While working on the last Bahamas blog post, I spent quite a bit of time in one of the restaurants at Atlantis. I ended up making friends with several of the waitresses there and had a fun time talking with them throughout the night. After finishing up the blog post I went into the Atlantis casinos and walked around for a bit. I ended up at the Atlas Sports Bar and sat down for a drink. After a while I started talking to this other solo guy beside me and we hung out for the rest of the night. He was between jobs and was taking an extended vacation in different areas of the Caribbean before heading back. We walked around the casinos for awhile, went down to the aquarium area and I finally decided to call it a night.
I decided to take a taxi back instead of walking through Nassau at night. The taxi ride was short but ran me about $20. I woke up the next morning to try and finish up everything I needed to do in Nassau. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on a few things that I needed. I was blown away by some of the prices. A jar of jelly was about $7 and all the snack foods were very expensive. Some of the items were similar to the US prices so I grabbed a few cans of Progresso soup and some more Pasta Sides. I also bought a few cases of Cokes to use as a mixer.
I made my way across the parking lot to the liquor store and bought four more bottles of Ole Nassau rum. It was a decent hike back to the marina so I definitely got my arm workout for the day carrying the provisions. The rest of the night was uneventful and I called it an early night to prepare for the morning departure to Allen’s Cay.
I decided to get up around 5:45 am to give myself plenty of time to make the trip to Allen’s Cay. I successfully used the stern spring line like Jimmy taught me to leave the dock and was underway with no problems at 6:00 am. It was very calm and I passed Porgee Rocks and set my GPS for the Allen’s Cay waypoint.
The ESE wind was favorable and blowing around 10 knots. I put out the headsail and continued to motor. This was one of my first passages on my own and I was a little reluctant to put up the mainsail for this trip. Around 11 am I could start to see islands in the distance. Land ho, the Exumas at last!
I made my way around the corner in between Allen’s Cay and Leaf Cay. There were tons of boats anchored in the channel! I couldn’t believe it! I was definitely spoiled by the Berry Islands where Mark and I had the place to ourselves most of the time. I made my way up to the less popular northern anchoring spot and set the hook around 1:30 pm. I dove down to the anchor and saw that it was set very well. Satisfied that Arcturus wasn’t going anywhere without me, I hopped in the dinghy with the camera to check out Leaf Cay and the iguanas.
I decided to row around to get a little exercise instead of relying on the outboard. As I pulled up to the beach, several large iguanas started coming out of the bushes. Apparently cruisers frequently feed them so I think they were a little disappointed that I only had a camera. I snapped a few photos but quickly discovered that they were not the most exciting creatures to photograph. I hopped back in the dinghy and rowed about another half mile to SW Allen’s Cay. There were quite a few large iguanas on this island as well but I decided not to explore too far inland because I think I kept startling some resting iguanas.
I hopped in the dinghy to row back and only made it about half a mile because the current was flowing strongly against me. I reluctantly cranked up the outboard and was back to the boat in no time. I really enjoyed the row around the harbor. I started putting together my cruising workout plan of rowing around daily and pulling up the anchor chain. I spent the remainder of the evening reading Moby Dick on the boat.
I decided to move on the next day around 9 am. There were too many boats in this small anchorage and I was somewhat anxious to contact Mom and Dad and let them know the solo crossing went well. The current was flowing against the wind and I had a fairly tough time getting the anchor up. I made a mental note that gloves would probably be a good idea and I could maybe use the motor to help a bit too.
The current was flowing fast but I made it out of the channel with no problems. There was a decent swell and following sea that tossed the boat around a little bit. I threw up the headsail and turned off the motor. I happened to glance back at the dinghy to check how it was riding the swell and noticed that one of the oars was missing. No way! I was so angry! I quickly furled in the headsail, cranked up the engine and did a quick 180 to try and see if I could find it. After a few futile minutes of searching I gave up. I couldn’t believe it, I had just had an amazing row the day before and made my mind up not to use the outboard if I could help it. Now I would have to rely exclusively on that and not even have a back up option if it failed.
I fumed for awhile but finally put my sails back up and calmed down a bit. I figured worse things definitely could have happened and I am still in a beautiful area cruising around. A sailboat ended up passing me while I was looking for the oar and it looked like they were heading for Highbourne Cay as well. It turned out to be the Baba 35 that I had seen at Lizard Cay in the Berrys.
