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Published: December 7th 2006
And we do this why…..?
When we last left you (or when you last left us), we were pleased as punch that we had crossed the big Florida Strait….hmmmm. We have been traveling quite a bit slower than we had planned, making shorter hops so we haven’t made really good time, but we’ve been having a really good time!
Our planned route from Chub Cay was to cross down to Nassau, cross the Exuma Banks, on to the Exuma Sound and over to Cat Island. We got part of it right. The crossing from The Berry Islands (Chub Cay) towards Nassau was kind of a mess-two hours of pounding into 5-7 ft seas and 15-20 knots of breeze. We passed Nassau from about five miles out and it looked like something out of a science fiction novel-big, towering buildings of gold with balustrades and bridges. Into the Exuma Banks from the north was relatively easy and we poked out into the Sound at Allen Cay and turned right around to travel down the inside of the Exumas down to Sampson Cay. We really liked it here! Paul found Tony, the Main Man, in the bar and we got fuel, moorage and local knowledge. These guys cater to all those really big boats, but they are all pretty impressed with this little rocket we are on! The small boat harbor was inside a very narrow passage and had clear blue waters, power and laundry.
That evening was another source of great entertainment. We were the only diners in the restaurant but joined up with the boys in the bar for “Bahamian Ring Toss”, a tricky swinging of a ring on a string catching a hook on the tree. The locals are quite good, they must have a bit of practice time!
Our run the next day down the inside was perfect-traveling 30 knots, 5-7 knots of breeze, 15 ft of aqua-blue water heading towards the end of Long Island. We passed three sailing boats of local color, laden with mattresses and boxes, probably traders from Haiti on their way home from Nassau.
Following a path called the Comer Channel, we navigated around an underwater headland of coral heads into Salt Pond village at the south end of Long Island. We met Frank, the fuel guy-fisherman, filled our tank, and got some local knowledge. He hooked us up with Mike, the weather guy, who summers with his boat in Booth Bay, Maine, and winters in the Bahamas. We anchored out and had our first dinner aboard-this is beginning to feel a little like cruising! Mike came by with weather info via the short wave at 7 am.
Well, enough of the fun stuff! We were on our way at 0900 for what proved to be the proverbial back-breaking straw. (per Mark - We’re watching the life raft movie tonight.) Once we cleared the tip of Long Island, we hit 20-25 knot winds and 8-10 ft breaking seas…there wasn’t much conversation as the boat tumbled and tossed through the next 2 hours. And when we were done with that, we had to worm our way through sand bars and coral heads into our anchorage at Crooked Island.
And here we sit pondering our next move. The weather is supposed to improve for the next two days and our plan is to be in Caicos by the weekend and be nuzzled up to a nice dock, drinking something with an umbrella in it, when the front comes through.
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Eivind, Andrea and Nolan
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...to escape your boring day to day grind of a job!
Nolan says hello, doesn't really remember you guys but I try and show him pictures of his grandparents!! I guess the next son will have to be named Paul, that way he will know the dark side of the force. : ) Well, we're just enjoying your blog, I imagine Mama is all up in arms from the huge waves. Next time airlift her to the next port and she will meet up with you guys with a 'drink with an umbrella'. Nolan is getting larger and his brown hair is coming in nicely. I noticed the mailman had the exact color hair...seems suspicious. Bball has started and Erik and I both won our first games, which by the way were league games. The team I played had 46 TO's, which the refs probably didn't call another 15....unbelievable. Andrea says hi, she is feeding the boy as usual... i just changed his poopy diaper, thought of Papa by the way. Our house is decorated for Christmas and haven't shopped 1 minute yet. Andrea wants somebody called Louis Voutton, so I thought you guys could help her with that! Your property on 72nd is moving along, I moved the rear lot line in to make the rear lot bigger. The 1st lot will be approx. 5,000 sqft and the rear 1 9,000sft. I'm trying to finish up Stanton and Sacramento and have a Frank Lloyd wright inspired house to build on the Stanton lot. Erik's house plans for Sac are almost done. My house plans on Brazee are still in the city with some engineering issues. I guess Erik and Leif are heading up on the 22nd so that should be fun. Other than that, get a tan for me! (not a black and tan) The Fam