Leaving Long Island

Ambler Isle
V and S
Sun 27 Mar 2011 02:43
March 25, 2011
I awoke to the sounds of the anchor chain being hoisted up by the electric winch.  I guess the Captain decided it was time to go.  I threw on some shorts and reported to my anchor station to finish bringing it up and to secure it to the bow pulpit.  I noticed the calm water I've described several times before, where there is not any ripple on the surface.  Hanging over the bow,  I could clearly see the sea bottom 10' beneath the boat.  Old wind ripples made patterns in the sandy floor.  I saw turtle grass.  Then a tiny starfish.  More sand ripples, then a fish swam by.  I continued to watch until I could not longer see the bottom.  By that time we were in 40' of water.  The water was still clear, but a light surface ripple obscured my view.    We headed west towards Great Exuma, but our final destination undecided.  The 8 knot SW wind created a 1-2' SW wave that lapped gently just off our bow.  What a great ride.  Of course, three fishing lines hung from the stern.  We were surprised to see no boats on the horizon.  This may be the best cruising seas in several weeks.  Valt positioned himself by the fishing rods out back, but I alternated between there and the helm station. The sun was too hot for me to sit outside for long.  Luckily I did not have to sit for long.  The call, "Fish on!". sent me running up to the helm to throttle down to idle, place a mark on the chartplotter,  then run back to assist.  At last, the dry spell was over.  We had a new mahi to fill the freezer.  But we'd enjoy fresh mahi for dinner tonight.  We arrived at The Marina at Emerald Bay in time to stop and refuel.  The diesel was $5.42 per gallon.  The fuel dock did not accept cash, so there was no surcharge for using a credit card.  Many stores charge 4% to use a credit card.  We purchased 300 gallons.