The norm for us is kind of like Texas weather; if you don’t like what we are doing or planning on doing then just wait a few minutes and it will most likely change. This charteristic of Rusty and I drives Erin crazy. Thing is I totally understand her frustration because I use to be a planner just like her….or I guess she is like I was when she was growing up. I have been under the fluid influence of Rusty for 13 years now, and I find I like the freedom of “flying by the seat of your pants” so to speak.
Wednesday we had dinner at the famous Poop Deck and when we returned to the boat we decided to stage at Rose Island which is about an hour sail from Nassau. We had anchored at Rose Island several times butalways on the Leeward side. This time the winds were from Northeast instead of the prevailing Southeast winds so we were going to anchor on the windward side of the island. We didn’t bother looking at charts because we had been there so many times. Rusty found a spot that “looked” nice and sandy and dropped anchor. It did not take long to figure out somethingwas amiss. The anchor didn’t hook up and it sounded like it was dragging on rock. Rusty tried another spot and the same happened at which point I pulled out the charts and the Windward side unlike the Leeward side is mostly coral reefs with just a few inches of sand on top. We spent the next hour seeing if we could find a spot, finally headed to an anchorage indicated on the chart but it was so far out it didn’t offer any protection.
We decided to head out instead of waiting until morning. The wind was behind us at about 15 knots and the seas were 2-4 feet but they were also behind us so it was a sleigh ride. We made it to Allens Cay about 11:00pm and anchored. We had cut off enough of a leg that we thought we could comfortably get to one of our all time favorite spots and that is the beach behind Blackpoint we have coined “castle beach” because of this home
The winds and seas had come around and the sleigh ride turned into a rollar coaster ride…not my favorite. By three o’clock we were anchored. We were surprised find four boats already there and two of the were the kind of mega yachts you would expect to find at Big Major. Our unnamed, undiscovered beach is no longer undiscovered… Again I have this premonistion that the Exumas are forever changing.
We did what we usually like to do and that is to beach SYL, drop the ladder and get in the water…….but wow it is still a little chilly especially with the cool wind.