several loads of laundry, got a haircut, then we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at the pool at the marina and inn visiting with several other cruisers.  The next morning we dropped the mooring and stopped at the fuel dock to top off the tanks and jerry jugs.  We sailed up to Scotland Cay to visit Rita who was our basket weaving teacher down at Hog Cay.  Fortunately for us they have a dock we could use for the night.  After a nice visit, tour of the island and a great meal we headed back to the boat.  At high tide the next morning we slipped the dock and headed for Whale Cay.  We went around the Whale and continued on to Green Turtle Cay.  We refer to "crossing the whale" as you are forced to go around Whale Cay going out one cut into the ocean and back into another due to shallow water.  If timed with the right sea and wind conditions it is a pleasant ride.  If the conditions are not favorable it can be a dangerous or an impossible trip.  We had mild conditions again.  It's all about the timing.  We anchored off of New Plymouth.

The weather forecast was calling for several days of strong winds and rain showers ranging from northwest clocking around to southwest for the next few days.  We moved up to Manjack Cay and anchored to sit out the weather.  The forecast was correct and the conditions were not comfortable.  At one point we were sure that the anchor had dragged before resetting itself after a wind shift.  We spent the time monitoring the chartplotter and anchor alarm to determine if we moved again.  For the next three days the winds blew in excess of 20 knots as we rode it out.  I was able to take care of a couple of maintenance items and read while Cori worked on making more baskets.

Once the winds had blown themselves out we moved back to Black Sound and tied up at Donny's dock once again.  We spent the next days visiting with friends, helping at the marina and working on the projects list. Donny has a boat in the marina that was damaged in the hurricane and it will be taken out and scuttled.  Before that can happen we went through it salvaging what we could, especially the winches. We also made several trips for breakfast and lunch at some of our favorite restaurants.   We are big fans of the stewed grouper that is offered for breakfast.

After ten days at the dock we wanted to go out exploring for a few days.  We moved up to Manjack again but this time we were able to get off the boat to hike the art trail and the ocean trail to the beach on the other side of the island.  While there we met several new cruisers and spent some time with them. We had one evening of high winds and rain with the boat near us dragging down on us during the night.  These things only seem to happen at night.  They did a good job of getting their anchor up without fouling ours and got themselves re-anchored.  The next day we moved back to anchor outside of Black Sound again.  We dinghied in since Donny had told us he had some things he would need help with.  We spent a little time in town and picked up another case of Cuba Libre Mojitos since Cori is not able to get them in the states, they are made in Cuba. The next day we dinghied in again, helped with cleaning out the last of the boat getting it ready to be scuttled then went for lunch in town with the crew of Sienna's Choice.  High tide was mid-afternoon and we brought Hi Flite back to the dock.  There is forecast for strong winds from the southwest and west for the next couple of days so we will ride it out in the comport of the marina.  Of course we have become regulars at the ice cream shop.  

We are now checking the weather to make the trip back across the Gulf Stream to the States.  Until then we wait for the right conditions.

Left the Raggeds and Starting to Move North

I'm very overdue for an update.  We are on the move again after spending almost six weeks in the Raggeds.  We did move around a little visiting several of the islands close by.  Most of our time was spent at Hog Cay.  What so you do for six weeks in a remote area like the Raggeds?  Once we arrived our good friend Rita gave us a refresher coarse on basket weaving using the local silver palm fronds. We jumped into that and so far I have made fifteen baskets of varying size and Cori has made six and has four more started.  I will admit that there is a difference in quality and appearance between my attempts and what Cori has been producing. Many days were spent in the tiki hut just working away on them.  After Rita left we took on the role of teachers and spent many days teaching the skill to new arrivals.  We also spent some of our time hiking the many trails that the cruisers have built on the island.  Evening sundowners are always fun with many new people arriving and departing and watching for the elusive "green flash" as the sun goes down.  Mostly we spent our time just enjoying the solitude of the area.

