April 19, 2021 Lee Stocking Island to Pipe Cay

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This morning the wind was right to go north. So that's what we did.

For the last few days the winds have been low.  But today the forecast looked good, and reality once we got out on the ocean, was even better.  Second Star was in the sweet spot putting the miles away.  Occasionally we surfed the ocean swell that was coming up behind.  

The plan A destination turn off was reached before noon and it was just such great sailing we decided to carry on.

As we passed the popular Staniel Cay area we counted masts visible over the top of one of the outlying cays. Too many! These crowded anchorages are not our thing at all.  

We put Second Star into a narrow pass with large rocks on both sides.  The current in this slender flow was challenging even though the tide was near slack.  Once around the corner the water broadened into a beautiful area between cays known as Pipe Creek.  

We dropped anchor in a shallow basin surrounded by sand bars and rock that emerge at low tide.  Amazingly we are one of only six boats in the large basin.


Tues April 20

Last night the boat was so still and the water so quiet that I got up to see if we were aground. I've gotten used to the gentle or not so gentle rocking all night, and the slapping of waves against the hull.  This place is so well  protected none of that happens. The water is so clear everywhere in the Bahamas.  Tonight there was barely a ripple on the surface and we could very clearly see our chain & anchor at 7+ feet down and 40 feet of scope.

The morning sky was hazy and a little gray, but it didn't look like rain.  Around midday we heard the haze was ash from the volcano that erupted on St Vincent a few days ago.  Interesting!

A surprise- we anchored just north of our friends Nick and Megan in their boat Clarity!  They came over for a visit and we caught up on their news since they visited us last fall.  

Our afternoon project was to pull the port daggerboard to find out why it was so difficult to raise and lower.  We found a couple details to work on, and now it glides up and down easily and that will sure make things easier when we're sailing.

The winds are forecast to be light for  a couple more days, so we'll just sit right here, enjoy this beautiful spot and seek out the good snorkelling we hear is closeby.

April 21
More snorkelling- this time to the cut just north of Thomas Cay. With a fairly strong current at tide change, there is a fabulous array of corals, and a fair amount of fish. 
This spot is well known, though, so lots of people snorkel there. Unfortunately not everyone has good skills so there were a lot of delicate growths kicked over by clumsy folks.  Very sad.  

Since it was low tide on the way back, we stopped to walk on a large sand bar,  just to have our feet on land a few moments.

Back in the dinghy we said hello to Nick & Megan, and ended up talking a couple hours, and that was very pleasant.  

Back on board Second Star the morning's bread dough had risen and was begging to become a small pizza for lunch.  We folded laundry and settled in for a quiet evening.

April 22
More laundry & boat chores today. We're anticipating winds that will allow us to move farther north tomorrow.  

Comments

Jane said…
So happy that you were able to connect with Nick and Megan! I know that must have been hard to coordinate but you did it!
April 24, 2021 at 8:32 AM
Lynn and Ed said…
Sounds idyllic. We’re jealous but at least we can share the experience through your blog.
April 24, 2021 at 9:51 AM
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