24:42.838N 076:49.830W

We met Jamie and Zoe in Nassau.  We had read that the anchorage was dodgy; partly due to theft potential and partly due to all the rubbish on the bottom that can foul an anchor.  We opted for a marina, our first in eight weeks.

The marina was friendly and welcoming but basic.  More accurately it was somewhere between dilapidated and derelict.  But everyone was very nice and we quickly saw that the other marinas were on a par. 

Small culture shock as we walked out onto a busy road with a large Starbucks opposite.  We walked downtown past the docks where we were told we may be able to buy some fish.  We couldn’t.  We visited a couple of chandleries where the doors were kept locked and only opened when you had been looked at and approved.  Not somewhere we will be recommending although we were some way from all the resort areas so this is not an entirely balanced opinion.

It rained, and rained some more but we got the provisioning and laundry done so it was not a problem.

Then it rained some more.  Then Jamie and Zoe arrived and it carried on raining. 

We set off for Allen Cay  (about 33 miles)  knowing we were in for a wet and windy crossing but a wet and windy island was better than a wet and windy marina. 

Part way across to the island there are several miles of large coral heads that you simply have to look out for and go round.  Huge fun for Carol up front in full oilies bouncing up and down with the boat waving to go left and right as we went. 

We had hoped to show Jamie and Zoe the very beautiful lagoon on the Cay but 35 knots of wind, officially Gale Force, put us off negotiating the shallows to get in and we dropped anchor in the lee of the Cay instead.

It rained all day.