Eventually it was time to move on.  We pulled anchor and moved a short distance up to Buena Vista Cay to stage for the next jump which was a forty-two mile jump to Water Cay.  The next morning we pulled anchor at sunrise and continued on to Long Island, forty-four miles over very shallow water.  We draw five and a half feet and we spent a lot of time in seven feet of water.  Both days were enjoyable sails instead of having to motor.  Once we arrived at Thompson Bay on Long Island we made a run to the grocery and liquor store.  We also treated ourselves to a meal out.  We spent time with some of the other cruisers we had met in the Raggeds that had moved here also. Our last day in Thompson Bay we went ashore to check out the local mutton festival.  Each island has their own unique festival and Long Island celebrates raising sheep and goats.  There was a petting zoo with a variety of sheep and goats, craft vendors, food vendors offering a variety of food choices, centered on mutton as the main ingredient, music both live and recorded and of course adult beverages.  We spent our time there visiting with  many of the visiting cruisers.

It was time to move on again.  We sailed up to the northern point of the island and dropped anchor in Calabash Bay.  This bay has an amazing beach but the reputation of being very rolling and unsettled in a variety of winds resulting in the phrase "getting bashed at Calabash".  From here we wanted to go out to Conception Island which is about twenty miles out into the ocean.  These groups of islands are know for the fact that they were the first islands Columbus arrived at on his first trip to America.  Conception is a small island that is part of the Bahamas Land and Sea Park and is uninhabited except for a variety of birds and sea life.  We spent two days here checking out several of the beaches and taking a dinghy tour of the inner lagoon spotting many turtles.  Checking the weather forecast we were informed that the day we planned to depart would have light winds and we may have to motor instead of sail.  We prepared for an early start planning to move up to Cat Island for the night.  As we got the boat ready it was flat calm with no waves or wind.  As I stepped to the bow to pull the anchor the boat shifted and we were hit with twenty knot winds from the north.  We pulled the anchor and started out.  The waves went quickly from flat to bashing into four foot seas.  After about an hour the winds started to drop and the seas began to settle down.  Several hour later we had a light breeze under ten knots but directly on the nose.  We continued motoring along allowing the batteries to get a good charge and running the water maker.  When the seas calmed down Cori put out a fishing line and after several years of no luck we had a nice mahi-mahi on board.  Fresh fish for dinner and enough for several more meals.  We arrived at Cat Island in the early afternoon and decided to continue on to Eleuthera Island.  We continued into the night and set our sights on arriving at Current Cut in the morning.  During the night we had a problem with the engine and by then we had enough wind to continue under sail.  Current Cut is a narrow cut that has a strong tidal current.  We arrived near low water and as we motor-sailed through the cut we had a push from about two knots of current.  Once through the cut the winds came up.  We had continued through the night in order to be further north when the winds picked up and we were almost there. The forecast was for winds from fifteen to twenty knots and it quickly started blowing twenty.  We sailed up to the protected anchorage at Meeks Patch just outside of Spanish Wells and dropped anchor.  Our next move will be the jump from Eleuthera to the Abaco's but first we need to wait out the front coming through over the weekend.

While waiting out the weather we have been taking care of some boat maintenance, troubleshooting the engine issue and troubleshooting the refrigeration.  It appeared that we no longer had a refrigerator but with some help troubleshooting from the factory tech's it looks like it will continue to run.

It looks like we will be waiting for a couple of days to make the jump to the Abaco's where we plan to spend another month or so before returning to the States.

Our path from the Raggeds to the present but it doesn't show the jump to Conception Island which is that little dot on the far right.

Back in the Ragged's

 We made it down to the Ragged Islands in time for the Valentines Party.  It is one of our favorite places.