I dropped my anchor near them around 10:50 am and hopped in the water to make sure it was set well. Shortly after I got settled the couple from the Baba came over to introduce themselves. We talked for a bit and they invited me over for a drink later on. I gladly accepted and told them I would stop by in a little bit. I gathered a few things together to head into Highbourne Marina to email Mom and Dad.
It was a decent ride to the marina and I wasn’t sure exactly where to park when I arrived in the harbor. They didn’t seem to have a proper dinghy dock so I made my way to one of the low docks and tied up. I went into the office and inquired about using their internet. The woman at the counter was very short with me and it was obvious that I was not the clientele that they were trying to serve. I offered to pay whatever I needed to use the internet but she refused unless I wanted to dock at the marina. I had told Mom that I would contact her from Highbourne so I knew she would be worried if I wasn’t able to contact her. I went to theMarinastore to look around and decided to make some sort of purchase in case Mom was monitoring my bank account. I bought a medium sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos for $7 and hoped that she would see the purchase.
I made my way back to the boat to wait until my drink date with Maxwell and Jen from the Baba 35. As I was sitting there snacking on a few Doritos, I tried to deduce the proper time to join them for a drink. Do I go when it is still light out or wait until dark? If it is still light out, that puts me right about supper time. I don’t want to catch them right as they are eating and interrupt dinner. Everyone usually goes to bed fairly early while at anchor so I didn’t want to wait too late to make an appearance. Am I supposed to bring anything with me? Everyone has limited supplies and I don’t want to use up all their provisions. But is that what you do when you invite someone over and I am supposed to invite them back for another drink date where I provide everything? I finally settled on a 5:00 time and threw a bottle of rum in my bag before making my way over to their boat, Anastasia.
I had looked at a Baba 30 when I was boat shopping but had not been aboard a Baba 35 before. It is a very beautiful, classically styled boat which they spent quite a bit of time fixing up. I got the official tour and was very impressed with the inside of the boat. Maxwell made up a batch of Rum Punch and poured me a glass with several ice cubes in it. Living large!
We went into the cockpit and Jen brought out the homemade tortilla chips that she just fried up along with fresh guacamole. Wow! What luxury! I was starting to have second thoughts about my stark provisioning plan! We had a great evening talking and hanging out and ended up dipping into the bottle of rum that I brought. They have been cruising for three years and had lots of great advice for me. Jen went to bed a little early and Maxwell and I continued to talk until about 11 pm that night.
As I was prepping the boat to leave the next morning, Maxwell and Jen came by and dropped off the upcoming Chris Parker weather forecast for me. There was a front coming through in about two days time so I would probably need to find a good spot to hide out for a day or so. We said our goodbyes and I pulled up the anchor and set off for Norman’s Cay.
The wind was favorable and I put up full sail on the way to Norman’s Cay. After talking with Maxwell and Jen I was inspired to try and sail whenever possible. They had barely used any fuel on their entire trip and even sailed on and off of anchor when possible! I made great time and had a wonderful although somewhat quick sail. I treated myself to half the bag of Doritos during the sail.
Lack of fuel was another factor in my decision to sail. I had not purchased any fuel since Port Lucaya on Dec. 24, over two weeks prior. I was a little worried about pulling up to the fuel dock on my own in Nassau so I skipped it thinking I would get fuel at Highbourne Cay. I opted to bypass the Highbourne fuel dock after the hospitality I had at their front desk. I probably should have done my research a little more before making that decision though! Norman’s Cay was the last stop before entering the Exumas Land and Sea Park and I would not have another chance to get fuel until after passing through it.
I followed the channel around the southern point of Norman’s Cay and anchored at the first recommended anchorage near the beach. What a beautiful island! A deep blue channel ran through to the sound with a few shallow areas on either side. There was a plane wreck about half way up that was supposed to be a good dive spot. I was anxious to get in contact with Mom and Dad since a few days had already passed since I told them I would check in.
I dove on the anchor and then hopped in the dinghy to head over to Norman’s Beach Club (formally MacDuff’s). It was a long dinghy ride to the western side of the island and it turns out they were closed on Mondays. I sat down outside and opened up my laptop to check for a signal. Still no internet! The bar was located near the airstrip so I walked back along it and found a path back to the beach.
It was getting to be late afternoon at this point and I stopped at this cool little island on the way back. The island, called Island 17, couldn’t have been more than a 1000 or so square feet and had one lone palm tree on it. The tide was very low and I stayed there for an hour or so taking photos in the golden light. The rocks and coral nearby combined with the nice light made for some really nice photos.
