« Awesome Video | Main | N27.0 W77.3 Spanish Cay, Abacos, Bahamas »
December 08, 2005
N27.0 W78.1 Great Sale Cay, Abacos, Bahamas
We had to tear ourselves away from Fort Lauderdale. A familiar place, we have developed several wonderful friendships there. But, after 5 months in the U.S., and all but 10 days in marinas (and putting a serious dent in the bank), we were longing to move on to the peace and tranquility of anchoring in a secluded cove.
“They” say that if you stand on Fort Lauderdale Beach and look out across the Florida Straits and see any commotion in the sea, don’t go. They call the surge created by north winds hitting the northbound Gulf Stream “grey elephants”. We finally got a southeast wind for our northeast passage to the northernmost part of the Bahamas. We sailed overnight to arrive at the Little Bahama Bank for daybreak. We had wonderful winds until we got to the bank, then no wind at all. Once on the bank, we enjoyed beautiful warm sunshine and the turquoise waters that we so badly missed. Straight east across the bank, we arrive at our anchorage around 2pm. We set the anchor, put Platina to sleep, and enjoyed the sound.
The sound of the world. Om. The sound of all sounds. The sound of the Universe. The sound of creation. The beginning of life.
Chis and I were talking today about how we would explain living on a boat at anchor. It’s very different from marinas – nobody wanders up to admire the boat, nowhere to plug in, no restaurants to wander to, no shops, no movie theatres, no cable TV, no internet. Marinas are in populous places, with familiar noises. Sirens, car engines, voices, music…
But the sounds are different. Like getting used to the sounds in a new home. The anchor chain makes funny pinging noises. The water curls around the boat, making strange sounds. Bubbles break under the boat.
We have decided that we are definitely “cruisers”, not marina rats. There is a sense of survival here. Uninhabited island, no noise, we make our own water, we make our own power, we cook our own food. Is there anything else?
We followed two other boats into the anchorage, and shortly 4 others joined us. It is a large anchorage, and our deep draft keeps us on the outside. We swam, we snorkeled, we had an early dinner of bacon-wrapped filet mignon on the BBQ, Dijon mustard oregano baby potatoes (credit to Luc), stir-fried veggies, and salad. We watched Polar Express, and fell sound asleep.
Following a big breakfast Monday morning, we set to inflate the dinghy, clean fenders of the marina scum we had collected, and various other boaty chores. We were done by noon, in time for the cold front to move in. We went from no wind to 20 knots in under an hour. The clouds rolled in, and several east-bound boats entered the anchorage to get protection from the northerly winds. This proved to be a very strong cold front that stalled over us for 4 days. We saw 45 knot gusts, but not much more.
Another front will be upon us in a couple of days, and we have not yet cleared Bahamas Customs & Immigration. We hope to make Spanish Cay on Friday, where we will clear in. Meanwhile, I will finish Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen. Yes, the Demi Moore movie. A much funnier book!
Posted by dave at December 8, 2005 06:36 PM