Our last two days in Blackpoint included a grand opening party for the new deck at Loorraine's Cafe.  We partied with a group of friends and met many other cruisers including JoDanna who is from Thief River Falls MN, just twenty miles from where I grew up in northwestern MN.  February 1st, Wednesday, we pulled anchor and made a short trip back up to Stanial Cay to top off the water and fuel.  We will be moving into a remote area and will not have access to either of these.  First we needed to be at Little Farmers Cay for the Five F's Festival.  We had a nice sail and dropped anchor off of Ty's Club which will be party central for the festival.  The Five F's (First Friday in February Family Festival) is an annual regatta of the Class C Bahamian Sloops.  It had been canceled the last three years so everyone was ready for a party. The boats and crews come from many islands and are accomplished sailors.  The boats are built in the tradition of the Bahamian fishing sloops and have a big sail requiring the crew to hike out on boards in order to keep the boat upright in the winds.  It is very entertaining.

The party started on Thursday with a Cruisers race that took place just off our stern which gave us an excellent opportunity to cheer on our favorites.  That was followed up by a party at the Yacht Club, yes, this little island has a yacht club.  The next morning the fleet arrived, some sailed in, some were towed and some were on the the supply boat.  The race is unique in that instead of the typical pre-race maneuvering these boats are anchored at the start line and at the whistle they haul in the anchor, once the anchor is on deck the sail can be raised and the race is on, Usually with a lot of confusion and bumping of boats and sails as they try to separate themselves from the confusion.  We take the dinghy to watch the start and then follow the fleet around the course which goes through the anchorage.  The finish line was just in front of Ty's so the crowd is able to watch.  There was another race in the afternoon.  There were about a hundred boat in several anchorages which means there were a lot of people for this small island and town.  It is the major event of the year so the restaurants and vendors are making the most of it.  It was a good time, the beer was cold, the food was good and we visited and met a lot of good people, locals and cruisers alike.  By Monday we were one of only ten boats still here.  We took the day off since the winds would not be favorable for the trip to the remote Jumentos.

Tuesday morning we pulled anchor as the sun was coming up and started off.  First we were motoring with almost no wind, slowly the winds built and we hoisted the sails and sailed while watching the skies as the dark clouds moved in.  Just as the winds switched from six knots to twenty we dropped the mainsail to keep the boat under control.  Once the front had passed we raised the sail and continued on under full sail.  Eventually the winds settled to around fifteen knots we dropped the main again and continued sailing with the headsail and the mizzen.  Our destination was Flamingo Key in the Jumentos and we expected to arrive around 9:00 pm, well after dark.  Since everything was going well we decided to continue on during the night.  About an hour after the sun set a big full moon rose in the east and we had plenty of light to sail on.  We arrived at our destination of Hog Island in the Ragged's about 2:00 am and dropped anchor off from the other boats.  In the morning we moved in closer to shore and have been here since.

It's been windy but the island blocks most of it and the shelter hut we hang out at is well protected so we seldom notice it.  One of the big drawbacks of the area is that there are very few places to go to get protection from west winds.  We had a blow forecast that called for the winds clocking from SW to W to NW then back to NE.  Most of the boats moved off to find protection but we chose to stay and ride it out.  The winds didn't blow from the SW very long before they made a fast switch to NW and blew in the 20's for most of the day causing the seas to get rough.  It wasn't any worse then some anchorages we have been in and the next day it was back to the NE and being blocked by the island.  The cruisers that come to the area and especially Hog Island have built a network of trails on the island and hiking across to the ocean beaches is a popular activity.  Once on the beach we start the search for sea beans and other interesting debris. Unfortunately the beaches have a lot of debris washed up on them with most of it plastic.  Evenings are spent with the cruisers gathering at the tiki hut for sundowners and to watch the sun go down watching for the elusive "green flash".  There are a number of other impromptu activities such as musicians bringing in their instruments and basket weaving classes.  I am on my third basket since arriving.

Saturday, the 18th was the day of the party.  Maxine, who runs the small grocery store on Ragged Island hosts a party for the cruisers and locals.  Sun shades are raised around the hut, people bring chairs, tables are set up and the food is brought over.  The food is precooked but heated over the firepit until time to eat.  I won't go into all of the food available but it is all typical Bahamian cuisine finished off with deserts the cruisers make and bring in.  After the meal there is an auction where we auction off items that the cruisers have donated with the funds going to the school on Ragged Island.  It was damaged extensively in a hurricane several years ago and they are hoping to reopen next year, if they can hire a teacher.  The auction has been going on for a number of years and it is one of the ways the cruisers are repaying the locals for their hospitality as we visit their islands. 