The next day I went back to MacDuff’s to see if they had any options for internet. The path up to the bar was very pretty and I arrived right as they were opening at 12 pm. A large puppy greeted me at the door and apparently had been waiting all day for me to arrive. I sat down at the bar and ordered the famous MacDuff’s Cheeseburger and a nice cold Kalik. The bar itself was a very attractive, screened in room that led to an open air porch outside. I stayed at the bar for awhile and talked with the owner, Stefan, while working on a few photos. They did not have any options for internet so I was still unable to contact Mom and Dad.
Around noon a guy came in with a large cooler and pulled out several huge lobster tails. He and three other guys were staying at one of the beach cabanas associated with the restaurant and wanted to have the lobster fried up for lunch. About half an hour later the whole crew came in. Maria, the cook, had finished making the Lobster Balls (deep fried lobster chunks made with the standard Conch Fritter batter) and laid them out on the bar. I ended up talking with the guys for awhile and they ended up giving me a whole plate of the lobster to eat! That was my first taste of spiny lobster and it was really delicious. I said thank you to the guys and went back to the boat to drop my backpack off.
It was nearly low tide and I wanted to explore a few of the islands. I saw a huge area of sand bar on the eastern side of the anchorage near Boot Cay that was exposed during the low tide that looked like it might provide for some interesting photo ops. I tied the dinghy off to a piece of rock on the shore and set off to check it out.
What a cool area! There were tidal pools all over the place with tons of conch shells spread out across the bay. The light was great and I kept snapping photos as I continued to make my way around the island. I came around a point and crossed over to the beach side of the island. There were large rocks to scramble over with patches of beach in between. I had a blast taking photos and exploring around.
The light was beginning to fade over the ridge and I had a decision to make. I was probably about half way around the island. I could keep working around the outside, try to cut through the middle or return the way that I came. I hiked up to the top of the ridge and quickly eliminated one option. A huge valley of dense vegetation lay between me and the next ridge and I couldn’t see the beach where I docked the dinghy at all. It would take hours to work my through it and I would definitely be back to the boat after dark. I looked towards the unexplored area of the island and it looked like the coastline started getting a little steeper. I opted for the cautious route and retraced my path back around to the dinghy. I made it back to the boat with plenty of daylight and settled in to start Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
The next day I spent most of the afternoon hanging out at Norman’s Beach Club. I treated myself to another cheeseburger and had a few more cold Kaliks as I petted Salt the dog and exchanged stories with Stefan. At one point in the afternoon the crew of guys that I met the day before came back to the bar. Apparently one of the guys named Greg was building a house on the island and the other guys were his friends that came in for the week. I talked with them for awhile and Greg invited me to have dinner with them that night. I gladly accepted the invitation. I also found out that a party was going on later that night for one of the contractors that was finishing up a job on the island. Sounds like the makings for a fun night!
I left around 4 pm to head back to the boat. I had parked the dinghy on the interior of the island and walked all the way around the beach to get to the Beach Club earlier. Stefan told me about a shortcut that cut the trip in half. I came back to the bar before dark and was handed a cherry stout that Mariah had brewed for the party. It was the first dark beer I had in a while and it was very tasty!
Greg and his crew came in for dinner and I went to sit down with them. We had steak that they had brought in from the US and more lobster. It was a real treat! There was a cute girl hanging out by the bar who caught my eye. Greg saw me looking at her and told me to go talk to her. I said “No way” so he hopped up and walked right over to her. About 30 seconds later he waved me over and told me to sit down beside her. Oh man, here we go. I ended up talking with her most of the night and had some nice conversation. Jessie’s family operated a delivery business through the Bahamas and she was hanging out with them during her winter break.
It was starting to get late and everybody was clearing out of the bar. There was a bonfire on the beach for the contractors group but I wasn’t sure if there was an open invitation or not. I lingered around the bar for awhile and decided it was about time to head home. Stefan and Jessie were heading to the bonfire but were kind enough to give me a ride back to the boat dock before heading out.
During dinner, Greg told me to stop by early the next morning to grab a certain fishing lure that he wanted me to have. They were flying out around 10 am so I made my way over to their house around 8 am. I arrived at the beach house and they were all up eating breakfast. Greg invited me to join and cooked me two eggs with toast to enjoy. They were packing up their belongings and waiting for the plane to arrive. Greg gave me the lure and some stronger test line to put on my fishing rod. The lure was a huge Mahi lure that was about a foot long! A local man named Leroy helped me restring the rod and attach the new fishing lure.
