Crew’s day off

















It’s been three weeks since our arrival in the Bahamas.

The weather is definitely better than Canada; warmer and sunny but the winds and rough seas have been brutal.

On arrival, there was a heavy wind warning coming within the week so we made a hasty retreat from the Grand Bahamas Island to Hatchet Bay in the Eleutheras. Hatchet Bay is an area that we already knew from last year that offers all around wind protection. The entrance to the Bay is nerve wracking because on both sides are high rocks and is a very narrow corridor.. Luckily we already knew this so it made it a little less stressful.

The first wind storm wasn’t as bad as predicted. Our anchor held nicely and we managed a decent nights’sleep. A second storm was coming in a few more days with heavier winds. We decided to stay put.

The winds kept escalating..... looked on our anchor monitor... shit we’re dragging 😱 our neighbor is decidedly much closer than before and he’s not on his boat. We needed to pull up our anchor and move to another spot. Murphy’s law! Our windless that pulls the anchor up decided to breakdown at that very moment. Any idea how difficult it is to pull up an anchor in 30 kts of wind, surrounded by boats. Your heart is in your throat and all the boaters are in their cockpit watching. You are definitely the main attraction in this feature. 

All ended well. 😅We found another spot far from other boaters. We spent the night in the cockpit watching the boat spin in 40 kts winds hoping  not to drag a second time. The sound of the wind  is unbelievably  scary. The boat rocks up and down and side ways. Of course it’s always worse when it’s dark outside. Everything seems closer and the paranoia sets in. Finally it’s morning and daylight appears. We made it through the worst of the storm.

We’re heading south, making our way slowly towards Turks and Caicos.

 Spending the last two days being beaten up by winds and big waves crashing over the bow into the cockpit, it’s  really been brutal. What would normally take 3 hours become 5 to 6 hours. It is winter here after all!

Some days are absolutely fantastic and others are a handful but we are happy and wouldn’t change it (well maybe calmer seas lol 😝)

So tomorrow we are staying put, will enjoy a day at the beach and hopefully score some conch fritters for lunch and drinks at sunset 🌅 

Cheers 

Mike and Pierrette



Comments

  1. Della RiouxFebruary 12, 2021 at 7:18 AM

    Nice to hear from you both, nice pictures, hope good luck on your adventure follows you, hey Pierrette did you break you finger. Thanks for the update, always nice to read about your big challenges. I admire you both for following your dream 😴 PS second time tried to publish maybe you’ll get messages, we’ll i say better 2 than none 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarieFebruary 12, 2021 at 10:44 AM

    Great pics and blog as usual. Hope you are enjoying some calm sunny days on your adventures.
    Looking forward to the next instalment. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CheriFebruary 13, 2021 at 11:48 AM

    Nice glad you guys made it nice pixs be safe 😷

    ReplyDelete
  4. Denis L.February 21, 2021 at 4:59 AM

    Belles photos content d,avoir de vos nouvelles que de souvenirs vous me faites vivre

    ReplyDelete
  5. MarieFebruary 21, 2021 at 5:29 AM

    Les lambis frits, la salade de lambis ,comme c’est bon .Est-ce qu’il y a beaucoup de bateaux en navigation ? On aime vous lire,bon vent. Marie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Derrer FamilyFebruary 24, 2021 at 10:40 AM

    Hi guys! What drama, who needs netflix when we have The Honalee Happenings!! It is good to see you are mostly safe and sound, we are assuming there is a story with the finger splint, and that it is not a new way to keep your finger warm. We miss you lots and always love seeing what you are up to. Endless love from us xox

    ReplyDelete

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