Sunday morning it was interesting to watch the boats head out of the harbor going in the various directions and by Monday half of them were gone. It's Tuesday and we are down to fifteen boats.  The Ragged's and Jumentos are remote islands and the cruising guides warn you of the fact you must be self sufficient.  There is one small settlement on Ragged Island but fuel, water, parts and provisions are not available.  This is one of the reasons we love it down here, it is easy to get away to another close by island and be totally alone with nature.

We have been in the Bahamas for three months and were able to extend our cruising permit for another 100 days.  We plan on visiting several of the island in the area, combing beaches and relaxing before moving back up to the Central Bahamas and the Outer Islands before it is time to work our way back to the States.

Now in the Exumas

We have been on the move and are now in the northern Exuma's.

We spent a week in the harbor at Hope Town on Elbow Cay.  Several of our other cruiser friends are here so we were able to spend some time with them.  Hope Town is the home of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse, more commonly called the Hope Town Light.  It is unique in that it is the last lighthouse in the world that is still lit by a kerosene lamp and the lenses are turned by a drop-weight that is hand cranked back up every two hour thus requiring an operator to be on duty every night.  There have been many proposals to update the light but it is now considered a National Treasure and will continue to operate in the old way.  The lighthouse has been turned over to a foundation that is dedicated to preserving it.  This last year it has been going over a complete renovation including removal of all old paint, sealing any cracks in the concrete walls, repairing hurricane damage and a new paint job.  The windvane at the top was damaged in Hurricane Dorian and has now been repaired and is again showing the wind direction.  While we were up in the light there was a crew painting the exterior metalwork around the windows that protect the lenses.

When our week was up we dropped the mooring and made a stop at the fuel dock to top off both diesel and gasoline before heading out on the high tide.  The winds were light so we ended up motoring down to Lynyard Cay to spend the night before making the jump to Eleuthera.  We pulled anchor at first light and headed out Little Harbor Cut and with light winds on the nose we motored to Spanish Wells on the northern tip of Eleuthera arriving prior to sunset. The next day we made a trip into town to hit the grocery store, have lunch and some adult beverages.  The next day we made a big move of two miles to Meeks Patch since that would give us some protection from the winds and would have a bit less rolling.  The next day we were debating moving down to Current Cut to wait for the next day to go through the cut but instead we found that the conditions were good for going through so we continued on to the Glass Window.  Current Cut is a problem when the tide is rising or dropping with a strong current through the cut.  It is important to time it for slack tide or when the tides are changing and the current drops.  We were a little early but only had about 1-2 knots against us as we went through.  Once at the Glass Window we went ashore and walked up to the bridge to take in the view.  The Glass Window is spot where there is a small barrier between the sound and the ocean.  In storms or rough weather the ocean waves crash though the opening and the view from the bridge is impressive with the deep blue of the ocean and the light turquoise of the sound. While here we spent some time visiting with friends on G and Kenebeck,  We met Steve on Flash and were invited over to Seas the Moment for drinks and snacks. We have been running into G and Kenebeck since we were all together at Donny's at Green Turtle.  We moved next to Hatchet Bay which is a very well protected harbor and spent several days as the winds blew once more.  Again we were able to spend some time with G and Kenebeck since they were also here to get out of the blow.  I was also working on a ;low voltage problem and took the opportunity to recommission the water-maker.  We would now have to make our own water since there will be few opportunities to buy water as we move on.  Wishing to charge the batteries and run the water-maker we motored down to Tarpon Bay at the southern part of Eleuthera and prepared for the jump to the Exuma's.  