I thanked Greg and his friends for all their hospitality and walked back to the boat. I had no trouble getting the anchor up at 9:33 and set off towards Shroud Cay. I tried to sail since I was concerned about fuel but I only had three knots of wind! I put up full sail and attempted to sail for about an hour. The best I could figure I was drifting sideways and making no progress. I reluctantly doused the sails and fired up the engine.
I arrived at the mooring field off of Shroud Cay at 11:40 am and looked for a mooring ball. There were only two other boats there so I had plenty of room. This was the first time I was trying to pick up a mooring by myself so I was a little anxious. It seemed like it would be a little more difficult than just randomly dropping an anchor. I picked my mooring, put the engine in neutral and tried to glide slowly up to the mooring. I had the boat hook in hand and was able to pick it up with no problems. I tied everything off and dove down to make sure the mooring looked legitimate. Satisfied that everything was secure, I prepped a bag to head to shore.
Shroud Cay is known for having a series of creeks that run through the island that you can explore by dinghy. Jessie’s family had told me about a large washbowl feature at the end of one of the creeks. It sounded interesting so I set off to find the creek.
The dinghy ride to the northern creek took about 10 minutes. I saw another dinghy leaving the creek and was able to easily identify the entrance. It was so beautiful! The crystal clear water was only about five feet deep and the channel was about 20 yards wide. The creek kept winding back and forth and was lined with mangroves. It was fairly low tide but I was able to make my way through without any problems. I came to an open basin that branched off to the right and left. I started heading left and quickly ran aground. The engine cut off so I hopped out and walked it back towards deeper water. I climbed back in the dinghy and couldn’t get the engine to start! It kept turning over but wouldn’t crank. I was little worried that I was running low on fuel but I popped off the cap and there seemed to be enough in the bottom. I made my way over to the shore and tied off to a dead tree branch.
I tried to pressurize the tank using the small hand bulb. I kept pumping and pumping and it didn’t seem to do anything. I thought there might be something clogged in the line but couldn’t tell. It was about one o’clock and that point and I started trying to think about how I would get back to the boat if I couldn’t get the engine started. I only had one oar thanks to the Allen’s Cay debacle and I had several miles to cover. I figured my best bet for the time being was to just get the engine started. So I started pumping again and kept pumping and pumping for what must have been about forty five minutes. Finally the tank seemed pressurized and I was able to start the engine. Thank goodness!
I was near an outlet for the creek but the direction did not seem correct for the washbowl. I turned to venture down the right fork and only made it a few hundred yards because it was so shallow. I turned around and went back to where I was working on the engine and continued on towards the left fork. Right around the bend was my destination. I had been so close for about an hour and didn’t even know it!
The channel passed through these beautiful dual cliffs and had a large, deep basin on the other side. The current was flowing swiftly through the pass and swirled around in the washbowl before exiting onto a shallow bank near the sound. I parked the dinghy and grabbed my mask. I went around the back to the creek side of the channel and jumped in the water. The current pushed me along through the pass and shot me out to the washbowl on the other side. I surveyed the deeper blue water to make sure there weren’t any lingering sharks or other hungry sea creatures waiting below. All clear! I swam to the other side of the washbowl and climbed one of the small cliffs above the creek. It looked clear and deep below so I mustered up some courage and jumped out into the creek. Phew, no sharp rocks below and a free ride back out to the basin.
I climbed back on to the dinghy beach and dried off for a little bit. A tall hill rose up right behind the creek so I grabbed the camera and hiked to the top. I had an incredible view from the top and was able to see almost 360 degrees. A somewhat broken sign informed me that I was standing at CampDriftwood. I climbed around to get a few more angles and went back to the dinghy. It was getting somewhat late at this point so I fired up the dinghy and started back. Almost right away it was too shallow to go forward. I hopped out of the dinghy and drug it forward over the sandbar. The tide was even lower than before but I was able to make it the rest of the way out of the creek without any trouble. I went back to the boat for dinner and finished reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
I woke up the next morning and tidied things up around the boat. At 9:00 am the announcement came on from the park headquarters at Warderick Wells. You have to get on the waiting list to get into their main mooring field and you usually have to reserve a spot at least a day in advance. The announcement came on and I heard that Jen and Maxwell aboard Anastasia were already there. I radioed in and got put on the waiting list for the following day.
