March 21, 2007

Remember the last note, about winds from the north-east? Well, it has continued to blow, from that direction, for all of this time.

We did manage to get northward, to Spanish Wells. It was several days of sailing close to the wind, into 15 plus knots. I couldn’t get the grin off of Murray’s face. Meanwhile, our house is heeled over 20 degrees and, surprisingly enough, everything stays put! Except a few pillows which, of course, land on the floor. But no damage to eggs or veggies stored in baskets in the aft cabin. Miracles do happen.

So, we sailed to Norman’s Cay where we stayed a few days. Murray dove with Bob, from Veruna, and his son, Kevin and added two lobster, a grouper and trigger fish to the larder. A cocktail party was held on One Palm Island. From there we sailed to Ship Channel Cay for an overnight stay. In the morning, we passed through the shallow and reefy Middle Ground, with Murray on the bow for an hour, pointing the direction to steer around the shallow reef/heads. We passed through Fleeming Channel and on to Spanish Wells.

The laundry in Spanish Wells is unique. In a lean-to behind a store, there is one washer and one dryer. There is nowhere to sit down, other than on the edge of the porch for the store. But, the clothes come out clean and fresh smelling. What more can I ask for? And, it costs $4/load, wash and dry. Cheaper than most places we have been.

The grocery here is community owned and well-stocked. They will even give you a ride back to the marina. But, as we needed the exercise, we brought our cart and packed everything in it. Just a block from the store, a golf cart stopped and insisted that we ride with them. Fellow Canadians, they had seen us come into the channel yesterday. They spend the winter in Spanish Wells, escaping the cold of Quebec.

We spent four nights at the moorings in town and then moved outside to anchor. Wayne, the pilot “Little Woody” and his wife Phyllis invited us to a shore-side dinner at a local restaurant on Monday and showered us with gifts of carrot cake and guava jam. They also took us on a tour of this prosperous island. It was great to have a chance to spend time with them as we had missed this island last winter.

Now we are at anchor at Meek’s Patch, just a mile or two from town. We are the only boat here. That is nice. The moorings were inexpensive and convenient to town but the boats were very close together. Someone sneezes on the next boat and you say “God Bless”. That is way to close.

This wind is supposed to continue to blow, right through the weekend. But, Mon and Tues may give us a chance to head directly to the US. From here, it is 270 miles to Port Canaveral. That is a bit long, but we may go for it as time is marching on without a respite from this wind. We have two bail-out points along the way, West Palm Beach or Ft Pierce, if the weather turns against us.

If we head out, we will let y’all know. Take care. Hugs to all, Heather & Murray