The next morning we pulled anchor at sunrise and motored following the charted waypoints until we moved into Exuma Sound and then set the sails and sailed to Warderick Wells Cut and entered the Exuma chain of islands.  Warderick Wells is the center for the Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park.  On our trip across we had winds that increased all day and were forecast to continue for several days.  Once we were anchored we spent the next day on the boat since the seas were rougher than we wanted to be out on in the dinghy.  The next morning we dinghied in, registered, paid our park fee and checked out several of the hiking trails.  The next morning we decided to move a little further along and were hoping to pick up a mooring at Cambridge Cay, another part of the park.  Hearing that the moorings were full we stopped instead at Compass Cay which is just out of the park.  The next day we took the dinghy up to Cambridge Cay to check out the trails there.  The next morning, Saturday, it was windy with winds in the 20's and the boat was rolling a lot in the wind/tide combination so we pulled anchor and moved to Blackpoint Settlement.

In our previous trips to the Bahamas we had tried to go to Blackpoint several times but that was back when we had transmission problems and gave up and returned to the States.  On our trip back through the Bahamas during Covid we stopped at Blackpoint just long enough to do a load of laundry and moved on.  That time we were one of only two boats in the harbor.  This is a very popular spot so the absence of cruisers was very unusual, but everything about the Covid years was unusual.  This time there are about sixty boats in the harbor and a lot of activity.  There are several boats we have met before and some that we only know from the single-side band radio nets and we have met several others while ashore.  Cori is taking advantage of nearby beaches to go beachcombing and there is a party scheduled tonight to celebrate the opening of a new deck at one of the restaurants.  The islands are still recovering from the devastation of hurricane Dorian.

It's the end of January and we have been in the Islands for two months now.  We have several islands we have plans to go to for various events but otherwise we are just "wandering aimlessly through the Exuama's".

I tried including some photos but can't get them to download but here is our recent track.

Now Moving about in the Abacos

We are once again on the move.

We arrived at Green Turtle Cay and tied up at the dock at Donny's Marina.  Donny is a friend we met on our first trip to the Bahamas and we have almost been adopted by him.  We don't normally stay at a dock but Donny insists.  This year was a little different.  Donny was going to take a trip to Florida to among other things, meet his new granddaughter.  We were tasked with helping run the marina while he was gone.  We helped him with a variety of projects including Cori accompanying him on several of his "Turtle Tours" where he takes visitors out for a day to see turtles, rays, snorkeling, etc.  We stayed for a little over a month, the longest we have been at a dock since we started cruising.

The stay on Green Turtle was capped off by their Junkanoo Carnival on New Years Eve and then a fishing trip on New Years Day.

On Monday, the 2nd, we untied the lines and caught the afternoon high tide and left to continue our adventures.  First step was to move around Whale Cay to access the lower Abaco Cays.  Due to a large sandbar and shoaling it is necessary to go out the Whale Cut into the ocean and then back into the protected waters of the Sea of Abaco.  This can either be a non-event or impossible depending on the sea state.  This time it was a non-event as we were able sail from Green Turtle and with a couple of tacks sail out the cut and back into the protected waters.  We continued on to Bakers Bay and set anchor for the night.  Bakers Bay is at the northern end of Great Guana Cay and is very private.  Just about anyone you can think of that has a lot of money has a home there including several movie stars, sports figures and business owners.  It is very private but we can still anchor in the bay.  The next morning we moved on, again enjoying a great sail, to Man O' War Cay.  We anchored out instead of going into the harbor but spent several days ashore checking out their progress recovering from hurricane Dorian and walking the beach looking for "treasures", i.e. sea-glass, sea beans and shells.

Our next move was to Elbow Cay where we anchored off from the lighthouse.  The lighthouse has just undergone a refit with among other things a new paint job.  This lighthouse is famous for being the last manned lighthouse using the original kerosene light and hand cranked clockwork to turn the lenses in the world.  The next morning we moved further down the island and went ashore to check out the beach for more treasures.  It got a little windy so we just spent the next day hanging out on the boat.  Saturday we pulled anchor and moved back up to Hope Town and moved into the harbor and picked up a mooring ball.  We had delayed entering the harbor for a couple of days waiting for high tide.  We are planning to spend a week here before moving on.  Sunday we took the walk to the On Da Beach Bar for adult beverages, music and a fundraiser for the schools music program.  Several of our cruising friends were there so everyone had a good time visiting before we all move on the other destinations.