Several more boats were in the mooring field now and there seemed to be one or two boats with kids aboard. I was on deck inspecting the mooring lines when a guy pulled up in his dinghy. His name was Ben and his boat was parked nearby. He was traveling with his wife and two young children for a while. They were working their way down the Exumas with two other boats that also had children. He invited me over for a cold beer later and took off to another boat.
I decided to go back to Washbowl Creek and take the GoPro this time. I used the suction cup mount and attached it to the front of the dinghy. I secured it with a tether in case it fell overboard. I had the camera on all the way through the creek out to the washbowl. I jumped in the creek a few times and spent a couple of hours getting footage. I captured another clip of the dinghy ride on the way back to the boat. I loaded the videos on the laptop when I got back and the lens had fogged up for the whole dinghy ride there and back! I was so disappointed! I had a few good shots from some of the other clips and made a mental note not to run the camera for long bursts to prevent the fog problem.
I didn’t get back to the boat until just about sunset. I sat for awhile and debated whether or not to take Ben up on his beer invitation. The kids aboard introduced a new variable into the cruising drink etiquette that I had not encountered before. If grownups go to bed around 8 pm, do the two and four year olds go to bed even earlier? When is dinner then if their bedtime is that early? I certainly did not want to interrupt their dinner or set bedtime schedule. Cold beer is a prized asset and he had invited me to have one with him so I didn’t want to stand him up. I finally decided to err on the conservative side and not go over after dark.
I woke up somewhat early the next morning and was under way at 0740. I would have to wait until 0900 to get confirmation on my mooring ball at Warderick Wells but I decided to take a chance and start that way anyhow. The guide book says that you can purchase an internet pass at the Park Office. I would finally be able to properly contact Mom and Dad! The wind was fairly light but I put up full sail to try and conserve fuel. It was slow going at first but I was able to pick up speed after I rounded a shallow sand bar and adjusted my course. I readjusted the sail and aimed straight for the channel to the park making 5.7 knots. At this pace I would make it to the mooring field around 1300 or so.
At 0900 the announcement came on for the mooring ball reservations and it brought both good and bad news. The good news was that I had a spot in the northern mooring field. The bad news was that it was Saturday and the park office was closing for the weekend at noon because of office repairs. I would not be able to get an internet pass until Monday! Around 1000 Jen from Anastasia hailed me on the radio. They were with me at Highbourne and knew of my struggle to find an internet signal. They heard that I would be arriving late to the mooring field and offered to go buy a pass for me at the office before they closed. Excellent! I told her she was amazing and that I would come find them once I arrived and settled in.
I was trying to make the best time that I could and continue to conserve fuel. The jib halyard was a little slack so I decided to tighten it up a bit. The jib halyard winch is mounted on the cabin top but does not work. I angled the halyard back down to the jib sheet winch and cranked it up tightly. Beautiful! The sail shape looked much better and I made believe that I was going a little bit faster. I looked down at the winch and the wraps had crossed because of the funky angle. I spent quite a bit of time and was unable to budge it at all. I tried rigging lines to another winch to create slack but nothing worked. I spent most of the sail trying to free it but nothing worked. Oh well, that will give me a good project to work on later.
The final mile or so to the mooring field was directly into the wind. Now for the moment of truth! I ran out of fuel with about 13 gallons of fuel left in the tank last year in Florida. I must have some sort of issue with the placement of my pickup in the fuel tank. I was right about at that limit now on this trip. I had one jerry can of diesel left but was worried that it might have been compromised with a little bit of water. I doused all the sails, turned on the engine and hoped that the fuel would get me to my mooring.
I turned into the northern mooring field and began weaving through all the boats on my way to Mooring 21 at the back. As I approached I began to formulate a plan for picking up this mooring. There was a strong current opposing the brisk wind. The current seemed stronger based on the angle of the other boats already parked. It seemed like I would need to pass the mooring going decently fast so that I would be able to be up on deck to grab the mooring before the boat started drifting sideways with the current or wind. I picked my approach line, popped the engine into neutral and grabbed the boat hook as I hopped on deck. The approach was great and I snagged the mooring with no problem. Unfortunately I came in a little too hot and shot right past the mooring. I hung on to the boat hook to try and slow the boat and was promptly pulled off of my feet. I fell down and slammed my shin on the toe rail. Ah! The boat was slowing down a bit and so I reached out to get a better grip on the mooring line. A barnacle on the mooring line sliced all the way across my right palm. Damn it! So with my shin throbbing and my hand bleeding I was able to set the mooring lines with no problem and take a breather.
