Day 20 - Bahama Cruising (Eleuthera Island - Berry Islands)

25:23.6N
77:05.2W
A
leisurely morning start - preparing to leave on high tide at mid-day -
remembering the "foreboding" entrance of several days ago! Studying the clouds
again - are those altocumulus (thunderstorms in the afternoon) or just cirrus
(high ice particles)....well, once again - time will tell! All
was well, anchor hauled easily (with the need of the trip line), we rounded to
the entrance - avoiding a local fisherman intent on paddling across we pushed on
through the exit - moderately rough water as we left - just noticing a diver's
head "pop up" in the nearby rocks - no markings, no dive boat - a solitary diver
- we missed him! Out
onto the Grand Bahama bank again - the turquoise water slipped by in the fresh
southerly breeze, leaving Eleuthera and the sleepy Alice Town behind - heading
for Flemings Channel exit to the North East Providence Channel (a busy shipping
and cruise liner route to/from Nassau and the Atlantic to Florida). Rounding
Current Island at 15:00 we were making good time and finally back into deep,
deep water - 2,500+ meters! As evening approached - the clouds began to
build...always at night. Yes there was some lightening but farther north of our
course, but thankfully the night passed by peacefully, ligfht winds and reefed
sails to slow our progress as we knew we could not re-enter the other side of
the Grand Bahama Bank until daylight. Shipping kept us busy as we crept up the
eastern side of the Berry Islands.
Phil and Di |