After this week we plan on to leave the Abacos and jump down to Eleuthera Island and see some of the central Bahamas.

Now in the Bahamas

We have arrived in the Bahamas on 11/24/2022, Thanksgiving Day.

We rode out Tropical Storm Nicole in Beaufort SC and fortunately it followed a path that was inland from our location.  We had several days of wind and rain but no winds over 35 knots.  Other locations were not as fortunate.  Our main concern was the warnings of possible tornados as the rain bands moved through.  Where does one go when on a boat?

On Sunday 11/12/2022 we pulled anchor and moved down river again to stage for an early start for our overnight trip to St. Augustine.  The next morning we pulled anchor just after sunrise, 7:00 am, and followed the route down the river and out into the ocean.  We had favorable winds and set sail for St Augustine but staying about ten miles offshore.  We sailed overnight and the next morning when about three hours out the winds died and we motored the rest of the way arriving at noon.  We anchored just off the Bridge of Lions and relaxed.  There is a strong current in the river and when the tide changed we had a catamaran anchored near us moving too close for comfort along with being too close to some docks so we pulled anchor and moved to another location.  In the morning we moved to a mooring for the next two days.  This gave us access to the marinas services such as the dinghy dock, showers, and laundry.  We were on a mooring next to Jim and Laurie in Kismet and after lunch with them we did a bit of shopping for boat stuff.  The next day my ankle was really bothering me and hard to walk on so we made a trip to an Urgent Care clinic.  There I got a shot and a prescription.  I had also arranged for a prescription to be sent to a pharmacy here and Cori got to do the four mile round trip to pick them up while I stayed on the boat and charged the batteries.  That evening we went to dinner with our friend Jim who has a boat in NC but lives nearby in Florida.  Allie and Ryan on Wabi Sabi drove down from where they were working on their boat to pick up some parts we brought for them  Later Jim and Laurie off Kismet and Fred and Ruth from Shooting Star joined us.

After checking the weather we decided to just motor down the ICW to prepare for the crossing rather then going offshore to Fort Pierce.  The first day we motored and arrived at New Smyrna Beach just a couple of minutes late for the scheduled bridge opening.  We maneuvered around for half an hour until the bridge opened and we could pass through.  It was 5:30 and near sunset so we anchored just down from the bridge for the night.  The next morning at 7:00 am we pulled anchor and continued on stopping for the night at Melbourne.  The next day we continued on arriving at Vero Beach at noon.  After checking in and topping off the fuel and water we moved out to share a mooring with Mike and Jean on Desderata II.  Several of our cruising friends were already here or on their way.  With rain forecast for the next day we caught the bus to the grocery store for last minute supplies.  Sunday it was raining and we spent the day on the boat.  The rain let up the next morning and we made another run for groceries and lunch on shore.  The next day was raining again but Desterada II left and Wabi Sabi came in to raft up with us.  

The next day we planned to leave early but it was too foggy to go anywhere.  About an hour later the fog cleared enough that we could see the channel markers and we headed off.  By mid-day we arrived at Fort Pierce and headed out the inlet bound for the Bahamas.

We first motored south along the coast until St Luci Inlet then turned east for the Bahamas.  We went south first to compensate for how far north the Gulf Stream would push us as we crossed it.  The next morning we were across and into the shallow water of the Bahamas.  We decided to continue on to Green Turtle Cay arriving about 4:00 pm on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.  We anchored off the town and the next morning at high tide we moved into Black Sound and tied up at Donny's Marina.  After a short trip to check in we were officially in the Bahamas and celebrated with a couple of Kalik's, a Bahamian beer.  That evening we had a late Thanksgiving dinner with Donny and Mary Earl.

We are hanging out at the marina helping Donny with projects and plan to take some day trips to neighboring islands.  Green Turtle Cay is a fun place to be over Christmas and New Years so our plan is to stay here and move down the island chain after the new year.