I was anxious to talk with Mom and Dad so I promptly hopped in the dinghy and went over to find Jen on Anastasia. Their dinghy was tied to the back of the boat but it didn’t seem like anyone was home. I stopped by the office on the way back to the boat to explore around for a little bit. The office was closed as advertised but I spent some time looking at the information posted around the outside. I went back to the boat to make a little lunch and hang out for a bit.
After an hour or so Jen came by with a guy named John from a neighboring boat. They had been hiking which explained why her dinghy was still tied to the boat with no one there. I thanked her for being so thoughtful and traded her $10 for the internet code. They went back to the boat and I grabbed my laptop to head back ashore. I set up shop in a picnic shelter on the beach and was finally able to catch up with Mom and Dad for awhile. They were glad to hear that I was doing well but let me know that they had seen my purchases at Highbourne andNorman’s in my bank account and had been able to track my progress a bit.
I woke up around 8:00 the next morning and made a quick breakfast before heading in to the beach. There are tons of hiking trails all over the island and I wanted to check a few of them out. I went to one of the trail heads and took a look at the map. I decided to head to the famous Boo Boo Hill near the northern side of the island. There were lots of great photo opportunities along the way and Boo Boo Hill provided a great view of the harbor. At the top of Boo Boo Hill, cruisers can leave a piece of driftwood decorated with their boat name.
A long trail led south around the eastern side of the island. It was beautiful in the morning light! The trail led along a high rocky cliff all the way down the island. Several sets of cairns led the way and there were lots of little overlooks that provided some incredible views. The sound was pretty choppy and some large waves kept breaking against the cliffs. I hiked along this path for about two hours and decided that I better head back to the boat to make sure I make it in time for a late lunch.
On the way back the trail split and I decided to take a detour to Tababuia Beach. The trail opened up from a dense palm forest right on the beach. What a stunning beach, maybe one of the most beautiful I’d seen so far! Perfect white sand, no other footprints, framed in by coral rock on each side and no one in sight. Wonderful! I hung out there for awhile but my stomach finally told me that it was time to move on. There was a trail map on one side of the beach and there was not another path back to the headquarters except back the way I came. There was a trail that appeared to be on the other side of the rock cliff on the far side of the beach. I hiked around the outside of the rock along the water and ended up on Butterfly Beach around the corner. The Causeway Trail back to the park headquarters was on the other side of the beach and I was able to make the rest of the trip fairly quickly. I went back to the boat and made a large lunch before settling down to start reading Treasure Island for the rest of the day.
I went to the office around 9:30 the next morning to pay up and take a look around the store. I met Darby and Andrew in the office and talked with them for awhile about the different islands. I paid up for my two nights at Shroud Cay and the two at Warderick Wells. There were two guys named Bruce and John that were volunteering at the park and lived on a couple of the moorings near me. They were heading out that day to go a little further south to Black Point for laundry. I wanted to do a little more hiking but went back to the boat to make lunch and fuel up before the hike this time.
Right as I was finishing up the dishes, Jen, Maxwell, John and his wife Cyndi came by and invited me to go hiking with them. Great timing! I met them on the beach and we started the hike with a trek up to Boo Boo Hill. We continued south down the sound side and ended up doing the same trek I had made the previous day. We all shared stories and ended up having a really nice hike. As we were finishing up the hike Maxwell asked if I had enough fuel or not. Wow, psychic! I told him that I was running low but had one jerry can left that I think could get me to Staniel Cay. I did request his help with the jib halyard problem though. When we made it back to the dinghy dock Maxwell hopped in with me and went back to the boat to check out the issue. It was a very easy fix with the two of us and he was back to his boat in no time.
I woke up early the next morning to prepare to make a move further south. It was a favorable wind and it looked as if everyone was thinking the same thing. I inspected the diesel in the jerry can and it seemed to be ok. I emptied it into the fuel tank and figured that would be plenty to get me to Staniel Cay for a proper fill up. Right as I was preparing to leave I noticed that Maxwell had left his Chacos in the dinghy when he had come over to help with the halyard. I ran them over to Anastasia and said my goodbyes to them. He wrote down the latest forecast for me and I went back to the boat to get ready to head out.
As I was leaving the channel a guy aboard a boat named Polar Pacer asked where I was heading. I answered Staniel Cay and he told me to keep an eye out for a boat named Sunday’s Child there with a couple about my age aboard. I thanked him for the information and continued to motor out the channel.
To be continued!