To Crab Cay
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 3 Apr 2011 21:59
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Arriving in Crab
Cay
 As soon as we saw the words Crab Cay,
it was a must to visit. Bear said it would be a challenge. Originally we were
heading north to Rum Cay but the weather did a turn and the possibility of
getting 'stuck' was imminent in a rolly anchorage with little protection from
the west. We were up and ready to leave at nine, over the metre below us, sandy
bottom and soon out to sea. The wind and sails made for a perfect day - but -
heading ninety degrees the wrong way. I went on watch as usual at ten, down came
the genoa, engine on and heading to the tricky bit, with VPR (now officially
called visible panty ridges). Where the pos cross
is (just above the F in Find Ship), is the
entry into very shallow water strewn with coral heads. On went the forward
facing sonar.
   What it looks
like. The right hand picture is the important one. I need to see white in
front of the girls nose. It can be all shades but blue is to be avoided. It
sometimes looks like measles in front but Bear keeps a eye on the water colour,
(green and black as a rule to be swung around) and I pick a route between. I
also watch the depth on the depth sound, the GPS to keep on track, the clouds as
they give a false positive on the waters surface and wind speed for sudden
squalls to hold tight through (makes the steering a bit harder). The picture
above left shows the sea bed as I have passed over it, useful as it gives a
picture of how lumpy or steady the bottom is. Depths below 1.6 metres it
has a hard time with and shows wacky numbers. Here it shows 54.2, it should
really say something like 1.3 metres.
  What that all
equates to is the picture on the left, seems like open water is in fact
over a grass bank with 0.9 metres below the keel. The picture on the right,
seemingly shallow near the rocks, is a deeper channeled, sandy bottom with 1.8
metres below the keel. We can fully understand why there are so many wrecks in
these waters, as there are really no rules. You have to get used to reading by
machine and not eyesight, a very different skill.
 Through a skinny bit, past a sand bank
and into the crowded 'anchorage', Beez makes
four. Anchor set at a quarter to two in time for a late lunch, twenty
four miles later
 ALL IN ALL GOOD TO
FACE AND ACHIEVE NEW CHALLENGES
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